the Official FM24 Dafuge Challenge

[jrobertgordon13]

 

 

Welcome to another year of the Dafuge Challenge! I was worried no one would do it again, so I decided to pick it up. Anyway, let’s get into the rules and such.

All of the following is from the FM23 edition of the Dafuge Challenge, so if anything should be added/removed, let me know!
The Aim

To take a small club who were previously unplayable in an unedited game from the Vanarama National League North/South to Premier League and Champions League glory.

The Rules

Start the game unemployed and choose the advanced setup. Like last year, you have the option of loading whatever leagues you like at the start and throughout the game. All of the boxes should be left unticked apart from 'do not add key staff' and 'prevent use of in-game editor'. It should look like this.

Just like previous years, the players for the newly playable clubs need to be added which can be done using the 'advanced' option on the database size. The players from the four feeder league have to be added, which looks like this (the other two are further down). You can also add anything else you like to increase the size of the database.

The extra levels of detail that you can change while in the game are up to you.

Add yourself as an unemployed manager, the details are not important at all. I like to call mine 'Holiday Man'.

Go on holiday until 24th May (this is when the promoted clubs are decided), save the game then go on holiday until 24th  June (this is when the promoted clubs are revealed). Repeating these steps will give you a new set of clubs to pick from.

Retire your 'Holiday Man' manager allowing him to finish his career unbeaten.

Add a new manager, the personal details are completely up to you but I would expect people to use their own true nationalities and languages spoken.

Choose one of the new clubs promoted to the Vanarama North or South to manage. A quick way to check the new teams is to find the 'England Overview' screen, then the 'season summary'. Just above the FA Cup summary you should find a list of the nine newly promoted teams.

Coaching badges must be set to 'None', with past playing experience set as 'Sunday League Footballer'. The coaching attributes are completely up to you.

You may not move clubs unless you are sacked. If you get sacked, you can either take over a newly promoted club that satisfies the original criteria (check the club's league history), or just start again.

Any form of international management is not allowed, until you have completed the challenge.

Assigning parent clubs and loaning players is completely up to the player, although it should be noted that on occasions a parent club can lend players which will make the first season or two slightly less of a challenge. It is completely up to you how you play this one. Personally, I like to assign a parent club for financial benefits but never take any players on loan from them.

To sign a player, you must be able to scout them, this doesn't mean you have to, just he must be accessible to your scouts. If you have a foreign player on a free transfer who is willing to come on trial, you do not need to be able to scout them, as long as you have them at the club on trial so you can get a coach report on him. If an agent offers you a player, you can sign him without scouting him.

No external utilities such as scouting programs should be used and the database should be unedited (with the exception of cosmetic changes which cannot be discussed here). Should SI release a data update, this would be allowed but any other data updates are not.

Use of save game editors is strictly banned, whatever the reason. Ticking that box at the start should see to this.

Rules for this Thread

Player naming is allowed.

General discussion on tactics is allowed, although people should not refer to downloaded tactics. They are not banned, but I would expect the majority of people to avoid them.

When you join the challenge, post a screenshot of your manager's profile on the 25th June like this.

Progress of your club should be documented using this thread, we want to hear the story of your club all the way through. Please keep us updated, even if you are doing really badly.

At the end of every season, could everyone post some kind of season review, including at least a screenshot of a league table and the clubs transfer page. If you give this a title in bold it makes it a bit easier to pick out.

How to Post a Screenshot

While in FM, press Alt and S
A picture will be saved to a screenshots folder, in the FM22 folder in your documents
Upload the image to an image hosting website such as Imgur
Post the direct Url to the image here.

 

Anyway, let’s get going!

 

Previous hosts:

@dafuge

@DazRTaylor

 

Hall of Fame:

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by jrobertgordon13

[jrobertgordon13]

I am beginning with Leiston FC for my first dafuge save of FM24!

[G_D_K]

Having actually beat the challenge two years running (in season 20 in both FM21 and 22, coincidentally), I'm not entirely sure I will be running it again this year.  But, I have started holidaying and building up a save database, just in case.  So, as in previous years, I will again host those saves on my mediafire account for those who want to save time and dive in.

 

Note:  These are what I have obtained so far, but are not actually uploaded yet.  I'll get to that this weekend --- so far, I have one half of the available teams, and will continue over the next week or so to find more.

PS -- if you find a save you like but with a setup you don't (too many players for your machine to handle, too few players to your liking), you can download the savefile and Add/Edit league (from the main menu) to add new leagues, make leagues playable that are view only, or make them view only if they are set to playable.  This will tailor the size/speed of the sim to your liking).

 

Without further ado -- FM24 Dafuge Holiday saves:

As requested in past, teams in bold are first apperances in the list.  Numbers in parentheses are tracking total number of unique teams.

Batch 1:  UK&I (17 leagues, 5 nations about 26K players)

Save 1:  Merthy;r, Salisbury, Redditch, Dulwich Hamlet, Concord, Halesowen, Radcliffe, Macclesfield (8)

Save 2:  Hungerford, Kettering, Bradford PA, Basingstoke, Carshalton, AFC Telford, Hitchin, Radcliffe (15)

Save 3:  Hungerford, AFC Telford, Chesham, Hendon, Billericay, Gosport, Dulwich Hamlet, Nuneaton Boro (20)

Save 4:  Merthyr, Salisbury, Kettering, Bognor Regis, Billericay, AFC Telford, Concord, Macclesfield (21)

Save 5:  Salisbury, Ilkeston, Basingstoke, Concord, Dulwich Hamlet, Mickleover, Bamber Bridge, Bradford PA (24)

Save 6:  Salisbury, Merthyr, Kettering, Dulwich Hamlet, Chesham, AFC Telford, Hornchurch, Bradford PA (25)

Save 7: Hungerford, Kettering, Chesham, Billericay, Concord, AFC TGelford, Matlock, Bradford PA (26)

Save 8 Poole, Leamington, Macclesfield, Gosport, Dulwich Hamlet, AFC Telford, Nuneaton Boro, Bradford PA (28)

S2Save 1:  Hendon, Kettering, Chesham, Dulwich Hamlet, Billericay, Lewes, Basingstoke, AFC Telford (29)

S2Save 2:  Poole, Kettering, Leamington, Chesham, Dulwich Hamlet, Billericay, FC United, Macclesfield (30)

S2Save 3:  Hendon, Basford, Chesham, Dulwich Hamlet, Concord, Nuneaton Boro, Marine, Macclesfield (32)

S2Save 4:  Hungerford, Stourbridge, Macclesfield, Hendon, Guisley, Halesowen, Concord, FC United (34)

S2Save 5:  Poole, Kettering, Radclife, Basingstoke, Folkestone, Ilkeston, Matlock, Bradford (PA) (35)

S2Save 6:  Chesham, Leamington, Hendon, Concord, Guiseley, AFC Telford, Hornchurch, Marine (35)

S2Save 7:  Hungerford, Salisbury, Needham Market, Billericay, Lewes, Nuneaton Boro, Bradford (PA), Radcliffe (36)

S2Save 8:  Hayes & Yeading, Leamington, Kettering, Chesham, Billericay, Bradford (PA), Hornchurch, Macclesfield (37)

S3Save 1:  Merthyr, Hungerford, Kettering, Basingstoke, Horsham, Basford, Bradford (PA), Macclesfield (38)

Batch 2:  UK&I + Scandinavia (34 leagues/11 Nations 44K players)

Seed 6 (May 24)

S4Save 1: Harrow, Kettering, Guiseley, Concord, Chesham, Billericay, Bamber Bridge, Mickelover (39)

S4Save 2:  Hungerford, Merthyr, Kettering, Billericay, Enfield Town, Mickleover, Marine, Bradford (PA) (40)

S4save 4:  Hayes & Yeading, Stourbridge, Hendon, Billericay, Dulwich Hamlet, Hornchurch, Gainsborough, Nuneaton Borow (41)

S4Save 3:  Merthry, Hitchin, Royston, Gosport, Billericay, Macclesfield, Horsham, Bradford (PA) (42) 

S4Save 5:  Merthyr, Hungerford, Billericay, Dulwich Hamlet, Leiston, Hornchurch, Concord, Nuneaton Boro (43)

S5Save 1:  Merthyr, Kettering, Concord, Hendon, Hornchurch, Hitchin, Ashton Utd, Macclesfield (44)

S6Save 2:  Merthyr, Barwell, Bradford PA, Hendon, Radcliffe, MIcleover, Folkestone, Macclesfield (45)

S6Save 3:  Dorchester, Leamington, Chesham, Lewes, Dulwich Hamlet, Stamford, Bamber Bridge, Guiesley (47)

Batch 3:  UK&I, +Scandinavia and West Europe (65 Leagues/22 nations,106K players)

Seed 7 (24 May)

S7Save 1:   Tiverton, Kettering, Chesham, Enfield town, Dulwich Hamlet, Nuneaton Boro, Concord, AFC Telford (48)

S7Save 2:  Salisbury, Royston, Coalville, Basingstoke, Dulwich Hamlet, Concord, Guisley, AFC Telford (49)

 

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by G_D_K

[Faramir]

BTW- June 24 is the actual date of the season turnover 

 

[Rolphynho]

Kuddos! The challenge I've been waiting for before starting my first save. Is there any leaderboard with the previous documented winners of the challenge and the number of seasons they needed? 

[KVJ92]

Last time I tried this was in FM21 with Morpeth. And completed it in 2045 or something like that. Might have another go this year. 

And great job taking the job to continue the thread!

[WhiteCat33]

@G_D_K always appreciate your English reloads, ive used them for Youth Academy Challenge saves. Question: are these new saves still for fm23 or fm24? 

[Vipertitan]

my first try this season with Macclesfield

[jrobertgordon13]

9 hours ago, Rolphynho said:

Kuddos! The challenge I've been waiting for before starting my first save. Is there any leaderboard with the previous documented winners of the challenge and the number of seasons they needed? 

I’ll have one from now on in the first post. There was one on a separate website at some point, however that’s outdated now.

[Faramir]

I went through 7-8 saves - the longest shot I could find in any of them was Stourbridge at 500-1, so that is what I am starting with.

 

[KVJ92]

7 hours ago, KVJ92 said:

Last time I tried this was in FM21 with Morpeth. And completed it in 2045 or something like that. Might have another go this year. 

And great job taking the job to continue the thread!

I think I'll see if I can get Marske promoted  When the "full" game is released

Edited October 23, 2023 by KVJ92

[G_D_K]

7 hours ago, WhiteCat33 said:

@G_D_K always appreciate your English reloads, ive used them for Youth Academy Challenge saves. Question: are these new saves still for fm23 or fm24? 

These saves (first batches at least) are from the Beta/Early Access of FM24.  My FM23 saves are still on site as well, so if you wish to load anFM23 save and import to FM24, they'll be there.  Obviously there are more FM23 saves up at the moment, though I hope to have more FM24 beta saves up this week.... and I'll also get some batches of FM24 saves from the release version as well come the 6th.

[WhiteCat33]

19 minutes ago, G_D_K said:

These saves (first batches at least) are from the Beta/Early Access of FM24.  My FM23 saves are still on site as well, so if you wish to load anFM23 save and import to FM24, they'll be there.  Obviously there are more FM23 saves up at the moment, though I hope to have more FM24 beta saves up this week.... and I'll also get some batches of FM24 saves from the release version as well come the 6th.

Awesome, just wanted to check as you said fm23 in the post but I figured you meant fm24. 

[Tyer]

(deleted)

Edited October 26, 2023 by Tyer

[Tyer]

(deleted)

Edited October 26, 2023 by Tyer

[Rolphynho]

23 hours ago, G_D_K said:

These saves (first batches at least) are from the Beta/Early Access of FM24.  My FM23 saves are still on site as well, so if you wish to load anFM23 save and import to FM24, they'll be there.  Obviously there are more FM23 saves up at the moment, though I hope to have more FM24 beta saves up this week.... and I'll also get some batches of FM24 saves from the release version as well come the 6th.

Could you also upload the save at 24th May please, so we could try some rerolls ourselves? I want to start with Cheshunt

 

L. E. You have Concord twice, you got them on your very first save, so no need for S2Save6

Edited October 24, 2023 by Rolphynho

[rhysyale]

Is it possible to see the full list of possible teams with reputations?

[Scab]

3 hours ago, rhysyale said:

Is it possible to see the full list of possible teams with reputations?

I don't think we'll have precise reputations until the editor is out on the 6th.

The feeder league tables without in-game rep:
https://www.thenpl.co.uk/match-info/tables
https://www.isthmian.co.uk/match-info/tables
https://southern-football-league.co.uk/league-table/Southern League Premier Central/2023/2024/P/
https://southern-football-league.co.uk/league-table/Southern League Premier South/2023/2024/P/

What we can get is a rough idea of the reputations by going to Nations > England > Clubs > List and seeing where the clubs sit in the list relative to each other. The "Rep Rating" sorting is reputation, just without the exact value exposed.

[georg94]

Thanks for setting this up! Lets go!

Edited October 24, 2023 by georg94

[KVJ92]

I have reloaded for a few days just to see which teams comes up and if Marske have a chance. Haven't seen them yet..

Any teams you guys want me to check and upload a save for? It's loaded with England only and All players for top division clubs in Europe, so approx 50k players. 

[Rolphynho]

On 23/10/2023 at 03:45, G_D_K said:

Having actually beat the challenge two years running (in season 20 in both FM21 and 22, coincidentally), I'm not entirely sure I will be running it again this year.  But, I have started holidaying and building up a save database, just in case.  So, as in previous years, I will again host those saves on my mediafire account for those who want to save time and dive in.

 

Note:  These are what I have obtained so far, but are not actually uploaded yet.  I'll get to that this weekend --- so far, I have one half of the available teams, and will continue over the next week or so to find more.

PS -- if you find a save you like but with a setup you don't (too many players for your machine to handle, too few players to your liking), you can download the savefile and Add/Edit league (from the main menu) to add new leagues, make leagues playable that are view only, or make them view only if they are set to playable.  This will tailor the size/speed of the sim to your liking).

 

Without further ado -- FM24 Dafuge Holiday saves:

As requested in past, teams in bold are first apperances in the list.  Numbers in parentheses are tracking total number of unique teams.

Batch 1:  UK&I (17 leagues, 5 nations about 26K players)

Save 1:  Merthy;r, Salisbury, Redditch, Dulwich Hamlet, Concord, Halesowen, Radcliffe, Macclesfield (8)

Save 2:  Hungerford, Kettering, Bradford PA, Basingstoke, Carshalton, AFC Telford, Hitchin, Radcliffe (15)

Save 3:  Hungerford, AFC Telford, Chesham, Hendon, Billericay, Gosport, Dulwich Hamlet, Nuneaton Boro (20)

Save 4:  Merthyr, Salisbury, Kettering, Bognor Regis, Billericay, AFC Telford, Concord, Macclesfield (21)

Save 5:  Salisbury, Ilkeston, Basingstoke, Concord, Dulwich Hamlet, Mickleover, Bamber Bridge, Bradford PA (24)

Save 6:  Salisbury, Merthyr, Kettering, Dulwich Hamlet, Chesham, AFC Telford, Hornchurch, Bradford PA (25)

Save 7: Hungerford, Kettering, Chesham, Billericay, Concord, AFC TGelford, Matlock, Bradford PA (26)

Save 8 Poole, Leamington, Macclesfield, Gosport, Dulwich Hamlet, AFC Telford, Nuneaton Boro, Bradford PA (28)

S2Save 1:  Hendon, Kettering, Chesham, Dulwich Hamlet, Billericay, Lewes, Basingstoke, AFC Telford (29)

S2Save 2:  Poole, Kettering, Leamington, Chesham, Dulwich Hamlet, Billericay, FC United, Macclesfield (30)

S2Save 3:  Hendon, Basford, Chesham, Dulwich Hamlet, Concord, Nuneaton Boro, Marine, Macclesfield (32)

S2Save 4:  Hungerford, Stourbridge, Macclesfield, Hendon, Guisley, Halesowen, Concord, FC United (34)

S2Save 5:  Poole, Kettering, Radclife, Basingstoke, Folkestone, Ilkeston, Matlock, Bradford (PA) (35)

S2Save 6:  Chesham, Leamington, Hendon, Concord, Guiseley, AFC Telford, Hornchurch, Marine (36)

S2Save 7:  Hungerford, Salisbury, Needham Market, Billericay, Lewes, Nuneaton Boro, Bradford (PA), Radcliffe (37)

S2Save 8:  Hayes & Yeading, Leamington, Kettering, Chesham, Billericay, Bradford (PA), Hornchurch, Macclesfield (38)

S3Save 1:  Merthyr, Hungerford, Kettering, Basingstoke, Horsham, Basford, Bradford (PA), Macclesfield (39)

Batch 2:  UK&I + Scandinavia (34 leagues/11 Nations 44K players)

S4Save 1: Harrow, Kettering, Guiseley, Concord, Chesham, Billericay, Bamber Bridge, Mickelover (40)

S4Save 2:  Hungerford, Merthyr, Kettering, Billericay, Enfield Town, Mickleover, Marine, Bradford (PA) (41)

S4save 4:  Hayes & Yeading, Stourbridge, Hendon, Billericay, Dulwich Hamlet, Hornchurch, Gainsborough, Nuneaton Borow (42)

S4Save 3:  Merthry, Hitchin, Royston, Gosport, Billericay, Macclesfield, Horsham, Bradford (PA) (43) 

S4Save 5:  Merthyr, Hungerford, Billericay, Dulwich Hamlet, Leiston, Hornchurch, Concord, Nuneaton Boro (44)

I apologize for the spam, but I think my previous message might have been lost with the flow. If you still have the batch 1 save at the 24th of May, could you please upload it as well? Thanks in advance and sorry if im being a nuisance 

[KVJ92]

2 hours ago, Rolphynho said:

I apologize for the spam, but I think my previous message might have been lost with the flow. If you still have the batch 1 save at the 24th of May, could you please upload it as well? Thanks in advance and sorry if im being a nuisance 

I have one if needed  and otherwise it took 10 minutes to holiday to may 24th

Edited October 26, 2023 by KVJ92

[Rolphynho]

2 hours ago, KVJ92 said:

I have one if needed  and otherwise it took 10 minutes to holiday to may 24th

Yes please and thank you so much. Takes a whole lot longer on mine and adding the tries for rolling the team i want (and hopefully their fiercest rivals as well) on top of the year long holiday... Well, it made me not even try

[Tyer]

I think I'm going to have to restart this once the full release comes out, I'm having technical issues with the Beta.

Deleting my previous posts of my starting.

[KVJ92]

49 minutes ago, Rolphynho said:

Yes please and thank you so much. Takes a whole lot longer on mine and adding the tries for rolling the team i want (and hopefully their fiercest rivals as well) on top of the year long holiday... Well, it made me not even try

https://www.mediafire.com/file/2ej7sj9u36xigr9/dafuge_test.fm/file - Does this work? England is the only country loaded. All players from top divisions from Europe. Approx 50k players. 

[Rolphynho]

2 hours ago, KVJ92 said:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/2ej7sj9u36xigr9/dafuge_test.fm/file - Does this work? England is the only country loaded. All players from top divisions from Europe. Approx 50k players. 

Works fine, ty

 

[G_D_K]

On 26/10/2023 at 06:20, Rolphynho said:

I apologize for the spam, but I think my previous message might have been lost with the flow. If you still have the batch 1 save at the 24th of May, could you please upload it as well? Thanks in advance and sorry if im being a nuisance 

I'll upload the May 24 seed file on my next batch.... haven't done any in a couple days due to work.

[jrobertgordon13]

SEASON 1 - LEISTON FC

I ended up getting sacked on the 11th of January, so not that much to report

Performance:

League Table: 24th in Vanarama National League North

FA Cup: Lost in Third Qualifying Round to South Shields

FA Trophy: Lost in Third Round to Blyth Spartans

Key Players:

Best Avg Rating: (DL) Ollie Saunders - 6.74 Avg Rating

Most Goals: (ST) Matthew Takawira - 6 Goals

Most Assists: (AML) Jamar Loza - 5 Assists (tied with 4 players)

Best Transfer: (ST) Matthew Takawira

Recap:

Overall pretty bad season, however wasn't too awful in my opinion. Wish me luck for my next dafuge save!

[dezomolz]

Taking on this challenge for the first time ever. I have chosen the mighty Stourbridge out in west Birmingham. Lets see how I go. 

[Faramir]

Stourbridge - End Season 1

Lost in VN North Playoffs in Semi-final 5-2 against Warrington (Keyol Figueroa killed us all season when we played them and did again in the Semi-final.)

It was a good season, we wound up finishing 5th with 76 points, but our defense fell apart in the late season and we were plagued with inconsistent play from our Keepers. We did score goals and broke the Conference record for total goals with 115. Our tandem strikers of Lewis Darlington (signed on free) and Stanley Anaebonum (on the club to start) were the main core of our offense with a combined 75 goals, but our backline was a patchwork mess as there wasn't much when I arrived and I had little budget to get better defenders. Our midfield anchors of Hugh Alban-Jones (signed on free) and Alex Prosser (on the club to start) were passible, but not great. Winger Dexter Walters (on the club to start) was great early in the year, but got hurt and wasn't near as good as the season wound down. Kobi Jones (signed on free) was our #1 keeper- but he absolutely killed our title chances with poor performances down the stretch- we were battling Warrington and eventual champ AFC Fylde for the top spot through mid-February before we fell off. 

Now to work on reshaping the side the way I want it- there were heavy baggage contracts on many of the players when I arrived and we have more room to set things up (hopefully better) for next season.

[KVJ92]

I'm still reloading my beta save just to see who comes up. I think lowest rep-teams I've seen has been St. Ives, Stamford, Leiston and Tiverton. At least according to the stars-list I can see ingame. 

Edit: Didn't save any. But if you have any team requests I can look for them and save that in case I see them

Edited November 2, 2023 by KVJ92

[jrobertgordon13]

SEASON 1 -  METROPOLITAN POLICE

The season was surely better than expected, i’ll say that.

Performance:

League Table: 12th in Vanarama National League South

FA Cup: Lost in Fourth Qualifying Round to Dagenham and Redbridge

FA Trophy: Lost in Fifth Round to Southend United

Key Players:

Best Avg Rating: (CB) Josh Leslie-Smith - 7.04 Avg Rating

Most Goals: (ST) Jordan Graham - 20 Goals

Most Assists: (CM) Jamar Loza - 10 Assists

Best Transfer: (GK) Wes Garfield

Recap:

Good season and I’m looking to build off it!

[jrobertgordon13]

SEASON 2 - METROPOLITAN POLICE

We made our first playoff apperance!

Performance:

League Table: 7th in National League South

FA Cup: Lost in Fourth Qualifying Round to Barnet

FA Trophy: Lost in Second Round to Hendon (ouch)

National League South Playoffs: Lost in Semi Final to Maidstone

Key Players:

Avg Rating: (CB) Connor Roberts - 7.14

Goals: (ST) Saul Kader - 22 Goals

Assists: (AMR) Gavin McKinnon - 23 Assists

Best Transfer: (ST) Saul Kader

Recap:

Next year i'm hoping is the year, although I doubt it.

[Faramir]

 

Stourbridge- 2025-26 (Season 2)   

With our redone squad we captured the VN North Crown over AFC Telford and South Shields with 2 games to spare.  

Our biggest contributor continued to be Lewis Darlington. In his 2nd season with us he scored 41 goals, 11 assists and earned 10 POM along with being named VN North Player of the Year (and golden boot). One of the main reasons Darlington was so successful was the free transfer signing of RW Connor Stanley (after being released by Hereford). Stanley had 10 goals and 19 assists and his crosses allowed Stanley Anaebonam to also contribute 25 goals. LW loanee George Beaumont (from Millwall) came back for a full season (he joined us in latter stages of last season) and scored 8 goals with 8 assists to also play a key role in our offense. Our main midfield tandem of Hugh Alban-Jones and Conrad Honore (signed on free after being released by Taunton) were steady and Ben Perry (free transfer signing from Nottingham Forest) gave us a much improved performance over last season. Our backline, which was awful last season, was also improved as we leaned on the additions of James Lester (signed on free from Cardiff), Lennon Patterson (signed on free from Wolves) and Teddy Ramwell (signed on free from Blackburn) to join up with steady Kornell McDonald (our only adequate defender from last season) to solidify the supporting slate.  After letting Kobi Brooks walk as Keeper after his inconsistent play and wage demands, we discovered we already had the keeper we needed on the club. We had signed 15 year old Ben Butterfield as backup for Brooks, but he turned out to have a lot of potential and he played very well as a 17 year old (and now is wanted by Reading- which I am dreading) in anchoring our improved defense.  We also received minor contributions from SC Fabian Salmon (another Wolves free transfer) with 5 goals and 8 assists in limited duty, loanee MC Daniel Carter (Leyton Orient) and defenders Brayden Clarke (our 3rd free transfer addition from Wolves) and Jack Burchell. 

With a measly 8K budget we managed to jump from 5th place to the title thanks to the play of the youngsters (Darlington himself just turned 21) and now move on to play in VN. 

[Rullom]

First ever attempt.

Goal for the 1st season - Don't get sacked.

Prediction - I'll get sacked.

[DazRTaylor]

Not feeling it for Macclesfield, hence the lack of posts on this thread.  So will restart with someone else.  I will just amend my intro post to save spamming.

[Mahzun_Savas]

I am taking control of Carshalton Athletic

 

[Tyer]

Found a fun one to start with!  Hopefully with the full release I won't have the problems with saves that I did with the beta

[SaintsFCFan7498]

Saw I had a fairly local side so had to take them. My Early Access save was Saints where I got to Premier League title, Champions League titles, an FA Cup and EFL Cup. Looking forward to taking them to glory. If you saw Basingstoke before this was edited, the game definitely didn't crash before I saved and I definitely didn't reload multiple times to get a fairly local-ish club.

The Beginning: Salisbury

Edited November 7, 2023 by SaintsFCFan7498

[jrobertgordon13]

SEASON 3 - METROPOLITAN POLICE

Going to be my last year with Metropolitan Police, mainly because I kept spending WAY to much money, to the point of having none left.

Results:

League: 8th in Vanarama National League South

FA Cup: Lost in Third Qualifying Round to Lewes FC

FA Trophy: Lost in Second Round to Chatham Town

Stats:

Highest Avg Rating: Connor Roberts, 6.96 Rating

Most Goals: Saul Kader, 29 Goals

Most Assists: James Nicholson, 10 Assists

Best Transfer: James Nicholson

End of Save Talk:

This save was going to be better if I didn't spend as much money as I did. Hopefully next time I can be wiser with the club's $$$

[DazRTaylor]

Here we go.

Club Introduction

Marine

 

The Manager

This is me.

Personal Contract

Season     Contract Start Date     Contract Expiry Date     Pre Tax Wage     Post Tax Wage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start          24 June 2024             30 June 2025         £750 p/w          £600 p/w

Personal Coaching Data

Season     Reputation            Qualifications     Att  Def  Fit  GkD  GkH  GkS  Tac  Tec  Men  SeP  WWY  Ada  Det  PlK  YoK  LoD  PeM  Mot
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start   Minimal   (0.50*)     None                 1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    5    1    1    1    5    1    1    1

Club Facilities

Season     Training Facilities  Youth Facilities  Youth Level  Corporate Facilities  Junior Coaching  Youth Recruitment  Club Reputation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Start   Basic                Basic                  4       Basic                 Average          Basic              Local   (1.00*)

Season Record

Season     Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Win Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall Career Record

After Season   Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Win Percentage     Time At Club
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transfer Purchase Record

Date               Player                    Position               Club Purchased From          Country                   Transfer Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transfer Sale Record

Date               Player                    Position               Club Sold To                 Country                   Transfer Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trophy Haul

Season     Competition Won
--------------------------

Trophy Cabinet

League Titles
-------------

Cup Competition Victories
-------------------------

Career Overview

Season     Champions League    Europa League    Europa Conference League             League                             Position     F.A. Cup                    League Cup        Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2023 by DazRTaylor

[Tyer]

Nice!  I remember Marine playing Tottenham that would have been a fun one to takeover.

[SaintsFCFan7498]

Well. That went badly. Will probably update in a few hours with who I've gotten for the next attempt. It was just a disaster. Injuries were a problem but they were to key players at key times. I lost confidence in myself and felt the 5ATB tactic I had would have potential but it didn't produce anything. It was more defensively solid but when your team gives up a penalty most games, we're already on the back foot. Difficult. But I'll try again.

Attempt Number 2: Basingstoke Two Boogaloo

Got Basingstoke again as I got before it crashed. Hopefully, this time, we have a chance of more than a day.

Edited November 8, 2023 by SaintsFCFan7498

[DazRTaylor]

End of Season Review

Season 2024/25

Marine

Season Summary

Whilst we were poor in the cups, we were fantastic in the league, storming to the title.

Season Details

League Table - We secured the title and promotion with four games remaining and we finished the campaign

League Fixtures 1 & 2 - After losing two of our first four games, we didn't lose again until late March, an unbeaten run that lasted for thirty six games.

F. A. Cup - We reached the fourth qualifying round before losing away to Boston United, who play in the same division as us.

F. A. Trophy - A very poor performance at home to fellow National League North Side Farsley Athletic saw the club crash out, on penalties, in the third round.

Friendlies - We endured a very tough pre season campaign.

Squad - We have a terrific, young squad that is only going to get better.

Squad Dynamics - This is good though there is still room for improvement.

Transfers In 1 & 2 - I overhauled the squad as a lot of youngsters arrived on free transfers, together with a few loans.

Transfers Out - Two players were sold for nominal fees and a few were allowed to depart on free transfers.

Youth Candidates - It was a poor intake with just one player, striker Rae Navarro YP25A1, being offered a contract.

Finances - We made a small profit which has seen our bank balance grow a little.

Key Players

Adam Lewis - Signing midway through the season on a free transfer, the former Liverpool man was one of our best players.

Max Halil - Still aged only seventeen, the young striker had a fabulous season, scoring 26 goals in 45 appearances.

Theo Robinson - Playing at right back, he had a fine campaign.

Edwin Andersson - Our best loan signing, the winger, who can play on either side, signed from Stoke City for the year and was incredible.

Ryan Duncan - Another loanee, the teenage Scottish midfielder enjoyed himself immensely after signing from Hearts for the season.

Next Season

I want another promotion.

Personal Contract

Season     Contract Start Date     Contract Expiry Date     Pre Tax Wage     Post Tax Wage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start          24 June 2024             30 June 2025         £750 p/w          £600 p/w
2024/25          18 March 2025             30 June 2026         £800 p/w ↑        £625 p/w ↑

Personal Coaching Data

Season     Reputation            Qualifications     Att  Def  Fit  GkD  GkH  GkS  Tac  Tec  Men  SeP  WWY  Ada  Det  PlK  YoK  LoD  PeM  Mot
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start   Minimal   (0.50*)     None                 1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    5    1    1    1    5    1    1    1
2024/25    Minimal = (1.00*) ↑   National B ↑↑        5 ↑  6 ↑  2 ↑  1 =  1 =  1 =  5 ↑  6 ↑  5 ↑  2 ↑  5 =  1 =  5 ↑  5 ↑  6 ↑  9 ↑  6 ↑  6 ↑

Club Facilities

Season     Training Facilities  Youth Facilities  Youth Level  Corporate Facilities  Junior Coaching  Youth Recruitment  Club Reputation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Start   Basic                Basic                  4       Basic                 Average          Basic              Local   (1.00*)
2024/25    Basic =              Basic =                4 =     Basic =               Average ↑        Fairly Basic ↑     Local = (1.00*) =

Season Record

Season     Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Win Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024/25      51        35       10        6         133              51                 +82              68.63%

Overall Career Record

After Season   Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Win Percentage     Time At Club
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024/25          51        35       10        6         133              51                 +82              68.63%             298 days

Transfer Purchase Record

Date               Player                    Position               Club Purchased From          Country                   Transfer Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transfer Sale Record

Date               Player                    Position               Club Sold To                 Country                   Transfer Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 July 2024       Louis White               Central Midfield       Yeovil Town                  England                         £3,800
 1 February 2025   Max Howells               Right Wing             IF Karlstad Fotboll          Sweden                          £7,000

Trophy Haul

Season     Competition Won
--------------------------
2024/25    Vanarama National League North

Trophy Cabinet

League Titles
-------------
1 x Vanarama National League North (2024/25)

Cup Competition Victories
-------------------------

Career Overview

Season     Champions League    Europa League    Europa Conference League             League                             Position     F.A. Cup                    League Cup        Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024/25           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        1st       Fourth Qualifying Round         N/a           Promoted as champions.  F. A. Trophy third round.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by DazRTaylor

[CMU Chips]

Was holidaying to try to get Coalville, instead got an even lower rep team. We'll see if I make it out of season 1:

 

[Rullom]

Hornchurch

Season 1 | 2024/25

Season recap:  Predicted 19th in the league by the media, we successfully & unexpectedly placed 3rd in the league, leading to a loss in the playoff final against Dulwich Hamlet.

Vanarama National League South: 3rd in the league, knocked out in the final playoff.

FA Cup: Knocked out in third qualifier by Dulwich Hamlet.

FA Trophy: Knocked out in second round by Matlock Town.

Squad Overview: 

Fan's Player of the Season: Tyler Blackwood

Signing of the Season: Tyler Blackwood

Other Key players: 

1. George Quantrell

2. George Saunders

3. Bailey Smith

Tactics (top 3 starts)

4-1-4-1 TheSpursyHorn (Asy) - 32 starts

3-3-3-1 TheWideHorn - 7 starts

4-5-1 LowHoldingHorn (Asy) - 5 starts

Manager profile: We managed to secure the first coaching badge for license C.

Finances: Are looking like a problem, and we might need to find some wage cuts in the second season, to stabilize.

Hornchurch overview:

1st season goal - was a massive success, by not getting sacked.

1st season prediction - Thankfully, very wrong.

2nd Season goal: Stabilize the club financially by lowering wages on both players and staff, while still pushing for a top 2 position in the league, with better quality & suited players for the tactical approach. 

2nd Season prediction: Finishing  3rd in the league, losing in semifinal playoff to a team coming down from the national league.

[Faramir]

 

Stourbridge - Season 3 - 2026-27     1st Season Vanarama National

We arrived at mid-season in contention for the top spot. Altrincham was top and Crawley and us were both within three points. From that point on, we really gelled (bunch of additions again, so no surprise it wasn't smooth in the early going) and we won VN going away. We broke the total goalscoring record with 122 goals and at times early in the season needed all of them because our defense was a bit leaky.  The second half saw our defense gradually become more of a lock-down matter as our backline additions really started showing promise. Our goal scoring was obviously never an issue-  but that was only due to a pair of in-season forward signings.

Lewis Darlington again led the club with 30 goals and 8 assists, but he dropped off quite a bit after the halfway point. The slack was picked up by free signing Jimmy Knowles (released by Boston Utd). Knowles added 27 goals and 11 assists, including many key goals down the stretch. The other free signing, much later in the season was Jovon Makama (released by Lincoln) who added 13 goals. We signed promising young 17 year old Welsh striker/winger Sion Walters (free from Cefn Druids) and he added 12 goals and 7 assists. Connor Stanley showed he was again critical to our attack with 9 goals and 23 assists from rightwing. On leftwing, free signing Afi Adebayo (Thanks Scouts! released on free from Ipswich) contributed 5 goals and 13 assists, while loanee George Beaumont (2nd full season from Millwall) chipped in with 3 goals and 4 assists. In the center midfield, our keys were Conrad Honore (improved over last season with 4 goals and 10 assists) and Pawel Ograbek (free signing from Brighton)  with 6 goals and 10 assists. Lesser midfield contributions came from Joao Veloso dos Santos (free from Leicester), Ben Perry and deadline signing Christian N'Guessan.

Ben Butterfield ably manned the goal, but was purchased by Stoke for a measly 40K (and worth 2.5 Million as soon as soon as he signed with Stoke), but we did keep him on loan for the remainder of the season after his purchase. Teddy Ramwell and Lennon Patterson again were the main featured full backs, but the signature change for our backline was the purchase of Taylor Foran from Billericay. Foran immediately claimed the Captain's band (we desperately needed his leadership) and proved deadly in corners wtih 8 goals, along with stellar defense. He was paired most usually with 18 year old Argentinean (dual English) Juan Manuel Arredondo (free signing from Chelsea) and Adisa Osayande (free signing from Derby). Kornell McDonald and Jack Burchell aslo filled in as needed. 

The Board immediately moved to make us a Professional club after we clinched the title, so we finally reached that along with League 2.  Important decisions come quickly as Darlington isn't signed past this season and his drop off in the second half has me questioning whether to accommodate the huge raise he will demand- when I have my doubts on his effectiveness as we move to League play. Keeper may be an issue, but I did add Roco Rees on free transfer at the end of the season to at least provide some cover as we lose Butterfield. Honore and Stanley are rated below League 2 level, so more decisions on how to staff the midfield remain. Our wage budget is up- but only to 16K a week, which is a pittance in League 2- so we will have to proceed with a miser's touch on wages (and virtually no transfer budget- not  that I use it much at this level, only Foran has been purchased so far).

 

[Mr_Demus]

I will attempt this year after sitting out for some years. Don't know how far I'll get, but here goes.

 

[DazRTaylor]

End of Season Review

Season 2025/26

Marine

Season Summary

A glorious season, with another league win and promotion and two great cup runs including lifting our first domestic cup.

Season Details

League Table - We were neck and neck with Chesterfield for most of the season before pulling away and winning the league title by ten points.

League Fixtures 1, 2 & 3 - We were so consistent for the entire campaign and churned out the wins.  Chesterfield, who beat us home and away, pushed us all the way until they faltered in the home straight.

F. A. Cup - Our best run to date before losing at home to mega rich Newcastle United in the fourth round.  Winning away to Championship side Coventry City in round three was spectacular.

F. A. Trophy - Another good cup run where we went all the way to the final, where we met Altrincham.  It went to extra time where we scored twice more to claim our first domestic trophy.

Friendlies - What a run of pre season fixtrures this was.  The fact we played against so many Football League sides and only lost one game was just amazing.

Squad - I feel we are good enough to go up again.

Squad Dynamics - This is still room for improvement, though not much.

Transfers In 1, 2, 3 & 4 - We once again transformed the squad as we upgraded in virtually evbery position.

Transfers Out 1, 2 & 3 - Our first seven figure sale and young sensation Max Halil was sold for £1m plus a hefty sell on clause.

Youth Candidates - Goalkeeper Ayrton Bailey-Jones YP26F7 is the standout player of another poor intake.

Finances -  Thanks to the sale of Max Halil, a very healthy profit has been recorded.

Key Players

Alex Mighten - Our best player by some distance, he is comfortable on either wing or up front.

Ben Woodburn - The Welsh International was exceptional.

Niall Huggins - Another Welshman, the former Under 21 international is proficient as either full back.

Lewis Brunt - Another player capable of playing in lots of positions, he was usually deployed in central midfield and on the whole, he played very well.

Daniel Batty - The teenage central midfielder was acquired from Manchester City on loan for the year and he never let me down.

Next Season

I want another promotion.

Personal Contract

Season     Contract Start Date     Contract Expiry Date     Pre Tax Wage     Post Tax Wage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start          24 June 2024             30 June 2025         £750 p/w          £600 p/w
2024/25          18 March 2025             30 June 2026         £800 p/w ↑        £625 p/w ↑
2025/26          10 April 2026             30 June 2028         £875 p/w ↑        £675 p/w ↑

Personal Coaching Data

Season     Reputation            Qualifications     Att  Def  Fit  GkD  GkH  GkS  Tac  Tec  Men  SeP  WWY  Ada  Det  PlK  YoK  LoD  PeM  Mot
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start   Minimal   (0.50*)     None                 1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    5    1    1    1    5    1    1    1
2024/25    Minimal = (1.00*) ↑   National B     ↑↑    5 ↑  6 ↑  2 ↑  1 =  1 =  1 =  5 ↑  6 ↑  5 ↑  2 ↑  5 =  1 =  5 ↑  5 ↑  6 ↑  9 ↑  6 ↑  6 ↑
2025/26    Minimal = (2.50*) ↑   Continental B ↑↑↑    9 ↑  9 ↑  4 ↑  1 =  1 =  1 = 10 ↑  9 ↑  9 ↑  4 ↑  5 =  1 =  7 ↑  7 ↑  9 ↑ 12 ↑  9 ↑ 10 ↑

Club Facilities

Season     Training Facilities  Youth Facilities  Youth Level  Corporate Facilities  Junior Coaching  Youth Recruitment  Club Reputation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Start   Basic                Basic                  4       Basic                 Average          Basic              Local   (1.00*)
2024/25    Basic =              Basic =                4 =     Basic =               Average  ↑       Fairly Basic   ↑   Local = (1.00*) =
2025/26    Basic =              Basic =                4 =     Basic =               Good    ↑↑       Above Average ↑↑   Local = (1.00*) =

Season Record

Season     Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Win Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024/25      51        35       10        6         133              51                 +82              68.63%
2025/26      57        46        7        4         154              50                +104              80.70% ↑

Overall Career Record

After Season   Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Win Percentage     Time At Club
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024/25          51        35       10        6         133              51                 +82              68.63%             298 days
2025/26         108        81       17       10         287             101                +186              75.00% ↑           699 days

Transfer Purchase Record

Date               Player                    Position               Club Purchased From          Country                   Transfer Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 7 May 2025        Thanasis Theodoridis      Right Back             Bury                         England                         £5,000

Transfer Sale Record

Date               Player                    Position               Club Sold To                 Country                   Transfer Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 July 2024       Louis White               Central Midfield       Yeovil Town                  England                         £3,800
 1 February 2025   Max Howells               Right Wing             IF Karlstad Fotboll          Sweden                          £7,000
10 June 2025       Theo Robinson             Right Back             Gateshead                    England                        £33,000
24 January 2026    Max Halil                 Striker                Sheffield United             England                     £1,000,000

Trophy Haul

Season     Competition Won
--------------------------
2024/25    Vanarama National League North
2025/26    Vanarama National League
2025/26    F. A. Trophy

Trophy Cabinet

League Titles
-------------
1 x Vanarama National League       (2025/26)
1 x Vanarama National League North (2024/25)

Cup Competition Victories
-------------------------
1 x F. A. Trophy                   (2025/26)

Career Overview

Season     Champions League    Europa League    Europa Conference League             League                             Position     F.A. Cup                    League Cup        Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024/25           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        1st       Fourth Qualifying Round         N/a           Promoted as champions.  F. A. Trophy third round.
2025/26           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League              1st ↑     Fourth Round            ↑       N/a           Promoted as champions.  F. A. Trophy winners.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by DazRTaylor

[fcunitedfan]

Here we go again! This year I'm giving it a go with Canvey Island.