Hootieleece Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) Hello everyone. After reading all the different career updates and commenting on my favorites. I have decided to delve back into my own Career Update! This will different than my other saves that I have written about in that it is a journeyman story. The goal of the save is to reach the highest level of Football Management at one of Three Clubs: Liverpool, AS St. Etienne, or Hertha. If I get chance to manage my local team the New England Revolution. I will as well. The save starts today in game: January 11, 2023. I vacationed until that date and some funny things happened on the way to today! The Manager is based on if I quit my job as a teacher and started applying for Football management jobs today. The Manager is name GPS Coach. GPS stands for Gengenpress Soccer Coach. He is a 51-year-old American fan of the game with no badges and starts unemployed. I will be using the 3 formations suggested and the out of the box gengenpress tactics to try and become a legend! 4-2-3-1 Wide, 4-3-3 DM Wide, and 4-2-4. This is also an experiment if the Gegen press tactics as provided (suggested) by SI are OVERPOWERED. I am adding this after my second season..... In the next post (later tonight) I will put up screenshots and show my initial setup and job search. Wish me luck! Edited February 2, 2023 by Hootieleece added words I forgot then changed the title Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 11, 2023 Author Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) The Journey Begins: Game Setup This many leagues and level of detail is to create as "realistic" as possible game world. The database and level of detail will strain my laptop a bit but I should be able to manage to play the save until FM24! The leagues were chosen as ones (at the bottom) might pick a middle aged American with no CV as manager. The Manager This is my avatar in the game world it is based on me. No Badges and No playing experience. In this world I quit my job and started applying for Football Management jobs to start my career! Recent History in the Game World World Cup The World Cup had a surprise winner..... It came home! and Lionel Messi went home empty handed. The Current FIFA World Rankings. Current League Tables The Job Market After perusing the list, I applied to the following teams: I did not get any interviews from these teams, so the search continued..... Oh, how the "Mighty" have fallen.... The search continued as teams started firing their managers. The former French National Manager ended up at... I continued to expand my search to France..... I speak Basic French. Frank Lampard didn't last long at Everton.... an Interview! deflation....time to send out more applications.... my assistant thinks I could do well with these teams.... I will apply to Dulwich Hamlet, but PSNI is just too small. and I applied to Welling United as well. In a few days some interviews were set up! I eagerly went to both, but I am hoping for Welling..... Both came back with offers..... and I chose: Thanks for Reading! Edited February 2, 2023 by Hootieleece added images , and wrote words 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 (edited) First Job It looks like GPS Coach is moving to SE London. Welling is in Bexley Borough of Southeast Greater London. The most famous person from there is Songstress Kate Bush. The Job and Team: The Stadium: Park View Road Overview Club Vision These are definitely achievable objectives if the team plays near potential and maybe even Playoffs this season. It all depends on how they adapt to the Gengenpress! Supporters and their Expectations This is tougher but achievable with this underachieving team....currently 11th. As you can see I will have to keep the supporters happy due to their influence on the board. General Overview Financials Depending on year end investment and ticket sales it looks like I will have to cut some payroll and to keep the team in the black. Currently the team is working with in the payroll allotted. So I don't have to worry about it until end of season. Coaching Staff Looks decent but the board wants cuts.....I will evaluate at the end of season. Player/Assman not bad for this level and plays backup CM. HYOD He works well with youngsters and has a preferred formation. Coach not great but he has a good formation and fits the tactical vision. will probably keep. better stats but doesn't fit the vision.... Good personality but doesn't really fit the vision. Will look for a replacement. Good personality but doesn't really fit the vision also a terrible coach. I will try to replace. Team Analysis Squad Dynamics The team is in a good place but I am going to do some work to win them over and it starts with winning! My Assistant is the Team leader I hope to create a good working relationship with him. Tactical Ideas GPS Coach will Gengenpress using the following three formations. 4-2-3-1 Wide This is the formation I will use first since the prior manager used it since I have to hit the ground running 4-3-3 DM Wide This is the formation I want to use most as I try and replicate Liverpool. 4-2-4 This formation seems to be the one of choice this year and is suggested for Gengenpressing by the tactic's designer. I will experiment with it as I get more established. Thanks for Reading! Next installment we start playing matches! Edited January 13, 2023 by Hootieleece fixed some images of tactics 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pasta n Sauce Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 (edited) Hey mate I think the tactics are all the same. Good luck with this! Edited January 12, 2023 by Pasta n Sauce English is hard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, Pasta n Sauce said: Hey mate I think the tactics are all the same. Good luck with this! They are the same.....Gengenpress with different formations, which is the plan. Also, it is the standard Gengenpress offered by the tactic's designer by SI. A subplot is to prove how overpowered Gegenpressing is....... Thanks for reading and I hope you find it enjoyable. PS I saw/realized the problem you referred to and fixed it. I should post the first games tomorrow. Edited January 13, 2023 by Hootieleece added words I forgot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Nice to see a new save from you Strange thing: Most of the images don´t display for me...? Only the Kate Bush image shows. Might be only my personal PC preferences but I thought I should mention it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Carambau said: Nice to see a new save from you Strange thing: Most of the images don´t display for me...? Only the Kate Bush image shows. Might be only my personal PC preferences but I thought I should mention it Sorry to hear the images aren't showing. I have had problems with that in the past on this forum. I will try to be posting images differently in today's update. Let me know if you can see them. Since they pretty much tell the story for me. I am happy to be back...... I know that the other poster (other than me) can see them because he alerted me to a problem i missed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Good luck mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 Welling United February/March 2023 Manager's Thoughts I started my first job in a bit of a "goldilocks" situation an underachieving playoff team that needed a new manager bounce to reach the playoff places. The team was in 11th place when I took over February 19th and had already turned the corner winning their last two matches after 4 match losing streak that led to the sacking. Since the players were used to 4-2-3-1 Wide system, I decided to use that variant of the Gengenpress. "Heavy Metal Football" had come to London. The team adapted well and after some experimentation with the lineup with the help of my Assman and some tweaks over the next few matches I came up with a starting XI. The team adapted to the new level of pressing well even though they are semi-pro. Leading to a 10-match winning streak that will be tested as we start playing playoff teams and the League Leaders in April. The team will need a major overhaul for next season due to payroll issues. The Board wants me to sign under 23 players and I have decided that no player can make more than me. I have several players including our leading scorer who make more than $32k/year on the team. Highlights In my introductory press conference, I started my charm offensive on the press and the supporters. The supporters and table after my first match in charge a 3-0 victory that moved us 3 places to 8th! The two biggest talking points were Elito's missed penalty and how we ruined a former players day. I don't think he is a fan..... The next match was against Chippenham town and was another good performance if a little nervy.... We went out to a two goal lead and were pegged back immediately after halftime. We finished the job late on securing the 3 points! Azeez our highest paid player ($51k/year) and leading goal scorer had a Hat-trick and now we moved up to the Playoff Places. The newsies are taling about our promotion challenge.....this was a preseason pick for 4rth place! Only living up to expectations! February Overview Team The team has played a pretty regular lineup most of the season most of those players still feature for me. The biggest problem is our on loan Striker Hulbert broke his toe and is out for two months. Azeez is a suitable replacement so far.... Player of the Month Azeez stepped up after I changed his position from winger to his more natural Striker. Due to Hulbert's injury. League Table In the playoff hunt with two victories can I keep the team playing at a High level? March Highlights The month started with a trip to Hungerford.... The media and bookies thought we were good bets to win on the road! And our dominance showed with a great performance from our Right Back! The analysts thought we were lucky since xG showed the match was closer than the scoreline. The passing map against Hungerford showed good build up from the back. The next match was on the road against another lower table team..... We one once again and the team is showing it can win the matches it is supposed to which is a good sign. There are still about 10 games to go in the season, and we have to play playoff teams in April to finish the season! The next match was to be at Park View Stadium versus the Concord Rangers We were facing a team in the Relegation battle and expected a tough match. It was a tough battle, but a late winner secured the three points and had us moving up the table and dreaming! Setting records, I must be doing something right...... The passing map wasn't as neat, but it was another win for the team. In other news I decided I need to find a backup Left Back for our Promotion Hunt..... He will be the backup. I also signed this guy more for next year and to train as BPD-D He is a Left Back but I see him more as a CB due to lack of Crossing abilty. We even have players playing internationally funny thing is they are backups for us. We then had our first atch against a Playoff Contender....Weymouth Azeez's two goals salvaged a point! The next match on the run was against Relegation Battle Bath City..... Only true afficionados would enjoy this game in which all the goals were scored by Set-Pieces.....Two Corners for us and Two Freekicks for them! but the unbeaten run continues! Analysis of our recent matches shows we are playing well! The next match was against the 2nd place team in the table...... The fans came out in force It was the Azeez show once again.....11 unbeaten! League Table Analysis Report Player of the Month and on a final note..... Thank You for Reading! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 25 minutes ago, Sheriff7 said: Good luck mate! Thanks! We are off to a good start so far. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahaj Oberoi Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Good story so far, will follow. I am looking forward to your journey. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 14, 2023 Author Share Posted January 14, 2023 4 hours ago, Sahajpal Oberoi said: Good story so far, will follow. I am looking forward to your journey. Thanks for the follow. I hope I don't disappoint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 Welling United April 2023: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts As April started the team continued its unbeaten streak, but reasons for the new manager's "bounce" ending were beginning to show. The fact that the team was terrible at finishing and almost completely dependent on the striker for goals was one of the signs and the lack of depth throughout the team as a whole as injuries piled up. The board was expecting wins but also wanted to cut budgets. So, the team was going to need a major overhaul get younger and cheaper and provide similar results. The team was going to make the playoffs, but any chance of promotion was becoming less likely by the match as we dropped points while playing better teams. Highlights As you can see the team is in the red mostly because we have limited attendance. To fix this I will have to get rid of most of the older High wage players and replace them with younger ones. Even the players I keep will need to take a pay cut. We are in 3rd place and have an outside shot at the title......but it would mean winning all of the next five and getting some help. The New manager "bounce" began before I started, but I am responsible for 9 of 11 during the unbeaten streak. I have finally begun to figure out the Starting XI and now know I have a pretty good team. The best player is out for the rest of the season....and the on loan GK will not be allowed to return next season..... The Board is happy with our winning streak and the fact it got us to the playoffs. Our next match was against a competitive rival Dover Athletic We were favored and they seemed to be in a slump.....perfect "Trap Match" I along with the rest of the team were looking ahead to our match against Eastbourne to see if we could mount a true title challenge! Never bet against home underdogs is a truism I believe! I had been a bit blasé about the match in my press conference.....it would come back to bite me in the A**! We got the win, but it was much more difficult than it should have been.... I had to laugh! Twelve on the trot! one of the few times XG pretty much matched the scoreline in my experience. The number of passes was no where near the 500 I consider to be the "Magic Number" but we are also more direct. We were now facing another playoff team....a big test. In my press conference trying to convey taking them seriously and that they would prove a stern test....the media made me out to fear losing! and it was....both teams scored early and spent the rest of the game fouling each other and forgetting about scoring! After that terrible game our poor Youth Intake came in..... Duncan Evans is the only player I would sign but since the U-18's and U-21's need warm bodies the I directed the HYOD to sign everyone! Evans was soon moved to the first team for training and occasional game time with the injury crisis. I know that I didn't show those screen shots but at one point we had all of our attackers out injured and was down to only four defenders as well. Saint Albans was another playoff team....beware home underdogs! I like to stick to a plan! Gengenpress "Heavy Metal" Football! Our lack of attackers and with a lot of players out of position led to this dull draw.....but I will take it! We got close to my "Magic Number", but it was mostly passing outside of "Parked Bus" The team assured themselves a playoff spot with that draw. Making for a decent turnaround headed by a manager with no rep or badges! The Board and supporters are happy that we ticked another objective off the club vision list! The board was so happy they got rid of our negative balance.....for a day! The Penultimate match of the regular season....could we pull off a miracle at Park View Stadium? We were the "Home Underdogs"! for 53 minutes we were the best team in the division......then Domonic Polean came on the field for them and put on a masterclass that ended our hopes and dreams. They won the League in our ground! Of real interest in this screen shot is the Spanish and Italian Leagues Athletico Madrid in the lead as well as Napoli comfortably in the lead. Yes, I talked about the match because I was pissed off to have lost with such an epic fail in the second half! Ebbsfleet's manager didn't rise to the bait! The final game of the year was at another playoff team Havant & Waterlooville We were at full strength except for one striker....maybe we would refind our mojo! It wasn't meant to be....we were slumping at the wrong time! Analysts Report not bad data but it hides the fact that we were almost abysmal in front of goal.....It takes like 20 shots (total) for us to get TWO GOALS! Thanks for Reading! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Welling United Early May 2023: The Playoffs Manager's Thoughts The team entered the playoffs in a bit of a slump. I hoped that sometime with the physios and a night out would help us get on track for a promotion bid. Unfortunately, our lackluster play continued. We won the first match at home but couldn't win the Semi-Final at Oxford. We looked in that match like the boys had already hit the Golf Links! I will spend sometime during the off season adding more under 23 players (like the board wants) and getting rid of deadwood. Something I need to fix is our terrible shooting. Highlights' We hosted the first round playoff match at Parkview Road! The bookies and media made us favorites to win.....but we would be without our #10 (AMC) Hyde. The fans were out in force for the Big Match! We hoped to put on a show in our last home match of the season. The match was a bit of a bore, but we scraped out the win! We played well keeping possesion, but Eastbourne decided to play Rugby! With the win we are headed to Oxford! We owed everything to this player's wonder goal! And I told the press just that! XG shows how ineffective we are in front of goal. We got to my magic number of passes mostly because we played keep away. Anticipation is building for the next match.....should be a big crowd at least a 1000! The bookies thought we had a chance.....I wasn't so sure. We played well in the beginning but ran out of gas in the end and allowed a winner in extra-time to a team reduce to ten men! After Halftime my players went on vacation already....must have had tee-times in the morning. and the match was a sellout! There was a bit of a war of words after the match drummed up by the press.... I just answered with the truth.....we didn't show up for this match. Analysis shows just how poor we were.... Thanks for Reading! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Welling United Season Review 2022-2023 Manager's Thoughts I must say that the start to my Football Manager Career has exceeded my expectations. Yes, I was lucky in getting the job with an under achieving playoff quality team. I will need to repeat this run except over a whole 46 games. That will be a different challenge as we have to cut wages and find younger talent that is willing to work for low wages. I will not be using non-contract players because I need the players on the training pitch as much as possible and not just show up on match days. I didn't show the screenshots, but I did get most of the team to sign backup for next season at lower wages. We will have to replace 4 older players and regulars and the three loan players as their parent clubs want them to now play at a higher level. The player we will most miss will be in goal as the young Watford player was often the difference maker in the games the boys played bad defense. Highlights As you can see almost the whole team were new arrivals. I am going to keep most around to start to build club culture since they now know what to expect from me. Ade Azeez the highest paid player at the club ($51k/year) took a pay cut to lead the line next season to $38k/year. He is now the only person on staff that makes more than me. ($32k/year) A less than impressive FA Cup appearance. I will try to make the Tournament Proper this upcoming season. The FA Trophy wasn't much better than the Cup again I will try to improve on last season's result. Azeez and Aransibia became the stars of the team after I took over and the match against Chippenham (2/25/23) showcased their skills. The Finances only look good because there is nothing to compare them to. We spent $532k on wages last season. This is how the team would have linedup if Payne hadn't broken his hip......but Azeez is the obvious player of the year especially after he took over at the top of the formation. Player Awards 2023 This is what the local media wrote about the team's season. Supporters We increased the core supporters looking at the numbers we have about 125 core supporters we need to grow that number if this team is to become a success. Analyst Report These numbers look good but cover up the fact that we had to take a lot of shots to score goals after I took over......In fact, I am beginning to think that the boys think I am a recruiting/scouting for Placekickers for NFL Teams! My Personal Timeline Not much to see here.....YET! Thanks for Reading! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Good luck at Welling mate! Would be great to see you go all the way up with them as you progress your career Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 17, 2023 Author Share Posted January 17, 2023 7 hours ago, DavidBeckham said: Good luck at Welling mate! Would be great to see you go all the way up with them as you progress your career I will keep tabs on them, but since this is a journeyman and the goal is to try and get to the top level of Football management. I probably won't stay with them. I intend to make a real promotion challenge with them during the second season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 Welling United Late May 2023: Early Offseason Manager's Thoughts The off season was finally here and it was time to begin transforming the squad for next season. I was hoping to change to a 4-3-3 Formation, but a lack of Young Inverted Forwards that wanted low salaries was limited. Also, I wanted to make more of Dead Ball Situations. I was able to resign most of the team to except for 4 players to smaller contracts. The biggest shock came when the board would not allow me to go on a Coaching Course even though I had exceeded their expectations. At least only one player now makes more than I do! Highlights The offseason started with a board meeting where they shared their vision for the future. Afterwards I had the last Team Meeting of the season and explained next season's objectives. The impact was decent everyone should be on board with the changes that are coming and that we are aiming for the Playoffs next season! With that I started signing the players I wanted to keep..... This is the backup Left Back and also will be trained to cover at CB. The next signing was my Assistant Manager...... As you can see he is considered surplus to requirements, but he is a Guyanese International and serves as a backup CM. (Funniest thing is he named himself Surplus to Requirements) Young Agho is being brought in as our new backup #9. Azeez is being kept a starter. Azeez who was our player of the year took a paycut and playing time reduction to stay with the team. ($51k/year, Important>$38k/year/Regular) I was happy to reach this agreement and it would provide some continuity since he seemed to thrive in our system. Also, He is the only player NOW to make more than me in compensation! The team is in the red, so this is no surprise. Even with our Playoff run, the team finished one pace lower than predicted in the table and the sponsors responded by slashing our funding! The Scouting budget is surprising for such a low-level club. I may try to find saving by cutting it some. We lost to the eventually promoted side and notice Napoli leading Serie A. No Surprise the best player on the best team won the award. I went to the Board asking to work on my coaching badges.... This was their response! I will have to make decision at the end of next season! I'm not sure I want to stay with a team that won't help me with Professional Development. We also signed a good young CM to be a stalwart in the middle of the Pitch. He is well adapted to breaking up opposition attacks. I found my Deadball Specialist! He is a little slow for playing wide and I will look to move him to AMC. I re-signed Manny to be the New Captain of the Team. My Assman is more of a leader, but he is definitely a backup, and I don't want to blur the lines between player and management more. We re-signed Sam Cox's (Assman's) drinking buddy as the the GK. We will look for another since he makes a decent backup. One thing he has going for him is that he spent time at LIVERPOOL! which I am loosely imitating. The FA Trophy Winners. I am setting my sights on this trophy for next season if we can't make a real run at Promotion. The manager of the promoted side (not champs) is chosen. I think I voted for Horgan. I signed this young man from the youth team to fill out numbers on a cheap contract. The following players were not asked back as part of my "Youth" Movement. Payne had missed most of my tenure as coach with a hip injury and wanted too much money and Azeez definitely filled the need for a #9. Is this predicting the future of Everton? League Table Financial Report Still losing money even after I trimmed the budget. I think I will cut scouting back a bit. I also need to bring in a few more players if we are to make a playoff run next season. Management Report Doing my job well enough that I will be allowed to coach next season! Group Dynamics Our success during the season and not resigning my critics is creating a team that is willing to overlook my lack of coaching badges and experience a true "Ted Lasso" Story! Thanks for Reading! PS. I didn't forget about this thread. Life got in the way....and I played FM when I wasn't busy, but I will be catching up with where I am in game over the next few days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 Welling United June 2023: Off Season Manager's Thoughts As the off season wore on I considered how to go forward with the team. This included trying to reduce and improve the Coaching Staff and What formation I would use during the coming Season. Since I had so far been unable to find enough Attacking Wingers and had many CM Candidates I decided to try to mould the team into a 4-3-3 instead of a 4-2-3-1 Wide. Highlights June started off with another resigning.....more depth the Backup Right Back who can play on the Left in a pinch. I chased after several Goalkeepers during the offseason looking to replace our First Choice GK, but no one wanted to come to Welling for the wages we were willing to pay. So I loaned this GK as my Cup Goalkeeper. I will still see if I can bring in a GK since this one is so poor. The FA Cup came to the end and this is another competition I would like to have a good run in preferably getting to the First Round if possible. I started the rebuild of the coaching Staff.....by sacking 4 coaches! Most were let go because they didn't favor the 4-3-3 or Gengenpressing. Decent All-Around coach for this level and works with the former formation and is Gengenpress Fanatic like myself! This was our second choice Goalkeeping Coach because the first was Guyanese and couldn't get Work Permit. (He had been recommended in the Staff Meeting) He understands both primary formations and is actually an upgrade over the former GK Coach! We then found out the New teams and our Schedule. The media and bookies rate us high even though we aren't finished with our recruiting! Only lost 3 places in the first Preview. I decided that Match Fitness was more important than Physical training at this level with our restricted training schedule. I wanted to start the Season flying if possible. I also decided to playing bigger teams would do more than winning laughers against Pub sides. am happy to announce we have a U-18 team that isn't just the local high-school team. Another very good new to coaching candidate. I am hoping to make him Assman next season. He had spent some time in America. The following Big Name players were released by the bigger clubs. The bean-counters wanted remind me that the coaching Staff and players are only here through this season.....like I didn't know already! Financial Report My financial acumen has helped but the team is still losing money. Management Report Still doing ok the fans are mad some of their favorite players are gone so I will need a fast start to win them over. I am pleased that they like the Gengenpress. Team Dynamics Since I removed some of my critics and elevated Manny Parry to Captain support for my leadership has gone up a bit. Thanks for Reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Welling United July 2023: Preseason Manager's Thoughts I think that I ad done a pretty good job of keeping the team together and adding to it for another Playoff Run. As we started the pre-season, I continued to look for players to add to the team. Especially Attacking Midfielders and a Goalie. This was because I wasn't completely happy with our GK Situation. As the Month went on and added a few more players I scrapped the switch to a 4-3-3 formation and retained the 4-2-3-1 DM Wide that worked so well. The reason is tactical fluency of the retained players and how we played during the pre-season. The Idea of playing twice a week and playing better opposition did help us tactically in retrospect. The players brought in helped our depth and I must say I think we are ready for a good season. Schedule Highlights The month began with us playing preseason friendlies and still signing players. He isn't the best, but he will provide cover out wide. another CM because I can never have enough and at this point, I was still considering the 4-3-3. playing bigger opposition has its problems....but we played well after I switched to the 4-2-3-1 DM Wide and we were playing against the backups scoring 3 in 20 minutes! The Cambridge match showed a definite need for at least on CB and this player fit the bill! Big, Strong, Fast (For this level) the only drawback is lack of technicals. This signing added to a logjam up front as starters, but that was the only way to get this signing done. This signing also cemented the switch back to the 4-2-3-1 DM Wide. With White playing on the Left and Hughes moving to AMC. This Friendly was against a team of similar stature and the Backups got most of the playing time but a victory is always nice. Our next match was against Charlton now managed by Ole Gunnar Skoskaer! They are about 4 levels above us but we played better on the day even if the scoreline didn't show it. (It was bad Goalkeeping for us) The analytics show we were the better side....especially since the Starters got most of the playing time. If we play like this in VNL South I think we will do well. Since we had a less than stellar performance in goal from our presumptive First Choice GK...... He was brought in to provide more competition. During the next match our "Dead Ball Specialist" went down for the rest of the Preseason! The Cheltenham match was another that went against the analytics..... afterwards we signed another player for depth purposes.... Yes, it is another CM, but that seems to be all my scouts find! As Preseason went on and the starters and formation got settled, we started putting in good performances. Azeez is picking up where he left off leading the Line! Season Preview Our Transfers and Signings have the bookies and Media believing we are the best team in the league that wasn't relegated from the VNL! We moved up from 7th to 3rd! and no one on our team expected to lead the league in Goal scoring! Hmmm? Transfers We brought in these 6 players during the Preseason. I think we are in good shape to make the Playoffs. Josh Green Sol Alidor-Hamilton Deon Woodman Lewis White Alfie Burnett Rio Shipton Financial Report Management Report In a good position to start the season but we will need to get off to a good start to keep our job. Thanks for Reading! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Welling United Preseason Analyst Report As you can see the team is now made up of many players that are U-23. The Leadership comes from the players in the Peak area including the Club Captain and the Assistant Manager. The Emerging players make up most of the Regular Starters. The team is decent in passing, workrate, and leadership. It is a physically strong team (mostly CB and CM's) the only problem is we are not very teamwork oriented as I would like to be.... The GK decent for this level and should do a good job of keeping corners out of the net. an above average defense except we aren't the best at heading (CM's are weak in Area) Teamwork and Technique are missing when the outfield players are in Midfield, but I am happy that they are good at tackling and have decent stamina to implement the Gengenpress. Its a good thing I expect most of my goals from my strikers because the rest of my outfield players are making for a terrible offensive production this year. I wasn't able to bring in better shooters overall. Like I said earlier I think some of the players think I'm scouting for Placekickers in the NFL! Physically the team is above average in all areas except natural fitness so we will have to watch playing minutes carefully and rotate a bit more than usual for this level, but I think we will be able to keep up the press over the 50 plus matches expected this season. Mentally we are weak offensively but are decent defensively this means we are going to have to overwhelm teams and play from the front foot if we are to win matches! Technically we have some holes but my plan to put my opponents under pressure for 90minutes and take lots of shots at goal is the way to go with this team. Thank You for Reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesney4 Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 (edited) Great start! Good luck for the season and your save! Edited January 22, 2023 by Jesney4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 13 hours ago, Jesney4 said: Great start! Good luck for the season and your save! Thanks! I have played about half the season already (through December) I am just slow updating. I have a Snow Day off from school so I might be able to catch up if I don't play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 Welling United August 2023: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts After a decent preseason and our first offseason where we learned on the job. The team was ready to start the season. Unfortunately, we lost Ade Azeez, our #9, in the last preseason game. Young Agho stepped up superbly and the team didn't miss a beat with him leading the line. The team really was ready to play the gengenpress and even if we were susceptible to balls over the top, we were scoring lots of goals. Our unbeaten run led us to 2nd place in the table to St. Albans who was yet to lose this season. Schedule Highlights The team started the month out with one last friendly which we won easily, but we ended up losing Azeez for 5-6 weeks. As one can see we are already having problems keeping our starters fit and the season hasn't even started! The board brought me back into the office to remind me of the objectives for the season. These are all easily acheived with this team I am almost sure we will make the playoffs and I plan long Cup runs, if possible, to stabilize the financial situation. Our first match saw us travel to Chelmsford and put in a good shift! It was a back-and-forth game but we won with a late winner from Hughes! The board annouced season ticket sales. The next match would see us host worthing at Park View Road We were favored but would need to put in a professional performance. It was a great performance we played almost flawlessly leading to a 6-0 drubbing! It was Agho's coming out party to reveal his quality! with Aransibia setting him up! I am beginning to think that hughes is a "Glass Cannon"! We had debutantes in the team. Rio Shipston and Sol Alidor-Hamilton Sol alidor-Hamilton Rio Shipston Aransibia our "Mo Salah" played a great game setting up his teammates! The press was impressed and Aransibia was player of the day. look at these stats about his perfect match! The analysts were impressed with our performance as well. We then traveled to the coast to visit Poole Town. Again, we are favored to win, but we will need to put in a "professional" job. As always, I am always worried about home underdogs. Poole town scoresd on one lucky over the top ball and we just couldn't buy a goal for all our attempts. This is the Achilles heel of this team shooting and converting chances. We need 10 shots on goal to convert one. Analysis shows we were the better team and should have won.... whether it was bad refereeing, or our terrible shooting is for someone else to decide. We have most of our team back, but still missing Azeez. We returned home to take on Weymouth and were favored to win. The match was an exciting one for the neutrals... We played much better after a halftime speech! and them going down to 10 men. Analysis shows that the scoreline was much closer than gameplay due to Weymouth's Dead Ball prowess. The final match of the month would see the boys travel to Cheshunt for another match in which we were favored. It was a thrilling encounter with a late winner that make me think we have a chance at a title run this season. The fans were thrilled with our Victory! Aransibia continued his good play! The Media have taken notice of Aransibia's great play! Most exciting match in the VNS! Analysis shows that we were lucky to get the win over a worthy opponent. League Table Monthly Analysis The team is scoring goals galore and it is hiding the fact that we are shaky defensively. So I am going to keep up this front foot attacking philosophy since it works. The reason we are shaky is due to balls over the top of our press and the fact or CB aren't the paciest. Monthly Awards Bridesmaids! Monthly Financial Report Management Report The fast start and winning has helped us on the job front long may it continue. The team is happy because we are winning and supporting me because of it as well! Thanks for Reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 Welling United September 2023: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team continued it good play throughout the month of September. Winning all of our matches but remaining in 2nd place as an undefeated team. St. Alban's another preseason playoff candidate has gotten off to an even faster start in that they have WON all of their matches in the VNS. The biggest shock has come to be Agho retaining the starting Striker position even though Azeez has returned from injury. He has earned it though banging 14 goals in 13 appearances. Azeez is used as a backup striker and practically anywhere on the pitch just to justify his salary. The 4-2-3-1 DM Wide Gengenpress is working well putting opponents under pressure that often ends up with them turning the ball over and our midfielders using some ruthless passes to provide Agho with service leading to goals. Schedule Highlights The beginning the month of October found the team hosting Wealdstone FC at Park View Stadium. This was a match against a potential playoff team and I expected a tough test. We dominated the proceedings and only let in a goal after I had sent the subs on at the 63 minute mark. St. Albans won yet again they are setting the pace and we are losing ground even though we are undefeated in the race for the title. I made sure the press knew I was happy with our play in the match. We then headed to Enfield Town for a highly anticipated match against the newly promoted team. We started slowly but kicked it into gear after halftime. Scoring 3 and having two waved off to settle the issue in another dominant win. Agho scored twice and had two waved off.! He is definitely comfortable leading the line. I praised his performance. and so did a team favorite! Analysis shows how dominant we were during the second half of the match. Three players are in the team of the Week including Agho! We then returned home to play against the Tonbridge Angels.... the fans were beginning to believe.... We scored early and held on.....it was actually a poor match. The difference at the top is a draw between 1rst and 2ndplace and 2nd and 3rd place teams! another favorite hailed the play of Aransibia who scored the match winner! Analysis shows we kept possesion and provided more and better chances, but their offside trap caused us problems. The Board thinking of taking advantage of our good play decides on a fan day to encourage more support for the team! The team analyst decided to show me how we were doing..... It is always nice to see that the analytics matches what I am seeing on the field! The FA Cup Run would start against Beaconsfield. First, we had the match against Lewes to worry about and hopefully put on a show for the fans! We are favored and need to do a Professional job! We started off fast and scored 3 during the first half. We settled into defending our lead during the second half of the match and our shaky defense was pierced yet again by a ball over the top. The victory saw over 1100 pack the stands of Park View Road! Analytics shows how we were fortunate enough to get bad goalkeeping from the Lewes GK! The next match was the beginning of our FA Cup run..... This was expected to be a laugher against a pub side, and I played all the backups to help rotate the squad. funny thing is I don't expect him to play..... We started off slow and I did indeed have to bring Agho off the bench so he could score a Hat-trick! fans were excited because of a victory over a pub team.... The Assman/backup Midfielder was severely injured trying to make a tackle during the match......at least now he can focus on coaching! Backup goalie did well but didn't really have a lot to do..... also our only decent player from the Youth intake last season got some game time! For our trouble we were rewarded with another home match in the FA Cup! The final match of the month was against Hampton and Richmond We played well and dominated them winning 3-0! Resting the starters against Beaconsfield was worth it! We had less position in this match and used more over the top balls to Aransibia who assisted on Agho's goals! League Table Monthly Analysis We are scoring and have tightened up defensively, even if we give up more goals than I would like if we keep this up Playoffs here we come! Monthly Awards Player of the Month Nelson Agho It is neck and neck between us, and St. Albans and it looks like a title race is also shaping up! Financial Report Management Report Board is happier than the Fans but both arehappy with how the season is going. The players are happy and our success has them backing me more and more! Thanks for Reading! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 Welling United October 2023: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team was flying and playing well. There were only three fixtures in the league this month with a possibility of up to two more in the FA Cup preliminary rounds. The team was in fine form and as long as we kept scoring goals, I wouldn't mind the occasional ball over the top that beat our press. Especially since it seemed to be a winning formula! We are clearly at the beginning of a title race and our good form is only bettered by St. Albans that have won every match they have played so far. Schedule Highlights The month began with a cup tie we were hosting Truro City at the Park View Road! We were comfortable favorites and I planned on having the Backups start and play most of the match to rest the starters for the upcoming Bath City match. The team started slow but found its groove in the second half and Ade Azeez showed why he was the highest paid player on the team! Now I just need to find a way to get him on the pitch. Agho is on a hot streak in front of goal, and I don't want to mess that up! We kept a good shape and connected on a lot of passes especially in the second half! We were handed another home match for the FA Cup Preliminary Rounds! After the excitement of the cup tie it was back to business in the VNS with a visit from Bath City currently 3rd in the table. The press tried to stir up controversy ahead of the big match He was only telling the truth! It was a back-and-forth affair between Bath City and Welling that came down to an injury time corner to snatch a point as we began to celebrate! Our play is garnering interest in parties wanting to takeover the team! After the thriller against Bath City we were back at it taking on Gloucester in the FA Cup! a fan favorite talked about Agho will only play a bit part if things go well. another dominant victory for the Backups since this was a cup tie. The prize money will help with our debt. We were dominant and kept our attacking shape well. As a prize for our victory we will host Rotherham in the First Round of the FA Cup proper! We then had to host Havant and Waterlooville next.... We were playing with rested starters.....we should continue our unbeaten streak! biggest match of the night! They caught us early while we were napping but all that did was rouse us to our best as we scored the next three to put this one to bed. Agho continues to put the ball in the net! The analysts were impressed with our play.... XG shows how dominant we were! more good passing and attacking shape! Hemel Hempstead was the next victim on the list..... We just destroyed them 4-1..... our right winger had a day! This is HOW GOOD! Fans and Favorites are hailing the player! Analysts were again impressed with our form. look at that dominance! more good passing! more boardroom talk distracting from our performance! Players of the Week! No matter how well we play we keep losing ground to St. Albans! League Table Monthly Analysis As you can see we are playing well...... this explains our shaky defending..... Agho leading the league with goals scored with 13 in 14 appearances! our attacking matrix is impressive! Player of the Month Thomas Hughes Financial Report We aren't losing more money but we aren't making a dent in what we owe either. Management Report The management report shows we are on the right track to achieve the objectives of the club vision. Thanks for Reading! PS. I appreciate comments on how to make this better! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 Real title push now bud 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 5 hours ago, SixPointer said: Real title push now bud Yes, it is and we even have Cup runs.... I have played through February 2024....(because I am having so much fun!) but haven't been posting to keep up with my game play. All I can say is we are making a real title push and our FA Cup adventure took us to one of the big stadiums in North Central London! I hope to catch up this weekend. (Our shaky defense is what makes it interesting.....we have been snatching victories from the jaws of defeat) and the end of the season will see us play many of the playoff teams. My goal is 92 points, that should be enough to get promoted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Been off the forums for a long time just trying to get back on. Nice to see some familiar faces and love a good journeyman save. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 Welling United November 2023: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The month of November had incredible highs and a Soap Opera. The team played well winning Two of the three Big matches including a famous FA Cup Win over Rotherham United! The low was a loss against our rivals Dover United shortly after that was undeserved, but it was just one of those days! Schedule Highlights The month began with the team heading to St. Albans for an important match against the other title contenders. Both teams were overachieving, but St. Albans was a clear favorite. Could We cause an upset? I congratulated my opposite number knowing that the award is often a curse on the next match! The match was one of the greatest I ever played in FM! We went down to Ten men and outplayed them scoring twice and keeping a clean sheet! We scored early and then had a man sent off. Defended well with Aransibia playing Left Back and got an insurance goal from a Hughes Freekick! During the Press Conference my "favorite screen" came up: Welling United is winning because they are playing "Coach-ball"! I refuse to believe that a manager in the VNS would get such accolades especially when copying 2015-2016 Jurgen Klopp! I gave credit to our opponents and our team during the press conference. No War of Words here.....just respect for our opponents in the Title Race! Even though we were outnumbered for much of the match we did a great job of keeping possession of the ball and keeping St. Albans on the backfoot for most of the match. It was only near the end when the boys were gassed did, they really threaten our goal! Directors are retiring. Does that mean a takeover is imminent? After the big match the team returned to Parkview Road to host Eastbourne Borough and keep up the pressure on St. Albans. Possible Takeover is serious. The offer wasn't big enough. Back to Football! With a great game by Tyrique Hyde playing AMC more like a Shadowstriker than Hughes we won the match to go to the top of the league! The press notices that we are on quite a roll! We are scoring 3 goals a match on Average! The analysts were impressed with our performance... more takeover drama.... And we host a memorable FA Cup tie at Park View Road! Rotherham United is the visiting team! This is the first string we are going to give it our best! more takeover drama.... We are expected to lose...... Yes this is a star player.... For better news the Analysis department provided this about our recent play. the takeover is taking forever.... Back to hyping up the Cup Tie. but first more takeover news.... The starting XI for the FA Cup First Round vs. Rotherham United This is our preferred starting XI with our best backups! We are going for it! A famous Victory! The hero of the day was Ade Azeez coming off the bench as a Super sub for Agho and scoring twice to win the match! helping the bank balance a bit and making the takeover less likely in my opinion. Yes, I gloated a bit! We were the talk of the FA Cup! The team went to Very Attacking Mentality at the 75th minute and was rewarded! The takeover saga continues.....enough already was the sentiment of Coach and the Players! The next match was against Chippenham Town would there be a "hangover" The FA Trophy is about to start as well.... The team needs to make the 5th round to be competitive! FINALLY! Once the game finally came .... We played well but were matched by a good team.... We are also the story of the season....so far Analysis shows how close the match was! The next match saw us host our rivals Dover Athletic another Big Match! This is where the "hangover" kicked in we just couldn't buy a goal.... but in truth we were "FM'ed" St. albans back on top... by two over the top balls! and the Woodwork! In other news the team will host another FA Cup Match! We then traveled to Concord Rangers to see if we could get back on the winning track! We were favored and would need to do a professional job! and we did winning 2-1! It was a good performance kept possesion and controlled the game! We made the "magic number" of passes. The Next match is the FA Trophy I also started signing players to keep the core together.... mostly because he was whining, but he wanted security not money! League Table Monthly Analysis We are scoring at an incredible rate, but out defense lets us down but that is mostly because they are too slow to truly play a high-line. Our GK isn't as good as last season either. Monthly Awards bridesmaid yet again! Management Report We are in a good place the team is playing well the board and team support me. I hope that will mean a new contract and some coaching courses! Financial Report Thanks for Reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 Welling United December 2023: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played the month well considering we had 4 cup matches and only 3 league matches. The team went undefeated but did not gain any ground on St. Albans mostly due to draws with Southend and our Archrivals Dartford. The team can score with anyone. Problem is when opposing teams stop trying to play through our press and go over the top. Another thing is I am beginning to think complacency is creeping into the team as well. I tried to rectify that somewhat with a change in formation. Schedule Highlights We started the month traveling for the FA Trophy.....headed to Gray's Athletic. We are favored to win and they employ a former player. Palace Francis was replaced by Agho......who we didn't need on this day! I gave the VNS leading Goal Scorer the day off! The media and the bookies have low expectations for my team! Show me that cup money! We outplayed them especially after they were down to 10 men.... Our reward for winning in the Second Round was a home match with rivals Weymouth! After that the grounds crew prepared Park View Road for a visit from Barrow. Barrow is in the relegation zone but 2 levels above us......I think we have a chance! We didn't sign up for extra time by mistake since all this Cup travel is cutting into our limited training time. I played a a strong team but it was rotated a bit. They scored just before halftime, and we scored soon after it.....afterwards both sides played like teams afraid to win. We put in a decent performance, and I was happy. I wanted to win it on this day, and it wasn't meant to be! Luckily, we had another chance even though it would be with the second string. Southend were on a roll and were relegated from VNL and a strong team, but I thought I might be able to sneak a point even with the rematch with Barrow coming up. So, it was as I predicted except, we should have won except for our terrible defense against balls over the top! We went out to a big lead they scored just before half and that was the beginning of the defensive debacle. We even man-marked Harry Cardwell..... at least it was exciting for the fans! ' Analysis show they played much better after halftime! I was really angry after the match and sent my Assman instead..... Looks like we will end up in another Transfer Saga! Looks like we may get one player from the Youth intake! Our Scouts will be looking for Young Free agents again next offseason! The Trip to Barrow in Northwest England was a long one but worth it! Since we booked a much shorter Charter to Central London and New Hart Lane, Home of Tottenham! bring on that sweet cup money! Our Second team except for Agho and Woodman pulled off the stunning victory and outplayed them to boot! The next match was another Cup-Tie except this time it was Weymouth from the VNS! We were favored but I expected it to be close.... We won but at a cost..... We would now miss our "Dead Ball Scecialist" for Two months as we chased St. Albans for the title! Our Captain led the team by example on this day! Defending superbly and scoring the Winner! Analysis shows the match wasn't close until they started going over our press near the end! The next match would be on Boxing Day against "Table Proppers" Gosborough Town in 24th place. In an effort to invigorate the players and battle complacency I decided to use a different tactic the 4-2-4 Gengenpress. We won but they did their best Sean Dyche "Burnley" imitation until we broke through late! I was filled with the Christmas Spirit and thanked the Ref for his gift! Analysis shows we played well in the unfamiliar system! Xg Shows when we broke through their defenses! VNS Opponents Tonbridge are the next opponent in the FA Trophy! The next match is against our Archrivals Dartford! Press Hype! Bringing back the Captain! Match of the Week! The fans and the board want a win! We started out nervous and that was compounded by their Goal. GPS Coach brought out the "Hair Dryer" and the team played much better but couldn't secure the win! Still chasing St. Albans! It was a terrible day of officiating Agho had four goals called offsides! but I didn't want to embarrass the ref because I was thinking about the title race! The core of the team has now been signed for next season! League Table Monthly Analysis Great attacking and Shaky Defense....that has been the story all season! Management Report The board loves us because of all the money were bringing in with the cup runs. The Supporters are less happy mostly because our play has been less than stellar against our rivals Dartford and Dover! Financial Report Thanks for Reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 29, 2023 Author Share Posted January 29, 2023 Welling United January 2024: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The match didn't end with the Holiday season. We were to play 8 matches in the month of January mostly due to our Cup Runs. We are playing well in the league even if our defense isn't the best. We are scoring almost 3 goals a match! The FA Cup run ended at New Hart Lane vs. Tottenham and Antonio Conte. It was a thrill just to be there. We had a hangover after that drubbing but it didn't lat long and we have started winning matches we shouldn't have in the league which is the hallmark of a true title challenge. Schedule Highlights We started the month off hosting Chelmsford and were favored. The team played a tough hardnosed game and was rewarded with a win. Our play has been decent recently and our analyst sent me a report. and it was during one of our better defensive stretches. After the new year and retaking the top spot, the Board decided I needed an extension. After the New Year and retaking the top spot the Board decided I needed an extension. I didn't negotiate a raise, but instead in another session insisted on attending a Coaching Course to get the National C Badge. After getting my contract extension I decided to add a few more players to the "Core" of Next Season's Team. He is the Backup AMC and brings something different to the position playing more like a Shadow Striker than Hughes. The Ball Winner in the Center of the park as well. Hired more for his coaching than playing ability. I was happy to get our leading scorer to re-sign! especially for such a small salary! and another decent CB providing depth! Another short money deal for depth! After all the Contract stuff I was happy to start managing players again! The next match on the schedule was Worthing. We were on the road against an underdog.....need to be careful! This was a real Jekyll and Hyde Performance! First Half on top of our game scoring 3 goals cruising to Victory. Second Half not so good.....defensive problems and we were lucky to escape with the 3 points! The Worthing Manager is actually a Welling United Favorite! Match of the Week! We then returned to Park View Road to host Farnborough Media hyped the match! We went down to ten men through injury and won the match on a last-minute header by the shortest player on the team. The analysis of the match shows we were in control it just took us a while to break down their defense and going down to 10 men late put victory in doubt. Our next match was a trip to Central London and New Hart Lane for the FA Cup Tie vs. Tottenham Hotspurs! I had no delusions about the outcome of the match. I expect at least a big payday! Of course on the same sideline as Antonio Conte.....I just wanted to enjoy the spectacle and not get thrashed too badly. Of Course Kane is a threat! I was just being realistic and my players agreed..... I ended up playing the second string so the Starter's wouldn't have their morale shattered. No shame in our run we weren't going to beat Tottenham....maybe the U-18's After the trip to Downtown London we came back to the familiar surroundings of Park View Road and a visit from Woking. We are favored but Woking is on a good run themselves. We never got going and we relaxed after the early goal, and it was disastrous. I couldn't say anything else..... It was our worst defensive performance of the season. It was another second half defensive debacle with over the top balls! After a rest day with the physios and night of darts at the pub the team was ready to take on the Tonbridge Angels in the FA Trophy Nelson Agho repaid my faith in him, but the second half complacency is becoming a concern. But XG shows we should have scored more! As a reward for our victory we get to travel to Notts County! The next match was against Poole town as we looked to keep our grip on the top spot! The congested physios room due to the match congestion was becoming a problem for the team.... But things will get better in February as we start our final run in for the Title! Match was postponed due to the condition of the pitch. After the much needed rest time the team welcomed Cheshunt to Welling. We need to do a professional job against the lower midtable teams on our own pitch! It was an ugly game with worse officiating, but we came out with the win in the end! xG shows that we started slowly yet again and had to fight our way back into the match! These are the type of victories which often portend titles! Will one come to Welling? After the thrilling comeback win against Cheshunt the team traveled to Weymouth to repeat the feat. This time it was Josh Green scoring with a header in Extra time! Match of the Week yet again! Josh green was a Super-Sub that won the match against Weymouth! The analysts were as enthusiastic about our performance League Table Monthly Analysis Offensively Great, defense isn't the best. We don't block or clear our box.....but then again we play a high line. We are by far the highest scoring team. Player of the Month Lewis White Management Report The Board loves me the supporters are upset about our shaky defense I think. The team is gelling well, and I think ready to make a real Title Challenge! Thanks for Reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Heavy Metal Football!!!!! Dun dun dun da-da-dun dun dun!!!! [It's just a shame I couldn't get this to work as a gif(?).] Enjoy the angle of proving gengenpressing as gamebreaking. Welling United seems to be embracing the press! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 16 hours ago, 13th Man said: Heavy Metal Football!!!!! Dun dun dun da-da-dun dun dun!!!! [It's just a shame I couldn't get this to work as a gif(?).] Enjoy the angle of proving gengenpressing as gamebreaking. Welling United seems to be embracing the press! That's the Idea! We are playing like 2015-2016 Liverpool and using the "Out of the Box Tactics". The only things (tactical) I ever change is to go Very Attacking near the end of each half (if necessary) or change to Work the ball in the box when Assman says so! (At least for now since he has more badges than GPS Coach). As for it being game breaking, I believe it is there is no way a bunch of Part-Time players in the VNS should be able to keep up with the physical requirements over 50 matches. (Even with a lot of rotation I have players that have appeared in 40 matches) I did make liberal use of the physio training period and Team building period especially whenever I had two matches in a row. I had seen it often in earlier FM's as well. I'm not trying to break the game engine per se, I am using their own suggestions to do it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 Welling United March 2024: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The month of February came around and the team continued for the most part on its winning ways. The Gengenpress was working like a charm and even lead to some remarkable come from behind victories which started me believing (playing FM more and faster) in the Title Challenge. Yes, we had our terrible performances against Lewes and Notts County, but I was able to rid the team of complacency with a few suicide drills and Beers at the pub! This is showing how OP the generic gegenpressing provided by SI is! This is a decent to good team for this level, but we shouldn't be scoring this much.....go back to the team analysis. Also, a part-time team shouldn't be able to keep up the intensity required. Schedule Highlights The month started with the Board deciding that retirement was a good idea.... The first match was against Poole Town. The match was against Poole was tough they set up shop like Dyche's Burnley and dared us to break them down. Agho finally broke through but another Over the Top ball ruined the day for us. Even though I was mad about the goal I thought the refereeing was biased but not too bad.....if we had lost though..... As you can see, we dominated the match just didn't quite do enough to win! The next home league match would be another fan day to build up the Supporters! Before that match however we played the Tonbridge Angels.... I decided to rest the Starters and send in the Backups even though it was a road match. Azeez showed a flash of his form from last season! First Place and a New Challenger....the other team I was offered by! The analyst was overjoyed with the performance. The team returned home for "Fan Day" versus Enfield Town. Only to have it postponed. So now it was on to Wealdstone! GPS Coach is a big believer in Team building and has been running up his Credit Cards at the local pub. The rotated squad was more than enough especially since Thomas Hughes was the difference maker! almost perfect match rating! Hughes is finally back and put in an amazing performance! Starting another unbeaten streak. Match of the Day! and expanding the lead.... This shows what a dominant performance it was by Hughes. Analysis shows that it was another late win even with Hughes great play! After the trip to Wealdstone we had a long trip to Nottingham, Home of Robin Hood and the Sheriff to play Notts County. The famous club had fallen on hard times and was only one level above Welling United in the pyramid. Just before the match one of our back-ups signed with a hometown team for a salary we just can't compete with! The match was a bit of a letdown but I played a rotated Squad as I started to think about the title run. at least we exceeded expectations! The much anticipated postponed "Fan Day" was here..... Park View Road readied to host Enfield Town. It was an ugly game and we were on the losing side until a sending off broke their defensive cohesion and allowed Agho to score two goals for us to win the match! This was the game I think I started believing that the Title was ours to lose! The streak continues but....look at the Xg! We escaped! After the escape against Enfield, I was hoping for a better performance overall against Lewes, but complacency was finding its way into the team.... The Trip to Lewes would be tough....I am always wary of home underdogs! My pessimism was justified! We played one of the worst matches of the season. We were flat out of the gate and had no answer for Sam Bellis receiving the Over-the-Top Ball. The Analyst was less upset than I was with the performance. (We are the Blue Team Xg 2.31) We then had to return home to face a Playoff team.....I also upped the physical demands in practice after the lackluster performance versus Lewes. (Think Suicide drills of Sprinting) I played my strongest XI and told them in no uncertain terms, that We MUST WIN! and we did without help from and inspite of the referee! Green is not the smartest player but tall and athletic and finds himself in good positions often. Came on as a super sub. As the Analysis Shows We should have won anyway..... This is one of our more direct passing games. The Chairman is looking to retire. That means a takeover.....will I still have a job? The next match and actually first match of March was against title contenders Bath City! They play a 3-4-2-1. The key to defending this formation is man-marking (zonally) the Wing Backs. The bookies and media put their money on us...... Biggest Match of the Week! Will it be a title decider? Demolition! Love the Supporter Tweets! We started fast and maintained the pressure until they finally crumbled and were routed! The Analyst was almost as pleased as I was! and best of all checking another objective of the Vision! League Table Player of the Month Thomas Hughes Team Home Page Monthly Analysis Monthly Management Report Monthly Financial Report Thanks For Reading! PS. I am posting this as fast as I can, due to using FM to decompress and the amount of work I take home. Also comments are always appreciated! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Welling United March 2024: Regular Season Manager Thoughts The team continued its march towards the title with an undefeated month. This is not to say there weren't obstacles. The team finally got a new board and officiating was less than good in several matches. This led to some thrilling matches that show this is a special season! Schedule Highlights Checking off the Club Vision..... After the Bath match the Board gave us some big news..... After hearing the news and the fact we definitely in the top half of the league the press called and asked my opinion of our progress as a club Hopefully this saga ends soon! I'm hopeful..... It's over! But I now have to find a new HYOD! The new vision is same as the old vision! Now I can add players that I probably don't need this season..... The new board after saying they want to limit Transfer Activity....called me to a meeting and did this! After all the takeover activity and management shakeup it was time to get back to Football! Leading the League and hosting a midtable team we were comfortable favorites! Even though the officiating was bad and pro visitors, we were able to win the match convincingly. This was only because the referee was out to "fix" the match! After the match I tried to deflect from the officiating saying that I wasn't sure our form could continue! The team then headed to Hemel Hempstead a relegation threatened team and missing a few players due suspensions.... We were firm favorites and needed to do a professional job! The Tuesday Night Match of the Week The Backups had a good day and Azeez led the line.....even though he is second fiddle to Agho now! The Cypriot U-21 that is a backup here just signed with a hometown team for $143k/year..... Analysis shows we should have scored more goals! We started slowly, but put them to the sword in the second half! The next match was against Title Challengers St. Albans City The Press is beginning to realize how special this season is,,,, The match was a tough one, but we should have won accept for a bad performance by our goalie! Even though we were down to ten men! This is another match that let me know this was our year! We were on 10 men from the 2nd Minute! More Biased officiating! No matter what we have a chance at promotion! We tied the match down to 10 men! Why would I complain about our effort? Goals galore! Our press and High number of shots is creating chances for us! Analysis shows we should have won the match! The Analyst also showed why we were doing so well.... Mostly because we regained possession and took a lot of chances! Checking off the club vision! I went to the club about improving our Youth Facilities and training Facilities and was told to sign Players! After they said they wanted to LIMIT Transfers! I did resign our only Home-grown Player.....as a potential Backup! The next match was against Eastbourne Bororough! The press wanted to talk about the takeover..... and I found an HYOD! Not much of a coach, but he has the right tactical philosophy and a decent personality! We started fast and then they "parked the bus" and beat us over the top twice! Agho scored the equalizer in stoppage time! I just gave the press something to talk about and to pressure Aransibia who's form had fallen off! We returned to Park View Road to play Chippenham Town! Now is the time to start the Title Run in ! All still to play far and not get Complacent! Media realizing how great this season is! I did sign one player just before the deadline: A Goalie! I think he is an upgrade on our starter and will be useful next season! I am very happy with the version of "Heavy Metal" Football we are playing....C'mon we are leading the League and imposing our will on other teams! Chippenham was a prospective playoff team. Lewis White our AML did his best Sadio Mane imitiation to lead the team to victory! The Analyst was raving about our performance! another day another "parked bus" broken down!' The First Match of April will be.... League Table Monthly Awards Monthly Analysis These charts show why we are leading the league! Management Report Monthly Financial Report Thanks for Reading! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Nice progress here The title is as good as secured already! I HATE to be that guy, but there´s a spelling mistake in your header.... its "Gegenpressing" without the "n".... sorry about that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Excellent work mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Great stuff! Looks like you're definitely going up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 8 hours ago, Carambau said: Nice progress here The title is as good as secured already! I HATE to be that guy, but there´s a spelling mistake in your header.... its "Gegenpressing" without the "n".... sorry about that Thanks for the heads up! 7 hours ago, Sheriff7 said: Excellent work mate. I didn't do much it was a pretty good team, and I just wanted them to play on the front foot! My classroom management skills helped of course! 3 hours ago, karanhsingh said: Great stuff! Looks like you're definitely going up I have played into next preseason and yes, your prediction is correct. In fact, the season was record-breaking with total points and Goals in the Vanarama South If I end up in the playoffs in the VNL with a Semi-Pro just promoted side, then Gegenpressing is OP in my opinion. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 Great work! Is there any moves on the card to start taking it around the world? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 2 hours ago, SixPointer said: Great work! Is there any moves on the card to start taking it around the world? I am staying with Wellington since I need Badges and I just won the title. They have paid for National C and B so I may be able to get a Professional club next. More than likely, I will move after this upcoming season. (Sacked or Not) Unless they stay up and go professional. I have had no interviews as of yet. I will start looking in the Job Center in March 2025 or before if sacked. I have the Big 5 Countries and places I think an American with limited language skills could get a job loaded. I intend to climb the ladder as much as possible and as I get more badges I will eliminate more of the Lower Leagues' and add more Countries. I intend to eventually manage Liverpool. If not them ASSE or Hertha. New England Revolution would be another target as well. I really want to play in Asia and South America if possible. This save will last until next FM if necessary. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Welling United April 2024: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team kept up its torrid pace and finished the job with 4 matches left. We still had records and eternal? glory to play for. The only bad performance was against Woking. Otherwise, we were on a high and playing like it. The press really puts team under pressure and allows us to play on the front foot and that works well against teams that become deflated after we score first! That is how the Goals in a season record is in play for a team with an average finishing attribute of 6! I think this vindicates my leap of faith from a secure job in Education to pursuing a dream of managing a Football/Soccer Team. This has been one of the best seasons I have ever had in FM, and I checked the points record at the end of the season and I only had about 400,000 on the board. I really don't know how players of LLM teams get higher scores for one season without using the editor. (I don't even own it). I plan on keeping this save going until FM 24 comes out and playing in many different leagues and many teams to show that SI's own tactics break the ME. Highlights The team started the month of April with a trip to the White Cliffs of Dover to play our rivals. Due to our run and position in the table we were considered comfortable favorites even though the team was just outside the playoff spots. I played a heavily rotated squad and put them to the sword! the magic number is 98! It was close early but once I subbed in some starters in the second half the rout was on! Aransibia seems to be finding his form again! We've set a club record for points! I think it will become an almost unreachable number! The analyst was enthused about our performance We kept good passing positions during the game as well. The next match on our run would see the team host Concord Rangers They are relegation threatened and we will intend to make their lives miserable. Chasing records! Media is getting the Hype train going! I backed my team to win it ...since it was stating the obvious! and it went down well with the locker room as well! We won the game with a good defensive effort. We will most likely win on goal difference.....if necessary! Team Record! Now for the League Records! We won and played well and deserved to win. We kept a good shape and were rewarded for it. The next match was a tricky one on the road versus Woking. The Playoff team would do everything to spoil our party! Both teams were in good form, and we were actually underdogs! 3 more wins and a League record! A record number of Goals in a season is play. Pretty good for a team with a finishing average of 6! First against Third and we could win the title! We lost the match but won the title anyway.....98 was the magic number! The press tried to sour the mood with their questions in the press conference after the match.... The analysis shows we were going to lose no matter the refs! The Board was ecstatic and started making plans for next season! The budget is reasonable, and No I won't go crazy in the Transfer Market! Welling United is a Semi-Pro Team. I may spend some but definitely not all of that transfer budget. The next match would see the team return to Park View Road as Champions! We were playing our best XI and I intended to prove we were the Champions! Platitudes from the opposing manager. The Party was postponed! These were the only players good enough to join our terrible youth team from a dreadful Youth Candidate team. The next match was at Farnborough..... another decent team but I want to really show we deserved to be Champions! Still chasing records! All well within reach with 4 matches to go! Scored before their bus was ready and then spent more than an hour trying to get the second and third. "Heavy Metal" Football deserves the most Goals in a season record! I played a rotated squad and brought Agho on late as a Super Sub. A brace isn't bad for 15 minutes of work! The team was returning to Park View Road for first home match since becoming Champions. Southend is a bigger club and a playoff team this maybe a tricky match.... I intended to play the Best XI and hope for goals! more platitudes pre-match. A beatdown ensued....I expected more from Southend....they played like they had tee times at the local golf course after the match! Record Points tally for the team and League! Two matches to go, Can we reach 110? He just a gentleman and a scholar! Former Southend Player White starred against them! Once we scored it was over and the rout was on! The last match of the month was against relegated Gosport Borough! Need to do a professional job and rob them of their pride! Still chasing the wins in a season! One more and we set it! Another good performance! The points and wins are racking up now only the Goals record left to break! and even better our fierce rivals Dartford are relegated out of the Game! more enthusiastic analysis! Monthly Analysis Report Monthly Awards Thanks for Reading! PS. For some reason I didn't get the emails about management or finances at the end of April. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 I'm noticing a trend of creating excellent chances late in games - especially those that are in the balance. Seems like the pressure and the physical work is paying off. As a player I will say that the main thing that could make or break a side at a less that top level is their physical conditioning/ability. I agree that it's crazy to think that a lower league side like this would be able to play that style, but it's not but just so far off to think that that conditioning would allow your side to finish matches in a way that others can't handle! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 5 hours ago, 13th Man said: I'm noticing a trend of creating excellent chances late in games - especially those that are in the balance. Seems like the pressure and the physical work is paying off. As a player I will say that the main thing that could make or break a side at a less that top level is their physical conditioning/ability. I agree that it's crazy to think that a lower league side like this would be able to play that style, but it's not but just so far off to think that that conditioning would allow your side to finish matches in a way that others can't handle! Funny thing is that I am NOT really training. Most of my practice time in the latter half of the season is spent in Recovery with the Physios and at the Pub "Team Building". I will definitely work on physical training when I am coaching a Professional team. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 15 hours ago, Hootieleece said: I am staying with Wellington since I need Badges and I just won the title. They have paid for National C and B so I may be able to get a Professional club next. More than likely, I will move after this upcoming season. (Sacked or Not) Unless they stay up and go professional. I have had no interviews as of yet. I will start looking in the Job Center in March 2025 or before if sacked. I have the Big 5 Countries and places I think an American with limited language skills could get a job loaded. I intend to climb the ladder as much as possible and as I get more badges I will eliminate more of the Lower Leagues' and add more Countries. I intend to eventually manage Liverpool. If not them ASSE or Hertha. New England Revolution would be another target as well. I really want to play in Asia and South America if possible. This save will last until next FM if necessary. I like everything except for the managing Liverpool part anyway they are overrated on this version 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Wellington United May 2024: Regular Season and Offseason Manager's Thoughts The season was coming to a close and we had one match left to claim the all-time Goal scoring record in the VNS. The match was at our Rival Dartford's Pitch. We played like the champion's we were. Afterwards I had to start planning for next season. In the VNL some of the teams are professional and I think that there will be a quality gap between us and them. How to make the team better? I am trying to get players with better technical skills and decision-making skills. The biggest issue is pace on the backline. So, I made a splash in the transfer market for a young fullback that can be turned into a Ball-Playing Defender. I also decided to bring some experienced players in as well since I assume we will be fighting relegation. That is for the next installment! Schedule Highlights The final match of the season was a bit anticlimactic. Dartford our fierce rivals had already been relegated. But that didn't mean the team wouldn't try and set the Goal scoring record for the League! Plus doing it on their ground would be priceless bragging rights for our supporters! We need just one more goal! Started fast and got the goal we were looking for. Dartford tried to play and immediately replied but after we got our second the rout was on! It should have been more goals We hit the woodwork FOUR TIMES! Definitely a season for the Ages! Look at the Table! and yes I gloated a bit in the press conference. The Dartford boys tried to pin us back, but it didn't work, and we found space to score! Shortly after the season ended, I received a call from the board about next season. The Meeting was productive. I agree with the Club Vision and will continue playing "Heavy Metal Football" We are at least growing our Social Media support and Park View Road is considered Family Friendly! But most importantly I was able to start my badges! The Financial implications of our Cup Run and Season are made manisfest! I then made my first signing for next season. A Young Centerback to build around. Since I don't expect to score as much in the VNL I have to improve the defense if we are to play the high line! I probably overpaid, but I made the move because he is exactly what I am looking for. Better decisions than Woodman and more importantly better ball skills. 20 of our 27 players earned medals for this incredible season! Meanwhile in the Premier League..... My favorite team was having a season to remember as well! Woking the second placed team was promoted to the VNL as well. Final Table and Two Players runners up in assists and goals! Let's look at the Stats from the League! 121 Goals in 46 matches! 29 more than second place! The only team to get above the magical number of Two points/match! (That is my rule of thumb about winning a title in any league) To score our goals we had to take 7+ shots and a team with 6 finishing had the best shot on target % If I didn't rotate, I think Agho would have won the Boot! 34 goals on 74 shots! Agho had TWO creative types assisting him! Thomas Hughes our "Dead Ball Specialist" and Playmaker (Even though he doesn't play that role as AMC in the Tactic) made the most key passes in league! The Dreadful Youth Academy Only Three of these players were given contracts! Only Richards will ever be in the first team! I also signed Chez Isaac from St. Albans to provide leadership in our relegation battle ahead! and possibly become our "playmaker" if we can't re-sign Hughes! and meanwhile more news from the Northwest! Liverpool win the FA Cup! We were biggest overachievers! Season Analysis Report Awards Management Report Monthly Financial Report Thanks for Reading! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Welling United Season Review A lot of players came into the team that made contributions to the special season. Josh Green, Lewis White, and Alfie Burnett. Only Two players missed out according to the marketing department. Stefan Payne was replaced by Agho. Our incredible FA Cup run with famous victories over Barrow and Rotherham. Less impressive FA Trophy Run. The finances improved over the season before but mostly because of prize money. The Strongest XI 96 of 121 goals 77 assists GPS Coach Update Welling United Best Ever XI Basically the Starting XI of this season! Thanks for Reading! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Welling United June 2024: Off Season Manager's Thoughts GPS Coach celebrated his season, but while enjoying some bourbon and beers at the pub his mind turned to the next season. He knew that he needed to improve the squad and let go of a lot of players if the team was to establish itself in the new league. He was still looking for Big, Pacy, Athletic Types, but also needed smarts and technical skills to compete. So, he decided to bring in a few older players to help stabilize the squad and get them ready for a relegation fight. Of course, he would still sign younger players to the team and expect them to step and challenge for spots. Also Coach didn't press the board into going professional. If the season is a success (stay in VNL) he would explore that possibility. Highlights Signed to be a different style of Striker from Agho and to provide competition. This is the replacement for White on the left. We will continue pressing and play attacking football and Gabby will have to adapt. Looking to upgrade the midfield, again raiding rivals.....we probably have too many CM's but we will find the right pairings with our hectic Preseason Match Schedule! Vigor and Isaac had been seen as possible replacements for this guy.....but after the promotion became official, he changed his tune and re-signed with us. A new Left Back! The replacement for Josh Green! The Board Met and reminded me of this season's objectives. All in all not bad. reasonable. wow a whole $5K for TV rights! The fixture list is trying to create a new rival for us in Dag & Red from the Northwest Suburbs of Greater London. Too bad our U-18's are terrible. A replacement for Maclean on the Back line. Hugo Lloris is biggest name on the list. Transfers Reuben Noble-Lazarus Matt Vigor Joshua Lett Lennon Peake Sonny Aljofree Management Report Both the Board and the Supporters are happy, but they have reservations about some of the transfer business. Financial Report Thanks for Reading! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 Welling United July 2024: Preseason Manager's Thoughts Since I am playing with a Semi-Pro team and Match Fitness is more important than training. I decided on playing At Least TWO friendlies a week. The number of matches was 11 in 27 days! The Saturday one was always against better opposition if possible and the Tuesday matches on the road. This was design to get the team to hit the ground running in the new season. Even if it might lead to injuries. The team was more than able to cope with the hectic schedule. Playing winning football against smaller teams and remaining surprisingly competitive against much bigger teams. I think this bodes well for the season. Schedule Highlights The Month of July started with the scouting staff and me trying to find players to fill some needs in the team. I needed another AML for depth purposes. and this guy came across our radar....he will definitely challenge for a starting spot. even better it fullfilled a promise! This player was brought in as a depth player for either CB (mostly) or DM. We played another Friendly against Charlton and Ollie! It was a friendly against better competition and the scoreline flattered the winners. Basically we had no answer for Charlie Kirk! The Xg even proves we played better. But we lose one of the players I was counting on for the rest of preseason. The next big match was against Millwall, and we played well but just couldn't get a goal. Their only goal was a world class shot by a player that makes more than my entire team! The fans and ref also thought a Rugby match had broken out because of all the fouls by BOTH teams. The Sales and marketing department were happy to report that Season Ticket Sales were growing.... Interesting appointment for English National Team! With the Preseason coming to an end, we played Norwich U21's using our 4-2-4 Formation and it did well.... Good Win! The media was previewing things in the VNL! unsurprising that no one on our team was on the list. I did make sure that we scouted all of them before we play them. The Board also reminded me of the objectives for the season. and we had another serious injury. His form was putting him in contention for the starting lineup. He should be back for Halloween! Management Report Last Season has given me decent security in the job unless we go on a real losing streak! Thanks for Reading! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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