[FM23-Derby County] Why manage the Rams? How are you getting on?

[Stuniverse]

[FM23-Derby County] Why manage the Rams? How are you getting on?

Important Information

Please note that this thread is for discussing Derby County saves on FM23 only – share your experience as Derby County manager, your tactics, your signings, players you’ve offloaded, generally share how you are getting on, ask questions, etc..

If you spot a Derby County data error, please report it on the EFL League One Data discussion thread.

If you want to report a bug in FM23, please use the FM23 Bug Tracker and post in the most appropriate thread.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Why manage Derby County (the Rams)?

Formed in 1884, Derby County are a founder member of the Football League who have twice won the Division One Title (now Premier League) in the 1971/72 and 1974/75 seasons (runners-up in 1895/96, 1929/30 and 1935/36) and lifted the FA Cup in 1946 (runners-up 1898, 1899, 1903). The Rams also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1973.

In FM23, Derby County find themselves in the third tier of English football (League One) for the 2022/23 season after relegation from the Championship last season, a turbulent season which saw the club docked 21 points and the Rams were in Administration for the majority of the season.

How close did Derby County come to actually going bust? We'll never really know but, at times, it felt very, very close indeed.

 

New Era

A brand new era started for the Rams on the 1st July 2022 when local business man, and Rams fan, David Clowes completed a takeover to become the new owner of Derby County Football Club.

David Clowes spoke to Rams TV shortly after completing his takeover.

 

Then what happened?

Last season's manager, Wayne Rooney, left the Football Club on the 24th June 2022, a week before David Clowes completed his takeover. 

Rooney's departure came as a surprise because he had done an incredible job as manager, under incredibly difficult circumstances, and Derby County would have finished 17th (and avoided relegation) without the 21 points deduction.

Liam Rosenior, assistant manager to Rooney, was named interim manager and oversaw the recruitment during the Summer 2022 Transfer Window, and there was a lot to do as he inherited a Rams squad that only had five first team players under contract from 1st July 2022.

You can see the squad Rosenior assembled here - First Team squad, U21 squad, U18 squad.

 

Did Rosenior get the manager's job on a permanent basis?

No. Liam Rosenior was relieved of his interim manager duties and Paul Warne became the permanent manager of Derby County on 22nd September 2022. Richie Barker (Assistant Manager), Matt Hamshaw (First Team Coach) and Andy Warrington (First Team Goalkeeping Coach) moved with Warne from Rotherham United.

Rosenior left the football club five days later along with his goalkeeping coach Jason Pearcey.

 

First Team Squad

The current Derby County First Team squad contains nine players aged 30 or over, two players aged 26-28, and the rest of the squad are 22 years-old or younger.

 

Youth Academy

Derby County have a strong U21 / U18 set-up and the Rams U18s were crowned U18 Premier League National Champions in May 2019, going on to represent England in the UEFA Youth League in the 2019/20 season.

Match Report - Derby County U18 5-2 Arsenal U18

From that U18 squad, Eiran Cashin, Jason Knight, Louie Sibley and Max Bird have all gone on to establish themselves in Derby County's first team squad.

Unfortunately though, Administration took its toll on the Academy and many of the Rams wonderkids have been sold in recent seasons - Archie Brown (Lausanne), Dubem Eze (Norwich City), Dylan Williams (Chelsea), Festy Ebosele (Udinese), Jayden Bogle (Sheffield United), Jordan Brown (Leyton Orient), Kaide Gordon (Liverpool), Kain Ryan (Brighton & Hove Albion), Lee Buchanan (Werder Bremen), Liam Delap (Manchester City), Luke Plange (Crystal Palace),  Louie Watson (Luton Town), Malachi Sharpe (Manchester United), Malcolm Ebiowei (Crystal Palace), Mason Bennett (Millwall), Max Lowe (Sheffield United), Morgan Whittaker (Swansea City), Omari Kellyman (Aston Villa).

Derby County Academy Hall of Fame

The Derby County U21s and U18s are struggling this season (in real life) with threadbare squads due to i) injuries and ii) the better players being promoted to play at higher levels.

 

Backroom Staff

The Youth Academy wasn't the only area of Derby County that was adversely affected during Administration. The backroom staff also took a hit with redundancies and staff not being replaced when they moved on to other opportunities.

No spoilers though... I'll leave it for you to work out where there are gaps to fill with the non-playing staff.

 

Football Manager 23

And now it's over to you, if you're up for the challenge, to manage Derby County on FM23 and see if you can stabilise the club after Administration and relegation to League One... and lead the Rams back into the Championship and... then... back to the Premier League.

Expectations from the Derby County Board and Rams supporters will be high.

Good luck.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Pre-Release Beta version

You can now manage Derby County on the FM23 Pre-Release Beta version.

Please note:

[i] If you want to play a long-term save as manager of Derby County on FM23, I strongly advise you to wait until the full release of FM23 on 8th November 2023.

[ii] If you want to keep things as realistic as possible, for as long as possible, by having the FM23 footballing world mirror the real-life start of the 2022/23 season, managing Derby County with the squad Liam Rosenior assembled and Paul Warne inherited in real-life up to the January transfer window, then I recommend you Disable the first transfer window when setting up your save.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Short-term loans not included

The following loans will not appear in FM23 as they are short-term loans between transfer windows:

• Alfie Roberts to Barwell FC 14/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Bartosz Cybulski to Matlock Town 14/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Cian Kelly Caprani to Belper Town 13/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Demico Burton to Stourbridge 08/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• George Nunn to Mickleover 14/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Harrison Foulkes to Kettering Town 07/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Harrison Solomon to Ilkeston Town 22/10/2022 (loan - short term)
• Harry Evans to Melton Town 25/08/2022 until 04/09/2022 (loan - short-term)
• lamide Ibrahim to Hednesford Town 17/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Rhys Brailsford to Barwell FC 14/10/2022 (loan - short-term)
• Will Grewal-Pollard to Belper Town 07/10/2022 (loan - short-term)

You can include them in your own save by adding the loans using the Pre-Game Editor, although only Kettering Town are in a playable league in FM23.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

FM23 Full Release version (scheduled for 8th November 2022)

The full version of FM23 is scheduled for release on Tuesday 8th November.

--

Suggested Saves

i) Default

Obviously the default save is to select Derby County in the FM23 new game set-up and this will automatically remove the current manager (Paul Warne) and appoint you as manager, leaving everything else the same.

ii) My Go To

My Go To save is to use the pre-game Editor to make the current manager (Paul Warne) my assistant and the current assistant manager (Richie Barker) a first team coach. Although this time, I am considering making the current manager (Paul Warne) my Director of Football.

iii) Roll Back the Clock (and replace Rooney)

But the save I'm seriously considering setting up in the pre-game Editor for my first Derby County save on FM23 is to roll back the clock to the point when Wayne Rooney left by "mutual consent" and make myself manager. This will involve the following changes using the Pre-Game Editor:

• Remove Paul Warne as manager - I will probably re-instate him at Rotherham United
• Remove Warne's backroom staff of Richie Barker (assistant manager), Matt Hamshaw (first team coach), Andy Warrington (goalkeeping coach) - again, I will probably re-instate them at Rotherham United
• Re-instate Liam Rosenior as assistant manager at Derby County
• Re-instate Jason Pearcey as goalkeeping coach at Derby County
• Note: there will be some knock-on affects at Rotherham United as FM23 will have included the new Rotherham United manager (Matt Taylor from Exeter City) and his backroom staff: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63110709

Please note:

[i] If you want to play a long-term save as manager of Derby County on FM23, I strongly advise you to wait until the full release of FM23 on 8th November 2023.

[ii] If you want to keep things as realistic as possible, for as long as possible, by having the FM23 footballing world mirror the real-life start of the 2022/23 season, managing Derby County with the squad Liam Rosenior assembled and Paul Warne inherited in real-life up to the January transfer window, then I recommend you Disable the first transfer window when setting up your save.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

FM23 Winter Update

Placeholder for any updates / notes regarding the FM23 Winter Update (should drop early February 2023).

Edited October 22, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Placeholder...

Edited October 22, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Lewis007]

So, season 1 has ended. Finished 2nd in League One behind Peterborough who led from start to finish. Bit disappointed not to win the league but I had a little bit of a slow start, even dropping to 8th after the first 6 games. 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

James Collins was an absolute revelation, to the extent that he tied Ray Straw's goalscoring record for most league goals in a season (37). 

Anyway, I've been given £6m to spend in the Championship next season while also managing to acquire Manchester City as a parent club. Hopefully be able to get some nice youngsters to help in our probable relegation battle.

[Stuniverse]

7 hours ago, Lewis007 said:

So, season 1 has ended. Finished 2nd in League One behind Peterborough who led from start to finish. Bit disappointed not to win the league but I had a little bit of a slow start, even dropping to 8th after the first 6 games. 

Congratulations on gaining promotion back to the Championship, @Lewis007.

7 hours ago, Lewis007 said:

James Collins was an absolute revelation, to the extent that he tied Ray Straw's goalscoring record for most league goals in a season (37). 

That’s phenomenal from James Collins and an incredible amount of team goals as well.

What formation and tactics were you playing?

And did you stick with the squad you inherited or did you wheel and deal?

7 hours ago, Lewis007 said:

Anyway, I've been given £6m to spend in the Championship next season while also managing to acquire Manchester City as a parent club. Hopefully be able to get some nice youngsters to help in our probable relegation battle.

Good luck 🍀 in the Championship.

Man City U21s certainly had some good players when they beat Derby 3-1 at Pride Park in the Papa Johns Trophy this week. Borges, who scored a hat-trick, was lightning fast.

Derby County 1-3 Manchester City U21 - match report

[Stuniverse]

Players signed for Derby County on FM23

These are the players I’m aware of that have been signed by managers of Derby County on FM23 at some stage during the first two seasons of a new FM23 save (2022/23 season 1, 2023/24 season 2).

Goalkeepers (GK)

Spoiler

Bradley Foster - GK (free agent)

Conrad Logan - GK (free agent)

Daniel Grimshaw - GK (Blackpool)

Dillon Barnes - GK (free agent)

Emmanuel Idem - GK (free agent)

Jamal Blackman - GK (Exeter City)

Joel Coleman - GK (free agent)

Joseph Anang - GK (permanently, on loan from West Ham United at start of save)

Keiren Westwood - GK (free agent)

Sam French - GK (free agent)

Stephen Henderson - GK (free agent)

Right Defenders (DR / WBR)

Spoiler

Ayo Tanimowo - DRL (free agent)

Cole Dasilva - DRL / WBRL (free agent)

Danny Simpson - DR (free agent)

Festy Ebosele - D/WBR M/AM R (Udinese)

Gethin Jones - D/WBR, DC (Bolton Wanderers)

Jordan Aina - D/WBRL, DC (free agent)

Jordan Gabriel D/WB R (Blackpool)

Josh Clarke - D/WB/MR (free agent)

Josh Emmanuel - DR / WBR / M R (Hull City)

Kyron Stabana - D/WBR (free agent)

Liam Shephard - D/WBR (Salford City)

Regan Poole - DRC (Lincoln City)

Rico Lewis - D/WBR, DL, DM (Manchester City)

Ryan McLaughlin - D/WBR, M/AMR (free agent)

Stavros Tserpes - D/WB/MR, DL, MC (free agent)

Ziggy Gordon - D/WBR, DLC (free agent)

Central Defenders (DC)

Spoiler

Andre Wisdom - DC DR/WBR (free agent)

Ash Kigbu - DC (free agent)

Ashley Phillips - DC (Blackburn Rovers)

George Edmundson - DC (Ipswich Town)

George Johnston - DC (Bolton Wanderers)

Harry Hagan - DC (free agent)

Jonathan Dinzeyi - DC (free agent)

Jordan Willis - DC (free agent)

Josh Knight - DC, DR, DM, MC (Peterborough United)

Josh Okotcha - DC (free agent)

Jude Russell - DC, DR (free agent)

Leigh Kavanagh - DC (permanently, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion at start of save)

Leon Legge - DC (free agent)

Mungo Bridge - DC, DL (free agent)

Richard Keogh - DC (Ipswich Town)

Teden Mengi - DC, DR (Manchester United)

Left Defenders (DL / WBL)

Spoiler

Archie Brown - D/WBL, AML (Lausanne / Team Vaud)

Ben Jackson - DL (Huddersfield Town)

Bradley Garmston - D/WBL (free agent)

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster - DLC DR (Tottenham Hotspur)

Calvin Miller - WBL, M/AML (free agent)

Dylan Williams - D/WBL, M/AML, MC (Chelsea)

Joe Maguire - D/WBL (free agent)

Junior Brown - D/WB/M/AML (free agent)

Lewis Thompson - DL (free agent)

Max Lowe - D/WB L (Sheffield United)

Pape Souare - D/WBL (free agent)

Renedi Masampu - D/WBL, DC (free agent)

Silvio Bello  - DL (free agent)

Central Midfielders (DM / MC)

Spoiler

Adam Bale - MC, DM (free agent)

Anthony Grant - DM (free agent)

Callum Hulme - MC, DM, WBR, MR (free agent)

Cher Ndour - M/AMC (Benicia)

Dylan McGeouch - MC, DM (free agent)

George McEachran - MC, DM (free agent)

Giulio Marroni - MC DM (Crystal Palace)

Hope Akpan - MC, DM (free agent)

Joe Conley - MC (free agent)

Jamie Hanson - DM, MC (free agent)

John Bostock - MC, DM (free agent)

John Luca Levee - MC (free agent)

Lee Frecklington - MC, AMC (free agent)

Luke Dreher - MC, DM (free agent)

Max Haygarth - MC, AMC, SC (free agent)

Nya Kirby - MC, DM (free agent)

Ollie Clarke - DM, MC (Mansfield Town)

Seth Meeson - MC (free agent)

Stephane Mbia - DM, MC, DC (free agent)

Tom Bell - MC (free agent)

Tom Carroll - MC, DM (free agent)

Attacking Midfielders Right (AMR)

Spoiler

Andrew Ijiwole - AM/MRL (free agent)

Anthony Jeffrey - AMRL, SC (free agent)

Brandon Pierrick - AMR (free agent)

Callum McManaman - AM/MRL, AMC (free agent)

Diallang Jaiyesimi - AMRL, AMC (Charlton Athletic)

Enzo Millot - AM/MC, AMRL (VFB Stuttgart)

J'Neil Bennett - AMRL (free agent)

Jaami Qureshi - AMRLC (free agent)

Jordan Clark - AM/MR, AMC, SC (Luton Town)

Josh Shonibare - AM/M RL (free agent)

Kaide Gordon - AMRL, AMC (Liverpool)

Marcus Maddison - AM/MRL, AMC (free agent)

Robbie Kruse - AM/MRL, SC (free agent)

Tony Springett - AMR (Norwich City)

Attacking Midfielders Central (AMC)

Spoiler

Fabien Robert - AM/MC (free agent)

Jamie Thomas - AMC, SC (free agent)

Josh Harrop - AM/MC, AMRL (free agent)

Keiran Evans - AMC, AMRL (free agent)

Kevin Gonzalez - AMC (free agent)

Nikola Iliev - AMC, SC (Inter Milan)

Ryan Thomas - AMC MC (free agent)

Attacking Midfielders Left (AML)

Spoiler

Anthony Pilkington - AM/MLR (free agent)

Armelindo Mema - AMRL, SC (free agent)

Chris Maguire - AM/MRL, AMC, SC (free agent) 

Danel Sinani - AM/ML, AMR, AMC (Norwich City)

Danny Rowe - AM/MRL, AMC (free agent)

Hal Robson-Kanu - AMRL, SC, AMC (free agent)

Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong - AM/MLC, WBL, AMR (free agent)

Marcus Browne - AMLC MC AMR (Oxford United)

Rafael Garcia - AML, SC, AMRC (free agent)

Renaldo Torraj - AMLC (free agent)

Reuben Noble-Lazarus - AM/MLR (free agent)

Ricky-Jade Jones - AML, SC (Peterborough United)

Tope Obadeyi - AM/MRL, SC (free agent)

Tristan Abldeen-Goodridge - AML, SC (free agent)

Tyrese Dyce - M/AML, D/WBL (free agent)

Strikers / Forwards (SC)

Spoiler

Bright Amoateng - SC (free agent)

Cameron Cresswell - SC, AMRLC, MR (IK Start)

Darnell Mintus - SC (free agent)

Dion Charles - SC (Bolton Wanderers)

Enock Asante - SC (free agent)

Fraizer Campbell - SC (free agent)

Isaac Vassell - SC, AMRL (free agent)

Jahmal Hector-Ingram - SC, AMRC (free agent)

Jamie Soule - SC, AMC (free agent)

Joe Dodoo - SC, AMRL (free agent)

Kabongo Tshimanga - SC (Chesterfield)

Leigh Griffiths - SC (free agent)

Lekan Torres - SC, AML (Chesterfield)

Marc McNulty - SC (free agent)

Marko Lazetic - SC (AC Milan)

Matej Vydra -  SC AMLC (free agent)

Max Clayton - SC, AMRL (free agent)

Max Dean - SC, AMR (Leeds United)

Max Thompson - SC, AM/MC (free agent)

Michael Folivi - SC (free agent)

Mitchell George - SC, AMC (free agent)

Nile Ranger - SC (free agent)

Oumar Niasse - SC (free agent)

Paul Mullin - SC (Wrexham)

Ross McCormack - SC, AMC, M/AML (free agent)

Ryan Cassidy (free agent)

Simone Zaza- SC (free agent)

Tom Elliott - SC (free agent)

--

Your help needed...

If you would like your Rams signings to appear here, please either include them in your update posts on this thread or feel free to send me a direct message. I'd appreciate it if you could include the full name of players as they appear in FM23 please and confirm the season and transfer window (e.g. 2022/23 Summer).

Many thanks.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Stuniverse

[SamuraiHex]

Nice to see this for the new game. The first episode of my yearly beta series with them has just gone live on YouTube if anyone wants to check it out.

https://youtu.be/_Y5L94c3k24

Edited October 22, 2022 by SamuraiHex

[Stuniverse]

Derby County on FM23 on YouTube

Nik FM

—

On The Spot

—

SamuraiHex

—

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Stuniverse

[causticgrip]

Downloaded the beta today. Derby has been my first save the past few editions now. Good challenge and nice to have an active thread for the club @Stuniverse 👍

[Stuniverse]

2 hours ago, causticgrip said:

Downloaded the beta today. Derby has been my first save the past few editions now. Good challenge and nice to have an active thread for the club @Stuniverse 👍

Welcome to FM23, @causticgrip and what a great choice for your first save.

Enjoy!

Good luck 🍀 and let us know how you get on.

Come on you, 🐏s

[YankeeRam]

Just downloaded the full game and my first save will be of the mighty Rams! 

[Stuniverse]

36 minutes ago, YankeeRam said:

Just downloaded the full game and my first save will be of the mighty Rams! 

Good luck 🍀

[Stuniverse]

I thought it was probably time that I shared how I'm getting on with my first Derby County save on FM23.

Well, I haven't started it yet, but I'm all set-up and ready to go. I shall start either later tonight, or more likely tomorrow, once I've got back from Milton Keynes where (in real-life) Derby County visit MK Dons today.

I'll be documenting the save on the "Career Updates" section of the SI Forum:

Basically, I'll be using the FM23 Pre-game Editor to roll back to before Paul Warne was appointed (in my save, Warne, Richie Barker, Matt Hamshaw and Andy Warrington are still at Rotherham United), Liam Rosenior and Justin Walker have gone to Hull City, but Jason Pearcey remains as Derby County first team goalkeeping coach.

[Stuniverse]

@causticgrip and @YankeeRam, how are you getting on with your Derby County saves?

[maxjam]

Just started my Derby save... Then started it again!

My first attempt I signed George McEachran, Ryan Cassidy, Cole Dasilva and Brandon Pierrick (took a punt on him after I saw Ipswich were after him in the social feed hehe) for £0 signing on fees and a combined £11.5k in wages - then proceeded to win all of my preseason friendlies (tour of Scotland) and first 6 league games, so figured that was a bit to easy and started again...

My second attempt I started the season with the initial transfer window turned off and started with a thumping 5-0 home win vs Matlock Town a last minute 2-2 draw away at Feyenoord followed by a 1-0 defeat at some other Dutch club I've forgotten the name of before ending preseason with a victory against Newport.  2-0 and 0-3 victories in the first 2 league games of the season is currently where I'm at.  Things are going well again but the squad is lacking in a couple of areas and I'm trusting ageing players that have their limbs gaffer taped together to carry me through to the January transfer window - a bad injury in the wrong position (or two) could set things back quickly. 

Currently playing 4-2-3-1 with cautious or positive mentality depending on opposition.  Mendez-Laing, Barkhuisen and Haigh are all playing well in the AML/AMR positions and Collins is scoring for fun. 

COYR

[Stuniverse]

Thanks for the update, @maxjam. Sounds like take two is going well too. I tend to start with the first transfer window disabled as well.

13 hours ago, maxjam said:

Things are going well again but the squad is lacking in a couple of areas and I'm trusting ageing players that have their limbs gaffer taped together to carry me through to the January transfer window - a bad injury in the wrong position (or two) could set things back quickly. 

You are right about the squad being threadbare in places with ageing players.

What are your priorities for the January transfer window?

Hopefully you can stay injury free.

Good luck 🍀🐏

Edited November 12, 2022 by Stuniverse

[maxjam]

21 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Thanks for the update, @maxjam. Sounds like take two is going well too. I tend to start with the first transfer window disabled as well.

You are right about the squad being threadbare in places with ageing players.

What are your priorities for the January transfer window?

Hopefully you can stay injury free.

Good luck 🍀🐏

12 games in now, 10 wins and 2 draws and progressed twice in the cup, both times on penalties!  Its not been all plain sailing however, we've thrown 2 goal leads away a couple of times and I risked a defeat swapping from 4-2-3-1 to 3-2-3-2 for the last 10 minutes to snatch victories in both. 

Collins is leading the line with 12 goals in 10 league Apps, followed by Osula on 5.  Haigh, Barkuisen (now has Sth Africa call up) and Mendez- Laing have also chipped in with 7 or 8 goals between them whilst Hourihanes delivery from corners has also bagged us a few - Chester (1), Davis (2) and Rooney (2) have all scored from a set-piece. 

Its a full time job micromanaging the training schedules of players, reducing workloads where necessary or giving days off, but I'm keeping the oldies mostly fit.  Chester has had a couple of short absences (under a week) whilst Mendez-Laing is currently sidelined for 2-4 weeks and Dobbin has been out for a month.

Priorities for January will depend greatly on what the team looks like then and how much I've got to play with.  I've just received a message ingame from my coaches telling me that I should extend Haighs loan, but Chelsea don't seem to want to play ball, I'm also getting reports that scouts are watching Knight and SIbley.  I did get Knight to re-sign for the same money but annoyingly he wouldn't remove or increase his buyout clause (£15m).  On the plus side, another email came through letting me know that Jayden Bogle is only 5 games away from triggering a 500k appearance clause - that could come in handy!  I wonder if I can recall Bielik?  Although I'm also tempted to sell him due to his wages and injury record.

Currently, I'm pretty happy with my squad - its too good for Lg1.  Assuming I can keep them all fit, I've got 2 players for every position and everyone slots nicely into the system and is playing well.  If I can avoid spending too much in January I'd like to hang on to the cash until the end of season, assuming we get promoted the squad will need an overhaul before we go again and I'll need every penny. 

[Stuniverse]

3 hours ago, maxjam said:

12 games in now, 10 wins and 2 draws and progressed twice in the cup, both times on penalties!  Its not been all plain sailing however, we've thrown 2 goal leads away a couple of times and I risked a defeat swapping from 4-2-3-1 to 3-2-3-2 for the last 10 minutes to snatch victories in both. 

Congratulations, @maxjam. Sounds like things continue to go well and are having two cup runs.

Where are you in the League Table?

3 hours ago, maxjam said:

Collins is leading the line with 12 goals in 10 league Apps, followed by Osula on 5.  Haigh, Barkuisen (now has Sth Africa call up) and Mendez- Laing have also chipped in with 7 or 8 goals between them whilst Hourihanes delivery from corners has also bagged us a few - Chester (1), Davis (2) and Rooney (2) have all scored from a set-piece. 

Goals from all over the team. Excellent. Just what you want.

3 hours ago, maxjam said:

Its a full time job micromanaging the training schedules of players, reducing workloads where necessary or giving days off, but I'm keeping the oldies mostly fit.  Chester has had a couple of short absences (under a week) whilst Mendez-Laing is currently sidelined for 2-4 weeks and Dobbin has been out for a month.

Nice job, although injuries to Dobbin and Mendez-Laing are far from ideal.

Paul Warne, I’m sure, would empathise with you in real life.

In FM23, with a threadbare squad and 10 players aged 30 or over, keeping them all as fit and healthy as possible is a challenge in itself.

3 hours ago, maxjam said:

Priorities for January will depend greatly on what the team looks like then and how much I've got to play with.  I've just received a message ingame from my coaches telling me that I should extend Haighs loan, but Chelsea don't seem to want to play ball, I'm also getting reports that scouts are watching Knight and SIbley.  I did get Knight to re-sign for the same money but annoyingly he wouldn't remove or increase his buyout clause (£15m).  On the plus side, another email came through letting me know that Jayden Bogle is only 5 games away from triggering a 500k appearance clause - that could come in handy!  I wonder if I can recall Bielik?  Although I'm also tempted to sell him due to his wages and injury record.

Hmmmn, keep trying to extend Haigh’s loan. You never know… How much playing time has he had?

That’s a shame about Knight. On my current save I was able to re-sign him without a buy-out clause. I know of managers who were able to recall Bielik in January. Personally, I don’t think I will as his salary would put me way over on wage budget.

The Bogle money would be a very nice windfall indeed.

Are there any players you’re looking to offload in January?

3 hours ago, maxjam said:

Currently, I'm pretty happy with my squad - its too good for Lg1.  Assuming I can keep them all fit, I've got 2 players for every position and everyone slots nicely into the system and is playing well.  If I can avoid spending too much in January I'd like to hang on to the cash until the end of season, assuming we get promoted the squad will need an overhaul before we go again and I'll need every penny. 

Yes, there’s no point spending money in January if you are positioned where you want to be in the league and don’t need to.

Who are the two players you’re using at right-back?

Good luck 🍀

[maxjam]

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Congratulations, @maxjam. Sounds like things continue to go well and are having two cup runs.

Where are you in the League Table?

18 games in now, top 4pts ahead of Bristol Rovers, Sheff Weds, Peterboro, Plymouth and Lincoln. 

Suffered back to back defeats immediately after my last report but followed that up with 7pts from 9.

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Where are you in the League Table?

Goals from all over the team. Excellent. Just what you want.

Yep, Collins is currently scoring at more than a goal per game, the midfielders are chipping in regularly and I spent a lot of time setting up set-pieces which is paying off nicely.  

Hourihane is currently my lowest rated player with a match rating of 6.77 despite having 0.45 assists per game, second only to Mendez-Laing at 0.61.

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Nice job, although injuries to Dobbin and Mendez-Laing are far from ideal.

Paul Warne, I’m sure, would empathise with you in real life.

In FM23, with a threadbare squad and 10 players aged 30 or over, keeping them all as fit and healthy as possible is a challenge in itself.

Hehe yeah, I'm a Ram IRL - we're currently down to the bare bones!  Ingame other than the 2x month long injuries previously mentioned I'm managing to keep them mostly fit and out of the red zone for injury risk - but its taking a lot of micromanagement to keep on top of things.

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Hmmmn, keep trying to extend Haigh’s loan. You never know… How much playing time has he had?

Haigh has started 11 and come on in 4 - so playing a lot.  'Chelsea want to test him in a different environment now but may reconsider if the offer is too good to turn down, especially if it includes future fee'.  I didn't realise he was only on a 6mnth deal at the start of the season, assumed it was for the entire season.  It would be a shame to lose him but tbh I think I can get better for money elsewhere so unless I can loan him again cheaply I'll need a replacement.  I'd also prefer to develop my own players not loanees where possible.

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Are there any players you’re looking to offload in January?

I'm not looking to get rid of anyone.  If bids come in however I'll happily let any of my older players leave whilst fighting for the younger players to stay - and replace everyone I lose.

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Yes, there’s no point spending money in January if you are positioned where you want to be in the league and don’t need to.

I'm already thinking ahead to next season.  Unless I get a catastrophic injury run promotion should be a formality with this squad.  Next season however will require major, major surgery.

A significant number of 30+ players whilst also losing Roberts (progressing nicely, averaging over 7.3), Dobbin, Osula and Anang - who has been a good understudy for Wildsmith in the cups averaging 7.4 compared to Wildsmiths sensational 7.47 in the league.  The staff started the season advising me we need to improve the GK position but Wildsmith has regularly been a solid last line of defence.  Personally I'd like it if he had a little less to do but we aren't blessed with a lot of pace at the back...

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Who are the two players you’re using at right-back?

Knight (7.2) and Chester (6.91).  We're covered in midfield so Knight has been playing RB.  Due to having no one else available Chester has also been turning out there regularly - so much so that he is now accomplished in the position.  With the potential for someone triggering Knights release clause in January and Haydon Roberts returning to Brighton next season I've currently got my scouts searching for a new RB and LB.  Heading into next season with just Forsyth and Chester is making me nervous!

11 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Good luck 🍀

TYVM, I've offered my firstborn to the Injury Gods!!!  Still a couple of months to go before the January window opens, so far so good but this is Derby, nothing is ever plain sailing...

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

Hehe yeah, I'm a Ram IRL

Good for you, @maxjam 👍⚽️🐏

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

Haigh has started 11 and come on in 4 - so playing a lot.  'Chelsea want to test him in a different environment now but may reconsider if the offer is too good to turn down, especially if it includes future fee'.  I didn't realise he was only on a 6mnth deal at the start of the season, assumed it was for the entire season.  It would be a shame to lose him but tbh I think I can get better for money elsewhere so unless I can loan him again cheaply I'll need a replacement.

Yes, Haigh’s is only a half-season loan and it’s an interesting one, loaning him out to play U21 football in real-life. With Haigh’s wage at £3.5K per week, you probably can do better and letting him go back would add that money back into your budgets.

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

I'm not looking to get rid of anyone.  If bids come in however I'll happily let any of my older players leave whilst fighting for the younger players to stay - and replace everyone I lose.

I agree with you although, when I get to January in my current save, I may test the water for any interest in Chester and Stearman. I’d like to give Rooney playing time and those two are blocking his path currently.

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

Knight (7.2) and Chester (6.91).  We're covered in midfield so Knight has been playing RB.  Due to having no one else available Chester has also been turning out there regularly - so much so that he is now accomplished in the position.

I wondered if you’d given Oduroh a chance (or possibly Bardell when he recovers from his hamstring injury)? In addition to Knight and Chester, Stearman and Smith are the other two who could play out of position at D/WBR.

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

With the potential for someone triggering Knights release clause in January and Haydon Roberts returning to Brighton next season I've currently got my scouts searching for a new RB and LB.  Heading into next season with just Forsyth and Chester is making me nervous!

I like your thinking.

Good luck 🍀

Come on, you 🐏s!

[maxjam]

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

I wondered if you’d given Oduroh a chance (or possibly Bardell when he recovers from his hamstring injury)? In addition to Knight and Chester, Stearman and Smith are the other two who could play out of position at D/WBR.

Oduroh is one of approx half a dozen I loaned out - figured they would benefit from regular 1st team games rather than U21s/occasional first team bench warming.

The scouts are coming back with some nice young defensive options now... Max Lowe (ex-Ram) is being put on the transfer list by Sheff Utd and would consider a return (although prefers Championship football and 15k wages!!!).  There are a couple of high potential Lincoln players of interest and a couple more from Lg1 teams I cant recall off the top of my head.  Depending on whether the 500k comes through from Bogle thinking about it I'll probably shore up both LB and RB positions - whilst weakening opposing clubs at the same time!  Lincoln are currently doing very well and up to 3rd in my save.

If Knight goes (as I've unfortunately seen in other peoples saves) I'm also looking at bringing in a couple of good young DCs to replace Davies, Chester and Stearman.  I'll probably sit on the rest of the money though and scout midfield and attack positions for the summer transfer window.

[Stuniverse]

What tactics are Derby County FM23 managers using?

I'm currently getting to the end of pre-season (five of seven friendlies played) in my current Derby County save and I'm struggling to find a system / formation / tactics that I'm comfortable with.

This is what I'm leaning towards, with opening day against Oxford United looming in 12 days time, but I'm not entirely happy with it.

What is everybody else using? What's working for you and what isn't?

--

If anybody is interested in following my current Derby County save in more detail, you'll find my updates in the Career Update section of this Forum - "[FM23-DCFC1] Thank you for saving our football club, Mr Clowes!" 

 

Tagged: @causticgrip | @JaytheGreat | @Lewis007 | @Mardy | @maxjam | @OJ403 | @SamuraiHex | @YankeeRam |

Edited November 14, 2022 by Stuniverse

[maxjam]

Well I'm 3 weeks into January on my save now and despite thinking I wasn't going to spend a lot of money during the transfer window things kinda er, progressed...

In the run up to January Curtis Davis asked for a new contract.  Despite being 37 and losing his pace the rest of his attributes are holding up nicely so I added an extra year to his contract - he's now on £6.75k until the end of next season.  Craig Forsyth also came to me and said he needed a new challenge - I told him I'd look for a new club for him.

So into the transfer window we go...

Spoiler

Firstly, the Jaydon Bogle's 500k appearance clause came through in the final weeks of December - which was a nice bonus. 

This then prompted me to see what other clauses we may have and I discovered that Ebiowei had a £2.3m clause I could sell.

On Jan 1st Forsyth, Chester and Stearman were immediately put up for sale attracting prompt bids.

- Forsyth and Chester both went to Ipswich for £20k each.

- Stearman went to Portsmouth for £7.5k.

Bielik was recalled from loan and immediately put up for sale.  Middlesboro instantly bid £5m so he was gone as well.

Spoiler

With all of the outgoings I now had a sizeable transfer kitty and plenty of wages wiggle-room.  My scouting dept had been focussing on defence and I was ready to move...

Firstly 2x DRs came in;  Regan Poole from Lincoln for £375k and Jordan Gabriel from Blackpool for £2m - both first team ready with bags of potential.

Then came 2x DLs;  Max Lowe returned from Sheff Utd for £800k and Brooklyn Lyons-Foster from Spurs as his understudy, remarkably for just £25k.

Two first team DCs followed;  George Edmundson from Ipswich for £750k and George Johnston from Bolton for £160k.

Finally a new AML joined;  Marcus Browne from Oxford for £1.4m.

Spoiler

Haydon Roberts despite playing very for me, averaging well over 7 had his loan cancelled as we now have 2 DLs of our own.

A new AML was purchased because despite trying to extend Haighs loan Chelsea were adamant they either wanted more money or a better standard of football for him.

Due to 2 new DRs joining Jason Knight will now return to midfield meaning McGoldrick is now surplus to requirements - he just went on the transfer list before I logged out.  If we can move him on as well it will have been an excellent transfer window!

As for whats happening on the pitch, we stretched our lead at the top of the table throughout November but then had a wobble throughout Dec/1st half of Jan as I took the opportunity to rest players in the league to focus on the cups and were pegged back.

We are currently in the SF of the Papa Johns Trophy having drawn 0-0 away at Lincoln (still top 6 Lg1) in the QF, beating them 8-7 on penalties.

We got knocked out of the EFL Cup in the 4th rnd 4-1 away at Brighton despite leading 0-1 at HT.  A quick double from Brighton after the break looked like securing the win - only for my last 10 minute Hail Mary play leading to 2x breakaway goals, giving them a convincing victory.

We have played 3 lesser teams in the FA Cup and face Arsenal away in the 4th rnd.  Ah well, the pay day will be nice!

As for the league we're currently now top by just a single point, although we're significantly stronger now than pre-Christmas.  The first game with the new signings saw us batter Port Vale 5-0 away.  With new signings Browne and Edmundson bagging a couple each.

FYI both Collins and Osula are banging them in.  Collins has 29, Osula 21 both are scoring at around a goal every 80s mins.  Sensational form!

@Stuniverse as for tips, I dunno whether these will help but...

- At the start of the season I selected 2 players for every position and played them 45mins during every pre-season match.

- I kept a (very) close eye on the injury susceptibility, lowering the training workload frequently. 

- During pre-season I filled out my vacant staff positions with the best I could find.

- I started scouting defenders.  The current lot are ageing and are being paid £5k - £7k per week.

- The obvious tactic for me was 4-2-3-1.  Thats the only tactic I play, my thinking being learn one tactic really well with good players should see us win far more than we lose.

- I do all the training myself, emphasis on Match Tactics, Team Bonding, Match Preview, 2x Recovery and Match Review before and after games to help with tactics, team buildings and recouperation.

- I generally play with Cautious mentality, play out to wings and take advice as to whether we cross early or work into box.  Collins is virtually as good at heading as he is with his feet so I take advice as to delivery as well.

- Passing directness/tempo is changed to suit the mentality.  For example, Cautious = slower, shorter.  Positive = quicker, more direct.

- The other advice my coaches give me is ignored.  For example, Cautious can be pushed to Balanced, Positive or Attacking during the match as you see fit.

- Corners/Set Pieces are another method of easy goals.  Hourihane's delivery has created numerous goals for my defenders going up for corners - get them set up properly!

- Defensively, I find the low block works well.  Your defenders aren't blessed with pace - but they know how to defend!  Wildsmith is also having a great season between the sticks.

- I'm not averse to replacing my AML, AMC, AMR and S at the same time around 65-70 mins.  Fresh legs often get a late goal.

- Finally, my Hail Mary play is to sacrifice both DR and DL, bring on another DC and a S.  Play 3-2-3-2 direct, quick tempo.  I've used it 3x in the league - turned a 2-2 draw into a 3-2 win, turned a 0-1 into a 1-1 and lost the other 1-0.

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by maxjam
various typos and added training note

[JaytheGreat]

At the beginning of the winter transfer market, we find ourselves at 45 points which is good enough for 6th place and 9 points off of 1st with a game in hand. It's been an interestingly frustrating season as I think we are a lot better team than our results. We struggled started the season only getting 4 league out of 10 from July through the end of September. Something clicked in October, and we've been off to the races since then. The biggest problem starting the season was finding which striker could put the ball in the back of the net, with both Collins and McGoldrick both being extremely inconsistent until McGoldrick found some form and won the "starting job". Thankfully our midfield started out on fire as Sibley, Korey Smith, and Conor Hourihane all provided us with crucial early season goals and have combined for 22 goals so far this season in all competitions. For reference McGoldrick and Collins have combined for 29 in all completions. I've been pretty disappointed with Tom Barkhuizen and Nathan Mendez - Lang as neither have really given me much to be happy about so far this season. Defensively the Captain Curtis Davis has been a rock for us all season and so far, is in the top 10 in the league in shots blocked and is top 5 in Interceptions. Cashin struggled early on but has grown into his role as our left side CB, and just like in real life Jake Rooney has been surprisingly good in the games he's played in. James Chester and Richard Spearman have been reliable when called on. Craig Forsyth and Jason Knight have got the majority of the time at the fullback positions and have done solid jobs. Haydon Roberts has done a good job spelling Forsyth, but my grab bag of players hasn't given me as much confidence when Knight needs to rest. 

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by JaytheGreat

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, JaytheGreat said:

At the beginning of the winter transfer market, we find ourselves at 45 points which is good enough for 6th place and 9 points off of 1st with a game in hand.

That's an ok start for the first half of the season. Win your game-in-hand and you'll move up one place, possibly two although Ipswich have played a game less than Derby.

Do you have any plans for the January transfer window?

1 hour ago, JaytheGreat said:

It's been an interestingly frustrating season

Sounds just like Derby County that...

1 hour ago, JaytheGreat said:

The biggest problem starting the season was finding which striker could put the ball in the back of the net, with both Collins and McGoldrick both being extremely inconsistent until McGoldrick found some form and won the "starting job". Thankfully our midfield started out on fire as Sibley, Korey Smith, and Conor Hourihane all provided us with crucial early season goals and have combined for 22 goals so far this season in all competitions. For reference McGoldrick and Collins have combined for 29 in all completions. I've been pretty disappointed with Tom Barkhuizen and Nathan Mendez - Lang as neither have really given me much to be happy about so far this season. Defensively the Captain Curtis Davis has been a rock for us all season and so far, is in the top 10 in the league in shots blocked and is top 5 in Interceptions. Cashin struggled early on but has grown into his role as our left side CB, and just like in real life Jake Rooney has been surprisingly good in the games he's played in. James Chester and Richard Spearman have been reliable when called on. Craig Forsyth and Jason Knight have got the majority of the time at the fullback positions and have done solid jobs. Haydon Roberts has done a good job spelling Forsyth, but my grab bag of players hasn't given me as much confidence when Knight needs to rest. 

Have you tried any of the U21 players and have any of them surprised you?

Good luck 🍀 for the second half of the season.

Come on you, Rams! ⚽️🐏🤞

Edited November 17, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

On 15/11/2022 at 17:57, maxjam said:

@Stuniverse as for tips, I dunno whether these will help but...

Thanks, @maxjam. Very informative...

[maxjam]

6 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Thanks, @maxjam. Very informative...

No worries, just a few basic things off the top of my head I run through at the start of every save - for everything else its years of playing FM and watching the flow of the match and picking up on ingame prompts.

I'm at the end of Feb in my save now.  The pre-Christmas wobble lasted throughout January as the large influx of new players bedded into the squad and system and we dropped to 3rd in the league.  But we've since had 6 wins on the spin and pulled 3pts clear again and are starting to look invincible.

Predictably, we lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup in the 4th rnd - but add that to a 4th rnd League Cup exit to Brighton we've done alright in the cups, especially as we have just won the Papa Johns SF against Charlton.  Plymouth KOd Man Utds u21s in the other SF - which means positions 1 and 2 in Lg1 meet in the final...

[Stuniverse]

2 hours ago, maxjam said:

I'm at the end of Feb in my save now.  The pre-Christmas wobble lasted throughout January as the large influx of new players bedded into the squad and system and we dropped to 3rd in the league.  But we've since had 6 wins on the spin and pulled 3pts clear again and are starting to look invincible.

Six wins on the spin is great going now the new players have settled in.

2 hours ago, maxjam said:

we have just won the Papa Johns SF against Charlton.  Plymouth KOd Man Utds u21s in the other SF - which means positions 1 and 2 in Lg1 meet in the final...

Clash of the Titans in the Pizza Cup Final. Good luck 🍀⚽️🐏🤞

[JaytheGreat]

16 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Do you have any plans for the January transfer window?

Have you tried any of the U21 players and have any of them surprised you?

Good luck 🍀 for the second half of the season.

Come on you, Rams! ⚽️🐏🤞

Well I did want to bring in a RB to let Knight go back to the midfield but of course 10 ingame days after the post Craig Forsyth gets hit with dreaded damaged cruciate ligaments injury so he's out for 7-8 months, if comes back at all. So the winter shopping list goes 1. LB 2. RB 3. general talent.

Haven't called up anyone yet (I don't remember if Rooney and Doduroh start on the 1st team or the U21s) but there are a few players I have an eye on plus I'm projected to have a "golden generation" coming in so we'll see. 

[maxjam]

7 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

Well I did want to bring in a RB to let Knight go back to the midfield but of course 10 ingame days after the post Craig Forsyth gets hit with dreaded damaged cruciate ligaments injury so he's out for 7-8 months, if comes back at all. So the winter shopping list goes 1. LB 2. RB 3. general talent.

Haven't called up anyone yet (I don't remember if Rooney and Doduroh start on the 1st team or the U21s) but there are a few players I have an eye on plus I'm projected to have a "golden generation" coming in so we'll see. 

Ah that sucks.  I managed to keep all of my oldies fit  - not just for games but for getting rid of them during the January transfer window and getting their wages off the books.

If you want a decent LB for virtually no money check one of my earlier posts (open one of the reveal hidden contents options)

[Stuniverse]

14 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

Well I did want to bring in a RB to let Knight go back to the midfield but of course 10 ingame days after the post Craig Forsyth gets hit with dreaded damaged cruciate ligaments injury so he's out for 7-8 months, if comes back at all.

Ouch! At least you got Fozzy for half a season. In my current save, Fozzy did his ACL in training the week after the opening League One game of the season.

14 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

Haven't called up anyone yet (I don't remember if Rooney and Doduroh start on the 1st team or the U21s) but there are a few players I have an eye on plus I'm projected to have a "golden generation" coming in so we'll see. 

Jake Rooney usually starts a save in the First Team squad with Kwaku Oduroh in the U21 squad.

Good luck with your “Golden Generation” 🐏⚽️🤣

[Stuniverse]

6 hours ago, maxjam said:

If you want a decent LB for virtually no money check one of my earlier posts (open one of the reveal hidden contents options)

@JaytheGreat I’ve also made a post fairly early on in this thread where I list by position, in hidden text to avoid spoilers, players I know have been purchased in FM23 early(ish) in a FM23 save by Derby County managers.

On 22/10/2022 at 09:28, Stuniverse said:

Players signed for Derby County on FM23

These are the players I’m aware of that have been signed by managers of Derby County on FM23 at some stage during the first two seasons of a new FM23 save (2022/23 season 1, 2023/24 season 2).

Goalkeepers (GK)

  Reveal hidden contents

Bradley Foster - GK (free agent)

Conrad Logan - GK (free agent)

Dillon Barnes - GK (free agent)

Emmanuel Idem - GK (free agent)

Jamal Blackman - GK (Exeter City)

Joel Coleman - GK (free agent)

Joseph Anang - GK (permanently, on loan from West Ham United at start of save)

Sam French - GK (free agent)

Stephen Henderson - GK (free agent)

Right Defenders (DR / WBR)

  Reveal hidden contents

Ayo Tanimowo - DRL (free agent)

Cole Dasilva - DRL / WBRL (free agent)

Danny Simpson - DR (free agent)

Gethin Jones - D/WBR, DC (Bolton Wanderers)

Jordan Aina - D/WBRL, DC (free agent)

Jordan Gabriel D/WB R (Blackpool)

Josh Clarke - D/WB/MR (free agent)

Josh Emmanuel - DR / WBR / M R (Hull City)

Kyron Stabana - D/WBR (free agent)

Liam Shephard - D/WBR (Salford City)

Regan Poole - DRC (Lincoln City)

Ryan McLaughlin - D/WBR, M/AMR (free agent)

Stavros Tserpes - D/WB/MR, DL, MC (free agent)

Ziggy Gordon - D/WBR, DLC (free agent)

Central Defenders (DC)

  Reveal hidden contents

Ash Kigbu - DC (free agent)

George Edmundson - DC (Ipswich Town)

George Johnston - DC (Bolton Wanderers)

Harry Hagan - DC (free agent)

Jonathan Dinzeyi - DC (free agent)

Jordan Willis - DC (free agent)

Josh Knight - DC, DR, DM, MC (Peterborough United)

Josh Okotcha - DC (free agent)

Jude Russell - DC, DR (free agent)

Leigh Kavanagh - DC (permanently, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion at start of save)

Leon Legge - DC (free agent)

Mungo Bridge - DC, DL (free agent)

Richard Keogh - DC (Ipswich Town)

Teden Mengi - DC, DR (Manchester United)

Left Defenders (DL / WBL)

  Reveal hidden contents

Archie Brown - D/WBL, AML (Lausanne / Team Vaud)

Bradley Garmston - D/WBL (free agent)

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster - DLC DR (Tottenham Hotspur)

Calvin Miller - WBL, M/AML (free agent)

Dylan Williams - D/WBL, M/AML, MC (Chelsea)

Joe Maguire - D/WBL (free agent)

Junior Brown - D/WB/M/AML (free agent)

Lewis Thompson - DL (free agent)

Max Lowe - D/WB L (Sheffield United)

Pape Souare - D/WBL (free agent)

Renedi Masampu - D/WBL, DC (free agent)

Silvio Bello  - DL (free agent)

Central Midfielders (DM / MC)

  Reveal hidden contents

Adam Bale - MC, DM (free agent)

Anthony Grant - DM (free agent)

Callum Hulme - MC, DM, WBR, MR (free agent)

Dylan McGeouch - MC, DM (free agent)

George McEachran - MC, DM (free agent)

Hope Akpan - MC, DM (free agent)

Joe Conley - MC (free agent)

Jamie Hanson - DM, MC (free agent)

John Bostock - MC, DM (free agent)

John Luca Levee - MC (free agent)

Lee Frecklington - MC, AMC (free agent)

Luke Dreher - MC, DM (free agent)

Max Haygarth - MC, AMC, SC (free agent)

Nya Kirby - MC, DM (free agent)

Seth Meeson - MC (free agent)

Stephane Mbia - DM, MC, DC (free agent)

Tom Bell - MC (free agent)

Tom Carroll - MC, DM (free agent)

Attacking Midfielders Right (AMR)

  Reveal hidden contents

Andrew Ijiwole - AM/MRL (free agent)

Anthony Jeffrey - AMRL, SC (free agent)

Brandon Pierrick - AMR (free agent)

Callum McManaman - AM/MRL, AMC (free agent)

J'Neil Bennett - AMRL (free agent)

Jaami Qureshi - AMRLC (free agent)

Jordan Clark - AM/MR, AMC, SC (Luton Town)

Josh Shonibare - AM/M RL (free agent)

Marcus Maddison - AM/MRL, AMC (free agent)

Robbie Kruse - AM/MRL, SC (free agent)

Attacking Midfielders Central (AMC)

  Reveal hidden contents

Fabien Robert - AM/MC (free agent)

Jamie Thomas - AMC, SC (free agent)

Josh Harrop - AM/MC, AMRL (free agent)

Keiran Evans - AMC, AMRL (free agent)

Kevin Gonzalez - AMC (free agent)

Attacking Midfielders Left (AML)

  Reveal hidden contents

Anthony Pilkington - AM/MLR (free agent)

Armelindo Mema - AMRL, SC (free agent)

Chris Maguire - AM/MRL, AMC, SC (free agent) 

Danel Sinani - AM/ML, AMR, AMC (Norwich City)

Danny Rowe - AM/MRL, AMC (free agent)

Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong - AM/MLC, WBL, AMR (free agent)

Marcus Browne - AMLC MC AMR (Oxford United)

Rafael Garcia - AML, SC, AMRC (free agent)

Renaldo Torraj - AMLC (free agent)

Reuben Noble-Lazarus - AM/MLR (free agent)

Ricky-Jade Jones - AML, SC (Peterborough United)

Tope Obadeyi - AM/MRL, SC (free agent)

Tristan Abldeen-Goodridge - AML, SC (free agent)

Tyrese Dyce - M/AML, D/WBL (free agent)

Strikers / Forwards (SC)

  Reveal hidden contents

Bright Amoateng - SC (free agent)

Cameron Cresswell - SC, AMRLC, MR (IK Start)

Darnell Mintus - SC (free agent)

Dion Charles - SC (Bolton Wanderers)

Enock Asante - SC (free agent)

Fraizer Campbell - SC (free agent)

Isaac Vassell - SC, AMRL (free agent)

Jahmal Hector-Ingram - SC, AMRC (free agent)

Jamie Soule - SC, AMC (free agent)

Joe Dodoo - SC, AMRL (free agent)

Kabongo Tshimanga - SC (Chesterfield)

Leigh Griffiths - SC (free agent)

Lekan Torres - SC, AML (Chesterfield)

Marc McNulty - SC (free agent)

Max Clayton - SC, AMRL (free agent)

Max Thompson - SC, AM/MC (free agent)

Michael Folivi - SC (free agent)

Mitchell George - SC, AMC (free agent)

Nile Ranger - SC (free agent)

Oumar Niasse - SC (free agent)

Paul Mullin - SC (Wrexham)

Ross McCormack - SC, AMC, M/AML (free agent)

Ryan Cassidy (free agent)

Tom Elliott - SC (free agent)

--

Your help needed...

If you would like your Rams signings to appear here, please either include them in your update posts on this thread or feel free to send me a direct message. I'd appreciate it if you could include the full name of players as they appear in FM23 please and confirm the season and transfer window (e.g. 2022/23 Summer).

Many thanks.

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Training

On 13/11/2022 at 19:45, maxjam said:

Its a full time job micromanaging the training schedules of players, reducing workloads where necessary or giving days off, but I'm keeping the oldies mostly fit.

Quite a few people have mentioned to me about the challenge of injuries and trying to keep the Derby Dad’s Army match fit. In my current save I’ve already lost Curtis Davies, Craig Forsyth and Richard Stearman to long-term injuries.

@maxjam is micromanaging this through training schedules. I’d love to do that but I’ve never done training myself, I’ve always delegated it to my Assistant Manager. So, I’ve been doing some research and this series on YouTube really resonated with me.

I’m sure there are excellent videos on training from other content creators but, if any of you want to find out more about training schedules, I recommend this series from Zealand:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Good luck 🍀

[Emozil]

Just started this up. Will have a read up on this before getting stuck in. 

[Stuniverse]

17 minutes ago, Emozil said:

Just started this up. Will have a read up on this before getting stuck in. 

Thanks, @Emozil. Good luck! 🍀

Let us know how you get on.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Emozil]

4 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Thanks, @Emozil. Good luck!

Let us know how you get on.

Where does the team need to strengthen? have 10k pw free to probably room for 2/3 players. 

[JaytheGreat]

12 minutes ago, Emozil said:

Where does the team need to strengthen? have 10k pw free to probably room for 2/3 players. 

I'd say right and left back, Jason Knight is pretty decent at RB but he's a better CM and there's real depth behind him. Craig Forsyth is pretty at solid but is 33 and seems to be prone to career ending injuries. Haydon Roberts has done well for me as a LB but is probably a better CB. Beyond those 3 the depth at the full back positions is not great. 

[Stuniverse]

34 minutes ago, Emozil said:

Where does the team need to strengthen? have 10k pw free to probably room for 2/3 players. 

17 minutes ago, JaytheGreat said:

I'd say right and left back, Jason Knight is pretty decent at RB but he's a better CM and there's real depth behind him. Craig Forsyth is pretty at solid but is 33 and seems to be prone to career ending injuries. Haydon Roberts has done well for me as a LB but is probably a better CB. Beyond those 3 the depth at the full back positions is not great. 

@JaytheGreat said pretty much what I would have advised so D/WBR and D/WBL for definite. The other thing to bear in mind is that you'll inherit an aging squad with only two players aged between 23 and 29. Well, technically three, but Bielik is out on loan.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Stuniverse

[JaytheGreat]

 

I'd have to say winning a double in the 1st season is a pretty good accomplishment as we did just that by winning League One and the Papa Johns Trophy. The game says September was most important part of the year, but it was really April was we picked up 15 out of 18 points to grab 1st place going into the last game of the season. I don't quite remember but with 4 games left we were either 4 or 6 points off of first place Portsmouth who total collapsed losing 1 and drawing 3 and 2nd place Peterborough won 2, lost 1 and drew 1, while we won all 4 games including a 6-point game against Portsmouth at Pride Park. The heroes of the League One title run were: David McGoldrick who scored 30 goals which was good enough for 2nd highest league goal scorer behind Dane Scarlett of Portsmouth, McGoldrick also lead the league in Average Rating (7.38), Average Minutes per Goal (99.37), and Conversion Rate (29%), Conner Hourihane who had 8 goals and 8 assists which was good enough for tie in 11th place in the league, Hourihane was also 1st in Key Passes and 7th in chances created, and of course The Captain Curtis Davies. Davies was 9th in the league in Average (7.13), 1st in the league in Headers (800), Possession Won (1207), 3rd in Key Tackles (16), and 6th in Interceptions (242). McGoldrick, Hourihane, and Davies were the 3 catalysts of the season but Sibley had a great 1st half of the season before cooling off in the 2nd half, Lewis Dobbins had a great 2nd half as I let him play some striker and he rewarded me by scoring 11 combined goals in 5 games !!! during March and April, he was also 5th in the league in Tackles per 90 (3.01) and I definitely will try to bring him back on loan next season. James Collins also had a great season with 15 goals and 13 assists and was 2nd in the league Average. Last but certainly not least was key RB January signing Josh Emmanuel who made a gigantic impact with 4 assists and a 7.04 ratings in 14 League games. Also that 'golden generation' might actually be the real deal, nobody super close to being off the bench 1st team ready and lots of attackers but we'll see how the development goes. 

The Papa Johns Trophy run was us beating League One teams then the Chelsea U21s in the Final.

So the Carabao Cup was pretty damn wild, beat Mansfield (2-2) away on penalties, then destroyed Carlisle 5-1 at home, beat a semi full strength (they started Haaland, Foden, Grealish, Laporte, and Stones) Manchester City (1-1) on penalties at home we scored early (Collins in the 12th) and Kalvin Phillips got sent off for them but Cole Palmer scored the equalizer just 6 minutes later, we follow that performance up by beating Manchester Untied (0-0) once again on penalties, I deserve no credit for this one as I accidently vacationed past it but Hourihane missed a potential PK to win it in the 82nd but I still say JaytheGreat and Derby now own the city on Manchester. Our luck ran out as we lost to Leeds (0-0) in penalties with Lewis Dobbins was the only one to miss. All in all the boys did me and themselves proud with this miracle run.

We aren't going to talk about the FA Cup (lost to Charlton 0-2 at home in the 2nd round)

 

The Transfers 

1. Josh Emmanuel RB Hull 22k/260k per year, manager rating A

2. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster LB Tottenham Free/105k per year, manger rating C+

3. Tony Springett AMR Norwich Loan Free/Free, manager rating C- 

Spoiler

 

The Team 

Spoiler

 

The Results

Spoiler

 

Upcoming Summer Thoughts

I'd love to get back-to-back promotions especially as the Championship is the least fun league to play in my opinion, so many games to play, most of them are knock down drag out brawls and I'm entering as one of the worst teams. Our CBs are snails, Cashin makes way too many mental mistakes but is our only left footed CB who isn't needed at LB, Stearman and Chester are out the door which leaves Davies, Cashin, and Rooney as my 3 CBs with Lyons-Foster as depth, and hopefully Roberts if I can loan him. Midfielders should be fine. Attacking wise I'll try to get Dobbins back and Stretton comes back from loan, but I'm not sure if I bring McGoldrick back. He's 35 and already has a decent sized contract but he can do everything besides run fast. I'll try to sell Korey Smith but I'm not optimistic. Bielik I'm not sure, he's slow, injury prone and very expensive but he's by far the best midfielder on the team and could be a big-time playmaker. The shopping list looks like 2 CBs, 1 LB, 1 attacker, 1 CM (if we sell Smith and Bielik) and try to reloan Roberts and Dobbins. Our goal is to fight bravely against relegation, but I have a team, a dream, and currently $7.3 mil to spend, and those things can go a long way. 

[Stuniverse]

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

I'd have to say winning a double in the 1st season is a pretty good accomplishment as we did just that by winning League One and the Papa Johns Trophy.

Congratulations, @JaytheGreat. That's a fantastic achievement in your first season. Well done.

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

The game says September was most important part of the year, but it was really April was we picked up 15 out of 18 points to grab 1st place going into the last game of the season. I don't quite remember but with 4 games left we were either 4 or 6 points off of first place Portsmouth who total collapsed losing 1 and drawing 3 and 2nd place Peterborough won 2, lost 1 and drew 1, while we won all 4 games including a 6-point game against Portsmouth at Pride Park.

So did you win it or did Portsmouth and Peterborough throw it away? Doesn't matter, does it, Derby County are Champions!

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

The heroes of the League One title run were: David McGoldrick who scored 30 goals which was good enough for 2nd highest league goal scorer behind Dane Scarlett of Portsmouth, McGoldrick also lead the league in Average Rating (7.38), Average Minutes per Goal (99.37), and Conversion Rate (29%), Conner Hourihane who had 8 goals and 8 assists which was good enough for tie in 11th place in the league, Hourihane was also 1st in Key Passes and 7th in chances created, and of course The Captain Curtis Davies. Davies was 9th in the league in Average (7.13), 1st in the league in Headers (800), Possession Won (1207), 3rd in Key Tackles (16), and 6th in Interceptions (242). McGoldrick, Hourihane, and Davies were the 3 catalysts of the season but Sibley had a great 1st half of the season before cooling off in the 2nd half, Lewis Dobbins had a great 2nd half as I let him play some striker and he rewarded me by scoring 11 combined goals in 5 games !!! during March and April, he was also 5th in the league in Tackles per 90 (3.01) and I definitely will try to bring him back on loan next season. James Collins also had a great season with 15 goals and 13 assists and was 2nd in the league Average. Last but certainly not least was key RB January signing Josh Emmanuel who made a gigantic impact with 4 assists and a 7.04 ratings in 14 League games.

Sounds like you found a way to get the best out of the Derby Dad's Army and some of the youngsters too, Great RB signing as well.

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

Also that 'golden generation' might actually be the real deal, nobody super close to being off the bench 1st team ready and lots of attackers but we'll see how the development goes. 

Fingers crossed... it's is a Golden Generation for you.

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

The Papa Johns Trophy run was us beating League One teams then the Chelsea U21s in the Final.

Yay! None of those easy games against League Two teams.

What was your approach to the Papa Johns Trophy? Did you always pick your strongest side or did you use your squad and play fringe players?

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

So the Carabao Cup was pretty damn wild, beat Mansfield (2-2) away on penalties, then destroyed Carlisle 5-1 at home, beat a semi full strength (they started Haaland, Foden, Grealish, Laporte, and Stones) Manchester City (1-1) on penalties at home we scored early (Collins in the 12th) and Kalvin Phillips got sent off for them but Cole Palmer scored the equalizer just 6 minutes later, we follow that performance up by beating Manchester Untied (0-0) once again on penalties, I deserve no credit for this one as I accidently vacationed past it but Hourihane missed a potential PK to win it in the 82nd but I still say JaytheGreat and Derby now own the city on Manchester. Our luck ran out as we lost to Leeds (0-0) in penalties with Lewis Dobbins was the only one to miss. All in all the boys did me and themselves proud with this miracle run.

That's some Cup Run there and congratulations on being Man City's bogey team.

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

We aren't going to talk about the FA Cup (lost to Charlton 0-2 at home in the 2nd round)

Oh well!

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

The Transfers 

1. Josh Emmanuel RB Hull 22k/260k per year, manager rating A

2. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster LB Tottenham Free/105k per year, manger rating C+

3. Tony Springett AMR Norwich Loan Free/Free, manager rating C- 

Were you tempted to sign anyone else or was that all you could afford?

Also, did you offload anybody?

8 hours ago, JaytheGreat said:

I'd love to get back-to-back promotions especially as the Championship is the least fun league to play in my opinion, so many games to play, most of them are knock down drag out brawls and I'm entering as one of the worst teams. Our CBs are snails, Cashin makes way too many mental mistakes but is our only left footed CB who isn't needed at LB, Stearman and Chester are out the door which leaves Davies, Cashin, and Rooney as my 3 CBs with Lyons-Foster as depth, and hopefully Roberts if I can loan him. Midfielders should be fine. Attacking wise I'll try to get Dobbins back and Stretton comes back from loan, but I'm not sure if I bring McGoldrick back. He's 35 and already has a decent sized contract but he can do everything besides run fast. I'll try to sell Korey Smith but I'm not optimistic. Bielik I'm not sure, he's slow, injury prone and very expensive but he's by far the best midfielder on the team and could be a big-time playmaker. The shopping list looks like 2 CBs, 1 LB, 1 attacker, 1 CM (if we sell Smith and Bielik) and try to reloan Roberts and Dobbins. Our goal is to fight bravely against relegation, but I have a team, a dream, and currently $7.3 mil to spend, and those things can go a long way. 

Sounds like there could be a busy summer transfer window for you as you prepare for life back in the Championship.

Good luck, I look forward to hearing how you get on.

[JaytheGreat]

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

Congratulations, @JaytheGreat. That's a fantastic achievement in your first season. Well done.

So did you win it or did Portsmouth and Peterborough throw it away? Doesn't matter, does it, Derby County are Champions!

Sounds like you found a way to get the best out of the Derby Dad's Army and some of the youngsters too, Great RB signing as well.

I'm very happy with how the season went, obviously we needed some luck to become Champions but we did everything we needed to so I think the team won it. Yes I was impressed with veterans and the kids did step up when needed. 

 

2 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

What was your approach to the Papa Johns Trophy? Did you always pick your strongest side or did you use your squad and play fringe players?

I did rotate the team a little bit, it's where Rooney, Anang, Oduroh, and Osula all got the 1st starts and helped get them more established roles on the team, also Korey Smith got a lot of starts but I did still play the regular 1st team players.

 

2 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Were you tempted to sign anyone else or was that all you could afford?

Also, did you offload anybody?

A few midfielders caught my eye but decided to continue to try and develop Bird, Knight, Thompson, and Sibley. I tried to sell Stearman but no takers so the only player that left was GK Harrison Foulkes who got me a small loan fee. 

2 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Sounds like there could be a busy summer transfer window for you as you prepare for life back in the Championship.

Good luck, I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Busy and exciting summer window for sure, I got Dobbins back but Brighton wants Roberts to experience a different team so the hunt for another LB is on. 

[Mardy]

Just started my yearly Derby save.

First impressions are it’s a lot easier than last year! 
 

Made a handful of exciting transfers-

Max Dean- 18yo forward with tonnes of potential and good enough to lead the line immediately (Permanent move!)

Ricky-Jade Jones- bit of an FM legend, one word- speed! (In on loan with an option to buy)

Ashley Phillips- exciting CB that can learn from the likes of Model Professional Curtis Davies. (In on loan with an expensive option to buy, will hope to extend loan)

Cher Ndour- promising creative centre midfielder. (On loan, will hope to extend/make permanent)

[Stuniverse]

17 minutes ago, Mardy said:

Just started my yearly Derby save.

Excellent news, @Mardy.

17 minutes ago, Mardy said:

First impressions are it’s a lot easier than last year! 

Would have been going some to be any harder than last year 😂⚽️🐏🤣

17 minutes ago, Mardy said:

Made a handful of exciting transfers-

Max Dean- 18yo forward with tonnes of potential and good enough to lead the line immediately (Permanent move!)

Ricky-Jade Jones- bit of an FM legend, one word- speed! (In on loan with an option to buy)

Ashley Phillips- exciting CB that can learn from the likes of Model Professional Curtis Davies. (In on loan with an expensive option to buy, will hope to extend loan)

Cher Ndour- promising creative centre midfielder. (On loan, will hope to extend/make permanent)

👍 Nice.

Did you offload any players?

Good luck 🍀

Let us know how you get on…

Edited November 25, 2022 by Stuniverse

[Mardy]

On 25/11/2022 at 13:50, Stuniverse said:

Did you offload any players?

 

Good luck 🍀

Thank you!

Haven’t needed to offload any first team players yet, loaned out everybody I could from the u21 and u18s teams to help a little with the wage budget.

I also sold all of the clauses I could, most notable being Dylan Williams for just under £1m which is what I used to bring Max Dean in!

 

[YankeeRam]

Took second in League One earning promotion my first season. Missed out on the title by one point with Ipswich winning it. Won the Papa Johns trophy, went out in the Quarters of the Carabao Cup and the third round in the FA Cup. Leading goal scorer was Osula with 20 in all competitions, NML had the most assists with 9, Curtis Davies had the best rating at 7.13 while with the worst rating was Harry Hagan at 6.67. Signed Harry Hagan (DC), Ziggy Gordon (DRC) and Nya Kirby (MC/DM) to help bolster the team. Will be letting Chester, McGoldrick, Collins and Davies go at the end of the season and have signed Jaden Williams (ST) on a pre-contract from Spurs. 

[RamEd]

Firstly, great thread!  Impressive. 

After years & years of buying FM on release day… I’ve only purchased FM23 today!

This is mainly down to an immersive Everton save on FM22. 

So, as I stood on the terraces of the BBG when The Rams were last in tier three… and in homage to the inimitable Mr Clowes & the very entertaining Paul Warne… my first save has to be DCFC. 

I always eliminate the first transfer window - I believe this adds reality/ fairness. 

I will be using my Everton ‘strikerless’ tactic from FM22 (or a fairly close variant). 
It was entertaining and successful. 
It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out in a lower league. 
In any case… CFs are expensive and always highly sought after… so it makes life a tad easier!

The tactic centres on IWBs (so Knight should be a huge bonus - who’s signed a new contract with no min release clause). 
The DMC is a roaming playmaker sitting behind a CM-A & a B2B - so Hourihane will share this pivotal role with Bielik (who I’ve recalled from Birmingham). 
The AMC is a SS, so Didzy had best step up to the plate!
I’ll retrain Collins as a AML (maybe a Raumdeuter?!?!) - see if he’s as good as Calvert-Lewin was for me.

Tactics = fast short passes with high pressing (ideal for the plethora of young midfielders).  I’ll toggle between Bal/Pos/Att.

My key aim will be to trust in the youth system and ostensibly English talent.

I’ll convert players to fit the IWBs, RPM & SS positions.  I’ll only buy young prospects that fill gaps in my squad.

I’ve maxed-out the staff and made training and team harmony a top priority.

It’s a huge risk in terms of philosophy, tactics and future planning; especially at this level.  
But, it makes the challenge more unique.

It could be a very sad… or very happy New Year!!!

Edited December 31, 2022 by RamEd