[FM23] Age of Empires

[danielgear]

35 minutes ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Yeah I wondered if using a regista, on support obvs, would counteract that new positioning - not sure if the game looks at the roles, the actual on-field positioning or a combination of the two. I would hope it's not just the role selection.

What you're saying is counterintuitive to me - I'd have thought the MCs would have less license to get forward if the DM was also pushing on. I'd have liked some thought about cover, rather than just an endless concertina of everyone getting pushed further forward... Going to replay some old matches, see if I'm just missing something 

The Defend duty might cause them to push on more with different roles, I only tested over 5 games. One to look at 

[Shrewnaldo]

4 hours ago, danielgear said:

The Defend duty might cause them to push on more with different roles, I only tested over 5 games. One to look at 

Aye, could do. And all affected by the team mentality, opposition positioning etc etc

Certainly worth experimenting with. I had a play about for a few games with a 4-1-4-1 but the central two at AMC, and they definitely played closer to the 9 (as you'd expect) but left unacceptable gaps in defence. So definitely easier to get the MCs further forward, than to get AMCs to defend properly 

[GIMN]

9 points from 6 games is not too shabby.  Looks like you've already more than doubled their points tally since arriving.  To steal a quote from FM's journalists: Is there an area you are looking to strengthen in the upcoming transfer window?

[_Ben_]

@Shrewnaldo and @danielgear - thanks for the inputs on those things. I will persist with my 4-1-4-1 shape but am certainly trying to get some more from my centre mids because I really like the positional play I get from central overloads and I think it really adds to the way I like to counter. I've written down some thoughts about it in my January update and will continue to share my thoughts and highlights.

---

@GIMN - Yeah, we're doing well! The board are unhappy, I think, because of our overall position. I think that, should we do well this month, we'll be fine. I've also touched on recruitment (or lack of it) in my update. A lot of that is because the players I'm being offered, due to being Argentinian, are from South America, which is just not a realistic path. I've yet to really dig into the statistical analysis and bring any of that to the table in terms of recruitment and - probably because I've been so invested in skinning - actually my own team. I want to move away from that for a while and get some actual playing time in!

[_Ben_]

January 2024

I've been holding off committing to player January, given it's importance, simply due to my insistence on constantly trying to improve my skin. However, I really feel like it's taken over my FM time and will need to step back from it to further enjoy the kind of month I've just had here. We've taken seven points in three enormously important league fixtures as I look to maintain my job security and move the club further towards safety.

----

I've been a little stumped with recruitment. I think a lot of that comes down to the slight unrealism that is my manager nationality. I was completely unaware that second tier teams couldn't actually appoint foreign staff - hence why my two Argentine coaches didn't make the move from Menemenspor, where, clearly, teams can sign anyone. Therefore, my recruitment box has been littered with players that are there simply due to my own knowledge. Personally, I don't think that this is a realistic approach as, after all, I'm the Head Coach not a Scout and real life managers wouldn't come with extensive, statistical knowledge of a second tier league half the world away. I'm also still adjusting to the FM23 stats, trying to ascertain what good levels are for this level in football, too. This has meant that I'm a little bit behind but I am working hard to prepare for the summer window - however, our current bank balance of over €400k in the red is a worry for this. I was, however, able to bring in loanee Diren Dagdeverin, from Hoffenheim, after my recruitment team identified him as a good, young backup.

Importantly, joining the team is Scout, Ozkan Dogan. He's far too good for a club of this level but replied to my advert and I was able to snap him up. Hopefully, he'll be able to uncover a few gems to compliment the youth development that I am able to do at the moment.

---

Getting the mid-season break, for me, is really important as I haven't had a pre-season with the club to fully engrain the tactical familiarity. I wanted to get the players fit but also play a few games and, after I'd taken this, added a further friendly to the second week. The friendlies, themselves, ran relatively smoothly and I am also able to see the progress of the squad: Tekin, Cem Biglin and Dunyacan, in particular, are all showing really good progress. For a club of this size but with such high quality youth and training facilities, this gives me the opportunity to mesh together young player training and young player match performances. You can see how that has been followed through into the fixtures below:

The mid-season is also super important tactically as I finally try and decide what I want to do and how I want to work it to get the best from this squad whilst maintaining the core principles that are key to my tactical philosophy of face paced, vertical football whilst being hard to break down. A little bit of tinkering has led to this:

The backline remains relatively unchanged but I want to give my defenders the freedom to progress the ball - specifically because, by having two attacking midfielders centrally, there are often quite large pockets of space that they can move into - even more so if I can teach them to bring the ball out of defence. I still want to employ two inverted wing backs because I simply love how they operate in transition, adding to numbers to create that 2-3-5/2-3-4-1 shape going forward and, now I've added Regroup, I love how quickly they can get back, too.

I'm looking to change the dynamic of my midfield and create overloads (and, because of this, will have a tactic that mirrors it, too) - in order to create space for a creative 10 - in this case, Enescan Ozu: adding some simple instructions to try and get the best from him . To do that, I want to overload numerically by focusing play down the left and underlapping. This increases the mentality of the right back as well as  impacting individual mentality for my wingers, bringing the right hand side a little less offensive. This has created some nice passing triangles. But what I hope it will also do in the long run, for players like  Cem Biglin, is to allow the freedom for the 10 in zone 14, with the Mez occupying the half space and a forward playing on the left shoulder. If I can get the right winger into play as well, any longer crosses might also allow the left sided player to sneak in at the back post. My only thoughts are between using an AP(a) or a CM(a) as I feel that the latter will reduce the ball magnet effect and also be stronger progressing the ball. 

Again, it's a shape that will take some trialling and improving but - given that my manager was an Argentinian dual 8/10 in my last save for Krasnodar - it feels fitting (although I am far from a storyteller) to have him try to focus on that. Who knows, maybe I'll bring in a South American Riquelme and let him lose in front of the defence.

---

Genclerbirligi 3-0 Tuzlaspor

As first games back go, this one wasn't bad! Yes, Tuzlaspor are the bottom side but we've blown them away with the new role pairing in midfield - the CM(a) and Mez(a) - causing all sorts of issues!

I have decided to stop creating a GIF for every goal but our first came from some lovely movement with the tactical change having an immediate impact - so I couldn't ignore it! I love the way that our transition starts, with the CM deeper than the Mez but driving forward. This lovely move should have ended in a goal but our play was scintillating. We restricted the away side to very little and came out with an emphatic victory.

---

Giresunspor 0-0 Genclerbirligi

Not a victory but an important point on the road and a game that we can take lots from - arguably being the better side for long periods of time. I like how our pass map looks but, obviously, we need to get the left winger a little more involved as, despite the strong build up on the right, we were unable to lay anything on to Yildrim, out wide on the left. Really, there was little of note in the game but it's another point close to where we want to be. 

---

Genclebirligi 4-0 Menenemspor

In the build up, the media tried to get me to bite about a return against my old club as well as the goalscoring prowess of Bah, the league's top scorer, but it was my forward Kemal Ruzgar who caused all the problems, netting a hattrick. His first goal and his second were remarkably similar and a great show of how I want my full backs to involve themselves in our transition, sliding balls through rather than playing long, high balls over the top.

It was a game where I wanted to sit back and watch the fruits of our labours as opposed to highlight and analyse every decision, which will have to happen. However, it's another emphatic victory and we end the month in style - moving ourselves out of the drop zone since game week two.

---

I can't say that the wonderful run, that sees us just one of three teams without a defeat in the last five, is all down to the tactical change. I've worked really hard on the training pitch to ensure that they are doing the right stuff and have been full of praise for those that are. I also used the friendlies really well to get some good levels of match fitness and tactical familiarity and have built relationships with a number of first team players, which has included seeing them sign new deals. I say this because we are - very clearly - riding the crest of a wave and there will tough times and defeats to come. I'd highlighted this month as key to beat the teams around us and we have done that - so now need to set our targets to those teams between 14th and 10th: the midtable. Anything more than that, with fifteen games left, is likely to be over ambitious but I think we can finish strong and somewhere around the middle of the pile. Get things right over the summer and add a few more promising youngsters from my 5-star (taken with a pinch of salt) intake preview, and we'll be in a really good position.

I'm glad I've put down the xmls and notepad to get on with this...

[GIMN]

You said January will make or break your time at Gençlerbirliği - it looks like it's definitey made it!  Moreover 3 clean sheets!  Do you think this is a result of the tweaks, or has there been a bit of luck, too?

[Shrewnaldo]

Cracking January that - seems you just have momentum now and there should be no looking back once you've picked up results like that.

It's interesting how similar our primary systems are getting - there are a couple of small but significant changes with mine but the principles all look the same. Which I guess should be unsurprising 

[SteinkelssonFM]

All that hard work looks to have paid off, you had a great run across January. 

Thanks for sharing the 'relationship' screen, I have no idea how I haven't seen this, but it is new for me. 

What site did you create the position against zones on? Another nice touch 👍

[_Ben_]

15 hours ago, GIMN said:

You said January will make or break your time at Gençlerbirliği - it looks like it's definitey made it!  Moreover 3 clean sheets!  Do you think this is a result of the tweaks, or has there been a bit of luck, too?

9 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Cracking January that - seems you just have momentum now and there should be no looking back once you've picked up results like that.

1 hour ago, MattyLewis11 said:

All that hard work looks to have paid off, you had a great run across January. 

Thanks! Yeah - January was a really positive month, although I felt that it had to be otherwise I'd have been out of a job. I think the defensive changes we've made have been the most important but also grouping Metehan, Mert and Gokhan together, as my three best players, has helped.

---

10 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

It's interesting how similar our primary systems are getting - there are a couple of small but significant changes with mine but the principles all look the same. Which I guess should be unsurprising

I had this conversation with @SixPointer last year. Our formations and positional play ideas are similar but he then preferred a shorting passing style whereas I prefer a more direct, counter attacking approach as it just creates that scintillating football when got right. I've looked at your Telstar tactics and would agree that we are certainly on the same page, which makes the tactical conversations even better and I find that I often read and re-read your tactical posts due to the sheer amount of high quality information you share.

---

2 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

What site did you create the position against zones on? Another nice touch 👍

I saved an image and used Powerpoint! No exciting software here, sadly! I'd love to get those analytical programs they use on Sky but, right now, I just use the shape tool on Powerpoint as well as some lines to show relationships between my players and overall positioning.

[Sonic Youth]

Looking good after January, with February a time I think to consolidate the January gains.

Lots of concise detail as usual 

I would love to see a Riquelme style free role in your tactics. Don’t see this as much nowadays. I’m wondering if Messi might go down this path.

Is the 4-1-4-1 going to be your only tactic, or will you develop another or two?

[_Ben_]

February 2024

If January was about overcoming external influencers on my game time, then February is about absolute investment in playing. Whilst I've stepped back a little from too much in the way of tactical analysis on a game-by-game basis, I'm now just sitting back and watching the game unfold. I like to break down every move and write words about it but, sometimes, I'm avoiding clicking 'Continue' because I'm on the third paragraph of eight describing a nil-nil draw! There is also another part of me that wants to just get through until the end of March in order to get the next batch of young players into the club - given the enormous amount of fun I'm having giving minutes and developing the young superstars at the club.

---

Altinordu 1-0 Genclebirligi

Whilst the result is not quite what I wanted, there are many positives I can take from the performance. 

The change in midfield roles seems to allow us a little more possession, although, as you can see from the Heat Map, a lot more of it comes through the defenders now who have the space and the license to play out a bit more. However, our compact, high line is in clear view here and we made it very tough for Altinordu to break us down, as you can see with their Heat Map - most of their work was interplay down the sides as we forced them wide.

---

Genclerbirligi 0-1 Istanbulspor

Two defeats in a row but I'm still not hugely worried.

A massive positive for me, since Christmas, has to be the midfielder positioning. Gokhan Gul now acts like the quarterback role to progress the ball, to whichever midfielder is in space. This time, it was the MC(a), who, as I've shown before, has a much deeper starting position than the Mez(a). A lot of this move also goes down to the really good off the ball running by the striker to create the space for a through ball from the CM(a) - however, this time, he'd just strayed offside.

The through ball, or just any progressive ball, has been an issue for Cem Biglin, the brightest of my youth players. If you compare his stats to the other midfielders, ignoring Ozu's limited contribution, you'll see that he massivel stands out as an underperformer.

I decided to criticise his form - as I would when someone is rating at 6.60 in the last five games and said the following to him:

He absolutely agreed this and it'll be really interesting to see how it transpires. I much prefer (and would love the opportunity to do this at more occasions - half time, for example) to criticise or praise a specific thing rather than just 'form has declined' as I then have a metric to track change that isn't built around a number of things. 

---

Goztepe 0-3 Genclerbirligi

Talk about an instant reply!

Cem netted his first career goal and then doubled his tally with an assist from Enescan Ozu, who, at 16, must be the youngest to do this for our first team. I don't know how much I can credit the talk with him then being the best player on the pitch but to record five progressive passes (even though the data shows 7 - something @Shrewnaldo has repeatedly questioned) is a great turnaround and his two goals will do him the world of confidence. You can see how just ninety minutes changes his overall possession stats from before (top image) to after (bottom image).

I felt that we were a little defensively frail or naive against Istanbulspor and this was a welcome return to the really tight and compact defensive line.

---

Genclerbirligi 1-1 Umraniyespor

Another game where we probably should have won but a point is important to us.

Here, we struggled a little to get out and spent a huge amount of time chasing the ball as they kept possession really well. You'll notice the difference in heat map with this game compared to Altinordu and we are much deeper, despite me changing nothing. But, again, we restricted them to a number of low xG chances with their only big chance coming from quite a soft penalty.

---

Bodrumspor 0-4 Genclerbirligi

For context. We are away at the top of the league. 

We have blown them away.

18% of the total goals that they've conceded came in this game and 10.2% of their xGa came in this game. That's just how well we've done. Whilst we now sit in a place whereby we are - quite considerably - underperforming our xPts and they are - quite considerably - overperforming theirs, the win and the performance was something special. The highlight, for me, was another youth player, Dunyacan Copur, getting his first assist for the club as well as Cem Biglin netting from the spot to add to his tally in what is fast becoming his break-out season.

---

Now six points clear of the relegation battle and moving in the right direction. We're still a little too inconsistent to really push on in the very near future but the plans are in place for a longer-term. I think a lot of my initial thoughts are coming from the image, below:

Whilst we have just been able to announce improvements to our youth recruitment, junior coaching and the number of coaches we are allowed to employ, the financial outlook looks bleak and, as far as I am aware, we get our TV money as the season goes on rather than in one lump sum. Looking at the finances screen, we've received just around €940k this season so far, compared to a total of €1.328m last season and, even if we were to have no outgoings between now and the end of the season, still wouldn't be back in the black. However, last season we did get a big lump - just over €1m - in sponsorship in June and will be signing a new kit sponsorship deal this year as ours comes to and, a total that may bring more than the current €275k per season. We've also got just over a year left on the €2.1m loan taken out in 2020, with payments of just over €8k a month adding up.

In terms of players that need replacing, we're not in that much immediate need:

With Cagin retiring and Yucel, Muhammet and Furkan very much being backup - we could, realistically, rely with a few loans and free transfers. However, that doesn't mean that I won't prepare for for the window. I'll get the scouts out and see what I can find, trying to replace better quality for lesser financial output - the dream of recruiting!

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I would love to see a Riquelme style free role in your tactics. Don’t see this as much nowadays. I’m wondering if Messi might go down this path.

Is the 4-1-4-1 going to be your only tactic, or will you develop another or two?

Thanks Sonic!

Because of the way I play, I need a player who can contribute defensively but then also have a free role going forward. Ideally, the number 10 I crave but with the grit, size or work rate of a number 6. I know at this level I won't be able to have all three so it's just about being clever!

I'm certainly looking at devising different shapes that can be used against different set ups. The easiest one, following the Bielsa-style spare man approach, would see me playing an extra DM when I face two strikers and and an AM. It's early in the process of that but could look like this:

It kind of creates a 4-4-1-1 build up shape which is more counter-proof against three offensive players and is also a different way, should I feel that there is an opportunity to counter a specific threat. Once again - my key point here is that the instructions remain the same. I want to build a style and not a formation. I've read, just today, in regards to Unai Emery's team selection is that he selects roles not positions. That's kind of what I want to do. A role that 'diminishes a threat' or a role that 'exposes a threat' will be the way I hope to think tactically. 

[Hunter T]

This is a great, inspiring read! Realy enjoying it.

[Shrewnaldo]

4 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

 but to record five progressive passes (even though the data shows 7 - something @Shrewnaldo has repeatedly questioned)

Ah, stats in FM. Got to love it. If only they worked in the analysis screens then we could just go check for ourselves.

Form is really picking up. Is it mad to say you might be in with a shout of playoffs? Not that far off

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, Hunter T said:

This is a great, inspiring read! Realy enjoying it.

Thank you so much for the kind words!

1 hour ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Ah, stats in FM. Got to love it. If only they worked in the analysis screens then we could just go check for ourselves.

Form is really picking up. Is it mad to say you might be in with a shout of playoffs? Not that far off

Yeah - I'm sure I've read (and agreed with) people wanting to see the pressures, progressive passes and xA on the analysis screens, which I don't think have been updated for years.

I still think we're a little inconsistent to be really ready for the playoffs, yet. I also have reservations about the summer's recruitment and that'll have a really big bearing on whether we can push into that area next season or not.

[Chris_ANZFM]

Nothing than coming back to this thread after a few days and having a little binge read. 
 

Congrats on the new role, should set you up nicely. 

[_Ben_]

@Chris_ANZFM - thank you! Really enjoying myself here and hoping to push on for a couple of years to get myself into the top flight and see where the job market takes me then!

Edited November 14, 2022 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

March 2024

On paper, we're stuttering somewhat but I think we've proved ourselves to be significantly good enough to replicate, at least, this next year. I'm now through 20 games - 8 wins, 8 draws, 4 defeats. A whole season at this (1.6 PPG) would, in last year's table, see us finish in 5th place. I don't - realistically - think we're any better than that, at this point but, like I said, I don't feel that we're going to be consigned to a relegation battle. A lot though, hinges on the successes, or ultimately failures, that the summer brings.

---

Gençlerbirliği 2-0 Boluspor

Off to a really strong start to the month in a game that can only be described as a visual nightmare - with, somehow, both teams being allowed to play in red: us with black stripes and Boluspor with white stripes. I know FM isn't perfect and I will never hide about the things I thing could be improved but I must say that there is a little touch that I notice in the match engine and that is the improvement in quality when a player is in form. Kemal's first goal was a tap in from four yards, assisted - once again - by youngster Dunyacan, who is making quite the impression. But his second was a lovely spin around the last defender and a strike that was full of anger but directed perfectly into the back of the net. The same strike I've seen sail into Row Z when a player is out of nick. I've really started to notice the first touch, or lack of, based on the player, their ability, their form and the situation of the match and I think it's quite fantastic.

Overall, we're becoming quite the team! Limiting the opponents to just thirty-four touches in our box in the last five games, and, even more impressively, one one goal coming from there. Whilst this was a game we should have won, I'm really happy with how we won it.

---

Kayserispor 0-2 Gençlerbirliği 

The polar opposite of the Boluspor tie.

I'm sure momentum and possession are tightly linked and you can see that from the possession stats - with just 27% of the ball, it was the lowest we've recorded this season. Yet, looking at Kayserispor's pass map, you'll see very few in our half and even fewer in dangerous positions, an absolute credit to a resolute and well-drilled defence. We allowed them to have a couple of chances, but, really, their overall xG/shot wasn't that great, whereas ours was. Mert netted from a corner and another young graduate getting minutes, Omercan Tekin, got his first senior goal late on.

---

Gençlerbirliği  0-1 Sakaryaspor

We faced two issues here and had no answer for them: a 5-3-2 shape and eight first team players injured.

With just a handful of youngsters at the club and an U19 league that plays on the same day as the main team, we have been very stretched and busy months like this can cause us damage. Missing a host of offensive players, I was able to keep things relatively tight at the back but lacked the firepower going forward. A pretty awful mix up at the back between my DM and LB, who both happened to be playing as CBs in this game, let them in t score the only goal of the game, slotting it low to the left of keeper Ubeyd.

It's battles like this and inconsistencies like the last three performances this month that will cost us dearly - not this season as I feel we've little to play for but going forward.

---

İskenderunspor 0-0 Gençlerbirliği

Another quite dull affair as we are badly missing first team players and are giving even more minutes to youngsters. No goals, little excitement to note but a point on the road moves us further from any danger.

----

A momentary pause in tactical thinking as I'm greeted with the youth candidates (of which you can see a full list by clicking the above image). I must say that I am delighted with the top end of it with Duhan Bel, Resit Yildirim, Sirat Keceli and Canpolat Ank all looking to be really good players, with Resit probably my favourite of the bunch. I'll get them signed up and work through my plans for player development, which have - for obvious reasons - been somewhat overlooked to date.

----

Genclerbirligi  2-2 Manisa FK

A much better offensive performance but we were poor and somewhat rusty at the back as I was forced to play defenders returning from injury and not quite match fit. However, the game, and probably the save, will be remembered for what I must say is one of the best strikes I have ever seen. A Stankovic-esque strike from deep beating the flailing keeper. From that, alone, we deserved the win.

---

Eyüpspor 0-0 Gençlerbirliği

And back again to a match whereby we struggled to create against a stubborn defence. Both strikers are a few games without a goal now and that sharpness in game that I mentioned earlier seems to be gone. It's times like these where I need - or want - the flexibility within the squad to move to a two-man strike force or to be able to vastly change the positions whilst still employing the same style. Just looking at the match ratings tells me that I should have done a better job at exposing the side that Omer Bayran was on, particularly after his card. This kind of thing will come - we don't have an ultra-pacey winger right now, nor a tall wide target forward that could expose those weaknesses whilst still playing on the counter but we will!.

---

Kind of in no-man's land here: not going up and not going down but just playing for pride right now! However, everything I do in the next few matches is all about our preparation for next season.

[SixPointer]

On 13/11/2022 at 10:50, _Ben_ said:

 

I had this conversation with @SixPointer last year. Our formations and positional play ideas are similar but he then preferred a shorting passing style whereas I prefer a more direct, counter attacking approach as it just creates that scintillating football when got right. I've looked at your Telstar tactics and would agree that we are certainly on the same page, which makes the tactical conversations even better and I find that I often read and re-read your tactical posts due to the sheer amount of high quality information you share

I wish I had stuck to passing positional play. This gegenpressing isn’t as easy as I thought 🤣

[GIMN]

Those injuries are brutal - 6 players going down in March alone.  It's kind of a shame as your form suggests you could've been knocking on the door of the playoffs, although that might be a blessing in disguise - giving you a chance to solidify your team identity before making the step up.

Are any of your fabulous youth intake looking like they may be able to make an impact in the short-term?

[_Ben_]

14 hours ago, GIMN said:

Are any of your fabulous youth intake looking like they may be able to make an impact in the short-term?

First error - you have to be on a full time contract to play! All my promising youngsters are stuck on youth contracts and won't talk, yet...

[_Ben_]

April 2024

Season is done! A pleasing end to the season but I have reservations about what the summer will bring for us, considering our financial plight.

----

 

I've made two very important staffing changes this month with noticeable names popping up in two of the many long-running adverts. First and foremost, my plan is to develop the players at the club, but, if I can extend that to staffing too, I think we'll be doing really well. Both Eren and Kazim-Richards are ex-international players who are young and eager to learn (as both have undertaken new courses since signing) and match, roughly, the style I'm trying to achieve here. Their nationalities are important, too, as I know have a little more world knowledge that can lead to free scouting. If they make the grade and continue to develop, expect the two ex-strikers to move clubs with me and progress into more important team member - moving from youth to senior team coach to assistant manager and, maybe even manager in their own right.

I also tied in those two new contracts with one of my own:

Two more years here is perfect as - by expiration of that deal - I hope to have challenged for promotion from this division.

----

I really want to dive into four youngsters, who have found themselves within the first team this year. My first love will always be player development and, with great facilities and the necessity to play young players due to (lack of) squad depth, I've been left with no choice.

At an established club, these gains wouldn't be happening, but that is because their root to the team at such a young age would likely be blocked, and then they'd spend time on loan, which, more than likely, would be at a level below ours. However - in just a matter on months, I've seen some serious attribute increases and I think - for me, personally - this is the favourite part of the skin that I've created, where I can really see how the focus has impacted their game.

   

Omercan Tekin is a two footed striker who lacks some physicality but is also quite blinkered in front of goal. Not quite good enough off the ball or quick enough off the mark to make a real Advanced Forward, I've looked to create just a more rounded player - using the CF(s) schedule with specific focus on his Shooting. This has worked well as I've seen gains of one in his Finishing and two in his Technique. Also showing impressive growth is his First Touch (two) and Dribbling (at least two). There is plenty more work to be done with this lad but he's often the best trainer and has chipped in with 19 goals in 22(8) appearances in the u19 Elite League for the youth side, at an average of 7.46.  Enescan Ozu has had two bouts of injury: a broken cheekbone and a hernia, ruling him out for four weeks both times, yet has managed to learn (by learn - I meant competent to accomplished) two new positions, AML and MC. I like the looks of him as a bit of a free 10, utilising his sheer inability to use his left foot and, due to that style, I like the improvements in Technique, Decisions and Vision as well as some much needed physical development. Cem Biglin has been the big breakthrough star for me, with the ability to play as either a 10 or an 8 in my eyes, and I'm impressed with his work on Finishing, Composure and Off the Ball as I've trained him as a Mez(a) with a focus on Ball Control, where he's made good progress with his Dribbling, too. Dunyacan Copur is another superb trainer, learning the MC role after temporarily learning (and then forgetting) the ST role, where he was going as a False Nine. I like his Comes Deep To Get Ball trait and that fits nicely with another 10. He's also trained as a Mez(a) as I look to make him a bit more rounded but his Shooting focus has had great success, with Finishing and Technique both improving.

I'm not developing world class talent here - but I didn't expect to. Instead, I'm just trying to improve the youngsters at the club in order to get them first team opportunities here or elsewhere. I'm really invested in it though!

---

Genclerbirligi 1-1 Somaspor

We huffed and puffed but we just couldn't break down the Somaspor door.

Some lovely interplay and build up but just lacking the killer instinct that had also gone AWOL towards the end of last month. The fact that Eric Ndizeye - a centre back - won Player of the Match, is telling, as he won 25 of his 26 headers across the game, making eight interceptions. It's stats like this that show just what happens when our game plan doesn't quite go to plan - you can see that their defence was somewhat impenetrable and the majority of our shots were low xG, long shots. So, we've been unable to go over them or make headway from in front so need to work better on pulling players out to get in behind. I'm aware that forward runners don't make it easy to do that, instead, a player like a False Nine would have been better, but we don't have the players and I don't have the tactical familiarity with it just yet.

---

Adanaspor 0-1 Gençlerbirliği 

From one extreme to the other!

Absolutely outplayed by title chasing Adanspor, with them registering over sixty percent of the ball and the highest xGA I believe that I have faced. However, we leave with the three points, putting a dent in their hopes of getting out of this league. In the dying minutes, a swift counter attack, starting with Mert (BPD) before moving forward to Dunyacan (Mez), to Ceylan (IWB), back to Dunyacan (Mez) and finally to Yilmaz (W), who slotted home to get us the points. Not pretty - but absolutely massive evidence that we can match up against the bigger teams in this league.

---

Genclerbirligi 3-1 Çaykur Rizespor

Another surprisingly poor defensive showing, in terms of xGA but, again, three points. 

Mert Kula turned provider with two knockdowns from corners were converted, whilst youngster Omercan Tekin got himself on the scoresheet again.

----

Tuzlaspor 0-4 Genclerbirligi

A pleasing end to the season.

Three quarters of the goals came from academy graduates in an eight minute spell where we took the game away from them. Sadly, there was no clean sheet and sadly, we were unable to convert one of the fourteen shots that we took from inside the area, with our shooting boots already away for the summer.Cagri Ortakaya, hardly a club legend in his first season at the club, was given a guard of honour in the last game of his professional career but there was little else to really note, despite the quite extravagent scoreline.

----

Season done! Quite the turnaround from where we nineteen games ago, rock bottom of the division to finishing fifteen points clear of the drop zone. Lots to digest and I will be breaking down the team and player stats as I head into May and June before the new season comes around in July.

[danielgear]

18 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

April 2024

Season is done! A pleasing end to the season but I have reservations about what the summer will bring for us, considering our financial plight.

----

 

I've made two very important staffing changes this month with noticeable names popping up in two of the many long-running adverts. First and foremost, my plan is to develop the players at the club, but, if I can extend that to staffing too, I think we'll be doing really well. Both Eren and Kazim-Richards are ex-international players who are young and eager to learn (as both have undertaken new courses since signing) and match, roughly, the style I'm trying to achieve here. Their nationalities are important, too, as I know have a little more world knowledge that can lead to free scouting. If they make the grade and continue to develop, expect the two ex-strikers to move clubs with me and progress into more important team member - moving from youth to senior team coach to assistant manager and, maybe even manager in their own right.

I also tied in those two new contracts with one of my own:

Two more years here is perfect as - by expiration of that deal - I hope to have challenged for promotion from this division.

----

I really want to dive into four youngsters, who have found themselves within the first team this year. My first love will always be player development and, with great facilities and the necessity to play young players due to (lack of) squad depth, I've been left with no choice.

At an established club, these gains wouldn't be happening, but that is because their root to the team at such a young age would likely be blocked, and then they'd spend time on loan, which, more than likely, would be at a level below ours. However - in just a matter on months, I've seen some serious attribute increases and I think - for me, personally - this is the favourite part of the skin that I've created, where I can really see how the focus has impacted their game.

   

Omercan Tekin is a two footed striker who lacks some physicality but is also quite blinkered in front of goal. Not quite good enough off the ball or quick enough off the mark to make a real Advanced Forward, I've looked to create just a more rounded player - using the CF(s) schedule with specific focus on his Shooting. This has worked well as I've seen gains of one in his Finishing and two in his Technique. Also showing impressive growth is his First Touch (two) and Dribbling (at least two). There is plenty more work to be done with this lad but he's often the best trainer and has chipped in with 19 goals in 22(8) appearances in the u19 Elite League for the youth side, at an average of 7.46.  Enescan Ozu has had two bouts of injury: a broken cheekbone and a hernia, ruling him out for four weeks both times, yet has managed to learn (by learn - I meant competent to accomplished) two new positions, AML and MC. I like the looks of him as a bit of a free 10, utilising his sheer inability to use his left foot and, due to that style, I like the improvements in Technique, Decisions and Vision as well as some much needed physical development. Cem Biglin has been the big breakthrough star for me, with the ability to play as either a 10 or an 8 in my eyes, and I'm impressed with his work on Finishing, Composure and Off the Ball as I've trained him as a Mez(a) with a focus on Ball Control, where he's made good progress with his Dribbling, too. Dunyacan Copur is another superb trainer, learning the MC role after temporarily learning (and then forgetting) the ST role, where he was going as a False Nine. I like his Comes Deep To Get Ball trait and that fits nicely with another 10. He's also trained as a Mez(a) as I look to make him a bit more rounded but his Shooting focus has had great success, with Finishing and Technique both improving.

I'm not developing world class talent here - but I didn't expect to. Instead, I'm just trying to improve the youngsters at the club in order to get them first team opportunities here or elsewhere. I'm really invested in it though!

---

Genclerbirligi 1-1 Somaspor

We huffed and puffed but we just couldn't break down the Somaspor door.

Some lovely interplay and build up but just lacking the killer instinct that had also gone AWOL towards the end of last month. The fact that Eric Ndizeye - a centre back - won Player of the Match, is telling, as he won 25 of his 26 headers across the game, making eight interceptions. It's stats like this that show just what happens when our game plan doesn't quite go to plan - you can see that their defence was somewhat impenetrable and the majority of our shots were low xG, long shots. So, we've been unable to go over them or make headway from in front so need to work better on pulling players out to get in behind. I'm aware that forward runners don't make it easy to do that, instead, a player like a False Nine would have been better, but we don't have the players and I don't have the tactical familiarity with it just yet.

---

Adanaspor 0-1 Gençlerbirliği 

From one extreme to the other!

Absolutely outplayed by title chasing Adanspor, with them registering over sixty percent of the ball and the highest xGA I believe that I have faced. However, we leave with the three points, putting a dent in their hopes of getting out of this league. In the dying minutes, a swift counter attack, starting with Mert (BPD) before moving forward to Dunyacan (Mez), to Ceylan (IWB), back to Dunyacan (Mez) and finally to Yilmaz (W), who slotted home to get us the points. Not pretty - but absolutely massive evidence that we can match up against the bigger teams in this league.

---

Genclerbirligi 3-1 Çaykur Rizespor

Another surprisingly poor defensive showing, in terms of xGA but, again, three points. 

Mert Kula turned provider with two knockdowns from corners were converted, whilst youngster Omercan Tekin got himself on the scoresheet again.

----

Tuzlaspor 0-4 Genclerbirligi

A pleasing end to the season.

Three quarters of the goals came from academy graduates in an eight minute spell where we took the game away from them. Sadly, there was no clean sheet and sadly, we were unable to convert one of the fourteen shots that we took from inside the area, with our shooting boots already away for the summer.Cagri Ortakaya, hardly a club legend in his first season at the club, was given a guard of honour in the last game of his professional career but there was little else to really note, despite the quite extravagent scoreline.

----

Season done! Quite the turnaround from where we nineteen games ago, rock bottom of the division to finishing fifteen points clear of the drop zone. Lots to digest and I will be breaking down the team and player stats as I head into May and June before the new season comes around in July.

Job done Ben, summer to recruit and two years to get promoted before moving on. Going well so far

[Shrewnaldo]

Exactly how bad is the financial situation? Is it hampering wage budgets too, so you can't bring in frees or loans?

[SixPointer]

Good end to the season! The four youngsters look very interesting, suppose the upside of having cash flow issues is the youth will prosper 

[Deisler26]

I do love a cash flow crisis, means more time for the youth

[Fola]

Poor old Menememspor getting relegated. Would have been great to see them stay up. 

Excellent updates as usual. One of the best I've read on here. Come onto the website especially to read this!

[_Ben_]

10 hours ago, danielgear said:

Job done Ben, summer to recruit and two years to get promoted before moving on. Going well so far

Thanks, Dan! I have to say that I am somewhat already attached to Gencler but I know there will be a time when it's right to move to pastures new...

----

@Shrewnaldo, @SixPointer and @Deisler26 - the issues aren't massive but, for a club of our size, they do pose a problem.

 

We've lost around €700k since I took charge in November and it doesn't look like it will get better at any time soon. However, the budgets are decent and I will be clearing an extra ~€4k p/w in wages with a loan ending and end of contract players leaving.

The big issue is that we just don't make money. If you look at our expenditure (left) vs our income (right), you'll see why:

Our wage bill is barely covered by the TV revenue and, although it seems like a bug (??) we have received a tiny amount of ticket money - with an average home attendance of just 2,000 people at €3 a ticket and a season ticket at €30. All of the transfer expenditure this season came before I took over so there should be an area that I can save over the course of the summer but the other big thing is the youth setup. As good as it is, that's a lot o money for a club of our size. If we say that TV revenue covers wages and Sponsorship covers Youth Setup, then game day revenue and prize money needs to cover the rest, which, it has not!

My plan is prudency. I don't want to make wholesale changes but if I can get an upgrade on a player for lower wages as well as - maybe - commanding a transfer fee for their sale, I'll look to do that but, overall, we don't have one profitable asset that I could look to move on to get us some wiggle room. I need to, realistically, ease the load on the 16-year old kids that I've got playing for me right now as, even though we have a great academy, I don't feel that it's entirely realistic.

[_Ben_]

51 minutes ago, Fola said:

Poor old Menememspor getting relegated. Would have been great to see them stay up. 

Excellent updates as usual. One of the best I've read on here. Come onto the website especially to read this!

Thank you for the kind words. 

I know! On the last day of the season, too. I think it fully justified my move as that is, to be honest, the level that they are ultimately at. You don’t come 5th, luckily win the playoffs, not invest in the squad and stay up with ease!

[Sonic Youth]

Nice, relegation avoided comfortably.

Looks like your old club didn’t make in this league after you left.

It’s curious that you’ve got the highest assister in the league. Is he good at the final ball or your set piece taker?

It also looks like you would have made the playoffs if you’d started with Genclerbirligi.

Progress all round (and that’s not even mentioning player progress!)

[_Ben_]

May 2024

It's difficult to do an actual overview on a playing style when it's only been implemented for half of a season. We are building a team that is strong at the back and can attack with pace, power and extremely clinically. Yet, we're still not quite there with how we transition the ball forward, being a little more wayward than I'd like with the passing, probably due to the quality of player I have at my disposal. However, we've built ourselves a really strong foundation to build on as a team and, with the right analysis of players and the right recruitment, could go a long way!

---

I must admit to knowing quite little about goalkeeping stats and always leaving that to, hopefully, acquiring a strong number one who performs well at all times. I think Ubeyd has been fantastic this season and a has a good set of hands on him but had no idea what a good amount of shots saved would be. A bit of analysis tells me he holds more than 70% of the goalkeepers in the top two levels of Turkish football and is nearly in the top 20% for the overall amount of saves he's made. As he's not an Eccentric type keeper and stands at 6'4" tall, the number of saves tipped probably leads me to agree that we have allowed the opposition the opportunity to shoot for the corners.

I've built myself a little stats tracker for my club to see how their outputs alter over the course of five years and it's good to see that he's conceding less: a number I'd hope would drop in a full season under my management. His in-game stats largely back up that he's a good keeper for this level and I need to keep him.

---

The way I've split the graphic shows just where we are struggling: two centre backs and two defensive midfielders with five full backs! The first choice trio - Metehan, Mert and Gokhan Gul, have all been great but I need to make my mind up on Gokhan - his in-game stats tell me that he's not performing well offensively but he's a man who dictates the tempo and works hard for the team, with decent Dribbling skills. I want him to continue as that Quarterback, which will mean that he'll need to improve on that 0.04xA/90 by, possibly, learning a trait to move the ball longer or more direct. Mert appears to be developing more of a ball-player, whilst Metehan's stats show that his season has been a little more in line with the previous one, before I took over.

All of the full backs are new to the club this season so there is no comparative data but I have been impressed with Koc's ability to progress the ball either with his feet or at his feet whilst still maintaining a strong defensive output. Some quite intensive recruiting will have to be done here to provide backup for the three key men and quality on the right flank. 

---

Some interesting stuff in the middle of the park.

Cem has had a bit of a breakout season but, firstly, hasn't actually assisted anyone despite scoring five times himself but needs to work on progressing the ball better. It's a concern that, in a team that plays progressive high risk football, his passing is neither. Some roles will have higher pass completion rates than others but his trait of Tries Killer Balls along with good Technique, Passing and Decisions means that he should be threading the strikers through. It's not even indicative in his key passes of xA to say that he's doing that but it's not being finished. At 18, there's plenty left in his tank. Dunyacan has been the opposite: five assists and no goals and carries the ball less - showing he's probably more suited to the 10 rather than the 8 role, which I play both of. It's interesting to see though that those two, and Enescan, who have all had all of their minutes under my management, are playing when we are scoring way more and conceding way less than the guys who started the season at the club.

Out wide, we are short on quality. I'm not pushing to cross the ball as that's not how we play - progressing it through the middle with supporting wide players but we making those, with non-regular Muhammet aside. Safa Kinali is dribbling a fair bit but it's, overall, not a strong area of the team.

---

Statistically, Karakas was the top man last year but the signing of Ruzgar, by my predecessor, proved quality as he netted fifteen for us, whilst youngster Tekin chipped in with four. I think we've got enough to cover here but we've got three strikers who have overperformed their xG total meaning that they could easily mirror that next year and struggle. 

---

June is shopping month! My list, albeit non-exhaustive, looks something like this:

• Goalkeeper cover
• Centre back cover
• Right back
• Defensive midfield cover
• Right wing
• Left wing

We've got no money and no wage bill free with no sellable assets and are losing money fast. This'll be fun!

[SteinkelssonFM]

19 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

A bit of analysis tells me he holds more than 70% of the goalkeepers in the top two levels of Turkish football

The way in which I have always interpreted the type of save information is easier the save the higher the likelihood these should be held. Mid-range difficulty saves would be more likely to be parried (played back into areas of play) whilst those high quality shots e.g. top bins would need to be tipped. 

 

Enjoyed the stats update, reminds me I need to do something similar within my save. 

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, MattyLewis11 said:

The way in which I have always interpreted the type of save information is easier the save the higher the likelihood these should be held. Mid-range difficulty saves would be more likely to be parried (played back into areas of play) whilst those high quality shots e.g. top bins would need to be tipped. 

I agree with all of that! Just wish FM was a little more in depth with keeping stats, as they seem hugely under-represented and that, for me, makes it harder to understand what makes a good one.

[_Ben_]

June 2024

My pre-window recruitment is following a similar theme...

With huge thanks to the knowledge that Colin Kazim Richards (although I have absolutely encountered a bug as he and Eren Derdiyok have now randomly retired) brings us and my overarching philosophy of young African players (with only one actually born there), I've trialled five youngsters, with four coming from Premier League clubs (Ogungbo - Arsenal, Quansah - Liverpool, Mendel-Idowu - Chelsea and Sodje - Man City) with Sidibe joining from Atalanta.

I've really taken to how the recruitment focuses work and these players appeared when looking for youngsters with expiring contracts - presumably based on new knowledge of a country. Whilst I want to rely on my academy, these players are still young and raw and developing them to sell on for profit will be a great way to develop the club as a whole. My only concern is that I'd normally recruit players who are playing well but none of these actually have any first team action this season.

• I can, however, analyse a loan that Alassane Sidibe had at second tier Cosenza, where they were relegated after finishing sixteenth. I really like his ability, at such a tender age, to take players on and be involved in goal scoring opportunities. Davide Dionigi, manager at the time, liked a 4-3-3, so it's likely he'd have played further forward in that shape but a direct winger is what I want and hopefully a player I can continue to mould. He'll join on trial as I look to assess his attributes.
• Mazeed Ogungbo, of Arsenal, completed a year at League Two Crawley where, defensively, he was sound. Currently, League Two is the 71st most reputable competition in Europe, whilst we play at the 51st - so it'll be a step up if I do sign him. The scout report suggests acceleration and pace are his strengths, which immediately drew me to him and, if he was to be signed, I think I could work to iron him out and make him a suitable backup player, at least.
• Quansah, Sodje and Mendel-Idowu are much harder to judge - with no first team football to speak of, I have to be creative. Sodje has had an impressive Premier League 2 campaign, leading the xG/90 metric and sits 11th in terms of xG per shot - with an average of 0.13 per shot, on par with Karakas, slightly less than Ruzgar and around half of Tekier, although he's taken significantly less shots. Mendel-Idowu has made 21(13) appearances this season, having a hand in six goals as Chelsea won the Premier League 2 and Quansah made twenty appearances for Liverpool. There is no comparison between a youth league and the men's game, especially when factoring in that there'd be a bit move to another country - but the outputs as well as the scout reports - Sodje: Agile, Determined, Pacey, Consistent, High Potential; Mendel-Idowu: Versatile, Flair and Pace, High Potential; Quansah: Heading, Consistency - mean that they are all players who bring in the kind of things I want to the club. I'll trial them and see what I can get from this. 

I really think that, at this level, raiding the young, expiring contracts for players who I can develop and move on is a really smart, but realistic move for us. With thanks to extra scouting knowledge, a recruitment focus has brought about some young, unheard of players that really fit the bill. Time, though, will tell as to whether they will actually become realistic signings. It's unfortunate that the timing of their trials, and, ultimately, the expiration of their contracts, means that they'll likely be signed on historical statistics rather than actual performances for the club.

---

I have, however, swooped for an actual signing based on performances at this level.

Abdoulaye Cisse (click the image to see a screenshot of his profile) was relegated with Tuzaspor but, statistically, has performed well. Primarily deployed as a right back with a handful of appearances as a DM, he's shown that he's safe in possession, keeping the ball better than 92% of defenders at this level with over 500 minutes. Defensively, he's been strong, too, but that is likely because he's been doing a lot of it! At 28, he's in the peak of his career and will provide me a really strong option at right back who can help me progress the ball forward.

----

I also have my eyes on Melih Demir - click the image for a full profile - who is a man I first highlighted a season ago:

On 28/10/2022 at 20:14, _Ben_ said:

The xG table has this double header down as the best two teams in the league playing off against each other. Truth be told, the squad that they have amassed is quality, including Melih Demir, the highest valued player in the division at just 16, who has made a phenomenal start to his career.

He's still at Bursaspor, who have failed to win promotion, again, and I'm hoping I can convince him to join once his deal expires. He's had two amazing seasons, 2022-23 and 2023-24, where he scored at over one goal in three in the third tier. He's the kind of player that could absolutely take us to the next level, and, given some interest in Kemal Rezgar and Ilker Karakas, I could well have a new and improved front line, if I can get him to agree to coming. That is a big IF right now..

---

July is going to be a fun one!

[SixPointer]

3 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

June 2024

My pre-window recruitment is following a similar theme...

With huge thanks to the knowledge that Colin Kazim Richards (although I have absolutely encountered a bug as he and Eren Derdiyok have now randomly retired) brings us and my overarching philosophy of young African players (with only one actually born there), I've trialled five youngsters, with four coming from Premier League clubs (Ogungbo - Arsenal, Quansah - Liverpool, Mendel-Idowu - Chelsea and Sodje - Man City) with Sidibe joining from Atalanta.

I've really taken to how the recruitment focuses work and these players appeared when looking for youngsters with expiring contracts - presumably based on new knowledge of a country. Whilst I want to rely on my academy, these players are still young and raw and developing them to sell on for profit will be a great way to develop the club as a whole. My only concern is that I'd normally recruit players who are playing well but none of these actually have any first team action this season.

• I can, however, analyse a loan that Alassane Sidibe had at second tier Cosenza, where they were relegated after finishing sixteenth. I really like his ability, at such a tender age, to take players on and be involved in goal scoring opportunities. Davide Dionigi, manager at the time, liked a 4-3-3, so it's likely he'd have played further forward in that shape but a direct winger is what I want and hopefully a player I can continue to mould. He'll join on trial as I look to assess his attributes.
• Mazeed Ogungbo, of Arsenal, completed a year at League Two Crawley where, defensively, he was sound. Currently, League Two is the 71st most reputable competition in Europe, whilst we play at the 51st - so it'll be a step up if I do sign him. The scout report suggests acceleration and pace are his strengths, which immediately drew me to him and, if he was to be signed, I think I could work to iron him out and make him a suitable backup player, at least.
• Quansah, Sodje and Mendel-Idowu are much harder to judge - with no first team football to speak of, I have to be creative. Sodje has had an impressive Premier League 2 campaign, leading the xG/90 metric and sits 11th in terms of xG per shot - with an average of 0.13 per shot, on par with Karakas, slightly less than Ruzgar and around half of Tekier, although he's taken significantly less shots. Mendel-Idowu has made 21(13) appearances this season, having a hand in six goals as Chelsea won the Premier League 2 and Quansah made twenty appearances for Liverpool. There is no comparison between a youth league and the men's game, especially when factoring in that there'd be a bit move to another country - but the outputs as well as the scout reports - Sodje: Agile, Determined, Pacey, Consistent, High Potential; Mendel-Idowu: Versatile, Flair and Pace, High Potential; Quansah: Heading, Consistency - mean that they are all players who bring in the kind of things I want to the club. I'll trial them and see what I can get from this. 

I really think that, at this level, raiding the young, expiring contracts for players who I can develop and move on is a really smart, but realistic move for us. With thanks to extra scouting knowledge, a recruitment focus has brought about some young, unheard of players that really fit the bill. Time, though, will tell as to whether they will actually become realistic signings. It's unfortunate that the timing of their trials, and, ultimately, the expiration of their contracts, means that they'll likely be signed on historical statistics rather than actual performances for the club.

---

I have, however, swooped for an actual signing based on performances at this level.

Abdoulaye Cisse (click the image to see a screenshot of his profile) was relegated with Tuzaspor but, statistically, has performed well. Primarily deployed as a right back with a handful of appearances as a DM, he's shown that he's safe in possession, keeping the ball better than 92% of defenders at this level with over 500 minutes. Defensively, he's been strong, too, but that is likely because he's been doing a lot of it! At 28, he's in the peak of his career and will provide me a really strong option at right back who can help me progress the ball forward.

----

I also have my eyes on Melih Demir - click the image for a full profile - who is a man I first highlighted a season ago:

He's still at Bursaspor, who have failed to win promotion, again, and I'm hoping I can convince him to join once his deal expires. He's had two amazing seasons, 2022-23 and 2023-24, where he scored at over one goal in three in the third tier. He's the kind of player that could absolutely take us to the next level, and, given some interest in Kemal Rezgar and Ilker Karakas, I could well have a new and improved front line, if I can get him to agree to coming. That is a big IF right now..

---

July is going to be a fun one!

I have been tracking a few Africans as well. I loaded Western Africa top league players, the idea is Austria and Salzburg in particular have had a lot of success. The issue is the same I have no really statistical data to go off due to it just being players loaded and no fixtures played. So will most likely have to go with attributes and scouts reports. some real gems. One that Salzburg was tracking lead me into the depth of the nation!

looks like a busy summer ahead and the ideal time to snatch a bargain and turn it into so much needed profit 

 

[_Ben_]

5 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

I have been tracking a few Africans as well. I loaded Western Africa top league players, the idea is Austria and Salzburg in particular have had a lot of success. The issue is the same I have no really statistical data to go off due to it just being players loaded and no fixtures played. So will most likely have to go with attributes and scouts reports. some real gems. One that Salzburg was tracking lead me into the depth of the nation!

looks like a busy summer ahead and the ideal time to snatch a bargain and turn it into so much needed profit 

 

Yep. I have exactly the same! There seems to be lots of agents that want to tout their African players to me, with a hope of getting them into Europe but we just don't have the stats, given that most of the leagues aren't modelled, let alone loaded in the game. However, I am happy to trawl through youth leagues in the bigger countries once a scout has recommended me a player at a German youth side, for example. The key is that they must come off the back of something - whether that's in senior football, youth football or I've been able to attend a few games myself or send a scout there.

I have to admit to bringing one player on trial though through knowledge in another gameworld. To those who followed Swiss Army Knife, you'll know what I mean...

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, _Ben_ said:

Yep. I have exactly the same! There seems to be lots of agents that want to tout their African players to me, with a hope of getting them into Europe but we just don't have the stats, given that most of the leagues aren't modelled, let alone loaded in the game. However, I am happy to trawl through youth leagues in the bigger countries once a scout has recommended me a player at a German youth side, for example. The key is that they must come off the back of something - whether that's in senior football, youth football or I've been able to attend a few games myself or send a scout there.

I have to admit to bringing one player on trial though through knowledge in another gameworld. To those who followed Swiss Army Knife, you'll know what I mean...

It’s hard especially first window to go full stats. I like to lean on the scouts as well. I’ve nearly done pre season eventually so hopefully over the weekend I can get some time out and get my teeth into the tactics 

[RogerC]

Great read as usual, I keep checking every update, it's always so entertaining!

 

Quick question, how do you go about changing stars to circles? I love that change tbh. Will you be adding it to the statman skin? Or can you PM how? Thanks!

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, RogerC said:

Great read as usual, I keep checking every update, it's always so entertaining!

 

Quick question, how do you go about changing stars to circles? I love that change tbh. Will you be adding it to the statman skin? Or can you PM how? Thanks!

Thank you!

The circles are actually in the newest update but I've also attached the folder if you want to use it elsewhere.

You need to unpack it to graphics/icons/custom as the game looks in your skin folder first before reverting to the original stars.

star rating.rar

[GIMN]

I really enjoy your dives into the stats when it comes to recruiting.  With a chance to hopefully bring in a couple of players more suitable to your style and build upon a pretty impressive points per game since you took over, how do you feel about your chances of promotion this season?

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, GIMN said:

I really enjoy your dives into the stats when it comes to recruiting.  With a chance to hopefully bring in a couple of players more suitable to your style and build upon a pretty impressive points per game since you took over, how do you feel about your chances of promotion this season?

Thanks! I always want my recruitment to feel realistic and, now that I've got a laptop that can handle a bigger structure, like to load plenty of leagues to get some in depth statistics. Obviously, with starting on the Beta, I've not got the African leagues that would really add to this part of the journey, but nevermind!

I'll save talk of promotion until my July (just finished writing now) and August (containing the first few league games) are done because, quite simply, I don't know! We're better and have had a pre-season to get used to my style and wants so we're in a good place in terms of that but I don't know whether it's sustainable all year...

[_Ben_]

July 2024

Five new faces into the club, really strengthening the side and also in-fitting with the policy of young players, prioritising markets (or at least nationalities in this case) where Gencler have had success in the past. The 'Transfers In' page is slightly deceiving, given that it looks like we've recruited from Man City, Arsenal and Atalanta, when we've merely taken their cast-offs in a hope that we can develop them to either benefit our first team or our bank balance.

I don't think I've quite covered all of the areas that I wanted/needed but I'm certainly more aware that the perfect window does not exist, especially not for teams of our stature with our financial restrictions. Initially, I had said that I needed the following:

Quote

• Goalkeeper cover.
• Centre back cover.
• Right back.
• Defensive midfield cover.
• Right wing.
• Left wing.

From that list, I have centre back cover, aright back and a winger but I have strongly strengthened the forward line significantly, too, thanks to some good prior knowledge and, basically, by a bit of luck!

    

All thumbnails are clickable for a full profile.

Genuinely, the signing of Melih could take us from mid table to promotion chasers or promotion chasers to title chasers, depending on how we start the season. He obviously had an affiliation to Bursaspor in the tier below us and that was what was holding him back from signing a pre-contract but, once he was a free agent, the deal was simple and quick to conclude. I've probably got the hottest young talent in the country outside of the top flight and a record breaker, for both Bursaspor and the 2.Liga, making his debut at just 15 years and 362 days old before going on to become vice-captain at just sixteen. He's also the top of three Gencler players tipped to win the 1.Lig Top Young Player. In terms of my style of play, he's perfect: quick, good off the ball and great technique - with me just working now to stop him being quite so one-footed and develop his ability to finish chances. Sodje looks to be the perfect foil for Meilh, bringing some power in as a replacement for the more technical ability of his striking team mate. I was impressed with his attributes along with the stats that he recorded for Man City's youth side. Sidibe, similarly, impressed me with the ability to run at defenders and contribute and, with attributes looking good for this level, I plumped for him too. Ogungbo, like Sidibe, gathered impressive stats on loan and the scout report about his pace was correct, which means he was the perfect candidate for the third centre back role whilst Cisse's ability was covered in the previous post.

I have also been able to capitalise on some interest, allowing me to complete the signings of Melih and Sodje as well as bolster (by bolster, I mean actually reduce the overdraft!) with a couple of sales, too.

Whilst I've lost two thirds of my strike force, I feel that I've strengthened the forward line and that the squad depth is actually in a good place right now. All three strikers are under twenty-three, which is always a worry in terms of experience - mainly at experience of getting out of goal droughts - but their quality is there and I hope that, combining good development and training with good performances will be extremely beneficial to their outputs.

---

I've played four of the seven pre-season friendlies that I've arranged for this period, working really hard to get fitness and familiarity with the tactical style, which has had a few small alterations. It makes a right mess of the Heat Map but I've instructed all of the midfielders to swap positions with each other (ML and MR and two MCs) in order to fully maximise the confusion part of the threat that our counter attacking style creates. I can then pair that with the side change - where the Mez/CM combo as well as the positional overload can switch during the game, depending on the opposition areas to exploit and who I have available.

I've split my pre-season view into four areas of the pitch to make some early comments on the players.

It's clear that Ubeyd is number one and that the other two are of much lower quality, simply due to the number of goals they've conceded compared to my first choice. They're also less secure in their distribution, even if we Duhan managed a key pass in his short time in goal. They're all training well so I see no need to alter the coaches (not that I'd immediately bow to player pressure for this kind of thing anyway) or the training schedules that they're on.

With Oguz Ceylan missing most of pre-season, I've had to dig into the depths of this 27-man squad in order to find some replacements - with fifteen year old Resut Yildrim getting a few minutes, too, along with Ufuk Ozdemir, who played a bit at left back last season. Cisse already looks a steal as he's laid on two assists and has created over three open play key passes per90 in his two hundred and twenty-five minutes to date. Mert and Metehan look solid at the back again, as does Gokhan ahead of them.

Oleksander Belyaev has impressed this summer after being on the fringes of our squad last season but there's been some more great form from Cem, who seems to have usurped Serkan, who has moaned at me moaning at him for poor training! Out wide, we're a bit more short on quality but the players I've been rotating: Sidibe, Yusuf and Safa have all performed well.

Melih and Sodje have taken to Gencler superbly and have contributed lots between them, albeit against somewhat weaker teams than those we'll face this season in the league. Melih is clearly more complete but Sodje has shown that he's a superb finisher and will run and run against tired legs at the end of games. I do feel a little for Omercan, who'll get less minutes this year probably but the focus does need to shift, somewhat, towards the team on the pitch as opposed to the team on the pitch in a few years!

---

There's a handful of friendlies left in August as we then kick off our league campaign at Pendikspor. I'm not sure exactly what to expect but I know we're starting in a better place than we left off...

[Deisler26]

Think you should be at least challenging the upper reaches this season

[Shrewnaldo]

Are your squad views showing the output / stats from the friendlies? Is that something that's part of your skin or is it an option you've activated?

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Think you should be at least challenging the upper reaches this season

Hmmm. I've just played the first two competitive fixtures and that remains to be seen!

1 hour ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Are your squad views showing the output / stats from the friendlies? Is that something that's part of your skin or is it an option you've activated?

Yes but I've had to go about it in a stupid way!

I went through Stats > Competitions > Non Competitive:

Then, whenever I added a column to that, it seemed to sync to that competition. I'll probably do one for continental competitions at some point, too. Not an ideal workaround, but does what I need it to.

[Shrewnaldo]

5 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

Yes but I've had to go about it in a stupid way!

I went through Stats > Competitions > Non Competitive:

Then, whenever I added a column to that, it seemed to sync to that competition. I'll probably do one for continental competitions at some point, too. Not an ideal workaround, but does what I need it to.

Ah yeah, I did the same to get just the league stats view. Should have thought of that. Nice one.

[_Ben_]

August 2024

First month of the season is done and, to be honest, I'm not exactly impressed with how it's gone. Just the one clean sheet in friendlies and some really big issues that I need to delve into with our league form.

---

Pendikspor 2-1 Genclerbirligi

I've got pre-season all wrong.

We can't hit seven fixtures and then be completely out of it by half time in the first game, unable to keep up to the pace and just invite pressure on to us. Our game plan, itself, was decent but we were half a yard slower, second to every ball and, despite us being motivated and seemingly up for the game, we just didn't have it in us. The substitutes came on already being leggy - a mix of not fully recovered players with not fully match sharp players has given us the worst possible start to the season, considering we won this fixture 3-1 last year in a fairly comfortable tie.

I will spend the time it takes me to play this season to read and learn about pre-season and how it works. I've opted for 45 minute spells, with sometimes 30 minute spells, to get everyone game time in each game - in this case seven friendlies played on Wed/Sat of each week. I'm guessing that will change from next season.

---

Genclerbirligi 1-1 BB Erzurumspor

The badly cropped image shows the physical state that we were in, for the second game running. And, for the second game running, we were completely out of it.

We've had a few cases of the FM23 Match Engine issue where we just stand and watch their players and that was the case here as their full back was allowed to run nearly thirty yards, unopposed, and slot the ball away. We drew level with another one of the FM23 gripes - a poorly hit long shot from Metehan Mert that somehow found its way in. Our football, once again (trying not to literally copy and paste from the last match update) was poor, as we squandered the same number of progressive balls as we completed in the opponents half, barely scraping into their penalty area, let alone giving new signings Sodje or Melih a chance to do anything.

---

The only way is up. I've got a lot of analysis to do, which, to be fair, I love. It certainly makes what (will hopefully) comes afterwards even sweeter. But right now, ask me about promotion and the answer is a firm "NO!"

[Shrewnaldo]

2 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

I will spend the time it takes me to play this season to read and learn about pre-season and how it works. I've opted for 45 minute spells, with sometimes 30 minute spells, to get everyone game time in each game - in this case seven friendlies played on Wed/Sat of each week. I'm guessing that will change from next season.

I'm 100% not saying that I know exactly what to do here but I had a bit of this problem last year, I think it was. I'd been looking to avoid over-working the players during pre-season and subbing them off whenever they were getting tired. Then suddenly it occurred to me that tiring them out was sort of the point - building up their fitness requiring pushing them beyond their existing comfort zone. So now I play at least three pre-season games with what I expect to be my first team, and make as few subs as possible. Partly to try and produce some team cohesion, partly to build up fitness.

I also arrange no friendlies in the first week of pre-season, instead choosing the boot camp option in the training modules to 'beast them' a bit. This means I can cut down on the training later in pre-season and just play games. If I really think that I need training and matches for the first team, then I'll just stick the trialists and back-ups into a reserve team and arrange a bunch of friendlies for them.

This latter part is where I usually get it wrong though - I tend to have a match sharp and fresh first XI, but my subs and back-ups tend to be way off it, and struggle to make an impact early season. Indeed, I've been getting a lot of feedback in 23 that the player is "struggling to pick up the speed of the game" off the bench, which I assume is down to me not preparing them enough in pre-season.

[GIMN]

20 minutes ago, Shrewnaldo said:

I'm 100% not saying that I know exactly what to do here but I had a bit of this problem last year, I think it was. I'd been looking to avoid over-working the players during pre-season and subbing them off whenever they were getting tired. Then suddenly it occurred to me that tiring them out was sort of the point - building up their fitness requiring pushing them beyond their existing comfort zone. So now I play at least three pre-season games with what I expect to be my first team, and make as few subs as possible. Partly to try and produce some team cohesion, partly to build up fitness.

I also arrange no friendlies in the first week of pre-season, instead choosing the boot camp option in the training modules to 'beast them' a bit. This means I can cut down on the training later in pre-season and just play games. If I really think that I need training and matches for the first team, then I'll just stick the trialists and back-ups into a reserve team and arrange a bunch of friendlies for them.

This latter part is where I usually get it wrong though - I tend to have a match sharp and fresh first XI, but my subs and back-ups tend to be way off it, and struggle to make an impact early season. Indeed, I've been getting a lot of feedback in 23 that the player is "struggling to pick up the speed of the game" off the bench, which I assume is down to me not preparing them enough in pre-season.

I found similar in FM22 - the best approach I had was intense fitness training for about 10 days; a training camp where players play 45 minutes a half, and then a games approximately 5 days apart for the first team only, with a reserve fixture scheduled a couple of days after, so all of the first team squad could get at least 60 minutes football within the week.  I'd still have players struggle a little in the first couple of competitive games, but by and large, we'd be relatively fitter than the opposition.

9 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

It makes a right mess of the Heat Map

I love how the Heat Map and Pass Maps can't deal with players changing position.  That might be the most hilarious I've seen, though!

A disappointing start to the season, but a long way to go yet.  Hopefully things will start to click as fitness improves.

[Jellico73]

Training camp wise the best thing I have found is you set you tactics and PI's per position, then you clear the entire roster and leave it blank, and have the Assistant coach do all the friendlies.  He starts the players who are most fit, rotates them off, everyone get about the amount of playing time and by the season starts, everyone is pretty fit, tactically familiar, and ready to go.

 

Assuming they haven't been injured in the presason...