[FM23] Roots Bloody Roots

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // August 2029

We missed two penalties in the two league matches that we drew, so that's 4 points lost already. In the EFL Cup we naturally lost to Pep Guardiola's Newcastle. They're filthy rich and Federico Chiesa is the star player but so far they haven't been able to finish a season in the top 4.

The early impression of these first matches is that our style still means we dominate most teams statistically, but our player quality is often not enough to convert chances into goal scoring opportunities.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // September 2029

The month didn't start very well but after a last minute goal against Cardiff the team's morale increased a bit and went off to have a good remainder of September. A belter on the 92nd minute from Stoke prevented us from winning four in a row.

After only one win in five matches things improved and so did our standing. We're predicted 18th and I still don't have a clear idea of what we can aim for, because even though we have high possession and shots we're struggling to convert.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // October 2029

A light month on the schedule with all sorts of results.

The two wins place the team on playoff area, although the reliance on set pieces is strong. Let's try to improve some more from open play during next month.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // November 2029

Many goals scored, and a bitter loss to big rivals Watford after going 0-2 up at halftime.

Best attack, lousy defence, and well within the playoff zone.

[Maw74]

Edited January 10, 2023 by Maw74

[TIR669]

Great read and steady realistic progress, very fun thread.

 

I'd like to ask you to include more details in your updates, like screenshots of best players at season review, or youth prospects with first XI time, finances info etc., not just fixtures and overall table/squad.

[kingjericho]

15 hours ago, TIR669 said:

Great read and steady realistic progress, very fun thread.

 

I'd like to ask you to include more details in your updates, like screenshots of best players at season review, or youth prospects with first XI time, finances info etc., not just fixtures and overall table/squad.

Thanks!

I will. So far I've not focused much on youth development as I've been in clubs for a relatively short time and only now facilities are at a good level. I do have one player with great potential. He's out on loan and performing well, maybe next season he may feature in the first team.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // December 2029

Throughout this save I've done pretty well in these hectic months and this is another example. Undefeated the entire month and winning 6 of 8 is impressive for a team that was expected to battle relegation.

The defence has stabilized and there's already a big gap to the non-playoff places. Anytime we can jump into first place, what a surprise that would be.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // January 2030

Morale manager at full force! I know the tactic is good and I only sign players who fit the system, but keeping fitness and morale levels high seems to be enough to make this average squad unbeatable.

Reading and QPR have been overtaken and keeping this form there's no stopping our promotion hunt.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // February 2030

Man City breezed past to the fifth round. In the league performances weren't as good as last month's, and on a cold saturday afternoon in Stoke we lost after seventeen matches.

Reading and Forest continue to put pressure but we've been holding on and keeping a lead between 3 and 6 points.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // March 2030

We lost the M1 derby again to Watford, this time in embarrassing fashion. We also lost away to Bristol in a bleak display. Fortunately we scraped by Sheffield Wednesday and then ended the month with two goal-heavy wins.

Reading are in good form but also dropped a couple of points; Nottm Forest fell a bit behing and have already been caught by Aston Villa.

At the end of the month we received the news of a forgettable youth intake. Nobody will make it to the first team but I'll sign whoever the HoYD suggests.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // April 2030

Nerves got to the team as the season approaches the end. Two penalties cost us precious against Burnley and Norwich, and we struggled more than usual to score. In fact the last league match where we didn't score was on December 1 away at Hull.

Reading now lead the table with two matches left, but more worrying than that is Aston Villa, who may still force us into the playoffs. We play Rotherham (A) and Nottm Forest (H) to wrap up the regular stage.

[kingjericho]

Luton Town // Sky Bet Championship // May 2030 + end of season 

The match against Rotherham has to be one of the most nerve-wrecking matches in all my years playing FM. We scored first but they equalized shortly after. Then, we went down to 10 and they scored 2-1. This result would leave us out of the title race and in grave danger of falling into third place. But, on the 87th minute a great header from a corner put the scoreboard on 2-2, and on the 95th minute a real "Aguerooo" moment with a dramatic 2-3 winner that also put us on top of the league due to Reading drawing 2-2. In the final match a draw would clinch automatic promotion and a win would clinch the title.

Reading also had a great season. Aston Villa had a good spell in the second half of the season but in the end they bottled it and unlikely QPR got the last promotion spot.

This is the base XI and most used subs. Every player in the squad had either goals or assists which is always something that pleases me. Key players from defence/midfield/attack:

A physical beast. Terrible technicals but who cares, he scored 8 goals and was POM several times due to his huge % of aerial duels won.

Excellent signing. He was adapted to MR and performed superbly with many assists. One of the few touted by the staff with Premier League potential.

He was the second best scorer but by far the most important of my strikers. Used mainly as a TF/S his strength helped link up play and provide for the AF.

Finances are bad but not for very long I assume. PL money will pump in soon. The transfer and wage budget for this summer also predict an improvement and I will not bargain too much in assembling the best squad I can.

[kingjericho]

As the save progressed I added playable top division from the top ten nations to increase realism, player production, and transfer activity. Porto is the first interview I've received without applying. But the mission of returning the prestige back to the classic English 4-4-2 is not over yet, and this is, at least in theory, a England only save so that's where Wingplay Crossicho will remain.

[kingjericho]

I must admit I was curious as to what I could achieve with Luton in the Premier League, and the job offer from Wolves that I rejected was a sign of that. However, West Ham is a massive club and has all it takes to be the "best of the rest" from day one, with great facilities and a big stadium.

The past ten season have all been mid-table finishes ranging from 6th to 14th. In 2027/28 the club won the Conference League and that's all for trophies. So the primary objectives are to qualify for Europe and start to build a young competitive team.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // 2030/31 pre-season

The club only played one friendly before I arrived, no wonder the rest didn't go so well since everyone was out of shape.

The focus since I arrived was to evaluate the squad and see what kind of transfers were needed. Unfortunately a budget of €11m is not enough to do anything big in the Premier League so only one player arrived so far.

Dennieer Candanoza - AMR - €2.4m - a great option for either side at a very good price, this is the kind of deal we can do this season.

Edited February 8, 2023 by kingjericho

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // August 2030

After a shaky start we destroyed Wolves and advanced in the EFL Cup.

Media prediction is 11th but I want to be ambitious and aim for the European places.

Owain Williams - DC - €23m - we sold a 29 y/o DC to Napoli for €29m and replaced him with a younger, more talented, and for a slightly smaller fee.

This the base XI after the transfer window closed. The first options are good, and some of the bench too. But the average age is high, and I need to start rebuilding the squad, but with such a small transfer budget this summer was impossible to do more. Both DR are on the last year of contract, don't want to renew and I couldn't find any interested clubs. Marcos António and Darwin Nuñez renewed their contracts because they're still very good players. But everyone else who's nearing 30 and on high wages is in risk of being sold and replaced with younger players with lower wages and more potential.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // September 2030

Impressive away wins over Liverpool and Porto. We were, however, unable to beat Liverpool again three weeks later, and they knocked us out of the EFL Cup.

So far, so good!

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // October 2030

The good form continues domestically and in the EL.

Tottenham are sniffing our toes but we're well within European places and as long as we're there I'm happy.

[kingjericho]

I'm not interested in moving so briefly after joining West Ham, but I applied just to see if I would be considered for a 5* club.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // November 2030

Great wins over Chelsea and Arsenal, and complete domination in the EL.

The season so far has been going better than expected but we're in a sort of injury crisis, with three players from the U21 promoted to the first team to make numbers, sometimes even in the starting lineup.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // December 2030

We struggled against theoretically weaker sides, beating Luton and QPR marginally and losing to Brighton. Sevilla took our first points away in the EL but we're still in the top 8 which qualifies for the round of 16.

We continue to hang out among the big boys but we have a tougher calendar in the coming months.

One of the reasons I was keen on managing West Ham is because of their youth setup and this early youth intake preview looks promising.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // January 2031

Despite losing at home to relegation-threatened Brentford, the rest of the month went very well.

The top 3 are starting to distance from the others.

This stage was a walk in the park, often getting huge scores playing my second choices.

Two players arrived in January. Rúa was on his last 6 months at Barça and we got him for a symbolic fee immediately. Doherty was, in my eyes, a great deal. Liverpool wanted between €30m and €50m for him, but they were also interested in my CB Lloyd Kelly. I proposed a direct swap and they accepted. I get a player 9 years younger, maybe less capable on the immediate but with more potential, and around €90k less per week. Plus, Kelly's contract ran out next season so it was either sell him in the summer or renew a 32 y/o contract for big wages.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // February 2031

The FA Cup elimination raised some doubts in the board and fans' mind as they were expecting a lot more in that competition. Fortunately, the league performances have been excellent.

We're alone at the top but March will be a decisive month, with EL matches and Arsenal, Spurs, and Man Utd in the league.

Edited February 17, 2023 by kingjericho

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // March 2031

As expected, we struggled against the sharks and lost our two league games of March. Galatasaray were easy prey - in the first leg at least - and now we face Eintracht Frankfurt.

It seems it will be up to us, City, and Arsenal.

The youth intake produced a super potential centre back and two interesting midfielders. These three plus a young goalkeeper are the ones who'll be signed by the DoF.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // April 2031

Our bad form continued from last month. We thumped Eintracht to advance to the semi finals and that was our only win in the past 8 games.

Arsenal have capitalized on our bad form and City's too. Top 4 is still a great finish for us but I was hoping this run of form wouldn't be so extreme and we could fight for the title until the last day.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // May 2031

The month of all the decisions. Winning the league was still possible but highly unlikely, so I put my chips on the Europa League. We bested Lazio in the semis, but in an inglorious final against Leicester we failed to turn our statistical dominance into goals and their star player Tom Burton converted their only real chance and the game finished 0-1.

A draw on the last game hosting Liverpool would have been enough to hold on to 2nd place but we played poorly and we finished the league in 3rd.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // 2030/31 end of season

Even though we didn't win anything, the overall balance is positive. We finished 3rd in the league, a club highest since 2011/12 and qualified for the CL. We reached the EL final for the second time in three years but lost it again. We left early in both domestic cups, disappointing in this regard.

Good stats for many players. High average ratings, plenty of goals and assists, and quality in all sectors. Worryingly, the squad's age is still higher than I would like. This will be my first summer at West Ham with a transfer budget to spend so I will look to move on older players nearing the end of their contracts and replace them with younger players with high potential. I would like to keep Caqueret and Darwin for more than one season but Caqueret is unhappy so I'll look to make some money off him. Darwin still has a one year extension so I'll keep that card as the season progresses.

We were on negative €100m during the season so a good payout at the end gives us more stability. I don't want to aggravate this balance as result of transfers so for every new signing for a big fee I'll try to compensate with a sale.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // 2031/32 pre/season

The pre-season games seem to have lifted off the pressure of last season's final moments.

This has been a very busy summer. When I arrived last season the transfer budget was already spent so this was the first proper window for me to try and shape the squad to my liking. I cashed in on some players who were getting older and other for big fees, and replaced them with young prospects and some even meeting the home-grown criteria.

Chilean young prospects have lots of potential and have low release clauses, he comes in to be second choice.

First choice keeper comes in for €45m, as Stéphane Brasido left for Bayern for €90m.

A new option to play on the left wing, he can also play as a striker but he has poor finishing.

Maybe not as touted by the Ass Man as he was by the scouts, but a good option for the near future in midfield.

New centre-back for a very decent fee and talling at almost 2 meters as a good old-fashioned English centre-back should.

New either-footed striker wonderkid. He had a release clause of €28m for clubs in continental competitions but I couldn't activate it. Isn't that clause applied to clubs in the Champions League?

An emergency backup for all positions in defence, at just €1.3m he's worth a shot and will only play if the other players aren't available.

Another one with a very appealing release clause. Although a natural in midfield I'll use him as my main right-back.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // August 2031

We probably had the best result of the opening matchday, but we weren't going to score 6 goals to everyone and with the new signings still settling in our defensive stability is barely there and we conceded loads and lost three in a row. Leicester are definitely our bogey team - after beating us in the EL final last season they beat us at home, in a game where we missed a penalty for the 3-2 and then conceded a penalty that turned out to be the final 2-3.

2 goals conceded per game is relegation-threatened numbers.

Left-back Azirovi wanted to leave to Al-Hilal and after negotiating the initial offer to a very satisfying €33m I decided to replace him with a promising LB from Sp. Gijón. Unfortunately that idiot decided to join Man Utd instead, so I had to go to my second option, who is a better player but only available on loan.

For the first time ever we'll play in the Champions League but the league stage matches are tough, I don't know what we'll do. Hopefully within the top 24 to advance to the next stage.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // September 2031

September saw a return to domestic good form, however in the CL the first two games ended in defeat.

Best attack in the league has to count for something.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // October 2031

Form has definitely picked up as the new signings settle more, and in a month with difficult opponents the outcome was very positive.

We average almost 3 goals per match but often it's many in the same match rather than a constant ability to score, hence the 4 losses in 11. But we're doing well and the competition for the top 4 is very hard but that's our ambition.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // November 2031

We got another win in the CL to keep us in the top 24. In the league we hammered Liverpool just like we did Man City last month, but then we lose points against the bottom table clubs.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // December 2031

A trademark of Wingplay Crossicho is to do well in heavy scheduled months, and December of 2031 was no exception. Points lost against Spurs and Chelsea but 6 wins out of 8 including against Bayern.

The fight for top 4 is super fierce, we've been sitting at 5th/6th for the most part but climbed to 3rd last week as a result of Leicester and Chelsea losing. We face Chelsea away on the next match.

We'll have to get points away from home against Celtic and Shakhtar to advance to the next round.

I'm disappointed to only have possible prospects in striker position but hopefully one of them will turn out good enough to be part of the first team in the future.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // January 2032

What a crazy month! We started poorly but didn't fall in any cup (Chelsea salvaged a replay on the 88th minute) and we also progressed in the CL.

We still concede over 1 goal a match but, looking at the full table, almost every team does too. It's the massive amount of goals we score that makes the difference.

Top 8 was a mirage before the final fixture so it was irrelevant finishing 9th or 24th. Worse than us is Juventus for sure, they finished 28th and are out.

I only had €16m in the bank for transfers but this was a good time to sign some promising 18 year-olds so they can be home-grown at club in 2035.

I think tall full-backs perform better in my system but I would need a new player in 6 months anyway so might as well get someone good who can be home-grown.

I had three centre-backs on the shortlist, all costing roughly the same. Luis Pedro is big, has good potential and accepted to come and be backup for the time being.

A more powerful full-back prospect. Less potential but he also cost way less. Will develop in the U21 unlike the other two new lads.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // February 2032

We were cursed in the FA Cup draws. Milan is our of the CL, Man City is up next.

3rd and 7th are 5 points apart which means I'll need to put all my chips on the league games to guarantee top 4.

[kingjericho]

Injury crisis at a crucial stage of the season. Among the seven casualties are all of my four strikers!

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // March 2032

A clean record this month, which included knocking Man City out of the CL (we face Bayern next) and winning the EFL Cup, my first trophy at this club.

We have the slightest of advantages with the game in hand that can possibly give us a small lead to cement our top 4 position.

The youth intake preview mentioned three good strikers but only one has decent potential, and the most promising of the bunch is a central mid.

I don't like short central mids so he might be developed as a full back.

Supporting striker in the making.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // April 2032

A good first leg was enough to get past Bayern but since then we have dropped off a cliff and PSG have one foot in the final.

At one point it seemed a strong finish could even put us in a title race, but now we're struggling to continue fighting for top 4. Fortunately, there was a news item that mentioned an extra CL spot for the top two coefficient which are England and Spain, so it seems 5th place will also play in the CL... but can we get there still?

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // May 2032

As expected, PSG progressed to the final - they lost on penalties to Arsenal. I was set on guaranteeing a CL place for next season and in the "make or break" game of the season we scraped a win at Leicester, keeping our chances alive. The draw against Everton meant we had to win at Old Trafford to stand a chance at top 4. So how did that turn out?

A draw against Man Utd would have put us in 5th which would still give us CL access due to that extra spot I mentioned in a post above. Arsenal retained the league title and the three relegated clubs have two or three interesting players with active relegation clauses. What I take from this season is simple: when we're able to turn all those defeats into draws we'll be a lot closer to the top of the league.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // 2031/32 end of season

Compared to last season we did 8 less points in the league and finished one place below but the end result was the same, guaranteeing CL next season. We did tremendously in our first ever CL and if we do it next season I'll be happy. The FA Cup draw was unkind as we faced Chelsea and Spurs early on, but we made up for that short cup run with a win in the EFL Cup, where we also had to face Spurs.

When I arrived at the club I adapted my classic 4-4-2 to a 4-2-4 to accommodate Cole Palmer. He's still very good but he's not a superstar player anymore so I'll revert to a flat 4-4-2 as the rest of the squad has improved to the point I no longer need to adapt my formation just for Palmer. As a result of our high number of defeats and goals conceded, rating for the GKs and full backs were nothing special and that could use some improvement next season. I have €75m to spend but I'm also keen on selling some of the older players while they still have some value. Matteo Lovato and Lorenzo Colombo are frontrunners.

Our long CL run was a high source of revenue and that's why it was so important to qualify for it again. The only way for us to be a constant challenger for top 4 is to sign the best players available and to do that I need to have lots of money available to spend.

Edited March 8, 2023 by kingjericho

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // 2032/33 pre-season

Another pre-season with plenty of goals scored and conceded.

Due to our good performance in the Champions League there was a bit more money to spend and, with some players in the final year of contract I made some changes to the squad. Now that we moved from a 4-2-4 to a 4-4-2, AML Ivan Silvera will now be an option as a striker, so Lorenzo Colombo was sold for a good value. Marcos Antonio and Matteo Lovato entered their final year and as both were second choices I cashed in on them as well. Diouf was unhappy because he wanted a new improved contract, and when PSG offered €50m my decision was made easier.

What an absolute steal for €14m. I'm hoping this lad will give nightmares to opposing full backs.

Peverell had a €13.5m relegation release clause from Fulham and he ticks all the boxes for a good left winger... apart from only knowing how to play on the right side. But that's why we train!

Coyette was under my radar since last season. He can still become home-grown at club and has big potential. For now, though, he'll be part of the U21 squad.

Smith was transfer listed at Liverpool for €1.9m. I decided to loan out Ávila so he can develop more and use this guy as a backup instead. Ávila's loan is already more lucrative than Smith's transfer fee so this should be a win-win scenario.

I needed a solid centre-back to replace Lovato, and I shortlisted four players all with their pros and cons. Balbi is less imposing physically and not hugely dominant in the basic heading/marking/tackling CB trident but I'm sure he will improve a lot during the season and with a perfectionist personality he'll quickly become my best CB.

This will be our base XI. There's room to improve on a BWM but the great players that I've scouted that would be difference makers are just too expensive for us.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // August 2032

We had an expectation of winning our first three matches, but unfortunately we failed to convert chances and only won one. We then did that against Chelsea with a good win, and fell to bogey team Leicester in the last minutes.

Arsenal look good to contest their third title in a row, but Leicester will also be a team to consider.

I got two players on loan to be solid rotation options. In fact Moya has been on my radar for a couple of years and has been considered often as a possible signing.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // September 2032

A perfect month. The CL draw avoids the big clubs and gives us hope of finishing top 8. We are struggling to create chances from open play, though, and struggled more than I liked to get past Southampton and Swindon.

A good month propelled us within the top 4. If not for the two draws at the beginning of the league we'd be tied with Arsenal on top. Those two draws were against the current 18th and 19th placed.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // October 2032

A good follow up to September. Apart from the Newcastle match where we were 3-0 down after 10 minutes, we performed well, especially in defence. Also, we're a big threat from corners scoring often and that has been a key factor to unlock difficult matches.

Even though we lost to Newcastle, the wins over Spurs and Man City gave us confidence and kept us in the top 4.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // November 2032

We did well in the big games but once again failed to beat a smaller team in Watford.

We score loads but it's often many goals in some games and then hardly can score one past more defensive teams, and that's where our three draws came from.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // December 2032

Nine matches in 29 days is crazy, luckily for us there weren't any injuries limiting my options. We did drop some points, though. Juventus I can live with that, it's the matches against mid/bottom half clubs that are bothering me. They defend more and we've been struggling a lot to get past these teams.

Leicester had a terrible month and fell out of the top 4 - they were the league leaders at the start of the month. Man City, Spurs, and Liverpool are in good form and are real threats to us.

The youth intake early assessment has only relative importance but it does get my expectations up.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // January 2033

January was probably our best month of the season so far. We progressed in the cups, finished our CL league stage in style, and continued to fight for top 4 with one of our best defensive performances. The defeat against Spurs missed some fortune as we missed a penalty in the last third that would have given us a point.

We're 6 points away from both 1st and 5th, which in a league as competitive as this means nothing.

All five English teams qualified for the knockout stages, four of them on the top 8 including us.

Nobody came in because we'd already signed six foreign U21 players this season and all but one of my targets are U21. The other target is my absolutely top target since last year but Hertha won't budge below the €99 release clause and I don't have that money (yet). On the way our is Cole Palmer. Once the team's star player, he began complaining about more playing time and then informed me he wouldn't renew his contract which expires next season. So the deal with Nice has been made, he leaves on loan with a €61m optional fee which I hope will be activated.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // February 2033

February was much lighter on the calendar than January, and even with a sort of injury crisis at the moment, we managed to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup and defeat Man Utd at Old Trafford in possibly the best result of the season.

Our recent good form puts us in a 3-way lead at the top, with Leicester lurking close with that game in hand.

[kingjericho]

West Ham // Premier League // March 2033

This month was tough! We started the month with an important draw at Arsenal, not letting them get further from us. Then we won at Dortmund and almost threw it away at home, after being 3-0 up at halftime they came back 3-3 and had us on the ropes for the last 15 minutes. In between that round we won the EFL Cup again. In the FA Cup though, Chelsea had some the luck of the game and continue in the competition.

We only played once for the league so as expected we fell down the table, but we have games in hand to get back into where we were. Honestly I'm glad we're done with the cups because the squad wasn't keeping up with the hectic schedule and injuries and fatigue were piling up during this month like crazy.

That's a very good intake, just a shame three of the four good prospects are strikers. Anyway they all have good profiles to develop into first team players eventually.