[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]

4 hours ago, Thebaker said:

the summer is certainly going well

I think I did well considering the temptation. 

[Jimbokav1971]

(CIV) U20's. Sep 2036. 

I've enjoyed by brief period in charge of (CIV) U20's but I was enormously frustrated when the powers at be called up our 2 best players to the Senior (CIV) squad. As a result we didn't qualify for the U20 AFCON and I've decided that this isn't the job for me. 

Guèhi (CIV) * was available to sign for just £240,000 but I couldn't persuade the player to join and he has recently agreed a move to France. He was my favourite player in this squad. 

Tetty (CIV) 5'9" was my 2nd favourite player in the group and I did at least manage to sign him so this part of the save wasn't a complete waste of time. 

[Jimbokav1971]

DR Congo (COD). Sep 2036. 

I might have decided that U20 management isn't for me, (because the Senior National Team just nick my players and it annoys the hell out of me), but that doesn't mean that International management is dead to me. I noticed that the (COD) job was available and just thought.... what the hell. 

They want us to qualify from the Group Stages of AFCON Qualifying. I have no idea what format this competition takes so this should be fun.

I haven't used a 442 formation in about 12 years. 

(COD) have qualified for 6 of the 7 AFCON tournaments that have been held in this save.  

2023 AFCON. 2nd Round. 
2025 AFCON. 2nd Round.
2027 AFCON. Did not qualify.
2029 AFCON. 4th place. 
2031 AFCON. 2nd Round.
2033 AFCON. 2nd Round.
2035 AFCON. Group stage.

(COD) have only qualified for 1 of the 4 World Cups that have been held in this save. 

2022 World Cup. Did not qualify. 
2026 World Cup. Group stage. 
2030 World Cup. Did not qualify.
2034 World Cup. Did not qualify. 

7 members of the 23 man squad are the wrong side of 30. This squad needs an injection of young blood. 

We're already halfway through the Group Stage of AFCON qualifying, so it would seem that most of the hard work has already been done. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I didn't go mad, but signed a left sided, dynamic creative striker and also a finisher. 

Sounds good! Though that sounds like two players in the forward position  

[Jimbokav1971]

(COD). Sep 2036. 

We scored 4 goals using exactly the same tactic that we play at Ceuta, but, (and I'm not completely sure if this is really good news, or really bad news), all 4 goals were scored from corners.  We score a few goals from corners, (our 1st choice left centre-half hit 10 last season), but nothing on this level. Interestingly I noticed that Zimbabwe had some VERY short players, but when I checked their back 4 were all at least 6'0"+ but the problem might have been who was asked to do what in defensive situations because they had 1x 5'0" striker who was involved and a 5'7" DM involved too. But everyone else in their team was a decent size and we don't particularly have giants. 

Machochi (COD)(BEL) 6'0" scored a hat-trick, but interestingly wasn't given an assist and I have no idea why. Do you not get an assist if it strikes the woodwork? 

Kalonji (COD)(ENG) took all 4 corners, (I didn't set anyone as taker), and the reason he only got 3 assists is because the Rolly Ngoie goal was met by the head of Machochi (COD)(BEL) 6'0", but rather than going straight into the net like the other 3, he hit the post and Rolly Ngoie finished it off from close range.

[Jimbokav1971]

9 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Sounds good! Though that sounds like two players in the forward position  

Shush! Snitches get stitches! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2036. 

LaLiga. It was important to get our 1st win of the season because we were rock bottom after the Espanyol game. We were 1-0 down for most of the game, so to get a late winner in the end was brilliant. To then follow it up with a surprise point against Real Madrid was the icing in the cake. 

Goal-scoring GK's. No shots of any type taken this month. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2036.

LaLiga. The fixture list was kind to us, but you still have to go and win the games no matter how easy they should be. We had a slow start to the season but we've rocketed up to 11th and we're looking up at the European spots. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 4 shots, (1 on target), but 0 goals this month.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

(COD). Nov 2036. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2036. 

LaLiga. We rotated the squad for the Sevilla game, and it didn't work out, but it wasn't any worse than the Bilbao result where we started a full strength squad. A Soliman (EGY) hat-trick got us a good win at home to Levante and then we rotated the squad for the Barca game and somehow came out 1-0 winners thanks to a record-breaking goal from Shezi (RSA). It sees us finish the month up in 11th and only 3 points off a European spot. 

Records.

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

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

AFCON 2037. Group draw. Dec 2036. 

It's hard to gauge the strength of our opponents by anything other than their FIFA ranking, (which are notoriously misleading), but that's all we have so....

[Jimbokav1971]

AFCON 2037. 

I know I specifically picked this type of save to come up against and overcome obstacles such as this, but our LaLiga games during AFCON 2037 should be interesting. 

[Sonic Youth]

Former U20’s manager of Ivory Coast draws Ivory Coast in AfCon’s group stage shocker 

How many defenders do you have left now after the call-ups?!

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Former U20’s manager of Ivory Coast draws Ivory Coast in AfCon’s group stage shocker 

How many defenders do you have left now after the call-ups?!

I hadn't thought about getting drawn in a group with (CIV) before it happened, but when it did I was happy. 

As for defenders...... we have loads. I'm not sure how many, (if any of them), are any good. I will find out when we get there. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2036. 

LaLiga. Not a good month at all. We scored 7 goals in 3 games, but it was still only good enough for 1 point. We've dropped to 13th in the league and we're 8 points short of the European spots. We missed 2 penalties this month, (against Mallorca & Real Hispalis), and had we converted both of them we would have collected 1 more points and been unbeaten over the month. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. We've crashed out of the Cup too early in recent seasons. I'm determined that if we go out again this season then it will at least be to a big club.

Awards. 

Soliman (EGY) is the joint top goal-scorer in the league, (along with (27a) Crespo * and another player), which is astonishing really when you consider that he has only played 14(1) of 17 league games. I'm really happy with how he's doing and expect him to really kick on over the next 12 months or so. 

Ajax made a bid of £18.5M for El Fakiri (MAR) SC on the same day that he won this award, but as he has 4+1 years left on his contract I'm in no rush to sell him. 

Youth Intake preview. It's an "excellent 5.0 intake" but we only have 1 position rated as A, (although it includes 2 players). 

Facilities.

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

 

Finances.

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2037. 

LaLiga. We were able to play the Las Palmas with an almost full squad, but everything since then has been an absolute bare-bones of a squad with 11 players away at the AFCON and 3 more injured. We actually did better with the small squad than we did against Las Palmas but that's just the way it goes sometimes. We're 10 points adrift of the last European spot but 12 points clear of relegation too. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. This is the furthest we've ever got in the Cup, bit the next round sees us home to Bilbao. 

Facilities. We;ve just had Presidential Elections and we have a new El Presidente so I thought I would see what I could get out of them.

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sacked!  Feb 2037. 

Well this came as a bit of a shock. 

I can't remember what our expectations were, but as we were the 3rd highest ranked team in our Group, I expected that they would be happy getting out of the Group. 

I've saved and gone back and loaded the save from 1st Jan 2037, (before AFCON was played), so that I can see what the (COD) expectations were. Maybe they were just really ambitious because they knew they had an ageing squad and this was their last real chance to accomplish something? 

The expectation was that we qualify for the AFCON. [Accomplished]
The expectation was that we "Reach the Second Round (Minimum) of the AFCON. [Accomplished]

This seems harsh, but not ridiculously so in my opinion now. We did accomplish the board expectations, but only the minimum expectations. 

I've been interested in the South African job for a while, but I notice that they don't have to qualify for the World Cup, (they're hosts), so this puts me off the job a little. I'm still a bit peeved after being sacked if I'm honest so might give International Management a miss for a while. 

 

[Edit]

(GAM) obviously did really well to get to the Semi's where they lost narrowly to the eventual Champions (MAR). We lef them 3-2 after 90 mins and they scored a late leveller and then beat us on penalties. 

El Fakiri (MAR) SC is a really unusual one. He can play all the way down the left hand side, (and even at right back), but we've been using him as a left-sided striker. He was actually selected in the AFCON Dream Team at left back, showing his versatility. To be honest, us playing him at SLC is simply our way of getting him in the starting XI. He might play at DL at some point in the future, but at the moment we've got 3 decent options there already, and his SLC role is more like a winger anyway. 

Soliman (EGY) finished Runner up in the AFCON Golden Boot and is progressing really well. I think with some improvement in his physical ability over the next 12 months or so he could really be a big player for us. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

January Transfer window. Feb 2037. 

In. 

Ouattara (CIV)(BFA) 6'0" was one of the lads in my (CIV) U20 squad and when I saw he was available really cheaply I jumped at the chance. He's not as good as the scout report suggested so we will have to see how he develops. 

Mahua (RSA) is a bit of an unusual signing in that we already have 2 good left backs at the club, but we also have a 3rd left back out on loan, so bringing in a 4th left back would seem to be a bit strange until you see that we only paid £500,000 for him and he's already valued at  although his PA dropped from 5.0 to 4.5. If all 4 remain next season then 2 will stay and 2 will be loaned out, but I might sell 1 too. 

Idris (GER)(NGA) 6'5" was available cheaply at just £1.5M and that's the main thing that caught my eye, and he's already valued at  so this appears to be decent business at least, (which hasn't always been the case with our signings). 

Out. 

(34g) Fran. was offered out for £10k, +25% +friendly. Instead they paid us £135,000 cash. 

(34e) Santamaría. was offered out for £10,000 +25% + a friendly and they paid us £135,000. I think it's strange that this same unusual amount was offered for both players, by mayne there is some sort of under the hood mechanics that makes this happen. 

Ngoy (NED)(COD) was a player I didn't want to lose, but they met his min fee release clause of £20M, (we signed him for just £5.5M + approx £1M in bonus'), so there is some decent profit there. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2037. 

LaLiga. We had a threadbare squad for the San Sebastian game and it cost us, badly. We bounced back well to defeat Vallecano and then I prioritised the Cup game against Sevilla ahead of the league game against Sevilla, so went with a rotated squad for that game and lost narrowly. My methods worked however as we came out on top in the 1st leg of the Cup tie. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. We were really good against Bilbao and well worthy of the win, and then after resting all 10 outfield players from the starting line-up in the league against Sevilla, we were too strong for them in the 1st leg of the Cup. Next month we play Real Madrid in LaLiga on 1st March and then Sevilla in the 2nd leg of the Cup on 4th March so I will be rotating the squad again against Real Madrid. In all honesty, rotating the starting XI home to Sevilla and away to Real Madrid, probably hasn't cost us a single point anyway. 

Goal-scoring GK's. A 1st GK goal of the season, (finally). 

 

Records.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

NxGn 2037. 

After finished 2nd last season, I was expecting (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" to go close to winning it this season, but surprisingly he has dropped from #2 to #3. 
It's not all bad news though as his #2 spot has been taken by Soliman (EGY) in his 1st season with the club.
Tetty (CIV) 5'9" is #45 on the list after we signed him in September and immediately sent him back to his old club on loan. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Apr 2037. 

Preview. 

Summary. 

Squad by PA.

Key players. 

Personality. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

Sacked? Leaves more time to train those youngsters getting all those awards and playing in Finals.

I think the board thought that it should have been Congo and not The Gambia who was eliminated by Morocco.

Incidentally, it’s pretty awesome to have wonderkids playing for both teams in the final.

Which leads me to scouting, and what is showing up now in your youth intakes personalities, and the top filtering you’ve been doing with those reports and the players signed. I’d previously noticed that the squad personality type is professional 

The cup run is excellent, with a great opportunity looming. It’s good that your league form hasn’t completely been forgotten about getting the odd win even if you are rotating.

Onwards with the final push of the season 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Sacked? Leaves more time to train those youngsters getting all those awards and playing in Finals.

I think the board thought that it should have been Congo and not The Gambia who was eliminated by Morocco.

I was a bit surprised and initially a bit gutted too, Thought we did ok. 

We were leading 3-2 into injury time I think. We had missed a few penalties along the way so I wasn't confidant at all of the penalties. 

Yeah, their goal was scored in the 93rd min. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Incidentally, it’s pretty awesome to have wonderkids playing for both teams in the final.

Wonderkids playing for both teams in the Final?  The AFCON Final? I hadn't noticed. What have I posted that you have seen and I haven't noticed? Ah yes. Morocco and Egypt. Were both our players wonderkids? 

El Fakiri (MAR) SC is classed as a wonderkid, but Soliman (EGY) isn't, (although you might be calling him a wonderkid because he was on the NxGn list. I don't class a player as a wonderkid unless the media description actually says wonderkid. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Which leads me to scouting, and what is showing up now in your youth intakes personalities, and the top filtering you’ve been doing with those reports and the players signed. I’d previously noticed that the squad personality type is professional 

The personalities of the recent intake weren't amazing in so much as there were no Model Citizens or Perfectionists, but it was still very good and warranted me filtering it to make it more obvious and then posting it to highlight it. 

The previous season was also good, and although I noticed it, I didn't filter it and highlight it like I did this season. 

4x Pro
1x Driven
1x F.Pro
1x F.Amb
1x Fickle, (I can't remember which off the top of my head but I like this personality because it only needs 1 attribute fixing to become a good personality). 
 

3x Unamb
1x Merc
3x Bal
1x F.Sport
 

I've obviously been taking control of recruiting the HoYD, (and scouts actually), but in the main I just let the DoF appoint the rest of the staff. I think I might have recruited our current Ass man too because the last one got poached, but I couldn't even tell you what Nationality he is never mind about his name or what he's like. 

I tend to only get involved when one of our staff gets poached or where I look at the staff screen, (or something else), and notice that we don't have the fill compliment of staff. 

With regards to squad type being Professional, this can be a little misleading. The level of Pro at which a squad average is rated is significantly lower than the level at which trigger an individual player to be Pro. For example, if I had a whole squad of nothing but F.Pro players, (below Pro in terms of the Pro ratings for players), it would trigger the Pro squad squad label and possibly more than that. The Pro level above Pro for squads is Ultra-Pro I think, but I haven't seen that for a few issues of the game because I haven't concentrated on mentoring for ages. 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

The cup run is excellent, with a great opportunity looming. It’s good that your league form hasn’t completely been forgotten about getting the odd win even if you are rotating.

Onwards with the final push of the season 

I haven't posted the March update yet.  

[Jimbokav1971]

5.0 PA players. Apr 2037. 

We've got 15 players at the club with 5.0 PA, and as @Sonic Youthhinted at, there's quite a lot of Pro around for a save in which absolutely no mentoring is being done by me. Yes of course I'm culling Unamb & Low Det players, (and purposefully not signing players like that, but it's still looking pretty decent and suggests that they are more likely to get close to whatever their PA is. I try to be more relaxed about pro levels now though because 1 of my favourite players in the save right now is 19 year old Soliman (EGY) and he has a (Bal) personality and (Det) of 10. (33b) Marcos * is the only other 5.0 PA player with (Det) <10 and he's sort of gone under the radar a little as he is 19 and hasn't made a a single appearance for us yet. He's been loaned out the last 2 seasons to Tier 3, but I really need him to be playing in LaLiga2 next season. 

What concerns me is the min fee release clause column. There is nothing there bigger than £40M and only 1 more player above £29M. I think some of these need to be higher. Not so we get more money for them, but in order to act as more of a deterrent. 

8 of the 15 are products of our Academy and 7 are players I've bought. The chances are that (37a) & (37b) won't stay at 5.0 PA, but the player that jumps out here is (36f) Paulino who was obviously rated 6th by PA in his intake, but only 1 of them is at 5.0 PA with him now. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2037. 

LaLiga. We could have done better this month, (I'm particularly looking at the Levante & Malaga games here), but at least we're scoring consistently and looking dangerous going forward against everyone. We're down in 14th place in the league, (and I think we were 16th before we beat Valladolid), but 8th to 16th is covered by just 5 points so I'm not paying too much attention to our position. Barca are in the last European spot and they are 8 points clear of Celta Vigo, (with 2 and even 3 games in hand on those below them), so there is very much a group of 7 clubs clear away at the top. At the bottom, the 3 clubs n the relegation zone are 5 points adrift of Malaga, who are 6 points adrift of everyone else. so there are 3 distinct groups in the table and we're very much ensconced in the middle group. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. Even with us resting for the previous game, Sevilla were just way too good for us and (27a) Crespo * terrorized us all game with a goal, an assist, a disallowed goal and just a general fantastic all round performance.

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2037.

LaLiga. We started ok, but games against Atletico & Barca were always going to be tough. I'm really trying to get through to the end of the season now. We're not going to get relegated and we're not going to make Europe so.....

Goal-scoring GK's. a 2nd GK goal of the season.

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2037. 

LaLiga. The season really did end with a whimper with only 4 points from a possible 12 in the last month. We finished 14th in the end, 13 points adrift of the last Playoff spot but importantly 14 points clear of relegation. 

Facilities. 

African XI of the Year. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2037. 

GK's. I'm not particularly happy with this position. Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3" is decent, but he's also 29 now and anyway he's absolutely rubbish at scoring penalties!  The problem is I've not really got anyone ready to come in for him. Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9" looks ok, but he's only 5'9" and I'm struggling with that. I didn't realise he was so short when I signed him.  I'm even considering bringing a young player in on loan in this position, (which is not something I would usually do), but at the moment I just think it's costing us points. 

1st Team. Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3"
B Team. I won't be putting anyone in the B Team squad because the training results aren't as good in there. Someone will just be used from the U19's in games. 
U19's. (36j) Camara (GAM)(ESP) 6'4",(37j) Daniel 5'10", (35m) Raul. 5'9"
Loan. Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9"
Sell. Khelifa. (FRA)(ALG) 6'4"
Release. (34i) Quintanilla. 5'10", (33k) Castro. 6'3", (33n) Jaime. 6'0".

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2037. 

DL. This is a really strong area of the squad. We have 4 players who I would happily play in the 1st team, (even though some of them are still PA heavy rather than CA). We will keep 2 and loan 2 out. 

1st Team. Lakhdar (MAR)(ESP) & Mahua (RSA).
B Team. (35l) Cortés. 6'3"
U19's. (37f) Santamaría., (36n) Vázquez., 
Loan. Kemayou (CMR)(ESP), Coulibaly (MLI)(ESP) *
Sell. (34p) Ortega.
Release. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2037. 

DR. This position isn't as strong as I would like it to be. Gamal. (FRA)(EGY) is 29 and has 12 months left on his contract so the time to sell him is now. Fayez (EGY) 6'3" DR was a right back who I signed as a centre-half and now I'm using him as a right back again. In (36f) Paulino & Mebarki (ALG)(FRA) we have players with PA but little CA. El Fakiri (MAR) SC is a very good both-footed utility player who can do a job at right back, but I would prefer to use him further forward. 

1st Team. Fayez (EGY) 6'3" DR, 
B Team. 35o) Tejada.
U19's. (36f) Paulino, (36d) Perez DR, (35n) Luis., (37p) Cañadas., (37o) Ndiaye. (ESP)(SEN)
Loan. Mebarki (ALG)(FRA), (33f) Tejera *, 
Sell. Gamal. (FRA)(EGY), (34b) García. 6'1", (34k) Zapata.
Release.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2037. 

DC. This looks like loads of players, but from the below list, actually only 12 of them are actually DC's, some of them are rubbish and 3 of them are being sold. We've got some decent PA but not much CA. 

1st Team. Gumede (RSA) 6'3" & Idris (GER)(NGA) 6'5". Tetty (CIV) 5'10" & Gimo (RSA)(MOZ) 6'1" DC. 
B Team. (35j) Johnson. (ESP)(NGA) 6'0", 
U19's.
Loan. (33c) Francisco 6'3" *, Mofokeng (RSA) 6'1", Ouattara (CIV)(BFA) 6'0", 
Sell. Gherbi. (FRA)(ALG) 6'3", (35d) Cisaria., (34o) Viera. 6'0".
Release.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2037. 

MC. We've got options here, and there are a few youngsters who are developing with decent PA, but we're certainly not strong by LaLiga standards. I think we need an upgrade in this area and I would love a really really top end player in the middle of the pitch, but we will need to do some wheeler-dealing to facilitate that. 

1st Team.
MLC. Madidilani (RSA) & Benyahia (ALG)(FRA).
MC. Diarra (BFA)(FRA) 6'5" & Van Vuuren (RSA).
MRC. Pedro (NED)(ANG)(ENG) & Marabe (RSA).
B Team. (35h) Correia. (ESP)(BRA), (35c) Virto (ESP)(BAS)
U19's. (37b) Manuel, (35a) Serna, (37h) Xavi, (36l) Camará. (ESP)(GNB), (36p) Félix., (37l) Gómez.
Loan. Ndlovu (RSA), Almeida (CPV)(POR), El-Akchaoui (MAR)(FRA), Meyer (RSA)
Sell. (34j) Encina. (ESP)(ARG), Condé. (ESP)(MLI), (34f) Gutiérrez., (34n) Martínez., (30a) Álex., 
Release. (33m) Ortega.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2037. 

SC. We've got lots of bodies in this area, but you would expect that considering I've included wingers and AMC's on the list. I'm confidant that we've got strikers who can score goals in LaLiga, but I need to ensure that the younger players are not only out on loan, but developing well while they are there.

1st Team.
SLC. Koné (MLI)(FRA) & El Fakiri (MAR) SC.
SC. Soliman (EGY) & (33p) Sánchez..
SRC. (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" & Zungu (RSA).
B Team. (34m) Armando., (35p) Ponce., (34c) Ortega., 
U19's. (36a) Iglesias, (35b) Ramos, (37c) Castro, (37a) Niño, (36k) Aguinaco, (36e) Reyes, (36c) Delgado, (37g) Miguel, (36h) León, (36m) Úbeda., (35f) Tena., (37m) Joel, (35k) Llamas., (36o) Miranda.
Loan. Diomandé (CIV), Koffi (CIV), (33b) Marcos *, Diepkilé (ESP)(MLI), (32b) Intxaurraga (FRA)(BAS), Dabo (MLI)(ESP), (35i) De la Fuente., Okafor (ESP)(NGA), Condé. (ESP)(MLI), (35g) Turiel, (35e) Peris., 
Sell. (34m) Armando., Zuma. (RSA) 6'4", (34c) Ortega., (34d) Díez., (34l) Callejón., (33l) Pérez., (33p) Sánchez., Shezi. (RSA), Zuma. (RSA) 6'4", (33l) Pérez.
Release. Alpou. (REU)(FRA), (33l) Pérez., (33p) Sánchez..

[Thebaker]

When you say Al-Obaidi is costing you points do you mean he is a poor GK or poor at penalties? there must be a balance between the 2.

Also what are you looking for in a good penalty scoring GK since we know its not penalties!

[Jimbokav1971]

56 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

When you say Al-Obaidi is costing you points do you mean he is a poor GK or poor at penalties? there must be a balance between the 2.

Also what are you looking for in a good penalty scoring GK since we know its not penalties!

I actually meant both a below-average GK AND poor at converting penalties, however in an effort to provide some evidence of this, it would seem that I am wrong and while he is absolutely 100% rubbish at taking pens, (converting at 59% over the course of his time with us), he's actually a very good GK. Let me explain.....

Looking at his profile.... 

1. He's ok in the air. 
2. His positioning is good. 
3. His jumping is good. 
4. His agility is good. 
5. His concentration is poor. 
6. His reflexes are poor. 

I think he's decent if unspectacular, (just looking at his profile).

There are 12 sections on the GK stats page and Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3" tops the ranks in 5 out of the 12. 

1. He's only kept 8 clean sheets in LaLiga.
2. He's conceded 15 more goals than any GK who has kept the same or more clean sheets. 
3. He's conceding at 2 goals per game which is the highest in LaLiga..

While I think the number of clean sheets kept is a decent comparison to use with other GK's total goals conceded is skewed by the fact that I often field weakened outfield XI's in the tougher games, and this is obviously going to have an impact on goals conceded in those games and across the whole season. 

4. His saves held number is enormous. At 112, it's 24 higher than the next highest.

5. His saves parried is also enormous. At 60, it's 12 higher than the next highest. 

6. His xGa/90 is 1.84 meaning that he's conceding at a rate of +0.16 above the xGa/90 rate. 

This doesn't balance with the prevented goals/90 stat though, so something isn't working properly somewhere because he should be slotting in there 1 position off the bottom in 19th place. 

7. His saves/90 are obviously huge and his record of 4.87 is significantly higher than the next best at 4.19. 

8. His xS/90 is high at 5.33, but that doesn't seem right to me. There should be a link between xS/90, Ga/90 and preventedG/90, but the equation doesn't seem to work so either I'm being a bit dim or......

9. His actual save % is low at 75%, and when you consider the fact that he's facing comfortably the most shots in the league, that's a dangerous mix. High number of shots against + low % of saves made. 

10. His xS% is quite low though at 82%, and his xS% is lower ranked than his S%, so compared to other LaLiga GK's he's doing better, (or more accurately, slightly less badly). 

11. Lastly, he's the only GK to save more than 1 penalty and 7 other GK's had the same number, (or more), opportunities to do so. 

Analytics is something I'm pretty clueless about, but let's just have a look anyway, but before we start... 

I must admit that the above has left me really confused. Initially I thought he wasn't good enough, then some of the early stats suggested that he was performing out of his skin, before some of the later stats suggested that maybe he had his limitations. 

Has anyone got any thoughts on him? 

This is my shortlist for African GK's, (who are interested in a transfer to us), and there isn't anyone significant who isn't interested in a transfer, so while in a standard save I might just be able to go out and sign someone else, it isn't really the case at the moment. 

[Thebaker]

i actually have no idea what makes for a good GK, ive seen some who looked good and seemingly saved nothing and more limited ones do really well.

I have come to the conclusion that agility and balance are vital and i don't consider gk's who are too low in these areas.

Mejri could be worth a punt, seemingly more affordable and probably better mentals since he is older.

[Rikulec]

From those stats I can deduce you're giving away way too many shot opportunities, the xGa is also very worrying.

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Thebaker said:

i actually have no idea what makes for a good GK, ive seen some who looked good and seemingly saved nothing and more limited ones do really well.

I have come to the conclusion that agility and balance are vital and i don't consider gk's who are too low in these areas.

Mejri could be worth a punt, seemingly more affordable and probably better mentals since he is older.

I think you make a really good point with regards to the question "what actually makes a good GK in FM"?

According to the game, I'm playing with a G(d) and the primary attributes for that role(duty) are as follows. 

Aerial Reach. 15
Command of Area. 14
Communication. 14
Handling. 12
Kicking. 12
Reflexes. 13
Concentration. 12
Positioning. 16
Agility. 16

According to the game, the secondary attributes for the G(d) role are as follows. 

One on ones. 12
Throwing. 13
Anticipation. 13
Decisions. 11

I think the colours give an indication as to my thoughts on the matter. 

When I look at a GK I look at the following, in this order, but perhaps not in this priority. 

Aerial Reach. 15
Command of Area. 14
Communication. 14
Reflexes. 13
Concentration. 12
Positioning. 16
Agility. 16
Jumping. 16

In all seriousness, now I'm looking at this, I think concentration of 12 is actually a big deal. Like I said, in a different save I would just go out and buy a new GK, but it's just not that easy with my self-imposed rules. 

Odita (GER)(NGA) * is no longer on my shortlist, (although he used to be because he has (NGA) as a 2nd Nationality), but in any case there is no way I could afford him. 

This is (28c) Bermúdez 5'10" who came through our Academy before being sold to PSG for £5M and then Arsenal for £52M. He's more of a SK than a GK though. 

(31a) Fernando 6'5" came though our Academy and while he is weak physically, he's also still only 22 years old and we got £20M for him when he went to Dortmund. 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Rikulec said:

From those stats I can deduce you're giving away way too many shot opportunities, the xGa is also very worrying.

There is no doubt about that. We're literally giving away so many chances to the opposition that I'm confused as to whether the GK is good enough, (because we're conceding so many goals), when it's equally possible that he's actually playing quite well and without him we would be in a terrible state. I recruited to DR's to play at centre-half last season and I'm desperately trying to sign a "marquee" centre-half at the moment, but it's just not that easy with the restrictions I've placed on myself. 

On the positive side, we're good enough going forward to almost cover up up defensive inadequacies.

I can't remember when I did it, but I changed the role of the central MC from BWM(d) to BWM(s) and I'm wondering as to the impact of that.....

[Sonic Youth]

Some of those GKers that came out of your academy are excellent. Just a pity it was at the wrong moment to keep them 

I’d also point out your keeper’s decision making too.

It will be curious to see if a marquee DC is found, or along the way of a keeper is spotted instead.

Time to try the shorter keepers?

[Thebaker]

its noticable that all those other GK shown are considerably better in anticipation, concentration and decisions. They are better in other attributes but not all to the same degree.

[Jimbokav1971]

Summer Transfer window opens. Jul 2037. 

In. 

Souprayen (FRA)(REU) could be a big player for us. He comes in at 3.0 CA, but it's his 5.0 PA that I'm interested in. Although he's a teenager he's good enough to compete for a starting slot. He's also someone that can play in the wider striker positions as well as centrally, and this should increase his opportunities from the bench. 

Dube (RSA) might only have 4.0 PA, but he also only cost £500,000. While he might not be a significant player for us, I'm hoping he will be a nice little cash earner for us. 

El Sayed (EGY) is an interesting player for a couple of different reasons. 1st of all he's a winger and we don't use wingers. My plan is to use him as a wide striker. The other thing that makes him unusual is that he hasn't made a single appearance for the selling clubs 1st Team, (despite being decent). I wonder if they also don't play with wingers, and after checking, yeah, they play with 3 at the back and WB's providing the width so he's not getting in the team. I like his physicality and his top technicals and I think we can do something with him. 

Hesham (EGY) might only have 4.5 PA, but I really like the look of his CA for an 18 year old. Really like his physicals and mentals. 

Out. 

El Fakiri (MAR) SC was only with us for 18 months, and we didn't want to sell him, but Premier League Norwich met his min fee release clause so off he goes and is immediately valued at . There's no point being unhappy about him leaving. We have other players who can step in and his 18 months with us earned us £17.5M.

Shezi. (RSA) is our all-time leading league goal-scorer, (with 83 goals), but it was time to move him on. As well as all the goals he scored, he also gave us a tidy little profit. 

Gherbi. (FRA)(ALG) 6'3" has been good for us, (really good for us), but there's no point pretending that he's good enough to move us forward so I didn't want to offer him a new contract so it was time to move him on. We made a few quid from him and now we have to bring someone in who will improve us. 

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Some of those GKers that came out of your academy are excellent. Just a pity it was at the wrong moment to keep them 

I’d also point out your keeper’s decision making too.

It will be curious to see if a marquee DC is found, or along the way of a keeper is spotted instead.

Time to try the shorter keepers?

Yeah, both the early GK's turned out to be excellent. Considerably better than I had anticipated. Don't get me wrong, the money we got for each of them was great agt the time, but had I known quite how good they would be I would have stuck on a bigger min fee release clause. 

Completely agree about deficiencies of our current GK. The problem is  I can't find anyone better to sign and I'm not keen on playing a poorer GK who has better PA until the difference between the 2 CA's is smaller. 

No DC sources as yet, but it's not for the lack of looking.  I will just keep looking.

I absolutely would give a shorter GK a go if I could find one good enough in terms of CA. 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Thebaker said:

its noticable that all those other GK shown are considerably better in anticipation, concentration and decisions. They are better in other attributes but not all to the same degree.

Yep, I think that's a really good point and possibly separates the good GK's from the Elite GK's.

[Jimbokav1971]

Looking for a centre-half. Jul 2037. 

I thought I had found my man until......

Most of the African Nations don't count as non-EU for some reason, but Egyptians certainly do, (and we already have 3). In fact we actually have..... 5. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Planning for the future. Jul 2037. 

As well as not being able to find a GK, I'm also struggling to find a centre-half. I even put my maximum age for players up to 28 and I still couldn't find anyone on my shortlist. I refuse to put it higher than that so I think we will just be going with what we've got in these positions. 

We also have a problem with regards to FGN players and the fact that we can only register 3 of them, but we actually have 6 of them at the club now. 

Only the North Africans see to need a Non-EU allocation slot, (and thinking about it, maybe England do too but I will have to check on that). While I can only register 3 of these players, there is a workaround whereby I can drop players under a certain age, (I think it's U23 but it might be U21), into the B Team squad and then they become available for the 1st Team. The problem with that is that players don't develop well when they're in the B Team squad, so I'm reluctant to stick young high PA players in there, and if you keep them in the 1st Team squad but make them available for the B Team, (seems fine), then they can't play for the 1st Team. A possible workaround is to keep young high PA players in the 1st Team squad and then demote them to the B Team on game-day, but that will probably cause morale issues and in any case I would probably forget to do it and the players would be unavailable for the 1st Team game. 

Soliman (EGY) is our 1st choice central striker so he will definitely be registered. 

El Nahhas (EGY)(USA) * cost £8M in this window and I think my plan was for him to the the 2nd choice SLC. He's only 18 and has 5.0 PA, so there is no way I'm dropping him into the B Team squad where he will stagnate. Instead I will keep him in the 1st Team and then just demote him when he plays, (if I remember). 

El Sayed (EGY) was a cheaper option at £2.8M, (again, in this window), and I'm happy to send him out on loan. 

Fayez (EGY) 6'3" DR was 2nd choice DR last season, but actually I've got him down to start this season. He needs to be registered. 

That means we have 2 players left and only 1 of them can be registered. 1 of them is Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3" and he's our 1st choice GK and I've been unable to find a replacement so the decision is made. He has to play so he has to be registered.

Aziz (EGY) was a recent £8.25M signing, and I just don't see any way I can register him unless I find a GK between now and the window closing. The plan is that he was going to be our 2nd choice MLC DLP(s) and I really like the look of him. It;s a shame that we're going to have to send him out on loan. He's going to hate me. 

There wasn't an option to blame the registration rules and this was the best of a bad bunch of alternatives. 

Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3" might have 100+ caps for Libya, but I think this registration issue has just made up my mind for me that he has to go in this window and if In can't find a replacement then I will just recall Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9" from loan, (and yes I have checked that I can recall him after 1 months, assuming the window is still open). 

What an absolute shambles I've made of this.  

[Jimbokav1971]

Too expensive. Aug 2037.

This bloke was too old but was obviously on my radar previously. He has just moved from UAE to Saudi for £9.25M

Look at how much they're paying him. 

In any case, while he's certainly decent, I don't like his Positioning or Decisions.