The FM24 Youth Academy Challenge

[leyrtj]

 

Luversense - Brazil - 2034 - Season 8 - Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (Tier 1) - 6th

A good season. Gosh, Brazil is fun. Intersting names, explosive growth and wonderkids galore. Not so fun is having all teams in the world circling around your players.

We finished 6th and qualified for the Copa Libertadores on the final day of the season. We were flirting with the top 4 around the mid way point of the season but fixture congestion meant we slipped down. This team is still very young and we just need to hang on to our players. I feel we're around 3 seasons away from completing Brazil if we can. Crazy TV money came in this year so finances are very good. 

Our youth intake brought us one superb talent. We wanted a striker and a right winger and we got both in one player. Barbosa is better as a winger but we really need a striker so I'm going to retrain him as a striker. That leaves us weaker on the right wing but I feel it's worth it. 

 

Wonderkid 1

Wonderkid 2

Dubbed the next Ronaldinho, he'll be a wonderkid soon

 

Only one talent through the intake but Barbosa is a beauty. I can only recall seeing "player of his generation" once before from an intake. Shame he's 18, but hoping for more explosive growth next season. Also, we now have 3 left backs called Jean Carlo (and a centre back). 

 

[libbyshuss]

Belgium

A really weird season that at one point looked like it could be a total disaster which then turned into an unlikely triumph.

Belgium has this thing where the boards really like you to run a negative transfer balance - in other words sell players to make money. If you don't, they can take control and sell your players for peanuts. As we've had 100m+ in the bank it's not something i've had to worry about for the last 20 seasons so I stopped looking. And then, in January, the board told me they were taking control of player sales and promtply sold Ma Xi47B, our best player, for 43m to Marseille.

But.... I had turned down a £128m off for him in the summer, and he really wasn't happy about that. He thre his toys out the pram, stomped around the club, told everyone how much he hated me and totally split the club in two. When he left our morale was low and we were not looking good. But once he left, things started to look up. The morale came back, we startd playing with a bit of pizzazz, we finished the season strongly and weren't in too bad a shape for the championship group. Which we then dominated to seal an unlikely title win, our sixth!

 

 

Champions League

We were terrible! and yet somehow managed to get through the league stage where we were narrowly beaten by Sevilla in the knock out stage

 

Wonderkids

Still only 18, Boon looks the real deal!

A nice surprise was my midfield prospect named as a wonderkid, just as i was starting to lose faith in him

 

 

Youth

losing Ma Xi was a blow, i could really do with a decent intake to soften it. and by golly we got one!

Three As in the preview got me :-o

but four elite talents got me :-D

 

The best two look potentially really good - not sure who will be a striker and who a winger but both still have a bit of work to do

 

Career

belgium is fun, but wile we seem to have the domestic side sorted we are still really struggling in the Champions League. Still nowhere near!

[Virtual Male]

Season 13 2036/37

Manager Profile - Competitions - Finances - Facilities

Competitions

• Premier League (Past Positions) - It's a bit difficult at the top isn't it! We got off to a great start to the season winning 4 of the first 5 games and I foolishly thought what's all the fuss about? I then got 6 points between the beginning of November and the middle of March, A run that included some less than motivating results like a 7-0 loss to Newcastle and 10-1 to Chelsea. A bit of an easier run in saw the team pick up a few much needed wins to drag us out of the relegation zone and into 15th place at the end of the season. Honestly, I don't really think we deserve it but I won't say no to another season in the Premier League, I need to sort the defence out though, we conceded 50 more than the team that conceded the 2nd most goals! Still, at least the 116 scored against us wasn't a league record.
• The Emirates FA Cup - Another 1 game FA Cup run, I didn't pay it any attention.
• Carabao Cup - Another short one, I played a heavily rotated team to keep my better players fresh for the league.

Squad - 

• 
• A lot of player development again this season given the higher level of competition, we're still well out of our depth and I think we only have 1 player that is actually the right quality for the league. Something must be working though for us to stay up, hopefully the development can continue and next year will be slightly easier. 

 

• 
• Robert Jones is our stand out player, clearly  has more ability than anyone else on the team and is refusing to even enter contract negotiations, so not ideal! He had a solid year with 17 G/A in 34 league games, he's got 2 years left on his £300p/w deal so I'm hopeful we can get him to talk with us this season but if not I'll have some thinking to do nest summer. 

 

Youth Intake (Preview) 

• 
• A fairly promising preview followed by what looks like a pretty good intake, A couple of much needed fullbacks and a DM that has something about him and all good personalities too! I think there are 3/4 players in this years intake that will find themselves in the first team in a few years and will likely stay there for a long time to come. Lamine Mendes (2037YP9) has already been improving massively and has been called up to the Senegal U18's over the summer so that's really promising.

 

• 
• Ben Davies is probably the pick of the bunch though, one of the much needed full backs and not far from getting into the rotation of the first team as a right back, I think I'll let him play a season with the youth groups before he moves into the senior team. That could all go out of the window though, we'll see.

Transfers & Finance - Not much to talk about with transfers, a few out on loan to either try to develop them a little or just so they stop complaining about not getting game time. The bank balance is looking really healthy now thanks to the massive Premier League TV deal so just over £80m in there now, It shouldn't be a concern from here on out unless the board decide to so something ridiculous.

 

Other -  On the back of out newly found riches I got the board to agree to a few things, We'll be a level 1 academy soon which while I'm not really sure what it actually does in game I'm sure it's a good thing. We also upgraded our training facilities at the start of the season before some technological advancements meant we had to do it all over again at the end of the season. They're also expanding the stadium by a little over 3000 capacity but only 750 of that will be seated, every little helps though.

• Something that I have noticed this season that doesn't make sense to me is the board have been putting pressure on me because they're disappointed I'm apparently not using the clubs youth system to develop players.... I'm not sure they've been paying attention for the last decade plus of the clubs existence!! Is this something anyone else has been experiencing? Or are my board just talking nonsense?

Edited April 25 by Virtual Male
Broken Link

[Padders]

Season 101 - 2123/24 - SBC

Back into the playoffs, finishing 3rd

We sat top two for most of the season and the typical runs starts and only win two of the last 11 games to slip to 3rd

We beat Wrexham in the Semi Finals

But another play off final loss 0-1 from an own goal 

We got the Semi Final of the Carabao Cup, losing to Chelsea over the two legs

 

[leyrtj]

 

Luversense - Brazil - 2035 - Season 9 - Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (Tier 1) - 10th

Almost the Copa Libertadores. 

We had a really poor start to the season. At one point we were playing 4 games a week - Brazilian Serie A, State Championship, Cope Libatadores Group Stage and Briazilian Cup. Despite rotation and resting, the players were tired and we were near relegation after 10 games. After the group stage ended, our form came back and we slowly moved up the table. We finished mid table but that doesn't qualify us for the Copa Libertadores next season.

In the Copa Libatadores we made unspectacular progress. We were losing our away leg but then managed to win the tie at home in the quarters and semis against good Brazilian teams. We then faced Vasco de Gama in the final who were only one place above us in the league. It was an opportunity we couldn't take and they shaded a close game. 

So we have two more seasons at least. At least 4 of our players are refusing to sign contracts but they are on long contracts at least. I think 2 more seasons and we can challenge. I will need to rotate more at the beginning of the season. 

A very poor youth intake.

Barbosa is making slow progress but still score 17 in the top flight this season. More to come I'm sure.

The whole of Europe is after this guy. I rejected a bid from Real Madrid and he wasn't happy.

 

Edited April 25 by leyrtj

[CJ'43]

Kavala Football Club / Αθλητικός Όμιλος Καβάλα

Season 26 - 2049/50

Schedule / Squad / Transfers / Finances

 

Season Summary: And we did it again! On the final day, we were able to beat Panathinaikos but were tied on points with Olympiacos, and losing on h2h, however the 63-times greek champions conceded in the 92nd minute of their game against Asteras Tripolis , securing our 4th title in seven seasons. Greek Super League

We made history by also winning the Greek Cup. For the first time in 26 seasons and only our second time reaching the final, we were able to get past Olympiacos and AEK on our way to beating PAOK on penalties in the decisive game.

Next season will mark our return to the UCL after participating in the Conference League this year. We almost had a perfect run. As the team with the highest coefficient in the competition, we comfortably reached the group stage where we finished 3rd, defeating Steaua, Red Star, and Lille, only to fall to Brighton. We were just moments away from conquering our second-ever European title, but a goal in the 94th minute sent us to extra time after a 2-2 draw. The English team was then able to score twice and win their 4th title in the competition.

• GK: Olsi Istrefi 47a
• DL: Valon Hasani 44e (Super League Talent of the Year 2nd place, Super League Team of the Year, Conference League Squad of the Season)
• CB: Giannis Karvounidis 36c (Conference League Squad of the Season)
• CB: Rafail Mantalos 37e (Super League Team of the Year)
• DR: Marios Thraskias 43d (Super League Talent of the Year 3rd place, Super League Team of the Year, Super League Greek Player of the Year 2nd place)
• DM: Giorgos Tsakirellis 43l (Super League Team of the Year)
• DM: Giorgos Mygas 35j (Super League Team of the Year, Super League Greek Player of the Year)
• AML: Babis Tasiopoulos 45e (Conference League Squad of the Season)
• AMC: Giorgos Lyberakis 46a (NGGN 2050 3rd place, Super League Talent of the Year winner, Super League Greek Player of the Year winner, Conference League Player of the Season winner, Conference League Young Player of the Season)
• AMR: Giorgos Terzis 45h (Super League Team of the Year)
• ST: Ilias Giannikoglu 47b (NXGN 2050 2nd place, Super League 2nd top goalscorer - 20 goals, Conference AMC League 2nd top goalscorer - 12 goals, Conference League Squad of the Season)
• Georgios Angelopoulos Super League Manager of the Year

 

Youth intake: A few elite talents came from our academy this year, the best being Fabián Torres 50a and Alexandros Goutsidis 50b. We had a few players coming from our partnerships outside... Our U19's won their 17th consecutive league title but weren't able to reach the Youth League final after winning the competition four consecutive times from 2044 to 2047. At the start of the season, the board had a takeover, but not much changed and no investments were made.

 

Team history:

 

Manager history:

[Neo_Geo]

SQUAD | TACTICS | SCHEDULE

CUP WIN AND A EUROPEAN HOLIDAY BOOKED!

The goal was to survive the Premiership and Crewe United did not fail to deliver. A 5th place finish and a win in the European Place Play-off Semi-Final and Final meant that for the first time in their history Crewe United would be entering continental football in the Europa Conference League Qualifiers in season 2029/30. The league was a foregone conclusion with Linfield cruising to the title and Cliftonville and Larne a considerable distance ahead of the rest. 3 days prior to the semi final of the European place play-off Crewe United took part in their THIRD Irish cup final this time losing to Linfield in the final and some savvy squad management helped United scrape by Crusaders to meet Glenavon in the final with the first team squad almost fully fit whilst Glenavon played their stronger side in their semi-final against Glentoran that went all the way to penalties.

The final did not disappoint and the scoreline a fair reflection of the general pattern of the game. All season I had been punching above my weight as there really were no easy games (apart from the 7-0 demolition of Dungannon Swifts!)

In addition to this there was a first domestic cup win as Crewe United avenged last season's Intermediate Cup Final loss to Warrenpoint by lifting the trophy following a nervy 2-1 win with a fairly heavily rotated squad.

At the time of writing up this season the Europa Conference draw has been made with FC Santa Coloma of Andorra first up and Valur of Iceland awaiting the winner.

CLUB NEWS

Spoiler

Financially we are in a really good position with over £312k in the bank most of which again came from the cup runs however we were starting to get some larger attendances at home to the likes of Cliftonville and Linfield.

There were 2 youth recruitment improvements and 1 junior coaching budget increase approved however only the first youth recruitment has seemingly taken effect with regards to the values (note I am using the Sas24 skin which shows the values for the facilities):

No major improvements made on the staff front as the level of interested parties is still pretty low given the semi-professional status of the club.

I was offered a job interview with Dundee during the season which was nice as it least it shows I have made some real progress in the first 5 seasons:

In terms of the squad I have a tricky summer ahead of me as my star striker Sam Knox Y4-A is unhappy at me extending his contract (even though he agreed to the optional contract extension) as he's not happy with the level of the players around him. I'm not surprised as his arrival at the club had a seismic impact on the star ratings and he's now getting the attention of Kilmarnock and St Johnstone. His contract runs out at the end of this coming season so I have to decide on whether to try and get a deal for him (most likely 50% of next sale given he's going to go for peanuts) or just let the deal run down. I did get a pretty good striker from the intake though so I'm probably ok to let him go.

On another note Jack Sharvin will be leaving the club as his current level is just too low now and its time to move onwards and upwards as a club.

YOUTH INTAKE

Spoiler

As the squad continues to improve the Intake now moves away from the "Sea of A's" and becomes a little more balanced:

When the intake came through I was pleasantly surprised with Aaron Boyle Y5-A who has good pace and crossing with an average work rate and stamina. I wouldn't say right wing is my Achilles heel but he's a step up from the current options. Tim Leacock Y5-A is a 6 foot 3 target forward with 13 jumping and 15 heading which I think is going to be huge for me....literally. If Knox does end up leaving I don't have any qualms of playing Leacock alongside Johnny Barr Y4-A (who really improved over the course of the season).

The one area I feel I am struggling with quality right now is in goal. I haven't been able to appoint a dedicated goalkeeping coach until the end of this season so there has been little progression from my keepers and Kevin Spence Y2-A joined as 4 star CA and 5 star PA has now become a 1.5 star CA and 4 star PA, so it meant that Niall Dobson Y5-A at 16 years old took over as he is a 2 star CA and 5 star PA.

The personalities at the moment are not that great so I just have to be patient and keep my eyes open for changes in the HoYD market.

ADMIN

Spoiler

Once again no transfers in:

NEXT SEASON

Spoiler

Next year I will look to finish top 6 again if possible and hopefully I can invest some of the European money into the training facilities, junior coaching and youth recruitment once again. After a season or two of stability I can probably think about turning pro if our financial projection is in a good position but right now its about ensuring that this great start doesn't slip.

 

Edited April 25 by Neo_Geo

[SkiIIs]

Season 13 - Macclesfield FC - League 1

It took us two years in League 2 to get out and we witnessed a similar pattern for League 1. We played in the playoff last year but this year we didnt need to as we finished atop of the league to win our first ever league title. Quite remarkable that we will find ourselves in the Championship next year with only 1 league title in our trophy cabinet. Nevertheless, it was one that was truly deserved. It took us until round 24 to hit 1st but once there, we were never going to relinquish it and clinched the title with a few games spare. 

Promotion really has come at the most opportune time cos we are haemorrhaging cash each month to the tune of 500k. We are 4m in the red at the end of the season and still have to wait for the end of next season for our new stadium. 

Hopefully TV money next year helps out cos im afraid we would have to lose a player of value or two to balance the books. . Especially with clubs circulating around Cole Hay who has been getting paid less than the rubbish that is coming through my youth ranks since day 1 lol  With one year to go, i cant offer him what he wants even though he's willing to stay so my hands might get dealt. He also just became a Scottish international scoring on his debut.

Youth Preview

This is getting worse and worse and I have no idea what to do.

Youth Intake

So frustrated that I forgot to take a pic of these. I only signed 5 or 6 of them. 

Hugh Sibbick 37A is probably the pick of a bad bunch. Every club needs a fair few GK's floating around.

 

 

Edited April 26 by SkiIIs

[glennuk]

@SkiIIs - can you offer him a lower wage with bonuses or a ridiculous signing on fee (like most of your transfer budget which you don't need anyway) - May be worth it as he looks a REAL talent.

[resurectedja]

Liverpool turned my assistant into their manager. Hes now making 20 times more than me. Fuming.

 

Edited April 26 by resurectedja

[XaW]

XaW - Marine FC - Season 2030/31 (Season 7) - Sky Bet Championship

Squad | Transfers | Finances

We avoided relegation, so we did what we set out to do. And we even stayed away from the dog fight for survival too, by hovering around lower mid-table for the entire season. On a very positive note, we are no longer losing money, but we aren't really making much either, so improving the club will not be very easy unless we get a magical cup run or something, as we are currently quite far away from going up into the Premier League. Looking at the players, I'd say we currently have a good batch of top League One players, and some that are rated as Championship ones, so we are clearly doing well based on the actual skill level of the players. So I think I just need to wait for more development or more talented players in the intake. In the mean time, we'll just keep cruising here in the Championship, at least I hope we can continue to stay up.

FA Cup: We beat Crystal Palace and QPR before we lost to Leicester in the 5th round.
Carabao Cup: We beat Stockport County, Sunderland, and Derby before we lost to Chelsea in the 4th round.

Best players from the academy:

Ben Jordan 26g - Was meant to be 2nd choice left back, but does so well he plays a lot for us.
Isaac Dean 28a - Is starting to really grow into a good attacking midfielder for us. Would like to see a bit more creativity from him though, but he does pop up with a fair amount of goals.
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e - Still leads our line well and scores quite a lot of goals, but does have some goal draughts now, as his finishing has started to let him down at times.

New club records:

Most league goals - Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e - 113 goals

I did get one upgrade approved this season, to get us out of the horrid facilities we had.

U21s

We created a U21 team for this season and they started in the English U21 Division 3 where they finished rock bottom.

U18s

After winning the U18 Youth Alliance League North-West last season they turned up in the U18 Professional Development League this season where they finished 2nd in the North group. Then they lost in the champions playoff semi final to eventual winners Cardiff.

FA Youth Cup: They beat Sheffield United before losing to Leeds in the 4th round.

Around the world

Youth intake:

Trophy cabinet

Sky Bet League One - 2029/30
Sky Bet League Two - 2028/29

Vanarama National League - 2026/27
Vanarama National League North - 2024/25

EFL Trophy - 2029/30

FA Trophy - 2025/26
(U18s) U18 Youth Alliance League North-West - 2029/30
(U18s) U18 National League North West - 2026/27

Player statistics:

Most apps for the club

Name			Nation			2nd Nation		Time at club	Apps
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e	England			Antigua & Barbuda	2026-Present	225
Charlie Rowlands 26c	England			Wales			2026-Present	220
Kevin Gallagher 27a	Ireland			England			2027-Present	193
Lewis Pritchard 26m	England			Ireland			2026-Present	190
David Overton 25a	England			<N/A>			2025-2029	175

Most goals for the club

Name			Nation			2nd Nation		Time at club	Goals
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e	England			Antigua & Barbuda	2026-Present	132
Kevin Gallagher 27a	Ireland			England			2027-Present	56
Jamie Adams-Fisk 28d	England			<N/A>			2028-Present	41
Isaac Dean 28a		England			<N/A>			2028-Present	26
Rosario Capasso 27b	Italy			England			2027-Present	20

Most assists for the club

Name			Nation			2nd Nation		Time at club	Assists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Gallagher 27a	Ireland			England			2027-Present	42
Ben Jordan 26g		England			<N/A>			2026-Present	35
Kyle McLean 28b		Scotland		England			2028-Present	32
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e	England			Antigua & Barbuda	2026-Present	21
Lewis Pritchard 26m	England			Ireland			2026-Present	18

Supporters:

Bingo:

Summary:

[XaW]

I love getting my old youth players in as staff. He is a young one too  

[The7Striker]

2 minutos atrás, XaW disse:

I love getting my old youth players in as staff. He is a young one too  

 I bet he's a better staff member than he was a player 

Edited April 26 by The7Striker

[XaW]

3 minutes ago, The7Striker said:

 I bet he's a better staff member than he was a player 

Indeed he is! He got released for being crap, but is a decent scout, thought I think I could have gotten better if I wanted. But I want to keep the youngsters who don't retire altogether if I can!  

[XaW]

Well, there it is. I kinda had to sell for that money...

[HaylingZar]

Here we go... My first real attempt at this challenge. Honestly, if I'm not sacked by the end of the season I call it a success! 

EDIT: Added my manager Profile as per the rules.

Edited April 26 by HaylingZar

[leyrtj]

Luversense - Brazil - 2036 - Season 10 - Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (Tier 1) - 1st (Champions)

And that's the league won!

We took a slightly different strategy in pre-season this year. In Brazil, the "pre-season" lasts from January to April as you play in the state championships. In previous seasons I'd played my first team here, but this hurt later in the seasons with fixture congestion and injuries. This year, we played the second Xi from January until March, and then put the first team in from the beginning of April to get them ready for the league season. We also played the second XI in the cup and Copa Sudamericana hoping to get knocked out as theose competitions don't matter. It all went to plan. We won our first 7 matches in the league, had a bit of a blip but then went on a run of 12 victories in a row  (including five 1 - 0 wins), which put us 13 points clear. We had a few bad performances but made it over the line. Ironically, as we were playing the last few games, we were reading about Botofogo losing a 13 point lead in the league in 2023. We were in the same position with five games to go and then took 1 point from 3 games. In the penultimate game we went 1 - 0 down, and I was thinking about the irony of losing the league whilst reading that article. But we came back to win 2 - 1 and that was the title.

Squad wise, it's mostly a finished squad. We have good quality in every position, and some okay quality as back up. I've never produced such quality from my youth team in all my years in FM. It's wonderkid after wonderkid and explosive green arrows in training - it's the joy of managing in Brazil. Jader Barbosa progressed well and was the top scorer in the league with 23 goals from 38 games. He still not natural as a striker and he's a better winger, but you can't argue with the stats.

I feel confident going into the next season winning the Copa Libertadores, but you just never know with cup comeptitions

Current Squad

 

Past wonderkids - Jean Carlo (DC), Jean Carlo (DL), 

Current wonderkids - Eduardo Henrique( AMC), Jader Barbosa (AMR/SC), Eloilson (DR)

Jader Barbosa was labelled as the player of his generation in the youth intake. He's made excellent progress in one year (he came through at 18), though not sure he'll become world class.

 

A pretty good intake. We finaly got our striker, but we most likely won't ever see him in the first team. Some decent players coming through as back up as well. 

[Safe Hands]

Must have started ten new saves over last few days nothing sticking. 

Going to give this a go over the weekend.

Is there any rules against senior affiliates. I understand you can't play any loan players but thought it be useful if you can get a yearly fee and possible friendly to help revenue.

[The7Striker]

9 minutos atrás, Safe Hands disse:

Must have started ten new saves over last few days nothing sticking. 

Going to give this a go over the weekend.

Is there any rules against senior affiliates. I understand you can't play any loan players but thought it be useful if you can get a yearly fee and possible friendly to help revenue.

No rule against senior affiliates. Just cant loan in anybody. 

Edited April 26 by The7Striker

[leyrtj]

Luversense - Brazil - 2036 - Season 11 - Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (Tier 1) - 1st (Champions)

Knocked out in the QF of the Cope Libertadores. It was a tight game against Internacional. We lost the first leg 4 - 2 as they hit us on the break no less than 4 times. We managed to win the second leg 2 - 0 away, even hitting the bar in injury time, but we lost on away goals. On to next year.

We won the league agin on the last day for what it's worth. Barbosa top score in the league again with 26. We have a 5 star potential striker coming through so Barbosa might move to right wing next season. 

Nothing in the youth intake. Nothing else important to mention. 

[Virtual Male]

@XaW you're flying through the divisions!! I'm always jealous of the variety of nationalities you get in your intakes, are you doing anything special or is it just a case of crossed fingers?

[XaW]

5 minutes ago, Virtual Male said:

@XaW you're flying through the divisions!! I'm always jealous of the variety of nationalities you get in your intakes, are you doing anything special or is it just a case of crossed fingers?

Crossed fingers, I guess. England is a nice place to get the various ones, so that helps though. Also, I try to hire foreign staff if they are about equal to the British ones (or British ones with foreign scouting knowledge), just in case it helps!  

[HaylingZar]

Macclesfield FC - 2024-25 Season - Season 1 - VNLN (Tier 6) - 2nd (Promoted via Playoffs!)

Season Update

An ideal first season. VNLN/S is an absolutely brutal league to get out of, with only 1 automatic promotion place for 24 teams. Unfortunately, we weren't able to secure promotion automatically but fought admirably through the playoffs, comfortably dispatching 5th-placed Chorley 4-0 in the Semi-Final, and scraping a hard-fought 2-1 victory against 4th-placed Scarborough in the Final. 

We spent the majority of the season hanging around third place, but thanks to a long run of bad form in the latter stages of the season by promotion rivals Scarborough we climbed to second place on the last day of the season proper. 

While we've done very well to get promoted, it will take a lot of work to avoid relegation next season. We are losing some players who didn't want to renew their contracts, and one player is retiring. None of our youth players are ready to play a role in the first team yet either, so we will essentially be competing with a weaker squad in a stronger league. Still, I'm optimistic for the future! 

Youth Candidates

We had an excellent intake with 5 high-potential players. This will be critical in our longer-term development. (Note: Ignore the bugged player faces, I've since fixed them with NewGAN!)

Spoiler

Key Player

We had no standout players this season, but the best of a bad bunch was 23-year-old Sam Perry.

He was ever-present for us in the defensive midfield position this season, scoring 5 and assisting 7 in 50 starts. His ability to fill in as a central defender or right fullback when needed was helpful. He will be crucial in our upcoming relegation battle. 

Spoiler

Hot Prospect

Our intake brought in several promising-looking players, the pick of the bunch being 15-year-old German-English Defender Konstantin Fischer. His mentals and technicals need work but his physicals are already average for this level, so he should be able to start contributing soon. His main weakness is his personality type being Fickle, which I'll hopefully be able to address through mentoring.

Spoiler

Transfers

I unfortunately was unable to prevent 2 players from leaving the club on a free. Obviously, no one came in! 

Spoiler

Squad

Looks like we'll still be relying on our starting squad for most of next season.

Spoiler

League Table

We placed second a long way behind Champions Scunthorpe, but a successful run through the playoffs will have us competing in the 5th tier next season!

Spoiler

Club Info

I was able to secure the board's investment into improving Youth Facilities, Junior Coaching Budget AND Improved Youth Recruitment. At this rate, by the time we're in the top division, we'll have the best Youth Setup in the world! I did also request a Senior Affiliate purely for the extra cash, but unfortunately only one club wanted us and they weren't willing to pay a penny! I'll have to try that again next season...

Spoiler

Finances

Finally, the finances: We're doing OK for now due to our success in the league and decent runs in the cups, so no immediate risk of catastrophic financial collapse. 

Spoiler

Thanks all for reading, and I hope to update you again soon after my next season. 

 

[glennuk]

Central Español Fútbol Club - Season 1 - Mid Season Review & Youth Intake

League

We have been tremendous from day 1. Firstly we won the Torneo Competencia, a kind of opening season league tournament. It guarantees us a playoff place in the Second Division proper.

Then in the second division proper at the half way mark we find ourselves top with a comfortable gap.

 

 Youth Intake Preview

We got the preview on day 1 of the save, so that was a very nice thing to see as one of my first news items. Look at ALL of those As

Youth Intake

The actual intake came less than a month later and was very promising indeed. Due to a worry about my financial projections I only signed the best 9 players (the ones tagged below)

Top 3 - Youth Intake 1

Diego Da Silva (YP01A)

A good looking young keeper. He is already our 2nd best Goalie, BUT one of our best 'legacy' players is also our Goalie. Likely that he will learn in the youth teams for a few years and his progress will determine if he gets into the starting line up. Will definitely get played in cup (or non-important) games. Decent personality and some great starting attributes (apart from that dreadful first touch).

Pablo Garcia (YP01B)

A very good looking DM, which is a position I am planning to use this save. We also don't have good DMs in our 'legacy players' so it may be that Pablo gets some game time this season. All of his key, highlighted, attributes are 7 or above, which at this level is great for a 15 year old. His personality is not good and his physicals need some work, but we can work with what we have here.

Ruben Marticorena (YP01C)

A nice looking striker. I love the Dribbling, Finishing and First Touch combo. The problem is we have quite a few (probably 4 or 5) strikers who are ahead of him in the pecking order and we are only playing 1 up top in this save at the moment. I have had good experiences with Rangy Strikers too, so that goes in his favor.

Facilities Improvements

We managed to get a whole host of upgrades and a new contract!

 

Edited April 26 by glennuk

[glennuk]

Masullo has some right wing preferences....... 

Interesting wording!

[leyrtj]

 

Luversense - Brazil - 2038 - Season 12 - Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (Tier 1) - 1st (Champions)

Urghhh. Not happy. Dominated Corinthians in the second leg of the Quarter FInals of the Copa Libertadores. Just couldn't score, and lost in penalties. Somewhat my fault as well. I thought it would go to extra time, but it didn't so I could have pushed for a winner in normal time. Not sure I can bear another year of this. After the loss I just simmed through the rest of the season and won the league and cup for what it's worth. I won't update again until I win it.  

Barbosa won U21 footballer of the year is the only other relevant news. 

 

 

 

 

 

[HaylingZar]

 

Macclesfield FC - 2025-26 Season - Season 2 - VNL (Tier 5) - 20th

Season Update

Well, I was expecting it to be tough, and it delivered. This was probably the most challenging season of FM I've had the pleasure of playing. We started the season strongly, with a respectable 10 points from a possible 18 in our first 6 games. We took a nosedive after that, and spent the entire season in the bottom reaches of the table, only avoiding relegation on the final day after fellow relegation candidates Solihull Moors failed to take a single point from bottom-placed Wealdstone, guaranteeing our survival even as we lost 2-4 to 16th-placed Kidderminster. 

On a more positive note, we had a successful FA Trophy cup run, reaching the semi-final, and enjoyed moderate luck in the FA Cup, reaching the Second round of the Cup proper. 

We also had an even better youth intake than the previous year, with a fantastic 11 "elite talents", several of whom immediately took the place of tired or injured first-team players for the final games of the season. Many of our youth intake players from last year played a big role this season in the squad, including Konstantin Fischer, Elliot Davies and Jack Harrison. I'm looking forward to more youth players becoming established first-team players over the next season.

It took a lot of work to avoid relegation and will be challenging to do so again next season. Although with our new youth players, we have a bit more squad depth than we did this season, even if many of them are not quite at the league standard yet. 

Youth Candidates

As mentioned, we have an excellent intake with 11 "elite talents" and 5 "top talents". I hope that they will relish the opportunity to prove themselves in the first team next season.

Spoiler

Key Player

Our standout player this season was easily 27-year-old Full-Back Tre Pemberton. 

He was diligent in defence and made attacking runs as well, racking up 2 goals and 11 assists in 40 starting appearances. He also filled in as an attacking midfielder when needed.

Spoiler

Hot Prospect

While it may be too early to tell, perhaps the most promising of our Youth Intake players is 16-year-old Welsh striker Morgan Stone. 

He's made a good start to life at Macclesfield, scoring 2 goals in his first 5 appearances for the club. Of particular note is his Jumping Reach attribute, with 15 JR at just 16 years old, there's a decent chance this will improve as he still has time to grow taller!

Spoiler

Transfers

We lost one of our best centre-backs Laurent Mendy due to his work permit expiring. Nothing much else to say here.

Spoiler

Squad

The new youth intakes have swelled the ranks. It may get to the point soon where we can consider selling players(!). We still are lacking in quality depth in pretty much every position, though. 

Spoiler

League Table

After a long and arduous season, we've managed to stay up. Not sure how I feel about this, to be honest. Maybe going back down and spending some time improving the club would have been better. Ah well, we take the opportunities that we have been given and hope to turn it into some longer-term success. 

Spoiler

Club Info

I was able to convince the board to improve the Training Facilities and Youth Recruitment. They also found some funding for a stadium expansion, which will be good as our reputation has grown a bit over the past season. We also managed to set up a senior affiliate with Stoke for a bit of extra cash. Can't hurt. 

Spoiler

Finances

Our finances are now "secure" - probably because we haven't bought anyone and youth wages are fairly low! 

Spoiler

Thanks all for reading, and I hope to update you again soon after my next season. 

 

[Riebow]

Olot UE Season Review (46/47)

Europe

We eased through the league phase, but were once again knocked out in the quarters. We were dreadful in two matches against Real and so once again no Champions League glory.

 

Spoiler

League

Our third league title in a row. We're just the most consistent team, even though we don't have the talent that Real and Barca posses. 

 

Spoiler

Copa

Two nail biters in the semis against Barca, but we came just short.

Spoiler

Super Cup

We somehow won this for the first time. It helps when you don't have to play Barca or Real for a change.

Spoiler

Youth Intake

It's the second year since we've maxed out our youth facilities and this intake is probably even worse than the one before. We also changed our HOYD at the same time and I'm starting to believe his scouting knowledge of the country might be more important that I've previously thought (He was German). I've switched to a HOYD who actually knows the country. Let's hope that delivers better intakes.

Spoiler

NXGN

We have a player back at the top of the NXGN. Our Belgian wonderkid Cyrille Delorge has become a valuable member of our squad. Facunda Campanella made the list again for the 4rd time! Never had that before.

Spoiler

Cyrille Delorge (Resolute; MC/AMRC)

Spoiler

Best XI

I've introduced a couple of new players this season, with the best of them Eloi, a tall creative playmaker who can play in attacking midfield or at the top.

Spoiler

5 Years ago...

Emili Dominguez was the best player to ever come out of our academy. He's our starting left back and a Spanish international. This intake also gave me Brahima Toure who developed into a very good defensive midfielder. Of the remaining players Andreu Martinez will take the leap to the first team next season.

Spoiler

Next season

Some of our players are nearing or in their 30's, so it might be time to start phasing them out. And win the CL of course

[Mahzun_Savas]

[leyrtj]

This is painful. In the last four season, I've lost in the Copa Libertadores on penalties twice, on away goals and in the final. We lost in the final this year, but had our three best players out injured. 

Time for a break.

 

Edited April 28 by leyrtj

[djsterry]

not done an update for ages but just thought this was funny, the financial constraints are brutal  4th season in the championship and still losing money with a 66k a week wage bill 

[CDGBruno]

[HaylingZar]

 

Macclesfield FC - 2026-27  Season - Season 3 - VNL (Tier 5) - 2nd (Lost in Playoff Semi-Final)

Season Update

After a brutal previous season, I knew we had to make some changes. During the pre-season, I made a lot of tactical changes, setting up a more defensive counterattacking formation, and a more offensive pressing formation to be rotated between depending on our opponent. This made an immediate impact.

We flew out of the gates, going undefeated for August. A brief wobble in September but we were back to winning ways after that and went undefeated again for October and November. After this period we remained comfortably top of the table for the rest of the season, even as our fatigue and injuries caught up to us and our form cooled off. Unfortunately, nothing I could do would change our fortunes, and after dominating the league for most of the season, a poor run of form onwards from February in which we won just 4 in 13 games would lead to us dropping down into second place just 3 games before the end of the season. With dreams of automatic promotion quashed in the final game of the season due to an unconvincing 1-1 draw with 15th-placed Chester, we braced ourselves for playoffs. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and we were handily beaten by 5th-placed Bromley in a tense penalty shootout, despite leading 2-0 at the 73-minute mark. 

Nonetheless, this was an excellent season following a relegation scrap, so onwards and upwards!

In the FA Cup, we enjoyed moderate success, knocking out League 2 Cheltenham before being squarely defeated 5-1 by Championship side Swansea in the third round proper. However, we were knocked out of the FA Trophy at the first time of asking. 

We also enjoyed a great youth intake (though not as encouraging as previous years), with 6 "Elite Talents". Some were inducted immediately into the first-team squad. This was also a year where previous youth intake players firmly established themselves in the squad, with Konstantin Fischer, Jack Harrison, Haydn Rainford, and Owen Brannigan becoming regular starters. I'm hoping that with our new players, facilities, and development we'll be able to make a solid push for promotion again next season. 

Youth Candidates

Another great year for youth with several Elite Talents being welcomed into the club. 

Spoiler

Key Player

The recognition this year goes to Full-Back Brandon Lee, who came back from an 11-month injury last season to be one of the team's best performers. He contributed an outstanding 25 assists and 1 goal in 38 appearances this season. His acceleration and pace are really his only good attributes, but sometimes that's all you need!

Spoiler

Hot Prospect

One of the best young prospects at the club is 17-year-old Goalkeeper Owen Brannigan. Despite his young age he's already forced his way into the starting lineup, making 31 starts this season in comparison to veteran keeper Conor O'Keefe's 21. His aerial reach and ball handling skill put him a notch above. 

Spoiler

Transfers

Nothing of note, we loaned out a couple of players who aren't quite ready to make an impact with the first team yet but are too old for the U18 squad.

Spoiler

Squad

This squad is looking better year-on-year! I really think we are going to have a good chance next season. 

Spoiler

League Table

Exceeded expectations, or bitter heartbreak? You decide. 

Shoutout to Aldershot who gained back-to-back promotions!

Spoiler

Club Info

An improvement to training facilities and youth recruitment didn't go amiss. Still not quite ready for the semi-pro to pro club leap, although targeting that for post-promotion if possible. We also expanded the stadium. 

Spoiler

Finances

Finances took a hit due to a number of facilities and stadium upgrades, but still comfortably in the black. 

Spoiler

Thanks all for reading, and I hope to update you again soon after my next season. 

 

 

 

Edited April 28 by HaylingZar

[CDGBruno]

SEASON 1 - 2024

 

[CDGBruno]

SEASON 2 - 2025

 

[HanziZoloman]

Despite posting nothing at the moment, because I am struggling heavily in EFL One to get things going, I am still on it in the year 2067.

I stand the test of time ... 

[libbyshuss]

Belgium

Season Review

Another really good season from us. We were solid in the league but once we got to the champions group we were amazing. 8 victories and a draw saw us romp to another league title. Being that i'm still in a transitional phase it was especially pleasing

  

 

Champions League

we had our best league stage for a long, long time with some excellent results getting me all excited for the knockout rounds. But again, we went out in the knockout play-off round, this time on penalties against Wolfsburg. I've still not got anywhere close in the CL

 

Players

These two will hopefully be my centre back partnership for the next 10-15 seson. Only problem is Boon is already asking to leave to play with a stronger squad.....

Youth

another really nice preview and intake!

 

Only issue is the two best prospects both have light-hearted personalities, which isn't great. Hopefully a bit mentoring will knock that out of them.

 

But the biggest news was the retirement of my HoYD who I've had since 2026. He was a model citizen, amazing stats, brought me through so many amazing player. And now he's gone.... 

His replacement? this fella!

 

Career

Edited April 28 by libbyshuss

[HanziZoloman]

vor 18 Stunden schrieb HaylingZar:

Thanks all for reading, and I hope to update you again soon after my next season. 

 

Wonderful update. I like how you write it down. Strong year and full of hope. I‘ll keep my fingers crossed. 

[HaylingZar]

54 minutes ago, HanziZoloman said:

Wonderful update. I like how you write it down. Strong year and full of hope. I‘ll keep my fingers crossed. 

Very kind of you to say. I'll have an update for my fourth season ready shortly. Unfortunately, not quite the success story I had hoped for, but still an enjoyable, if challenging season. 

[HaylingZar]

Macclesfield FC - 2027-28  Season - Season 4 - VNL (Tier 5) - 9th

Season Update

After unlikely success last season culminating in a second-placed finish, we felt primed at the start of this one to confidently seize the league and make a firm push for promotion. Despite losing key players such as Konstantin Fischer (Those who saw my season 1 post will be familiar), we were keen to see what impact the fresh faces around the club could have. 

Unfortunately, we experienced many difficulties that hindered our progress, and despite a string of hopeful results in the early stages of the season, including just 2 losses in the first 10 games and an undefeated November period, we encountered an all-to-familiar mid-season slump that quashed any hopes of a meaningful title challenge. We floundered around the playoff places for most of the season and eventually capitulated to the weight of fixtures and sunk to a meagre 11th place before the final game of the season.

In a meaningful game for our key player Sam Perry, he lead the squad to an impressive 6-0 victory in his last game for the team, a result which bumped us two places up the league table to finish in a respectable, if not impressive, 9th place. Sam, who has played 193 games for the club and is undoubtedly our best player, made it clear at the start of the season that he would not be renewing his contract with us as he felt he had outgrown the club. He went on to make 39 appearances for us this season, carrying us to results we surely would not otherwise have achieved. He has been a great servant to the club and his impact will be sorely missed. As mentioned above, we also missed the contributions of key Defender Fischer, who forced an exit after I made the heinous decision to play him as a Ball Playing Defender instead of a Central Defender (seriously!). I guess that "Fickle" personality did come back to bite us in the end.   On the subject of personality, our Season 2 Hot Prospect Morgan Stone has caused nothing but headaches all season. I'm never keeping a "Temperamental" player again! He's since been transfer-listed.

All that being said, this has been an enjoyable season, if frustrating at times. I've learned a lot of valuable lessons and we've continued to develop our Youth players, with 18-year-old Attacking Midfielder Haydn Rainford being one of the team's standout performers and 18-year-old Defender Elliott Davies making a huge impact. With a number of first-team-ready prospects coming through our youth intake again, we look like a squad that will only get stronger over time. New prospect Dave Richardson became a record-breaking youngest goalscorer at 15 years and 260 days, and new Belgian Midfielder William Kudimbana looks to be an acceptable option to fill the Perry-shaped hole in our midfield. Although we'll be in a weaker position next season with our best player leaving the club, I hope we can at least make a push for playoff places.  

Youth Candidates

Another excellent year for youth. 10 "Elite Talents" make this a promising crop of youngsters. I also love to see nationalities like Gibraltarian represented. Still not quite sure why such a thing as a "Defensive Winger" exists, though! 

Spoiler

Key Player

Perhaps a sign of the changing tides; the first of our Youth intake players to take the recognition for this section. 18-year-old Attacking Midfielder Haydn Rainford has been in superb form for us this season, with an extremely impressive 11 goals and 24 assists in 37 appearances. He's also got plenty of room to develop. His best attributes are his pace and stamina, and his well-roundedness makes him a solid contributor. Also, with a Leadership of 18 he could be a solid option for team captain in years to come. 

Spoiler

Hot Prospect

With yet another highly promising Youth Intake, it was difficult to identify one in particular to highlight, but when 15-year-old Winger Dave Richardson smashed both the Team and League youngest goalscorer record, it felt natural to select him. Contributing toward 3 goals in his first 4 appearances, Richardson looks to be very exciting for the future. A skillful and pacy attacking player, he could become one of the best players at the club if given the right experience. 

Spoiler

Transfers

We made use of affliate club Sheffield for the first time to send players out on loan. We have now several young prospects gaining first-team experience in the lower leagues of the country. For some reason Consett was desperate for our players and loaned 3 of them! 

Spoiler

Squad

Many of our players are starting to develop very well. While it will be a huge loss when Sam Perry departs, hopefully it will provide an opportunity for someone new to make an impact. 

Spoiler

League Table

Admittedly a dismal showing compared to last season's success, we still finished 15 places above our pre-season expectations of 24th! In my eyes, this is still a great result. Let's really push on into next season and show this league what we're made of. 

Spoiler

Club Info

We improved the Youth Recruitment a lot. I also got the board to approve another coaching course for me, bumping me up to a National A Licence. 

Spoiler

Finances

We are still turning a profit for now, although I note that our Youth Setup is now costing us more annually than player wages - Eek! Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite us...

Spoiler

 

Thanks all for reading, and I hope to update you again soon after my next season. 

Edited April 28 by HaylingZar

[CDGBruno]

SEASON  3 - 2026

 

Edited April 29 by CDGBruno

[SkiIIs]

On 26/04/2024 at 17:50, glennuk said:

@SkiIIs - can you offer him a lower wage with bonuses or a ridiculous signing on fee (like most of your transfer budget which you don't need anyway) - May be worth it as he looks a REAL talent.

ive been trying to but no luck.  I thought going up a division would help but i can only offer 7k when he wants 20k.  Almost 5 months into the season now so getting to the point of no return

[SkiIIs]

On 26/04/2024 at 20:13, XaW said:

XaW - Marine FC - Season 2030/31 (Season 7) - Sky Bet Championship

Squad | Transfers | Finances

We avoided relegation, so we did what we set out to do. And we even stayed away from the dog fight for survival too, by hovering around lower mid-table for the entire season. On a very positive note, we are no longer losing money, but we aren't really making much either, so improving the club will not be very easy unless we get a magical cup run or something, as we are currently quite far away from going up into the Premier League. Looking at the players, I'd say we currently have a good batch of top League One players, and some that are rated as Championship ones, so we are clearly doing well based on the actual skill level of the players. So I think I just need to wait for more development or more talented players in the intake. In the mean time, we'll just keep cruising here in the Championship, at least I hope we can continue to stay up.

FA Cup: We beat Crystal Palace and QPR before we lost to Leicester in the 5th round.
Carabao Cup: We beat Stockport County, Sunderland, and Derby before we lost to Chelsea in the 4th round.

Best players from the academy:

Ben Jordan 26g - Was meant to be 2nd choice left back, but does so well he plays a lot for us.
Isaac Dean 28a - Is starting to really grow into a good attacking midfielder for us. Would like to see a bit more creativity from him though, but he does pop up with a fair amount of goals.
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e - Still leads our line well and scores quite a lot of goals, but does have some goal draughts now, as his finishing has started to let him down at times.

New club records:

Most league goals - Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e - 113 goals

I did get one upgrade approved this season, to get us out of the horrid facilities we had.

U21s

We created a U21 team for this season and they started in the English U21 Division 3 where they finished rock bottom.

U18s

After winning the U18 Youth Alliance League North-West last season they turned up in the U18 Professional Development League this season where they finished 2nd in the North group. Then they lost in the champions playoff semi final to eventual winners Cardiff.

FA Youth Cup: They beat Sheffield United before losing to Leeds in the 4th round.

Around the world

Youth intake:

Trophy cabinet

Sky Bet League One - 2029/30
Sky Bet League Two - 2028/29

Vanarama National League - 2026/27
Vanarama National League North - 2024/25

EFL Trophy - 2029/30

FA Trophy - 2025/26
(U18s) U18 Youth Alliance League North-West - 2029/30
(U18s) U18 National League North West - 2026/27

Player statistics:

Most apps for the club

Name			Nation			2nd Nation		Time at club	Apps
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e	England			Antigua & Barbuda	2026-Present	225
Charlie Rowlands 26c	England			Wales			2026-Present	220
Kevin Gallagher 27a	Ireland			England			2027-Present	193
Lewis Pritchard 26m	England			Ireland			2026-Present	190
David Overton 25a	England			<N/A>			2025-2029	175

Most goals for the club

Name			Nation			2nd Nation		Time at club	Goals
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e	England			Antigua & Barbuda	2026-Present	132
Kevin Gallagher 27a	Ireland			England			2027-Present	56
Jamie Adams-Fisk 28d	England			<N/A>			2028-Present	41
Isaac Dean 28a		England			<N/A>			2028-Present	26
Rosario Capasso 27b	Italy			England			2027-Present	20

Most assists for the club

Name			Nation			2nd Nation		Time at club	Assists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Gallagher 27a	Ireland			England			2027-Present	42
Ben Jordan 26g		England			<N/A>			2026-Present	35
Kyle McLean 28b		Scotland		England			2028-Present	32
Rakeem Hughes-Mason 26e	England			Antigua & Barbuda	2026-Present	21
Lewis Pritchard 26m	England			Ireland			2026-Present	18

Supporters:

Bingo:

Summary:

getting a ready made player in the youth intake at this point is gold!

[CDGBruno]

SEASON 4 - 2027

 

[SkiIIs]

On 28/04/2024 at 06:35, djsterry said:

not done an update for ages but just thought this was funny, the financial constraints are brutal  4th season in the championship and still losing money with a 66k a week wage bill 

I'm feeling your pain!  I cant remember previous versions being this difficult financially once you got to League 2

[CDGBruno]

SEASON 5 - 2028

 

[XaW]

8 hours ago, SkiIIs said:

getting a ready made player in the youth intake at this point is gold!

He looks like an amazing talent. Would like his speed to be improved though, so that's probably what he will be working on for the next few years!  

[HanziZoloman]

@HaylingZar great update again. Maybe I start giving them again here. Follow your stuff 

[HaylingZar]

19 minutes ago, HanziZoloman said:

@HaylingZar great update again. Maybe I start giving them again here. Follow your stuff 

Thank you! Yes do post yours as well! 

[JLAB]

AFC Telford United - Season 4

After last season, I knew that we had the potential to reach the playoffs in the league, and our performance this season proved me correct. We equalled our best-ever season in the points tally with 77 points, and we had a tough task ahead of us.

So when we reached the playoff final, beating Marine and King's Lynn Town along the way, I was excited by our chances. It turns out we were terrific, but unfortunately, we just ran out of steam towards the end, with Kettering Town beating us 4-2 after extra time in the playoff final.

Maybe next season, we can take the next step towards our progression of going up the football leagues.

I completed my Continental A Licence.

After this last step, I am finally studying for my Continental Pro Licence to complete my coaching qualifications.

Our latest youth intake was kinder than last season's, so I am optimistic about the future.

Sean Owens is the first of two 5-star potential ability goalkeepers but is highly inconsistent.

Paddy Smyth is the latest of a list of exciting young strikers to come through my academy. If we can improve his determination, I will have no complaints.

Emanuel Tavares is the player I am most excited about, for he can slot straight into my first team upon his arrival. He might be inconsistent, but his ability and personality more than makeup for it.

Jordan Gazey is another midfielder who helps strengthen my core. He is useful in many ways. He gives me more of a playmaker vibe than anything else, but he also needs to improve before he can be considered for the first team.

Philip O'Connor is the last goalkeeper I am pleased with. He has a better personality and consistency, so there is plenty of reason to believe he will succeed.

I received a job interview offer from Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock this season, so it was interesting to receive this approach as an English sixth-tier manager.

I've played 200 games in charge of Telford United, and I consider this my most successful season yet. My board is realistic about where we should aim, and my players are slowly developing. Can we aim for the playoffs again next season?

JLAB's YAC with Telford United - Season 4