[FM23] Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!

A save in FM can be about whatever you want it to be. For most managers it's about taking your favorite IRL team to new heights,  taking a team from the lower divisions to the Prem, win the champions league, discover wonderkids from the far corners of the world, creating masterful tactics, scoring loads of goals and getting yourself among top managers like Pep and Klopp. Personally I almost only play online saves for the competitiveness, but this save will be about building a club with a clear philosophy from top to bottom.

I'll be using a custom database that let's me start in 20th march 2023 with updated fixtures and results. (Source)

Sources on club DNA/club vision in FM:

Passion4FM article

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Normally a clubs vision is already set in stone when you take charge of a club. Our goal will be to change that vision as we gain stature at the club and make the club adhere to our ethos.

Ethos:
"The distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution"

To make the save more challenging, our slogan will be "Live, love, and breathe hoofball". Creating a vision based on gegenpressing and attacking football wouldn't be much different from a normal FM save, so I want to go for the opposite, which will also make it difficult to convince the board and fans to join our vision. I'll get into more detail on how to achieve that as the save gets going.

Our plans and goals:

• Make the club known for playing hoofball
• Don't get fired
• Recruit players suitable for this playstyle at senior and youth level
• Recruit staff who prefers playing direct football
• Recruit staff with high discipline and determination
• Make the club change their vision to match ours - playing direct football, making the most of set pieces etc
• Enjoy moderate success along the way (?)
• Stay long enough to be recognized as a legend or icon at the club
• Leave the club when all this accomplished, and observe how long it takes for the identity to disappear

Hoofball:

Quote

"Hoofball is a term used to describe a style of football (soccer) that relies heavily on long, high passes aimed at advancing the ball quickly up the field. This style of play typically involves a more direct approach to attacking and can be effective at bypassing the opposition's midfield. The term "hoofball" often has a negative connotation because it can be seen as a simplistic or uncreative style of play that relies on physicality and athleticism rather than skill and tactics. It can also be considered a high-risk strategy as long passes are more difficult to control and can result in turnovers if not executed properly. However, some teams may employ this style of play strategically, particularly if they have players with strong aerial ability or if the opposition is weaker in defending against long balls. Ultimately, the effectiveness of "hoofball" depends on the individual team's tactics, personnel, and the style of play of the opposition."

Create a manager, find a club

Tony Pulis is the epitome of hoofball and needs no introduction. In my FM saves he is always unemployed until he retires, so I've recreated him as best I can and will try to do him justice. To keep a bit of realism I wanted him to take charge of a club desperate enough to gamble on him. Cardiff seemed like a perfect fit, being a welsh club and struggling to stay in the championship. They've also had their fair share of problems in regards to club DNA, with their controversial owner who tried to make the bluebirds into red dragons.

Board and fans expectations

 

Can Cardiff play hoofball?

The short answer is yes. We have two potential target forwards in Connor Wickham and Sory Keba who are both 191cm, combined with Callum Robinson who has the pace to compliment them up top. The squad has plenty of wide players capable of running down the wing and crossing, hardworking midfielders, tall CBs, and fullbacks capable of defending. We want the team to be more extreme of course, but it's a good start. For long throws we have Connor Wickham and Jamilu Collins with 15-16 long throw attribute, but we lack a set piece specialist from corners and free kicks.

The team will be put trough a training schedule with a heavy focus on physicality, set pieces, direct attacking and defending.  Not that this is optimal in terms of getting results, it just fits our all important ethos and slogan.

Our first match is against local rival Swansea in just 12 days so we are thrown right into the deep end here. We'll have to get the boys used to the tactic as soon as possible in order to not fall deeper into the threat of relegation, which would mean a possible short end to this adventure.

 

 

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Leave a like or comment if this save is of any interest to follow, makes it easier for me to keep the thread up to date instead of just playing solo.

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

After finishing the last run of games for the season we end up at 15th place, climbing from 21th when we took charge. The results are flattering and several team would have gotten a win or tie on a different day.

We have decided on a 442 shape with 2xDMs, with the GK, defenders and DMs using more direct passing + early crosses to get the ball forward. The media has described it as parking the buss, fair enough.

 

 

Our current squad:

Certain players just don't fit our style and will have to move on if we can find a buyer. Jack Simpson is smart and fast but we want tanks in central defence. Romain Sawyers and Sheyi Ojo are technical players but lack the stamina and work rate that we need,

Injury plagued Connor Wickham got a new contract and will be our big man up top together with Kion Etete promoted from our U21 team.

With a bunch of new players needed and a few key players demanding a new (and improved) contract, there won't be much to go on with this budget. We obviously want leaders to stay and be happy for the time being, as there are very few of those in the team as is.

We will also be hoping to get 1-2 new coaches in. One of our fitness coaches has a whooping 1 in Level of discipline! So he needs to find a new job ASAP.

Recruitment plans:

• 3 CBs, focus on strength, bravery and jumping reach
• A striker who can be our main goalscorer.
• A set piece specialist (optional)
• A long thrower (optional)
• A proper giant GK with high aerial reach (optional)
• New staff with focus on discipline and determination

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I like the premise of this career thread as it is different to most. 

I also had great fun a few years a go playing as Burnley but I downloaded this Pulis Ball tactic and also this long throw routine that worked a treat and I just enjoyed watching someone throw the ball like Rory Delap in his prime and just watching giant Chris Wood head the ball in.

 

[lied90]

15 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I like the premise of this career thread as it is different to most. 

I also had great fun a few years a go playing as Burnley but I downloaded this Pulis Ball tactic and also this long throw routine that worked a treat and I just enjoyed watching someone throw the ball like Rory Delap in his prime and just watching giant Chris Wood head the ball in.

 

Agreed, there are few things in FM that brings me more joy than a long throw followed by a scrappy goal from chaos in the box. Haven't used it much in this FM but I hope it still gets a few goals per season.

Edited March 23, 2023 by lied90

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

Transfer window is over and new players have come in to strengthen our way of playing ball.

The current squad looks like this:

Our key signings are just monsters that you'd never like to meet in a dark alley, Denis Kolinger and Tomas Chory:

A couple of reject youngsters from Arsenal and Man Utd was signed to give some depth, who knows they might also grow into decent players. Okonkwo is already being used as a starter because he has a giant reach and has the key attributes we are looking for. Sosa is the type of fullback that can also play CB + he has a good long throw, perfect for a Pulis team.

A couple of staff members got the sack because they lacked determination and discipline, and replaced by more suited staff:

I tried to get Roy Keane in as assistant manager, but he expected us to match his pundit wage so that was a big fat no.

This is our current tactic, with a backup tactic that I turn on if we are desperate for a goal:

I played a few matches and the results so far are promising, we are not looking likely to fight relegation if this form continues. As expected we are very reliant on getting a good cross, a long ball into space, or a corner to score so we have to keep clean sheets to win.

 

The fans have already started supporting our new brand of football, in stark contrast to the board who wants us to play attacking football.

League Table:

[lied90]

The club continues to strengthen our DNA both on and of the pitch, and we now have a very suited DoF:

[dtown1414]

Interesting, and enjoyed the DNA Statement article. I'll be following. 

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

After an initial superb start the results have started becoming more mixed with our strikers struggling to make anything of the long balls we are supplying.

We are however staying strong in our faith and trying out different formations to maximize our hoofball.

Our new signings have been immense, although Kolingers total lack of pace have been a problem, even with lower defensive lines.

By January our squad has started a mutiny with team leader Ralls being the loud voice of every single player demanding a new contract for mediocre performances.

It's clear I need to strike down with force and replace every single player not willing to play and behave as a team.

Winter transfers

I had my eyes on a few out of contract players that was getting increasingly desperate as the season went on, but most importantly I needed players who was willing to go above and beyond out on the pitch by working for the team non stop.

Technical ability is secondary, it's all about having the right mentality. Determined, hard working, aggressive and brave players are wanted.

We made an exception when bringing in creative wide player Sebastian Kerk, who is excellent at set pieces with 16-17 corners and free kicks.

Players that caused trouble are mostly gone, except Ralls because selling him would cause an uproar

We now have the highest average jumping reach and strength in the league and we are well above average in work rate, team work, bravery, determination and aggression.

I'm expecting us to fall out of the play off zone by the end of the season, I'm even kinda hoping we do so that the board and fans don't start setting unrealistic expectations.

The fans are very happy with us making the most of set pieces and using counter attacks, the board is more neutral towards us.

This is what we look like in the opponents half. Our two strikers and defensive wingers ready to run into the box for the cross, with CM (A) outside the box to recycle possession or take a long shot.

 

When deeper we have our two strikers on attack duty and the CM (A) running into space, or challenging for a header and the second ball.

Our wingers aren't world class when it comes to pace, but they can get past a man and put in a cross. Same setup as usual with two strikers waiting in the center, CM ready for the return and winger on the back post.

So far we only had one goal from a long throw. FM is kinda buggy and the players swap places all the time so it's been rather difficult to get going with it. I also don't have anyone with the long flat throw specialty.

Edited March 25, 2023 by lied90

[lied90]

If anyone was wondering, this is how I imagine that a Pulis training schedule would look like in FM:

From what I've heard it was a lot of focus on defending, physicality and set pieces. We attack direct and from crosses, so attacking direct and attacking wings is self explanatory.

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

By mid season we were in sixth place and in fairly good form. A good performance for team of ball kickers and work horses.

We continue into the second half of the season with horrible morale as several players are unhappy for one reason or another. It doesn't seem to have a big effect on our results as we continue to gather points.

Our big Czech striker, Tomas Chory, has found goals hard to come by lately. We would have been in big trouble had it not been for young Kion Etete banging in goals, together with Kolinger from set pieces.

I continue to feel that we are being a bit lucky considering how often we are saved by a set piece goal, which isn't sustainable in my mind.

Results:

 

We missed out on the play offs and Pulis tells the team that we will aim for upper mid table next season, everyone nods their heads and agrees to this.

The board and supporters both agree that our playstyle is satisfactory, despite the fact that the board wants attacking football and the supporters want counter attacking football.

Despite or moderate success on the pitch I don't feel like we have made as much progress as I'd like towards building the club.

Lots of players are unhappy and on short terms contracts, Ideally we want a loyal group of players who know what we are about and understand their role in the team.

I think at some point a massive clear-out is needed, long time servant Joe Ralls is one of the first to go as he is running out his contract this summer.

Tomas Chory wants double his wages despite barely scoring a single goal in the second half of the season, Etete thinks he is a big shot after a handful of good efforts. All this while we are in the red wage wise.

 

 

[BML]

Love stories like this with different 'DNA' to the norm. Reminds me of that guy who ran a career with Millwall, making them a team of aggressive bastards with emphasis on cards over goals.

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

 

One team, one formation - Committing to the 4-4-2

So far the team has experimented with different formations to make hoofball work. I feel like this goes against our mission, so to bolster our reputation as a industrial and traditional club, we are from now on only playing 442.

 

Summer transfers 24/25

Transfer statement:

"We are delighted to announce that Cardiff Football Club has made significant additions to our roster in the latest transfer window. Aaron Ramsey, a youth product of our club, has returned on a free transfer to provide invaluable experience and skill to our midfield. Alongside him, we have signed promising young talents Sam Curtis and Chris Lokesa, who will add depth and energy to our squad.

In defense, we have acquired the services of Willy Boly on a free transfer, a proven performer at the highest level whose leadership and toughness will be invaluable to us. Additionally, we have signed Eugene Cheberko from Ukraine, a versatile defender who brings both physicality and technical ability to our backline.

We are also excited to welcome Sammie Szmodics on loan from Blackburn, a hardworking attacking midfielder who will add creativity and tenacity to our team. With these new additions, we believe we have strengthened our squad significantly and are well-equipped to compete at the highest level. We cannot wait to see these players in action and look forward to an exciting season ahead."

Lokesa has established himself as a standout player in Belgium. He possesses explosive pace, excellent technical skills, combined with a good work rate.

Curtis is a well young, rounded fullback who impressed in Ireland with 7.28 average rating last season.

[lied90]

On 29/03/2023 at 14:59, BML said:

Love stories like this with different 'DNA' to the norm. Reminds me of that guy who ran a career with Millwall, making them a team of aggressive bastards with emphasis on cards over goals.

Think I read that one, was posted on reddit also. Had Ashley Barnes and Jamie Vardy up top, both 35+ at the time, brilliant.

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

 

Evaluating our squad

In addition to having a set formation that we will start every match, we need to look for certain profiles in each position:

GK: Good shot stopper, high aerial reach (think Asmir Begovic)
Current GK: Lee Nicholls - 196cm and a commanding GK.

CB: Defenders with the physique and intelligence to keep attackers away. Passing and technique is not important, but the tries long passes trait is a bonus.
Current CB pairing: Kolinger and McGuinness - One is a brute the other more well rounded but also tall.

Fullbacks: Our fullbacks should fit the profile of a wide center back. Enough pace to cover the flank, but also enough strength and intelligence to defend more narrow. Big plus if he can cross from deep or throw it long.
Current fullbacks: Joel Bagan and Perry Ng - Hardworking and balanced fullbacks. Decent, but need a proper no nonsense fullback and still no long thrower

CM: One intelligent midfielder with a bit of passing range, the other should be a aggressive pit bull that flies into tackles. Big bonus with trait should as: Argues with ref, gets crowd going. or Winds up opponents.
Currents CMs - Blanco who came from Real Madrid is brilliant, very intelligent with his positioning and good passer. We have several workhorses that chase the ball, but they are a bit lacking one way or another.

Wide players: One classical winger who runs down the wing and crosses, the other a wide midfielder type who cross from deep and work hard at both ends (bonus if he can do set pieces).
Current wide players: Kerks and Lokesa - Kerks lack a bit of stamina and work rate, otherwise perfect with deep crosses and excellent set pieces. Lokesa has a bit of growing to do but fits the profile of an old school winger.

Strikers: Minimum one big man up top, preferably two with one being strong and fast. Optional, a pressing forward type who never stops running.
Current strikers: Chory and Lavery - Chory has the perfect physique but is not a real team player (lacking team work and determination). Lavery has 19 work rate, high bravery, team work, aggression etc so very well suited.

 

Wish list:
- A proper shithouser like Ashley Barnes or Materazzi.
- A long thrower and no nonsense CB
- More depth in certain positions

Performance:

We are the king of draws.....

Cardiff Stadium is a fortress and we are undefeated at home so far this season. With so may strong clubs down in the championship I think it's very unlikely that we will be in a position to promote at the end of the season, but we are not far behind play off atm. Wolves, Crystal Palace, Sheff Utd, , Watford, and Leeds (13th place) are all in the championship.

In terms of stats, we are bottom at possession and passes completed, not very surprising.

According to the comparison page, we are top of the league in terms of average strength, jumping reach, bravery, aggression, team work and work rate.

The Tale of Perfect hoofball goal:

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

Hoofball was on fine display in the South Wales derby, as seen in the video. Tiki taka fan boys will never witness such simple yet beautiful football, with the ball bouncing all over and creating chaos.

Jan Transfers:

McBurnie was out of favour at Sheff Utd who looked destined for promotion. Mijnans is a decent set piece taker who can play as a wide midfielder on both flanks, Kerk is being overplayed so we needed a second option.

Performance:

Despite getting very good results in the second half of the season, it wasn't good enough to reach the play offs. We improved our total points tally by 2, from 79 points to 81. Our finest game was probably in the narrow win against a much stronger Wolves away, we played in a low block the entire game and won it on a set piece with Kolinger forcing in a header. I'm confident we can do better next season as we started this season with a long series of draws, gonna need to turn some of them into wins! The teams getting relegated from the PL are Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Blackburn, which is much easier opponents than the likes of Wolves.

Trimming the squad:

With several players out of contracts this summer there will be lots of new faces when the season starts. We now have a small core of players who get along well, and it's important to find players who fit into the group.

The following players will all run out their contracts:

We are then left with a senior squad where everyone is included in the core social group:

In other news, the board has decided to drop their desires for the club to play attacking football! This is a big step towards the club becoming known for their football, especially the day we leave Cardiff.

[lied90]

Live, love,  and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project!  

Summer transfers - 25/26:

Loads went out (not in the screenshot) , loads went in.

We now have a few options for long throwers, so hopefully we get some long throw goals this season. Big center back Goode and no nonsense fullback McIntyre both have the ability to get the ball into the box by hoofing it with their hands.

Jason Molumby is our biggest improvement in terms of quality and will fill the role of the brute in midfield. He dives into tackles and winds up the opponents.

Rothwell is a short sighted signing, he still has a lot of pace and can be used to turn a match out on the wing.

The rest is a mix of bench players and youngsters. McNeilly will probably get his fair share of game time in order to develop.

Warburton was a steal for 300K:

Transfers out, not much to say here except Lavery had to go after demanding to double his wages. Loved his mental attributes, but 8 goals in 36 games just doesn't justify the wage demand. He will earn his trade at Blackburn for now.

Starts of the season:

I decided to get a few games in to see how the team shaped up. First game of the season was big one away against Swansea, and McNeilly decided it with a memorable goal as he heads it into goal from outside the box.

[Ronnieekelund]

I'm trying similar with Mk dons promoted 1st season. Will be a lot harder in the championship. Have you tried playing with 2 target forwards?.

Got some success away from home but just not enough possession in home games to be able to sustain it.

[lied90]

15 hours ago, Ronnieekelund said:

I'm trying similar with Mk dons promoted 1st season. Will be a lot harder in the championship. Have you tried playing with 2 target forwards?.

Got some success away from home but just not enough possession in home games to be able to sustain it.

I honestly really dislike the TF role, they drop deep all the time regardless of having supporting or attacking mentality, and I need them to lead the line and be in position to receive the long ball.