BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 November Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I had entered this month hoping for 3 points. Yea, we got 5! Lets rock this thing!! The saddest part is that, even though I have not changed the tactic much, we have basically stopped taking shots. We are averaging 10 shots per match. The reality is that we cant win if we are not shooting. I may have to tweak that some to get us to take shots. But to be honest, I cant argue with the results we got. League Table Thoughts Yea, we are in 6th place, woohoo!! Will this continue, no, not possible. But if by some chance we can hang on to that last spot in the championship, then I wont have to fight for relegation. But I think that is a really big ask. Anorthosi actually offered me an interview, which I turned down. But this is getting more and more interesting. December Matches Thoughts The cup match will see a squad of youngsters to give the first-team a rest. I didnt want to go too far in this so making it to the 3rd round. I am not going to complain, especially since we got an extra home match. With the other 4 matches, lets be honest, 4 points is my guess. Yea, the teams are below us in the table, but our luck is eventually going to run out. Expansion Completed Thoughts I was super-excited when I saw this....yes, we now have 750 more seats! Then I read it again. Wait? What? "....a total of 750 spectators." What????? Read the Fine Print NOPE! Not an EXPANSION of 750 seats, but a TOTAL of 750 seats!! So we LOST 750 spectators!!! Well, DAMN! Yea, next time, read the whole thing! Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I know I am walking on thin ice by not signing depth, but I am trying to get the finances under control. We are now only making $5K a month, so I dont know if we are going to get back in the black this season. I am going to have to figure out a time to ask for us to expand the stadium....750 spectators just aint going to cut it. I was offered a new contract by the club....for no salary again. Fair enough, we are in debt...but at least offer me something!! I turned it down. I suggested we hire a set-piece coach and they said no. So I dont know what the future is going to hold for me at the club. Lets just say I am going to keep my options open. If you are reading...thanks. If you are skimming...thanks....if you are seeing this....thanks! Lets see what happens next, shall we? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 December 2026 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts The youngsters took advantage of their chance to shine by grabbing the 2-1 win in the cup match. It was disappointing to not have a full house, but you cant have everything. The Anorthosi match was really disappointing. I really felt we could at least get a point out of that one, but we struggled to put our shots into the net. The Karmiotissa match was one that we really should have lost. But Alic scored in stoppage time at the end of the first half and the match to help us bring a point home. For the Apoel match, I completely abandoned the very defensive mentality I had been using and went more balanced with longer passes and a higher tempo. I think I caught them off-guard as we were able to earn all 3 points in front of the home supporters. But once we hit the road, we came back down to reality as we lost 1-3 to AEL. To be fair, I have to be happy that we didnt lose that one by more. Hyseni has become a goal-stopping machine. I know it is hard to tell that from our record, but he is facing 10+ shots on target per match now. I will need to upgrade the center-backs before next season, if we are still in this league. But all things considered, I am pleased. Every point is going to be crucial. League Table Thoughts I would have loved to be in that top group, but I know that isnt in the cards for us. But to be in the top 3 of the bottom group, I am very pleased. The pundits keep saying that 30 points is the average to stay up, so that is my target. I dont know if they mean for this first part of the season or the whole kit and caboodle, but there are 8 matches left and if we can get 10 points from a possible 24....it just might be enough to sneak into that top group and not have to fit to stay up. We will see. But 9th is not bad at all. January Matches Thoughts Another bevy of matches this month. The one positive about the cup match, it is home. I dont rate our chances, but then again, I didnt rate them last time, so what do I know? 15 points possible, is asking for 6 too much? Probably, but what the heck, this save has been about breaking expectations, so why not? Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I was offered a new contract again....with no freakin salary....again!! I mean, come on, pay me something. This is starting to get frustrating. At this point Im taking it a month at a time. The plan to get us out of the red has slowed down. We are making 5-6K per month in profit. I was hoping for more. But the scouting is really going crazy as we are spending 20K per month on average. I wish that wasnt so high. I still want to expand the stadium, but I dont think it is the right time yet. If I am here during the off-season, I will ask then, if we are still in this league. I am not sold that I will stay. I like it here, but it is really frustrating that they wont offer me a salary...and I cant even counter and ask for one! They come out with a transfer budget of 190K and a salary budget of over 500K...but wont pay me? I mean, really? So I guess we will see what happens. Here we are...another month in the books....thanks for following along on my adventures....or misadventures....or something... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 (edited) January 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts This was a tough month. I think I was being optimistic last month to say 6 points, we barely scrapped together 4. The biggest shock was the Achna result. Everything flowed perfectly and we fought like hell to get the draw. I fielded a young side in the cup match. The Board didnt have any aspirations for us to do well, just be competitive, which I think we were. But overall, I think this month showcased the huge gap between us and the rest of the league. The one bright spot has to be our keeper, Hyseni. He actually has been a beast in goal. But when he is dealing with 15+ shots every match, yea, some are going to get through. I hate to say I expected a month like this, but I dont like it for sure. League Table Thoughts To be 9th at this stage, I am pleased. The bottom 3 get relegated. There are still quite a few matches left when I include the relegation playoff. We are only 3 points away from 12th, which would get relegated, so every single point is vital. We carry our points and positions into the playoff so I hope we can get a point or 2 next month to strengthen our position. February Matches Thoughts I would love to say we will get some points this month, but to be honest, it is going to be tough. Pafos is 2nd (yea, I turned them down, dont remind me), Omonoia is top of the table and AEL are currently 10th. If we can get the 3 points in that one, I will be ecstatic, but I think that will be a tough one in itself. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I actually interviewed with a team in the Greek Super-A league, but they selected someone else. I also had to break down and sign some more players. Im glad I did because the next day I lost one of my starters for 3-7 weeks. The scouting is going nuts again (I need to get him to stop assigning them to do scouting) and we lost $40K last month. So we are back up to $150K in the hole. I didnt want to do that, but if we are going to have any chance of staying up I needed to upgrade our central defenders. So hopefully it is an investment that pays off. I still am not sold on returning to Elia next season. I really dont like they wont offer me a salary. The "new" contracts are just restating their objectives. I will be half-way through my Continental A license when the season ends. Oh yea, I finished my Continental B and the next day they agreed to let me start on my A license, so at least that is something. But I hope my reputation continues to grow and I get offered another job somewhere. I also added all 3 leagues in Turkey to start in June, maybe something opens up there. As always, thanks for reading and watching how I handle the various challenges of playing in Cyprus....Onward and Upward!! Edited February 27 by BrnwsBucksFanNC fix the year 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 (edited) February 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts Can you say HOLY $#@%!!! I decided to forget the "park the bus" mentality and decided to take the match to the opposition. The one thing to say about this month is that Hyseni, my keeper was one of the smartest decisions I made. I almost let him walk at the end of the season (more later on him) but he became a brick wall in front of the net and showed how vital he is to us. He stopped 11 shots in the Pafos match, 13 in the Omonoia match, including stopping a PK, and 14 in the AEL match. I also saw a rairty in the league when in the Paralimni match a player was sent off for 2 yellow cards. I said I would be happy with 3 and we got 8 points, oh yea! That last match was added once we got into the relegation playoffs. But what a month!! League Table Thoughts I am so very excited with where we are. Every point is vital. Right now we are 7 points above the relegation zone. I know it is early, there are 13 matches left in the playoff. But to be here, after facing who I did last month. Yea, this a good feeling for sure! March Matches Thoughts 5 matches, damn, what a tough start to this part of the season. I think 8 points is a good target. The only match against someone higher than us is the Achna match. So I think we can get 8 points here. Fingers crossed! Rewarding Fantastic Play Thoughts After Hyseni was awarded his 3rd consecutive Player of the Match award, plus the Player of the Week for the league, his agent asked for a new contract. I decided to pull the trigger and lock him in for 2 more seasons. Yea, his salary went up from $11K to $17K, but I think this is a great investment. Shoving Me Out the Door? Thoughts So they wont pay me a salary? But it looks like they already have my replacement lined up. Talk about unsettling to someone??? Show me the money!! Looking Forward -Thoughts and Considerations This last month was HUGE! I was hoping the new signings would help us, little did I realize how much. I was really worried about our chances, but after this month I feel much better. I think we actually have a good chance of staying up. I am kinda pissed about them lining up my replacements. I am not asking for the moon, just a damn paycheck! Is that really too much to ask for? I dont think so! I guess we will see what they do. I also was able to flip the money again and we made $20K last month. I have to stop all of the scouting assignments, every Tuesday, but it has gotten that side of things under control again. I still havent asked about expanding the stadium, but if the team is going to be viable, they need to do that. I mean, we played in front of over 15K people...and the stadium was not even full! But with a stadium that only holds 750....that just wont cut it. I guess we will see what they say when I decide to take the plunge on that topic. As this journey continues....thanks for tagging along. I think it is going to be REALLY interesting! Edited February 27 by BrnwsBucksFanNC fix the year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 March 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts This was a tough month. The pace of the matches was brutal. I had to rotate players into the squad that threw off the mojo....so to speak. Hyseni proved his value again though as he kept us in most of the matches. The AEL match, we were just worn out. I even tried to rest the players and they were still all "tired" and I think that really impacted how well we played. We were able to get 7 points, so I cant complain too much. But that Aris match, we should have won that one. We couldnt seem to find that final one though to get us the victory. All things considered, not a bad month. I am glad that pace is over though. League Table Thoughts We are holding our own. We are 8 points above that dreaded relegation zone. Every match is a chance for points and that is what I need to focus on. There are 24 points left this season, we need every one we can get for sure. But that 8 points will be vital for us to stay up. April Matches Thoughts This pace is much more doable. A week between matches will help us out after that brutal match schedule in March. I am going to shoot for 9 points again, see if we get lucky! Interview and Maybe a New Home Thoughts While I am not actively looking for a job, I am taking interviews. I had another one in the Greek top-tier league, but didnt get the job. This one, I am getting some feedback on. So I am thinking it looks like I may be heading to Wales....maybe? So How Does the Board Respond? Thoughts So the board is disappointed that I am showing interest in a new job....after they are the ones leaking who my replacement would be. So yea, that makes complete sense! So after sharing their displeasure, they offer me a new contract....with a big ole goose egg for a salary. I mean, come on yall! I think we are heading down different paths now. Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I think I will be heading to Wales at the end of the season. I did request that, out of respect to Elia, that I be allowed to finish the season here. But who knows, they may sack me because I am looking to actually get a salary. As far as the rest of the season here, I think we have a good chance of staying up. We seem to be able to do just enough to hold onto our league position. As long as that happens...all things are good....at least with our ability to stay competitive. Onward and upward we go! Thanks for reading along, who knows what will happen next? Hope you hang around to find out! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 (edited) Youth Intake Thoughts Not a bad intake for sure. I cant expect 5-star classes every year! Edited February 27 by BrnwsBucksFanNC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 April 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts This was a really good month for us. I think it really shows the divide between the teams in the top tier. There are the TOP teams....and everyone else. The additions to the squad in January seems to have really helped out. I brought in a winger, 2 central defenders and a midfielder. That, added to the superstar-level play of Hyseni, shows that we definitely deserve to be in the top tier. One other interesting thing is how the goals have been evenly spread out among the team. In the first half of the season, Alic was the source of the majority of our goals. Now, the wingers and midfielders are getting in on the action. I am really pleased with how things turned around. League Table Thoughts With the strong stretch of results we have had in the playoff, we have actually secured our safety with 4 matches remaining. This is a huge accomplishment for the club and I think we have a good shot of finishing in the top 3 of the relegation playoffs. May Matches Thoughts We really have nothing to play for but pride at this point. But pride is a pretty powerful thing. I am going to say 6 points to finish out the season, see if we can at least win our home matches! Take-Over...or Not? Thoughts Normally when I see this there is going to be a takeover, but with rumors swirling, who knows? Interview Results Thoughts This was really disappointing, especially with the supporters voicing their approval of me. The problem may be that I am telling people who interview me that I want to see out the season with Elia. But I felt I owed it to them to try to keep them in the top tier. Board's Response Thoughts Finally!! NOW, they are going to pay me!! Thoughts What???? REALLY???? This is getting ridiculous. If I am doing good work, why not pay me??? Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I have had a really great career here, but I think it is winding down. There is no reason for them not to offer to pay me. A new contract is worthless if there is no salary attached. I have started to think I did something wrong when I set this up to tell it to NOT offer me a salary, but I have never experienced that in any save I have done. I think this is so unreal and I guess that means I need to look elsewhere, the question will be where. Great things have happened at Elia, so now it is time to finish this season and see what comes next... As far as the financial situation, the deficit is down to $87K so I feel they are in a good place there as well. As always, thanks for following along, it has been one hell of a journey....onward and upward!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 May 2027 Monthly Match Results Thoughts We seemed to forget how to play during these last 4 matches. We ended up getting 4 points, all at home. So I guess that was something. Nothing I tried got them interested in playing these matches. I guess it made sense since there was nothing to play for. But at least we didnt end the season on a loss.... Final Relegation Table Thoughts We finished 3rd in the relegation playoffs. There was definitely 2 top teams in this as well so I am really pleased with this final position. Finances and Expansion, or Not Yea, but they still wont offer me a salary.... This is CRAZY, it is $4.5K LESS than what we had for the last 2 years. Yea, lets not expand to get more supporters in the stadium. Since we cant fill what we have, oh, wait, we DO fill the 750 stadium, I think all of the matches except one. This just doesnt make sense. Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I am proud of what I have accomplished here. But there reluctance to pay me, and their lack of desire to expand the stadium to support our growth, it is only a matter of time before they get relegated. I dont really want to be a part of that. So I am not extending any staff contracts or doing anything for the long-term plans of the club. I will let the new boss do that. It has been a good run...now it is time for something new....where, I dont know...but we will find out sometime Thanks for following along as I brought this club to this level. It has been alot of fun....as always...Onwards and Upwards!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 End of 2026-27 Season Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I shared quite a bit of information here, but I wanted to close this chapter out by giving you a full picture of the season. The money sort of flipped again because I let the scouts get back to it so those expenses went up. Alic and Hyseni tore of the league! Which is AWESEOME and I hit the century mark with the club. So it is with bittersweet comments that I realize this is probably my last post about Elia. But we had one hell of a run! Now to see what comes next and where I end up. I am looking at the open jobs, maybe I will get an interview somewhere soon. Thanks for following me on this journey....onward and upward!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 What's Next? I have to make a decision to either chase jobs, or stay with Elia. I dont normally chose jobs and I dont think I will do it here. I guess that if I am still with Elia when my contract expires I will go on a month-to-month contract until either I leave, or they decide to pay me. To be honest, that is the real dilemma, they wont pay me a salary. So here we go....let's see what comes next! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 End of Preseason - Start of 2027-28 Season Some More Accolades Thoughts It is pretty cool to see us as the "Biggest Overachievers" and I have to agree with that assessment. The stature increase is pretty awesome as well. I was shocked about the attendance, I didnt know we had done that well. But that number wont be topped until the board decides to expand the ground (which isnt even an option right now) or build a new ground. I dont think they will do that either since the money situation is so fragile. Setting Up The Financial Picture Thoughts I think that first email, about the league sponsorship average and where we fall in that explains it all. It is crazy that we got hit with a tax bill, but so be it. It is also nice to see that I was wrong about the sponsorship deal earlier. It looks like that was a secondary sponsor. Our main sponsorship deal saw a HUGE increase. The season ticket sales are fantastic, but I think that will be all we can sell if we have to set aside some of the seats for the visiting supporters. Not a bad bit of info here. Preseason Match Results Thoughts I love the results, I hate the attendance. I was hoping we would at least hit 600 per match and we got to a little over half of that. So in essence, it wasnt the best of preseasons for us. League Matches for August Thoughts A tough season opener, against last season's champions. To be honest, I think 3 points will be a good month for us. Ironically, I think this season is going to be a harder battle to stay up. But these first 4 matches will give us a good idea of how we will do. Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I wasnt expecting to be here at the start of this season. I have walked out on all of the contract negotiations because I have not been offered a salary. So I am now on a month-to-month contract for no salary. I have worked hard to upgrade the team for this season and brought in 3 new players. I will share their info in the next update. I didnt want this one to be too long. I figure that when the round of "fall sackings" start I might (at least I hope) to get some interviews. This is the part that is so odd. I had 3 clubs reach out and even though they said the interview went well, I was not selected. I am still giving my best to Elia, but the supporters and board have both dropped my grade to B-, so we will see what happens over the next month. Who knows, I may even get the sack... As before....thanks for reading and following along. This has had quite a few twists and turns for sure...Onward and Upward!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 2027 August Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts This has been a really shocking month for us. The first match, I felt was going to be a blowout. But the new players that joined us on the back line seem to have been great additions. Alic is still tearing up the league. It is ironic that even though he has done so well the pundits dont really fancy him. The supporters and the board expect us to lose every match, so that is not something that I like seeing. But to get 7 points out of these 4 matches, yea, I cannot complain at all. League Table Thoughts Nice start to the season. To be 4th and have 7 points, I am very pleased. September Matches Thoughts We are getting ready for the Paralimni match and they say we are underdogs, that is really disheartening. I am going to be positive and say we are going to beat Paralimni and get 6 points. So, why not? New Additions Thoughts These 2 signings will hopefully help us continue to find success. I was really pleased with the Adoni signing. I thought he was going to demand a drastic wage, but it was actually a reasonable price. So to bring him in will add another piece to help us stop the hemorrhaging of goals. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations The month went well on the pitch, but we are losing money hand over fist. So how do I balance it out? Either we lose and get relegated or we win and lose money? Ironically, I was offered a new contract....with no salary again. It makes me think I have broken the game somehow....why dont they offer me a salary? I hate that I am just bidding my time before I leave. But I am on a month-to-month contract so hopefully that entices someone to come calling. Onward and upward....always moving forward.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 September 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I was going to be pleased with 6 points and the squad really over-performed in this one. 3 of the goals we scored were in stoppage time, 2 in AEL match to give us the victory. The Paralimni victory was especially sweet given the condescending comments made by their coach before the match. Those last 3 matches really stretched our conditioning, but they had enough in the tank to get through them. I had to rest them between the AEL and Apol match, but it seemed to pay off. Yea, really happy with this. League Table Thoughts Where are all of those "Elia is going to be 14th" people at??? Oh yea, top of the table after 8 matches! Okay, Omonoia will probably take the top spot with their next match, but that looks pretty good to me! October Matches Thoughts Well, the cup run is over, we go up against the winner of last season...it was good while it lasted. I think we can get 4 points out of this set of matches. As last season, points are going to be vital. Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I guess it is time to pay the piper....or in this case the manager. I have gotten a couple more contract offers, but no salary. At this point, it is a matter of principle to me. So this is going to be my plan if I dont have a salary by 15 Oct, I will start expressing interest in jobs that I would like to have, based on the reaction from the supporters, I will apply for the job. If I havent gotten hired somewhere else I am going to resign at the end of the month. I know that is a pretty drastic move, but for the board to continue to refuse to pay me a salary is not going to cut it anymore. I am also getting fed up with the board and supporters telling me that they expect us to lose every match, even though we are doing the exact opposite. So the next time I see you, I will either have a salary at Elia and will continue on here....be somewhere else....or be in the job hunt. Onward and Upward...thanks for reading along...... Just curious....has anyone else every encountered this, a refusal from the board to offer a salary, even though the club has turned professional? Just curious, I have never seen it before and wonder if anyone else has. Anyway, thanks for taking this ride along with me.... One other question.....what skin do yall use? I found one I like to use when I play the games, but it doesnt transfer well to being posted here. But I dont like having to switch to another skin just to take screen shots. Would love to hear what you use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 October 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I wasnt shocked by the Omonoia loss. They are a tough team. Also, the Pafos loss was not unexpected. Those 2 teams finished in the top 2 spots last season. I was hoping for 6 points and we got 7, so things look good. The team is playing well, but we all now how that can go south really fast. After the Pegeia match I was notified that one of my wingers was injured for 3-6 weeks and then 2 days before the Pafos match I lost the other one for 2-3 months. So with those injuries, that loss was in the cards. But overall, another good month for us. League Table Thoughts This is really pleasing to see. All of the work we put in and setting safely in 2nd place with a little less than half of the season over. The pundits say that 30 points can keep a team safely in the playoff spots and we are really close to that. I know we will hit some more bad patches, but hopefully this strong start will keep us out of the relegation playoff this season. On to A New Home....Maybe? Thoughts This will be a HUGE jump for us, but go big or go home right? And the Board's Response? Thoughts Really? No salary. I know they wouldnt want to offer me a multimillion dollar contract, but something....anything. Really let down by this. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations Looks like things are over for me in Elia. We had a great run and I am really pleased with what we accomplished. If I dont get the Bristol City job, I am going to resign on 1 November. It is sort of bittersweet, but I think it is time to move on. Hopefully Bristol City feels the same way. I think the interview went well. I had to give them assurances and ask them to give me a chance. I hope that convinces them. I approached this interview as I had others and I didnt get the job, so who knows what will happen with this one. Fingers crossed. Onward and Upward!! Thanks for following along.....see what happens next for sure!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 A New Beginning Thoughts A big change for sure! I wasnt sure I would get offered this job, but I am glad I did. The ironic thing about it is that my favorite team (in real life and in the game) Bath City, sacked their manager after I had the Bristol City interview. I toyed with the idea of expressing interest in the opening. But there is a huge difference between the Sky Bet Championship and Vanarama National South. But they did a quick hire to fill the opening, so that decision was made for me. It is pretty cool to see Sam Dyche comment like that, yea, a big move for sure. Contract - WOW!! Thoughts HOLY @#$@$ That is MUCH more than I expected. Compared to my last salary, all I can say is WOW! Expectations Thoughts We are actually $3M over budget, so I am going to have to move some players out in the next transfer window. But I think finishing mid-table is doable. Worst they can do is sack me... Financial Considerations Thoughts I have never had to consider the Financial Fair Play Regulations so this is going to be a new one for me. I can see that we are $10M over the allowed Board Investment, so I am not sure what will happen there. I would assume their level of investment is something I have no control over. I guess we will see. Starting 11 Thoughts Looks like a pretty strong squad, except in goal. Our starting keeper is out injured and there is no backup goalie. Let me say that again, there is no backup goalie on the main squad roster. I am going to have to bring up the goalkeeper from the U-21 squad. I am looking to see if we can get one on loan asap. League Table Thoughts To be honest, I am not sure how "mid-table" is even defined, haha. But we will give it our best shot. It is odd to see Watford in 20th. The league also has Wolverhampton (1st), Leeds (4th), Norwich City (5th) and Leicester City (6th). We are only 3 points away from 12th, so if things go our way we can definitely move up the table. November Matches Thoughts We start against Backburn (9th) and follow that up with the home match against Cardiff (12th). Yea, that is the same Cardiff that didnt hire me, revenge time maybe? Ipswich (7th) and Swansea (8th) round out the month for us. I think we can get 4 points, if we can get the goalkeeper situation taken care of! Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations This was a HUGE move for me. I considered taking a lower-level position somewhere, but if they are ready to take a chance on me, why not? I am going to miss Elia, but I feel it was time to move on. I am still following them so it will be interesting to see what happens. They are actually in the black now so at least the financial situation got corrected. I know I am going to need to work to get us under payroll, but I know I can do it. I also need to make sure we produce on the pitch. It will be interesting to see if I actually complete my Continental A license which I started in January. Im really excited to see where things go....Onward and Upward!! Thanks for reading along.....lets see what happens next!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 November 2027 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts This was a much better month than I expected. The lads kept the ground running and we were able to get points in every match. The Cardiff match was also a rivalry match so there was even more of an expectation on that one. I still am trying to get to know the squad so the starting 11 has changed for every match. No definitive lineup has emerged yet. But the fact we were able to get 8 points, yea, I am very pleased. League Table Thoughts I am really pleased with how we are moving up the table. Even if Plymouth wins, we would only be in 13th. I havent gotten any feedback from the board yet. But this is what we need to see for sure. December Matches Thoughts What a month this is going to be! 7 matches in 26 days....damn! I think honestly we will be lucky if we get 9 points out of this one. Yea, tough slog for sure. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations We have hit the ground and have gotten great results for the first month. Unfortunately I have a player demanding a trade because I cannot afford a new contract for him. He is an important player so it really stinks that he is demanding a transfer. Oh well, it will help get the salaries under control. I am still getting used to everything and I will add more once I get further into the save. Oh, Swansea is managed by Graham Potter and he was very complimentary after the match. It is odd to see names I recognize. Onward and Upward we go......see if I can keep this good run going...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 December 2027 Monthly Update Match Results Thoughts I still am awestruck by how well we did this month. The squad went through so many different variations over the last month, it is not even funny. The Africa Cup was going on so we had 3 players away with that. Plus, players just getting tired....and of course the dreaded injuries. One thing I have realized is that Striker Jean-Phillippe Mateta is a BEAST! He scored a beautiful hat-trick in the Oxford match, followed that up with 1 in the Norwich match and 2 more against Middlesborough. His success has garnered him quite a bit of interest, which is not a good thing for sure. But to get 18 points out of a possible 21, dont think it could have went much better! League Table Thoughts We were 17th when I took over and have climbed to 6th. I am awestruck by this. I know we wont be able to sustain the pace of wins we have had, but every point is vital. It is really wonderful to see the success the team has had. To be honest, I wont take any credit for it. I just set the tactic up and then yell from the sidelines. I am curious why my predecessor was having problems. But, yea, a great sight to see for sure. Praise Thoughts It is nice to get praise, especially from a former player. It is interesting to see how I have been received. The other managers have a good opinion of me, hopefully I dont mess that up. January Matches Thoughts Only 5 matches, this is an easy month! There are 12 points up for grabs and I think we will get 6, possibly more. Wolves are top of the table, Luton is midtable and QPR is in the relegation zone with Derby currently in 15th. So I think all are winnable, but the Wolves match, that will take some luck. New Expectations Thoughts The board wasted no time changing the expectations. I agreed, I think we can stay in the top half. Plus it gets us close to getting the salaries out of the red, plus a larger transfer budget. I hate to say, but I think we are going to need it. I Mean, Really? Thoughts Yea, I still follow them. After I left they hit a bad patch and lost 4 on the trot. But after hiring their new coach have won 3 in a row. But what is so frustrating is to see they are paying him. Hell, if they had offered me that I would have stayed! I still have no idea why they didnt. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I hoped we would have a good start, but I never expected this! I think it just shows how good the team was, they just needed to have their approach refined. But the downside of the success is quite a few of my players are wanted by other teams. I have to be ready to sell them, especially if they want to go. I would hope they would stay with us, but if I make them stay, I know how they will complain and destroy the good atmosphere in the locker room. The balancing act for sure! Well, thanks for following along.....drop a comment if you want to. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Onward and Upward we go!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 January 2028 Monthly Update I know that I have a pattern I follow with the updates, but these things happened as soon as I advanced the save after posting my last update, so I wanted to share them. Nice Suprise Thoughts I had forgotten all about this since they didnt have it in Cyprus, so to see that I won it was pretty cool. We did have an awesome month in January, a pattern I hope continues. Financial Matters Thoughts They payout for winning the Stockport match was a nice surprise. I am not going to go into all of the details of the January transfer window, but as you can see, it was one for the record books. Match Results Thoughts The Stockport match was very pleasant to watch. There are some matches that from the first highlight, you know will be won, and this was one of those. The passing in it was a sight to see and that victory was actually not as close as the score showed. The match against Wolverhampton, well, they showed why they are top of the table. I never really even got a look at goal. They dominated possession and I was pleased we only lost by 2. The Luton match was the type where you want to throw the computer through the window. Sabiri scored for us in the 19th minute, but we should have had more. I was waiting for them to level it up, but we were able to hold on to the win. With Derby County, I just couldnt get them to be aggressive toward the goal. We should have won that match, but I think the instability in the squad caused by me having to put players into the starting 11 because they were demanding 1st-team time and the rumors swirling around the transfer window, plus players demanding to leave, well....we just couldnt get focused. With the Arsenal match, I knew it would take a miracle to win that match and with the matches coming hot and heavy, I rested most of the starters and just played that one for their experience. I was pleased to only lose by 2, haha. The QPR match, saw up get back to form. 4 different players scored for us, we dominated possession and they even had a player sent off in the 67th minute due to his 2nd card. I was sort of disappointed that we didnt score more after then went down to 10 men, but it was a good win nonetheless. League Table Thoughts Is this where I really want to be? I love how we climbed from 17h. But do I want to get embroiled in a promotion playoff? I know it sounds odd, but this isnt just going up into another league in Cyrpus....this would be to the Premier League. I know there is alot of football left to be played, But I think us finishing 6h-10h range is very realistic. Lets see how things are next month? February Matches Thoughts I really think that 9 points is doable this month. Blackburn is currently 8th, Stoke City is 13th and the other 3 are in the bottom 5 of the league. So I really feel we can win at least 3 of these. Supporter Update Thoughts It looks like the team's success is starting to be noticed. I hope things are going well in their eyes, I know they are in mine. To see there are over 550K followers on social media, that is crazy! Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I was remnded how much I hate the January Transfer window. The worst out of all of it was my best central defender, Bruno Amione, demanded to be sold to Wolves. I was able to get $30M for him, but I would have preferred to keep him. This is one of those situations where the negative impact of having an unhappy influential player outweighed the desire to keep him. I also brought in 2 players, possibly a couple more, based off how they do on their trials. I have 23 players out of a possible 25 registered, so we can definitely absorb some new faces. If there is any interest, I will share the profiles of the players I signed, but tbh....I am not even sure who, if anyone is reading and following along. Thanks to those of you who have upvoted some of the updates I have shared though. I guess those last 2 statements are contradictions, but I hope they make sense, lol. I promised the board when I took this gig that I wouldnt apply for any other jobs, there are 88 days left in that promise. I am not planning on leaving, but who knows what the future holds? I still dont feel quite settled here to be honest. There was so much that has happened in the short time I have been here that I dont feel the squad is really mine. I didnt bring in many players, I think 5, and moved out 13, so I dont know the makeup of the squad that much. I would love to take credit for our success, but all I did was bring in a wide wing play that relies on good crossing ability and fullbacks that can play as wingbacks (a position that I thought I would never use) and keep the ball moving. Anyway....another month is in the books.....Onward and Upward we go! Thanks for following along....Ill see you next month! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 February 2028 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts What a freakin month!!!! The Reading match, They took the opening kickoff and promptly scored on us. We got back into the match in the 5th when Mateta was able to take a ball that was served over the top and split the defenders before beathing the keeper. Sabiri gave us the lead with a wonderfully placed shot in the 42nd. I made a change at the half and put Manu in as a fullback. He repaid me for this with getting a straight red in the 63rd minute for a very harsh tackle. His ban was extended another 2 matches after being reviewed by the league. I put an extra defender on and left us with 2 wingers up front to support Mateta. Sometimes we just get lucky as he was able to bob and weave through the defenders and send the keeper the wrong way in the 72nd to give us a 2-goal lead. Reading had a player sent off in the 86th for a cynical foul so we both ended on 10 men. The Sheffield match required us to come from behind as they were able to score in the 55th minute. But supersub Sykes scored on a beautiful header in the 70th to draw the match level and Davis (a January signee) scored from the spot in the 82nd to give us all 3 points. The Birmingham match was a low-key affair that saw Martin slot one away in the 5th minute and another January signee, McGurk, scoring in the 46th with a scorcher into the bottom left of the net to secure the win for us. Coventry was another match where the score didnt really reflect the match. We had 10 shots on target compared to Coventry's 2 and a 59-41 possession advantage. But even with our shot advantage we struggled to find the back of the net until I subbed on another one of our January signees, Abrego in the 70th minute (Mateta was on a 6.3) and he promptly scored a brace in the 74th and 78th minute to get us all 3 points. The Stoke City match saw us have to come from behind as they scored in the 40th but the stoppage time at the end of the 1st half saw us score 2 quick goals as Sykes was able to beat his marker in the 45+1 and Mateta worked his magic on a fast-moving counterattack and slot a goal into the net in the 45+5 minute. Defender Tuanzebe scored his first goal of the season with a screamer in the 64th minute and we applauded the fans who packed Ashton Road at the end of the victory. We then faced what I felt would be our toughest match, against Blackburn. The first half we dominated possession and had an overwhelming advantage in shots on goal and target, as well as the score. We went into the half up 3-0 on goals from Mateta (7th), Jota (12th, another January signing) and Sabiri (29th). I actually told my wife that I had been really worried about this match but the team was playing great. The team came out the 2nd half and completely shut off. I was not able to move the needle at all on them and we gave up 2 goals in quick succession (59th and 64th minutes) to make the match much closer than it should have been. By the time the match ended we had not only allowed them to match us on shots, but they had also flipped the possession. I was glad with the result, but we cant collapse like that in the 2nd half anymore. I said I would be happy with 9 points, I never imagined we would get all 18! League Table Thoughts What a climb up the table!! To look at this and know there are 10 matches left in the season and we are 8 points clear in the promotion playoffs, that is unreal. I think the worst we will finish is 7th. To finish the season 10 places better than where we were when I was signed, that would be unbelievable. March Matches Thoughts Cardiff is our rival and it is away, but I still feel it is winnable. Ipswich are currently 13th and another winnable match for sure. West Brom, they are on our tail currently in 6th, that one will be tricky. But I think being at home gives us a fighting chance. The Plymouth (currently 9th) will be another tricky one. I feel that 6 points should be the goal for March. It would put us in a good place for the last 6 matches of the season in April. Nice Accolade Thoughts That is pretty cool to read. I would love to say it is all me....but I just tweaked things. But it is still cool to read something like this. Getting That Last Coaching Badge Thoughts No hesitation on the board's part. To go from no badges to Continental Pro in this short of a career is nice. Cant wait to see that this one is finished. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations Before I share my thoughts for how things are going, I wanted to share an update on Elia. After I left they struggled and only had 1 win until they hired a new manager. He promptly sent almost the whole team out on loan or sold them in the January window. I checked in mid-January and I recognized 3 names on the roster. He had made quite a bit of money selling players, but he started to rely on the loanee market and I think the squad cohesion fell apart. They lost 5 out of their next 6 matches and are currently in the relegation playoff. The manager they hired after I left has already been sacked. I hate to see how they fell apart. But I really feel when you change 90% of the squad in the middle of the season, things just wont work. Anyway, this has been an unbelievable season so far. I would never expect us to have the great run of form we have had. The new signings have all added quality to the squad and in spite of selling some quality players we seem to have gotten better. I also hired 2 new coaches, Robbin van Persie and Kolo Toure'. I was really excited to bring that quality of coach in and on top of their quality in the staff room, their legacy to the game. I had to get work permits for them, but we got them and here we are! I think this is going to be one hell of a season and I expect us to have a strong finish for sure. Thanks for reading along and sorry for the long match report, but this was just a month for the record books! Onward and Upward we go!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 4 Author Share Posted March 4 (edited) March 2028 Monthly Report Another Accolade Thoughts It feels odd to get the recognition when the players do all of the hard work, but I will take it! I also decided to hire a GM. Trying to keep up with all the players on loan and other stuff, he was a good fit and I was glad he signed with us. Youth Intake Thoughts I got spoiled with Elia I think. It said it was a "good" intake. I guess I will take their word for it. Match Results Thoughts The Cardiff match was a rivalry match and one that I thought would be a tough one. Boy, did they prove me wrong. We carved them up like a hot knife going through warm butter. It was one of the most complete matches I have ever seen. We have 6 different players score, Davis (2nd), Mateta (10th), Bukari (13th), Sabiri (21st and 51st), Sykes (65th) and Jota (87th). I thought we were riding high and nothing would stop us. Then we played Ipswich and West Brom. In the Ipswich match, there was no fire at all. They took the lead in the 26th and Jota drew us level with a beautiful strike in the 32nd. After that, we just shut down. Nothing I could do would get them motivated. So in reality, I was pleased to end that one with a point. We welcomed West Brom for a match I knew would be tough. It was a back and forth match with them taking an early lead in the 7th minute but we were able to level it up with a goal from McGurk in the 37th. They opened the second half by taking the lead in the 48th. Mateta leveled it up in the 56th and gave us the lead in the 73th. The team was getting tired and I made as many substitutions as I could and tried to slow the pace down to give us the energy to hold on to the lead. But in the 87th minute, they beat us on a fluid counter attack and leveled the match up. We were not able to find a way to get the winner and after a hard fought match we both settled for a point. I saw more of the same in the Plymouth match. We took 16 shots, 6 on target, had 11 corners and were lucky to head back to Bristol with all 3 points. Mateta started the scoring off in the 22nd minute and we were able to control the pace of the rest of the half. But the Plymouth squad that came out in the 2nd half was not the same as the one we faced in the 1st. They were relentless in their attacks until they were finally able to score from a corner in the 63rd minute. I made some adjustments to the tactic we were using and Shackleton, playing in the right side as a complete wing back scored his first goal of the season with a belter from 5 yards outside of the penalty box. We headed home and ended the month as we had started it, with all 3 points from the match. Yea, that is pretty cool. League Table Thoughts After a tough month we still sit in 4th. Climbing from 17th to 4th. I call that an accomplishment! The Board are happy. With the point total that we currently have we are guaranteed a top-half finish. April Matches Thoughts I think this is going to be a challenging month. We play some teams in the top of the table....and some in the bottom. So I feel like 9 points is doable. But after the last month, I am not going to put any money on that for sure! Oxford, Huddersfield and possibly Watford are the games I think we will win. But we will see! Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations The team has had alot of success and I cant be prouder. One other thing about Elia (yea, this bothers me) is they went from a salary of a little over $290K to over $560K...and they cant seem to win. I think that is a good example of just because a player demands a high wage it doesnt mean they are going to be an improvement. But I have removed that league effective in June, I wanted to add some more of the top-tier leagues. Bristol City has been a joy to manage. Even though my computer has suffered some verbal abuse, hahaha. I cant believe we are even in the conversation for promotion. But I think our struggles with the top teams in the Championship show we just are not ready for the Premier League. But, there is ALOT of money in that league. So if we get promoted, great, if we dont, great. We will have one hell of a season either way. Thanks for reading and following along..... Onwards and Upwards we go! Edited March 4 by BrnwsBucksFanNC 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 April 2028 Monthly Report Start Off With Some Accolades Thoughts It was a great month for Bristol City as far as the accolades go. Sion, who is on loan to Exeter is doing very well. Then to see Mateta winning and Jota coming in 2nd, the lads are doing a great job. To have it all topped off by me being recognized, yea, nice way to end the regular season for sure. Match Results Thoughts When will this run end? Well, it didnt end this month. The Leeds match, we just didnt seem to want to win. It was like they were expecting Leeds to score, but neither of us did. That match kind of haunted me at the end of the month for sure. We them went to Watford where we controlled the game more than the scored showed. Jota got a brace (7th and 23rd) and Mateta got the third (42) so the 2nd half was just trying to keep them focused and absorbing the relentless attacks from Watford. They were finally able to get one into the net in the 84th, but the match was never really in doubt. Statically the Sheffield match was a draw, but the wide wing play we are using carved them apart. Mateta started the scoring in the 5th minute but that lead quickly disappeared when they drew level in the 7th. The same Vinagre to Mateta that led to the first score worked again when he scored again in the 55th. Sabiri put the game out of reach with a beautiful strike in the 80th minute and we applauded the supporters who had packed Ashton Gate. The Huddersfield match was another that the score reflected our domination. Mateta scored another brace (19th and 67th) with Jota beating the keeper in the 82nd to secure another 3 points. As we headed into the Swansea match I realized that if we won, and Leeds lost (to Cardiff, our rivals) then we would have a chance to win automatic promotion, if we won our match. We did our part as we completely overwhelmed Swansea. This would have been a really disappointing loss if we hadnt gotten all 3 points as we outshot them (22/5) and the xG ratings (3.64/0.57) confirmed the score. Our goals came from McNally (23rd), McGurk (45th) and Jota (68th). They were able to score in the 26th after intercepting a sloppy pass between Martin and Jota. I was really disappointed when Bukari's goal in the 13th minute was ruled offside (I still think he was onside!). So we had done our part, but Cardiff fell in defeat to Leeds so they got the other automatic spot. We headed into the last match with nothing left to play for. But I decided to keep the starting 11 the same, things were going so good that I didnt want to risk messing up their mojo. I was so pleased there were no injuries and that we were able to build a solid lead in the first half because they came out possessed in the 2nd. Mateta proved his worth by getting a hat-trick in the 1st half. All 3 of his goals came from headers (23rd, 33rd, and 35th) as he proved his dominance in the air. Davis was able to score after a beautiful steal in the 80th before they were able to break through our defense in the 81st. The team is riding a wave rght now and I cannot be more pleased with how well they are doing. League Table Thoughts When I took over, we were in 17th. It has been a steady climb since then. The expectation at first was mid-table finish, then top-half...and now we are within reach of promotion to the English Premier League! Playoff Matches Thoughts We face West Brom in the first part of the playoffs. I am pleased we finish this series at home. I feel like this series is winnable...as long as we play our game. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations When I look at this, my first thought is that whoever is doing this save just cant be actually playing these games and getting these results. But let me reassure you that I am. My wife sits beside me on the couch and when we score, I let her enjoy the replay with me. She also almost jumped up in the air when I let my frustrations out when we drew with West Brom last month. So 2 more matches to play....one at a time....another step along the way. It does worry me that West Brom played us to a draw last month. But we did outplay them so I hope that if we can do that again....and actually keep them from scoring that we will get the results we need. Im not going to write much more because.....to be honest....I want to see how we do! So I will share the outcome of this stage, no matter what....and then we will go from there. Onward and Upward!! Thanks for reading and following along!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 May 2028 Mid-Month Report Match Results Thoughts The first leg was very frustrating. We were only able to get the one goal from Bukari in the 9th minute. From then on it was a series of fouls and yellow cards as well as the woodwork helping us out and we headed to the home leg with a 1-0 aggregate lead. The home leg was complete and total domination. I saw VAR confirm a goal (McGurk in the 22nd) as well as award a penalty that Jota slotted away in the 36th. Knight (28th) and Mateta (45th) rounded out the goal scoring for us as we cruised to a comfortable 5-0 victory on aggregate. Almost, But Not Quite Thoughts I was hoping they could win this, but they fell short. I thought it was so crazy that we both were playing West Brom. I hope we can have a better result in our final. Playing the Final Thoughts Leicester City and Sheffield United were level 1-1 after the first leg, but they exploded to a 5-1 win through the 2nd match. This has me concerned. The only teams I have lost to are Wolverhampton......and Leicester City.......but its one match.....and one time.....a giant was slain by David....one time is all it takes. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations It is odd that it all comes down to one match against a team I struggled against in the regular season. We won at home back on 3 Dec by 1-0, but lost the away fixture 0-3. I was going to wait and play it tomorrow....but its only one match.... Oh, I decided to attend an Elia match on the 13th, before our match against West Brom....and they won and are going to be staying up. The latest gaffer they have seems to have gotten it figured out for them and they had a good run at the end of the season. That makes me feel good. But I hate they ended up in the relegation playoff. It was pretty cool to see Alic score again. I may leave that league active so I can follow along with them. Now its time for one more match..... Onward and Upward (I hope!) Thanks for reading along. I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 May 2028 Mid Mid Monthly Report Yea, My Hands are Shaking Too Much To Type! Thoughts WOW!!! Okay, yea, I think that says it all. Now I have to relax enough to go to bed so I can work tomorrow. WOWOWOWOW!! Setting The Budget Thoughts Thats alot of money! Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I am pretty much drained now. I felt for sure they would equalize again. How we withstood that onslaught I still dont know. Next season, yea, it is going to be rough. But I want to savor this and then get down to working on the roster tomorrow. WHAT A DAY!!! Thanks for following along... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 End of The 2027-28 Season Thoughts Lots of information and recognitions here. Nothing really to say except we had one heck of a season! Setting the Stage for Next Season Thoughts Nice to see these numbers going up. I hope we can fill Ashton Gate next season! Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations There is still alot of stuff for me to go through. I still cant believe that we pulled this off. I am trying to figure out what to do for next season. I know the first reaction is to start signing new players and trying to upgrade. But I feel pretty confident that we will be going right back down. I cant swap the whole roster and I cant see how we can bring in enough quality players to really compete in the EPL. So I am thinking I will just keep the roster we have with the plans of stablizing the roster for the season when we head back down. The fact that we went on that run still is unbelievable. I was watching the European League matches today and the announcers were talking about the winning streak of one of the teams (I think it was a team from Germany) and where they have not lost since the last match of last season....it felt like that for us. But Onward and Upward...time to see what the off-season looks like! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Closing Out the 2027-28 Season Season Review Thoughts I dont know if we are the actual league "overachievers" but I will take it. This is one of those cases where a new manager and a tweaking to the tactic and the side played to their abilities. I did bring in some new signings that I feel helped us over the finish line, but the side deserved to be where they were at the end. League Signing of the Season Thoughts I didnt have anything to do with this one. But he was a vital piece in the middle for us. When I took over he was playing as the Attacking Midfielder Central. However, he had a bad relationship with Mateta. So I moved him back to one of the midfielder roles and put Knight behind Mateta and let them work their magic. It was nice to have him to provide support in the middle of the pitch for us. U-21 Grant Payout Thoughts I didnt even know this was a thing, I need to do some more research to see what this relates to. But free money is always good. New Average Attendance Thoughts I think that strong run of form that we had really aided in this. I hope we can keep this level of support when we struggle in the EPL. Record Transfer Fee Thoughts This is a youngster that I will share in the next post. I am looking more long-term with the funds we have available. Increase in Stature Thoughts Success breeds success. I hope that we continue to increase our stature over the next season. Looking Forward - Thoughts and Considerations I decided to share this stuff since it involved last season, well, except for the transfer fee. I want to be able to look back and enjoy this kind of stuff as we struggle over the next season, hahaha. I apologize that my last post was so weak, but I was still feeling completely drained after that Leicester City match that I found myself just clicking through screens. So I took a couple of days off from the save. I am excited to see what the next season looks like and cant wait to get started. Thanks for following along...this has been one hell of a journey and I find myself wondering what will come next. I hope that you stick around to find out! Onward and Upward we go! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Pre-season for 2028-29 Season Season Expectations Thoughts I think these are reasonable. The cup expectations are based on the draw more than anything else in my opinion. But we can definitely attempt to avoid relegation. I just hope the "attempt" is good enough for the board and the supporters. Financial Fair Play Thoughts This has never really been a consideration for any save that I have done in the past. Tbh, I have not been in the top-tiers of European football in about 5 years of FM releases. So I have quite a bit to learn about this side of things. See that we are $14M over the Board Investment limit for UEFA Champions League, need to get that fixed. But I seriously doubt we will be in any European-level cups. But either way, something I need to learn more about. TV Rights League Payout Thoughts Holy crap on a cracker! I think this might alleviate the concern about Board Investment! I think it is going to really help the club and give it more money to bring the organization to another level. New Signings Midfielder/Attacking Midfielder (RLC), ST Bobby Clark Thoughts Bobby Clark is one of those "boom or bust" players. But I felt that he would provide some depth in the midfield and if he continues to develop will be a great asset to the side. The added bonus that we got him on a free transfer, nothing really lost if he doesnt pan out. Defender (Central) Oliver Crane (U-21) Thoughts Crane is another one we were able to get on a free transfer. There is still alot of work to be done here in his development, but our scouts are really high on him. He is on a great contract and I am going to try to find him a loan so he can get some 1st team football. Another great piece if he fully develops. Defender (Left, Center), WB (L) Jahmari Lindsay Thoughts Another player brought in on a free transfer. Lindsay is a great player to provide depth and growth as our left back. He was a member of the Jamaican squad that lifted the 2027 CONCACAF trophy in 2027. I was really pleased to get this youngster into the squad and I feel he is going to be a great rotational player for us. Defender (Right, Central), WB (R) Marko Foster-Vigros Thoughts I found some luck in the free transfer market and was able to sign Foster-Vigors for the right side of the defense. I feel the back line is really the weakest part of the line and even though he doesnt project to have the high ceiling of the other signings, he provides us some long-term options as I look to strengthen the future of the squad. Midfielder (Central)/AM (C) Matthew Rothwell Thoughts This was my recording-breaking signing. I was really impressed with the fact he looks to pass rather than to shoot. I tried to get him for $11M but they kept stalling until his release clause was triggered. Its all good. I wanted him so I didnt mind paying the extra. I think the sky is the limit for him. Nothing to not like. With his technical and teamwork ratings, yea, cant wait to see him take the pitch. Pre-Season Friendlies Thoughts There is no relationship between us and Bath City. I actually proposed a new affiliate relationship and the board turned me down. Bath City is my favorite club, in real life and in this save (I even attended a couple of their matches in this save) so to see this on the schedule is pretty amazing. I didnt schedule it, but I am glad we are heading there. I scheduled the other 2. I tried to find local clubs where we could just get the starting 11 to come together before we start the Premier League season. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I actually had some signings that fell through. I tried to sign a veteran central defender to replace Luke McCall who left, but the one I had targeted couldnt get a work permit. So I cancelled the contract. I also thought we were in with a chance for a solid keeper to backup our starter. But at the last minute, he signed with Ajax. I really need to get a quality backup keeper in. After our 1st team, there is a major dropoff in quality. I also thought I had a huge upgrade for left defender, but it is getting held up because of a work permit issue. If he cant get one, I will try to use one of the ESC permits (another thing I am learning about) so we will see what happens there. I will do an in-depth overview of the squad once the preseason is finished and I will share the start of the EPL season with you (boy, it is going to be a tough start for us) so you can see how we are going to get thrown into it. Thanks as always for following along....comments and input is greatly appreciated....Onward and Upward we go!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 End of the Pre-Season Good News Thoughts At the end of the last season, I was notified that our training facilities were downgraded due to technical issues. So, I was pleased the board agreed to the improvements. Matchday and Ticket Revenue Thoughts Well, at least we were not at the bottom of the list. I am pleased to see we earned $15.75M. Last season we made a little over $42M all season, so every dollar we can bank is a big plus. Top Player Odds Thoughts This was an interesting series of emails. It would have been great to see one of our players in these lists, but I think it says something about the difference in quality of the squads. More New Signings Attacking Midfielder (Central) U-21, Elliot Myles Thoughts Myles was released by Norwich after a 4-year career and we were able to snag him on a free transfer. He is on the U-21 squad to make sure he is getting time on the pitch. I am going to see if we can get him a loan spot, worst case scenario is he stays on the U-21 squad and grows into the player we hope he can be. Midfielder/Attacking Midfielder (Central) Aaron Ramsey Thoughts Aaron was purchased from Burnley for $2.7M after being named to the Burnley Best 11 for 2028. He is going to add quality depth in a couple of positions. Ben Davis is concerned that Ramsey will replace him, but I promised him that was not the case. I was pleased to get him as cheaply as I did and hope he produces like I hope he can. Goalkeeper Alexi Rojas Fedorushchenko Thoughts This is another free transfer signing for us. I was really concerned about the lack of depth for us in goal. Every top backup wanted more in wages than my starter was making or refused to sign with us. Alexi was given a grade of "D" by the board after we signed him. But he has alot of upside and with the wages he signed for, I thought it provides us some depth...just in case. Friendly Match Results Thoughts There were some changes to the anticipated friendlies. But the results were much better than expected. I normally let the assistant take over these, but since I was wanting to see how the squad came together and to ensure the players were rotated out in a timely manner I decided to manage these myself. So I saw good production and even better, good scores. I got the outcome I wanted, good play, good scores and no major injuries. Matches Thoughts What a way to start our season in the English Premier League! Man United, Arsenal, Wolves and then Leeds....damn! So to be completely honest, I dont expect us to get anything out of these. I mean, maybe the Leeds match, we might get a result with that one....but the others.....oh man....not the start I will want for us for sure. Match Rescheduled for TV Broadcast Thoughts Well....at least it is something.....I have to keep reminding myself that this is all about the money..... Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations At least we had a good preseason. I think I will be lucky to survive the season in all honesty. So lets see how this all goes! Thanks for reading and following along....Onward and Upward!!! Here we go!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Squad Assessment In Goal Svetoslav Vutsov: The 6'4" 26-year-old who started 20 matches last season for us will continue to be between the sticks again for us this season. It is stated that he is a Good EFL Championship player, I hope he proves them wrong. His contract through 2030 for $2.24M per year is a good deal for us I think. Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko: A 6'1" 22-year-old is going to be our emergency backup. I know I got some flack for signing him, but the upside is something I couldnt ignore. His contract through 2031 for $146K is one that I think is good for us, as long as he develops the way I hope. Defenders Right: Aurelio Buta. The 31 year-old is on a $2.36M per year contract until 2030. He has earned his spot on the roster last season but I am really concerned about him this season. The scouts say he is a Decent EFL League One player....and that is quite a bit different than the EPL! So hopefully he proves them wrong. Central Alex Tuanzebe. 30 years old and our best central defender. But the scouts say he is only a Good ELF Championship quality player. He is another one on a contract until 2030 for $1.75M. He is valued at $25-27M, so I hope he produces at that level. Charlie McArthur. 23 years old and signed through 2031 for a team-friendly $351K. He is one of the players who we will platoon in this position. But even though he is rated only as a League One quality player, I firmly believe he will perform when needed. Rhys Williams. The 27-year-old will fill in when needed. The list of players who will need to be resigned in 2030 is getting longer as he is on a $988K contract. He wont start many matches, but to know he is there if we need him is a nice feeling. Left: Jahmari Lindsay. The 23-year-old new signing has earned a spot in the starting 11 with his consistency and how well he has done in training. He is signed through 2031 for $780K. I think he will continue to develop and be a great player for us. Central Midfielders - I have a lot of depth here. Some can also play as the AMC, so added depth there. Jason Knight. The 27-year-old from last season is still in the starting 11 and retained his captaincy. Another of the 2030 contracts for $2.45M He is valued for between $34-41M and is worth every penny of it to us. Aaron Ramsey. The 25-year-old new signing has been slotted into the other midfield spot, but the concern I have for him not being comfortable in big matches almost kept me from signing him. We will see how he does since I feel like every match this season will be a "big match." Ben Davis. The 27-year-old signed last season is not happy that I signed Ramsey. I am trying to find him a loan home, but no takers so far. But he is a very versatile player so he will be starting some of the matches. Mario Martin. The 24-year-old has not fully developed yet and his new contract through 2031 for $1.5M will give us some stability and time for him to develop. Abdelhamid Sabiri. The 31-year-old is a holdover from last season. He was able to perform last season, but I am concerned about his ability to perform on the bigger stage. I may try to find him a loan place to get him on the pitch more. He is signed through 2030 for $1.01M, so maybe I can sell him to someone who needs him more than we do. Attacking Midfield - Right Osman Bukari. The 29-year-old is signed through 2030 for $2.4M. His listed worth is $29-38M and I hope he plays to that level. He only had 12 appearances last season, but he made a hug impact. I hope I continue to see that. Attacking Midfield - Center Sean McGurk. The 25-year-old who was signed last season has earned his spot in the starting 11. I feel like he is going to be vital to us having any chance of success for the upcoming season. He relishes big matches and is the model of consistency...things that we will need in the upcoming season. Matthew Rothwell. The 18-year-old recent signee will be a part of the rotation this season. he can easily play midfield or attacking midfield (central). I may see if we can find him a loan spot to allow him more time on the pitch. But if he is loaned out, I will make sure I can recall him if needed. Attacking Midfield - Left Jota. This 29-year-old that was signed mid-season last year has lifted the whole team with his quality of play. His $1.4M contract through 2030 is a great plus as I try to control the wages for the squad. I know he will be vital for us this season. Striker Jean-Phillippe Mateta. Our 31-year-old striker will be the one to lead us this season. I gave him a new contract through 2030 at $3.1M per year to try to dissuade other clubs. It didt work because Leeds has made repeated attempts to buy him. The last offer was around $25M. But he doesnt want to go and I dont want to sell him. So I hope he stays healthy this season. Subs - In addition to the ones described earlier. Bobby Clark. This 23-year-old is very versatile and can play 4 different positions that we use. His status as an Emergency Backup shows he understands his role right now. I expect him to see the pitch pretty regularly as we have to rotate players around. Ruben Vinagre. This 29-year-old from last season's starting 11 will be starting out on the bench this season. He is signed through the end of the season for $891K and can play as a Defender (Left) and Attacking Midfielder (Left) so I will use him when I can. Victor Abrego. This is another 31-year-old on the squad. He is our backup striker. He doesnt have the quality of Mateta, but can perform in a pinch if I need him to. Loan List: Our Loan List is pretty extensive. I didnt intend to set the squad up that way, but I seemed to be concentrating on the future instead of today...I hope that doesnt come back to bite us in the backside.... So here it is, our roster for the season in the EPL....lets hope we survive! We will still be playing the 4-2-3-1 with midfielders instead of defensive midfielders. I will make some tweaks to it, but if it aint broke, dont fix it! Onward and Upward we go!! Thanks for reading along.....this was a long post, but one I have neglected to do the past few seasons. I will try to remember to do it from now on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 August 2028 Monthly Review Match Results Thoughts This was one hell of a month. The Man United match, we just played scared. I started the match very defensive, and it was just nonstop attacks. So, I changed to Cautious, and we at least started taking shots. Knight scored our only goal in the 59th minute from a corner. Besides that shot, we were really not a threat to score. Arsenal started the season with a 5-0 thumping of Southampton, so I was really concerned going into this one. We once again parked the bus and were actually only beaten on a corner. So even though we lost that match, I was pleased it was only by 1 goal, I know it could have been worse. The week before the Wolves match, they hired Eric den Hag as their new manager. He said some slightly insulting things about me and the team so to get that win against them was a nice feeling. I know we struggled last season against them, but this is a new season, a new team...well...sort of. On paper, this was a pretty even match. Sykes started out the scoring for us in the 5th minute after moving through the defense and slotting the ball into the bottom left of the net. Jota doubled our lead in the 38th after a beautiful cross from Knight before they drew one back in the 59th minute. Mateta had a goal disallowed for offsides in the 83rd minute (I still think he was onside) but we were able to hold onto the win. The Accrington match saw me rotate quite a few players out of the starting lineup. I was sort of worried when we went into the locker room at the half as we were leading 1-0 off of the 1st half stoppage time goal from Clark. They drew the match level in the 56th and I think that woke the side up...well...that and me berating them from the touchline. We opened up and were able to score 3 more in the 2nd half. Buta scored in the 63rd minute and Abrego got a brace by finding the net in the 65th and 85th minutes. The goal in the 65th saw him bull rush 3 defenders and bounce the ball between them before beating the keeper. That one was pretty awesome. Then we got the draw for the 3rd round....and of course it is against Wolverhampton....and of course it is away. We had to get through the Leeds match first. I thought this would be our one chance at points this month, but Leeds was sitting 4th in the table when the came to Ashton Gate. We played with a cautious mentality and more direct passing. It was a series of nonstop attacks and is hoping we could catch them on a counterattack and grab a goal. This is exactly what happened as Winger Jota got a beautifully delivered pass from Wing Back Lindsay and was able to slot it into the open corner of the net. Mateta had another goal disallowed for offsides in stoppage time at the end of the 2nd half, yea, I think he was offsides...but still. Then back to Wolverhampton we go. This match had trouble written all over it. We swapped goals with us getting ours from Abrego in the 22nd and 29th and Mateta coming off of the bench to draw it level in the 87th. At this point my heart is about to beat out of my chest. We held off their relentless attacks until the end of the first 90 minutes. I was expecting us to play another 30 (which I was dreading, we were so tired) and then I saw it say we were going straight to penalties. I guess I need to pay more attention to the rules, haha. Anyway, Keeper Vutsov earned his pay and then some as he was able to hold onto the attempt from Lindelof. In all honesty, it wasnt that tough as the attempt went straight to him. But that was enough to see us through to the next round. League Table Thoughts If someone had offered me mid-table at the start of the season, I would have gladly taken it! I know it will be a long season, but points will be at a premium for sure. September Matches Thoughts And of course we now face Brighton (4th) and Liverpool (3rd) this month. So Bournemouth, yea, I think 3 points is a possibility. Any more than that will be a nice surprise. When do I get to play more teams below me in the table?? Injuries Thoughts This was not what I wanted to start the season. McGurk was injuried in training just 3 days before the season opener. Then I lost Bukari during the match against Man United. So I realized that I needed some kind of depth for my forwards. Even though I had signed some players, they were not good enough to step in and play for an extended period of time if I lost another player due to injury. Team of the Week Selections Thoughts I thought this was crazy since it was the first week, after our loss to Man United. I think it just shows how much worse things could have been. Thoughts This one made more sense. Knight was pulling the strings for the matches in the 3rd week. He played in the midfield and also supported our striker as the Attacking Midfielder. This was well deserved as well, in my opinion anyway. Another TV Match Thoughts Extra money is always a good thing..... Season Ticket Sales Thoughts That is a nice jump for sure! Ashton Gate holds 26,387, so to have less than 5000 seats available for a match. Yea, I think that is pretty awesome. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I dont know if my heart will be able to handle a whole season like this. Complaining players and injuries were not things I felt I would have to deal with this quickly. So I have sent players out on loan that I really wanted to hang around: Defender (Left) - Vinagre; Defender (Right) - Manu; and 2 others who look like they are on the way out on loan: Midfielder - Sabiri and Striker Abrego. They are demanding 1st-team football and I know I cant give it to them. I have also made some transfer offers, but I wont go into those unless I actually sign the players. The transfer deadline is less than 24 hours, so I will know pretty quickly. This is going to be a challenge for sure. But no guts no glory. I havent seen what the supporters and the board feel about the past month yet. But to keep the players settled, the supporters off of my back and the board pleased as we fight for survival....yea...no pressure there for sure. As always, thanks for reading along....Onward and Upward we go!! One random thing....if anyone is actually following along....do you like the detailed match reports? If no one is reading them, I may try to cut them down. But after playing the matches I think it is pretty cool to try to convey how I felt while it was going on. But if they are not liked, I can stop doing them....something to think about for sure.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 (edited) Transfer Window Summary League Payroll Thoughts This just blew my mind when I saw it. I mean, we are not even in the same city, let alone the same ballpark as the rest of the league. But we just dont have the revenue stream to support a massive payroll. I am actually concerned about what we are going to be spending, I cant imagine having a bottomless barrel of money to pull from. But if we survive, it will be on the cheap for sure. Transfer Overview Thoughts We sent quite a few players out on loan. You will see what I mean, but I actually didnt realize how many until I saw this. But even though we were the most active in terms of players...wow...to have that amount of money to spend on transfers, that would be crazy. Transfers Out Thoughts We have a pretty deep pool of players that can develop nicely. I knew that 1st team football would benefit them more than the U-21 squad would. The Vinagre, Sabiri, Abrego and Buta loans were because they all were complaining about not getting enough time on the pitch. I couldnt just put them out there and disrupt the squad because of their egos. I do have one other player that I will release on a free in January if he doesnt accept a move. But Ill deal with that then....hell...I may not even be here then...who knows? Transfers In Thoughts I spent more than I wanted to. But Simms is a great squad piece and I feel like I got the others at bargain prices. So collectively, I overspent, but I think they were all good investments. Signed on Transfer Deadline Day Midfielder (Central), Attacking Midfielder (Left/Central) Elliott Anderson Thoughts After the injuries to McGurk and Bukari I knew I needed some quality to rotate in and out of the starting 11. Everton wanted to sell him and I feel the price was too good to pass up. I like that he gets forward whenever possible and that he gets into the opposition area. I feel like this has been a weakness for us that I hope he helps correct. Goalkeeper Jan Olschowsky Thoughts As I was reading the social media posts I saw something that I just had to read. A player had issued a "come and get me plea" to get my attention. Well, it worked. I had to deal with an injury to Rojas (the backup keeper) and that got me concerned because after him, there is a severe lack of depth. So Jan was a position that I needed to strengthen. His bargain price and easy contract negotiation made this transfer a no-brainer. Striker Ellis Simms Thoughts Metata has been getting increasing interest in the transfer market and one of these days he may just decide he wants to leave. As with other positions, I didnt have much quality after him. Abrego was demanding to start and he just didnt provide the consistency that I wanted. Ellis was on the market and his price seemed like a bargain considering the quality he brings. His speed and finishing will be a definite plus. I feel comfortable rotating him into the starting 11 ad having him in my hip pocket just in case Metata decides he wants to see how green the grass is on the other side of the fence. Defender (Left) Gabriel Busanello Thoughts This is the one the pundits called a "panic buy" because he was not fully scouted. But our left defender has been a position of weakness since I took over. I was able to get some younger guys who will grow into good starters, but I didnt have anyone to fill that role now. Gabriel was offered to us by his agent and we were able to see that even with the limited knowledge we had of him, he was going to be a definite upgrade. His price was a definite draw as well. I will admit, he was not my 1st choice here. But for some reason, the player I wanted, who played for Burnley, couldnt get a work permit. I could not even use one of my ESC permits on him. But yet he was able to get a permit to be loaned out to a team in Scotland. I have alot to learn about these work permits.... Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I think we definitely strengthened the squad while ensuring the unhappy players find new homes and the youngsters are getting 1st team football. I dont like how much I ended up spending, but if we are able to stay in the EPL, it will have been money well-spent. I know I normally wait for the months to end to post updates. But it took me 3 hours to get through 1 September, so I figured it deserved its own update. Onward and Upwards we go....at least I hope! Thanks for reading and following along! Edited March 10 by BrnwsBucksFanNC I wasnt able to finish, so I edited it to do that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 11 Author Share Posted March 11 September 2028 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I entered this week wondering how we would be able to get any points. I guess someone forgot to tell the squad. We actually had the Brighton match in the bag. McArthur scored on a header in the 67th and we were just sitting back and absorbing the non-stop barrage from them. I just about threw my computer out the window when they scored in the 94th minute....out of 4 minutes of stoppage time. They carved us apart on the final counterattack of the match. Yea, I was pretty deflated that one. I know our focus had taken a hit due to the changes in the squad so I decided to go more defensive on this one. I wanted us to live or die by the counterattack. Luckily for us, we lived through it. We were outshot 18 to 5. But we outscored them 2-0. I decided to rotate the squad some and put Simms into the starting 11. He repaid me by scoring in stoppage time to give us the lead heading into the half. He seemed to be exhausted so I subbed Mateta on for him in the 75th minute. Mateta showed the skills in his fresh legs as he got a beautiful long ball from Anderson and just schooled the keeper in the 85th minute as he just doinked the ball over his prostate body. We then headed to Liverpool to take on the legend Jurgen Klopp and his highly skilled squad. I actually felt like it was a win for us to only lose by 1. Unbelievably we went into the half up 2-1. They scored an own-goal in the 13th and Jota took a beautiful long pass from Shackleton and sent the keeper the wrong way in the 16th. They were able to get one back in the 19th on a wonderful series of passes that sent Vutsov the wrong way. The second half was pretty much nothing but attacks from Liverpool. We gave up the leveler in the 62nd. We then started to give as good as we got and I felt we were going to head home with the points level. But Nunez was subbed on in the 67th minute and just flat out beat Vutsov in the 70th for what proved to be the game winner. But a 2-3 loss to Liverpool is something to be proud of for us. Nice Praise Thoughts I was kind of surprised to see him still here since he has announced in real life that he is leaving at the end of this season (2024). But that is a really nice compliment for the whole sqaud. Another Team of the Week Thoughts The scouts dont rate Vutsov as high as he plays. Which I think is pretty damn awesome! I hope he keeps it up! League Table Thoughts So here we are, 7 matches into the season and we sit in 9th (probably 10th with Forest's match in hand). But that is AWESOME!! We are currently 6 points above the drop zone. So I am not going to complain at all. I know reality will kick in soon, but I am going to ride this as long as we can. October Matches Thoughts Really? Can I have an easy month sometime? I hope this means we get the teams in the bottom of the table later in the season. Chelsea (1st), Man City (5th) and Spurs (3rd) with Newcastle (17th) at home in the EFL Cup. Maybe we can win the Newcastle match? Beyond that? I will be happy if we can somehow find a point. Yea, they are coming at us tough so far this season. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I am glad we are on the international break. As soon as the run of matches ended in September I had 2 players get injured in training and go out for 2-3 weeks. So the break couldnt have come at a better time for us. I also lost one of my scouts to Aston Villa. I decided to bring in some more U-21 and U-18 coaches as well as 3 new scouts. I am waiting for the scouts to get work permits, which hopefully wont be a problem. But if they are able to join us, we will have coverage for: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, and Slovenia. We should find out about the WPs any day now. I cannot complain, except for the injuries...oh, I decided to hire a better physio and sport scientist as well. Hopefully they help cut down on those things. But yea, I am really pleased. My spending spree sent us into the red again, but that should turn around now that I am not spending money on transfers. Every month is one more month we increase our chances of staying up....and that is what matters the most....oh....and making money....oh....and winning matches! Onward and Upward we go! Thanks for joining along as we travel this wacky journey.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 11 Author Share Posted March 11 October 2028 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I knew this would be a tough month and it proved to be. The Chelsea match, we were lucky to only lose by 1. It was like we were afraid to take any shots. Then the 2nd half they came alive, but we just couldnt catch a break as we hit the crossbar and the left post to deny us a chance to get a point from the match. We then headed to Manchester to face another tough match against Man City. Maybe we enjoyed the TV exposure, but I think it was one of the best counterattacking matches we have ever played. I knew they would be relentless in their attacks, and they were. But in the 1st half stoppage time, Anderson got a beautiful pass into the box from McGurk that he slotted into the corner of the net to give us the 1-0 lead. Silva drew us level in the 2nd half but McGurk played another beautiful setup pass to Mateta who gave us the lead in the 68th minute. The last 20 minutes we sat back and absorbed their attempt to get something out of the match, but we were able to head home with all 3 points. The cup match against Newcastle saw us field a younger squad. I liked the idea of making a deeper cup run, but I also was concerned with the fatigue level of my starters. The quality between the 2 sides was apparent as they moved on in the competition as we were not really a threat to even score in that match. The home match against Spurs, I felt really good about. We had played well in the Man City match and I didnt see any reason for us not to do so with the Spurs match. But the 1st half was a disaster for us. Busanello made a harsh tackle in the box which set them up to score from the spot and they never looked back. They doubled their lead in the 55th and I was trying everything to get the team fired up about the match. Knight delivered a beautiful pass from a set-piece and McGurk headed it into the net to give us a respectable 1-2 loss. So to get 3 points, I wont complain. League Table Thoughts We are roughly 1/3 of the way through the season and we are sitting in 10th place. I am very pleased with that. If someone had offered me that at the start of the season, I would have taken it. This looks even better to me because the manager of Wolves said we would be going down. So, to be above him in the table, that is even better. I dont know if it will end this way, us being above him. But for now, it feels really good. Team of The Week Thoughts It was great to see McGurk getting recognized for his work in the Man City match. He came to me and asked for a new contract, which I gave him. One thing he did want was a promise to play him in his favorite position. I removed it. I dont like to make that promise since I dont know what the future holds and I dont want that hanging over my head. But it was nice to see him honored here. Come and Get Me Plea Thoughts This is the 2nd one of these I have gotten. I checked out Kawabe and there is always a possibility of me signing him. But I think it would require me selling some of my central midfielders. I have a good group of them now and I dont want to put myself into a selection dilemma as I try to give them all match time. TV Matches Thoughts Extra money is always good. Plus, seeing how we performed in the Man City match, it may give us an extra incentive! November Matches Thoughts Sunderland is bottom of the table and Crystal Palace is currently 18th, so I think those 2 are very winnable. The West Ham match, it is according to which Bristol City team shows up. We can win it just as easily as we can lose it. The Newcastle match is the one I think we will struggle with. So, anything over 6 points, this will be a good month. Time to hit the pitch! Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I knew we would have a tough month and we did. I am pleased to know that the LR is still behind me. I havent seem how the board and supporters feel. I hope they give me at least a B. If we dont have a good month in November, I can see me losing the board, supporters and the LR, which will not be good. I sent us into the red with the transfers I made, but things are much better this month. We are making about $5M per month, so we should be in solid shape by 1 January. I think I am going to consider selling some of the younger players I have as well. We currently have about 20 players out on loan and that is alot of money tied up in "potential" to not have a good balance of youth and income. I actually was questioned at one point during a press conference about the large number of players we have on loan. I think this is something I will need to keep an eye on. As I look at the schedule, December is brutal. The last week of the month, we have 3 matches scheduled. I will need to keep an eye on the fatigue levels of the squad. Simms and Anderson are cup locked, so I need to keep that in mind as I am rotating the players in and out of the starting 11. We are holding our own...and that is all I can hope for. Thanks for reading along and see how we fight to stay in the Premier League! Onward and Upward we go!! Time to see what happens next! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 November 2028 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I approached this month thinking that 6 points would be a good month, so us getting 7 was even better. Sunderland is at the bottom of the table for a reason. I decided to rest some of the starters and give some of our other players a run out. Bukari started off the scoring in the 8th minute by grabbing an errant throw-in on their end of the pitch and weaving his way through the defense and beat the keeper on a sweet little move to slot it away in the bottom far corner of the net. He continued his good day by feeding Jota a beautiful cross-field pass that he fired into the top corner of the net. Jota scored from the spot after a very harsh tackle in the box (personally I felt it was a red, but I didnt want to say that in the presser, I dont need a fine) in the 41st to give us a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the half. Sunderland was able to catch us sleeping on a sweet counter in the 66th minute before Simms rewarded the supporters for their loud cheering when he started the match when he slotted a shot into the net in the 89th minute to secure us all 3 points. We headed home to welcome Newcastle, the team we cant seem to play well against. This match was no different. Jota started off the scoring after a setup pass from Mateta in the 6th minute and what followed was a never-ending series of fouls by both sides that kept either side from being able to settle into any kind of rhythm. The woodwork punished and aided us as both sides were robbed by hitting the posts and crossbars. The succession of fouls finally led to Newcastle being awarded a kick from the penalty spot and beat Vutsov as this one ended with the points being shared. We headed to London to take on West Ham where our luck seemed to run out. Despite having more shots (13 to 10) we just couldnt break down their defense. They caught us sleeping and were able to score 1 of their own and send us packing with all 3 points in their back pocket. Just 3 days later we welcomed Crystal Palace and I had rested the players to make sure they were match fit for this one. This match was the same as the Newcastle one, but this one saw us come out on top as McGurk set Jota up in the 40th minute on a lovely cross that saw Jota slot it safely into the back of the net. These matches were a real struggle at times as the side didnt seem to be bothered one way or another about how we did. That is going to be something I need to figure out as we move into the middle part of the season. Team of the Week...X2 Thoughts Jota was selected for Team of the Week twice last month. I still cant believe the bargain price I paid for him last January. He has repaid me and then some. I like to see the recognition of the players being spread around. It proves that we win....and lose as a team. League Table Thoughts I remember one of the questions I was asked earlier in the season was about the number of points needed to stay up. I believe the reporter said it was 40. To know we are halfway there with 24 more matches to play helps my heart some. Every point is important and to have this cushion is very reassuring. I think it is easy to see who the top-tier sides are, the 2nd-tier and the pretenders. December Matches Thoughts So not only do we have a flurry of matches at the end of the month, but our last one just has to be against league leading Arsenal. We start the month against Brentford (7th) and then travel to Nottingham (13th) and a week later we welcome Southampton (17th). Then the fun begins as we head to Everton (16th), then 3 days later, on Boxing Day, a home fixture against Fulham (19th) and another 3-day break before we travel to take on Arsenal (1st). Brentford and Arsenal, I dont think we can win those 2. But the other 4, I think we have a good chance of getting 9 points from those 3. That would put us in a good place when we hit the new year. Wanting to Discuss A New Contract Thoughts I was actually concerned that the board and supporters were not too happy with me. I know we have had some good results, but I dont always play the type of football they want. As I say all of the time in the pressers....I am paid to win and I use whatever tactic I think will help us to do that. This Guy Is Getting Paid! Thoughts They offered me a 3-year deal at $464K a year. I countered with $507K for 5 years. But they didnt like that. So, I kept the years at 3 and responded with the figure we agreed on. I normally dont ask for a pay raise, but we have now erased all of the deficits and are making money every month, so why not? Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations This is going to be a busy month for sure, but then we hit the month I cant stand during the season....the dreaded Transfer Window. I still see that Mateta is on the radar of different teams and I am not sure how long I can hold on to him. That is part of the reason I brought Simms in. I think the more time he gets the more comfortable he will be...just in case Mateta does leave. Who knows who else might go? But we have to get through December first! I think the woodwork hated me this past month (okay, it saved me a couple of times as well) but we couldnt even get a beneficial rebound to make up for the miss by just inches! I know how frustrating that can be...and how risky it is because eventually one team or another is going to have some good luck. I have also realized that I dont need a match-by-match report on all of the players we have out on loan. That can be alot of emails! But I have seen the players we sent on loan because of their unreasonable playing time demands have struggled to perform against lesser competition. That validation of their ability was nice because of the reaction to me sending them out. As we head into December, thanks for following along.... Onward and Upward we go for sure!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 December 2028 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I was setting myself up to take 9 points and be happy with it. But the team continues to surprise me. The Brentford match made me start the question what my Assistant has been recommending. He wanted us to go in hard on the tackles and it made us come completely undone. They scored 2 quick goals in the 1st half and I decided to change the tactic to what I had wanted and Jota scored a beautiful goal in the 36th for us to go into the half down 1-2. I decided to ignore him completely after that and McArthur scored on a header from a corner in the 62nd to draw us level. I really felt we would be able to find the winner in the last 20 minutes, but all we ended up doing is drawing 2 more yellow cards. We headed to Nottingham and dont think we got off of the coach for the 1st half. They scored out of the gate in the 3rd minute and started a series of non-stop attacks. I decided to pull us back to a cautious mentality to handle what they were throwing at us. They scored again in the 58th and looked like they would cruise to a victory. But then McGurk (60th) and Mateta (62nd) drew us level and we put our foot on the gas in an attempt to find that elusive late winner. But their tactic of tackling my players hard (3 yellow cards for them in the last 20 minutes) kept us from getting anything going and we headed back to Bristol no worse for wear with another point to add to our tally. The Southampton match is one that just about caused me to resign. They scored 2 quick goals in the first 8 minutes and I started to berate and, well, try anything to get their mind back into the game. Anderson got us on the scoreboard in the 9th minute and Ramsey made it level in the 43rd minute and we headed into the half level 2-2. The 2nd half saw us come out playing on a different level and we took the lead on a Shackleton strike (I think this is his 1st goal) and Mateta put the game officially out of reach in stoppage time after a beautiful setup pass from Ramsey. The Everton match saw us come out of the gate, playing too aggressive and not paying attention. This was made apparent when McArthur scored an OG in the 17th minute. I watched the replay 4 or 5 times and am still not sure how he put the ball in the net. But then Jota became laser-focused and scored from the spot in the 23rd, got his 2nd in 1st half stoppage time from a lovely Anderson cross and his 3rd in the 48th after Ramsey played a beautiful through ball. We had a chance to pile on more after Branthwaite got an early shower in the 81st minute after a harsh tackle which resulted in his 2nd yellow card. The Fulham match had "trap" written all over it. We were on a roll and spirits were high. I approached this one with some apprehension, but the squad showed they were focused and ready. McArthur got us started in the 1st half stoppage time before Mateta added our 2nd in the 51st, Ramsey brought the score to 3-0 and Foster-Vigors completed our scoring in the 75th. I tried to slow things down and park the bus after that. But they successfully carved us apart in the 81st to pull a goal back. As I approached the Arsenal match, I saw a completely worn out side that would be facing another heavy schedule in January. So I decided to rotate the squad and give our backups a match. I knew we would be pushing our luck to be able to beat them and the concern of an injury to me just wasnt worth it. So I set us up much more defensive and hoped we could handle what I knew would be thrown at us. Bukari gave me a smile when he opened the scoring in the 29th. But they only let us hold the lead for 8 minutes before drawing us level and then in stoppage time for the 1st half got the lead. I still think he was offsides, but anyway. We held them off until the 69th and 81st where they put the match out of reach. Martin did give us another score in the 83rd as we just sat back and absorbed their attacks until the final whistle. Team of the Week....X3 Thoughts Jota got recognized for his contributions on the pitch along with McArthur, Ramsey and Anderson. A nice representation of the squad and the overall quality we have. Player of the Week Thoughts Jota was a one man wrecking crew in the Everton match. I feel like he deserved this recognition and then some. It is hard to believe that I only signed him last January and he has secured his place in the starting 11. I originally signed him to play left winger, but with the signing of Anderson I have moved him to the right. Bukari is a great player to rotate in, but it is nice to have some options in those 2 vital positions. League Table Thoughts After that wonderful December, I think we have a really good chance of staying up. At the beginning of the season, I didnt rate our chances very high. It is a testament to how well the side have played. Financial Fair Play and Another TV Match Thoughts I am still learning about the Financial Fair Play rules. But to know that we are okay, yea, that is all I need to know, haha. We have another TV match and more money....which is always a good thing. New Expectations....and Budget Thoughts As we approach the January transfer window the board reached out and asked me if I wanted to change the expectations. My first reaction was "sure! lets got for the top option" that is, until I looked at January and the matches we have there. Then I came crashing back to reality and settled for the middle option. It still gives me more transfer funds and payroll. Its nice to know I have those if I need them. January 2029 Matches Thoughts Man, what a month! Peterborough, yea, we should win that one. But otherwise, 6 points will be a good month. I hope we beat Wolves and Leeds, but even then, I am not 100% sure about those. I am not going to put myself out there on a limb, but I will say 6 points will be a good month for us. Criticism....for 1 Loss? Thoughts As I said above, I rotated the squad and changed the tactic for the Arsenal match. I needed to rest most of the squad and I felt the tactic suited who we put on the pitch. So they complain that a weakened squad only lost to the best team in the league by 2? Damn, they dont have much patience do they? Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations Before I discuss this past month, I wanted to share what has happened with Elia over the last year. They sacked the manager who replaced me after 2 months. His replacement came in and they played enough at the end of the season to stay in the top-tier of Cypriot football. But this past off-season, he replaced all of the players except 3. So far this season they have not won a match. The last time I checked, they had drawn 4 or 5, but that is it. I hate to see what has happened in such a short time. But he wanted his players and it looks like they just were not good enough. Now back to Bristol. I have quite a few of the players who I know will never make the starting 11 on the transfer market. I figure why not sell them if I can? Our Youth Intake is supposed to be excellent, so it will be good to make sure the new signees have the opportunity to get time on the pitch. I also have gotten interest in my backup goalie going out on loan. I am not sure about this and need to really think about it. I guess the argument that I can recall him if needed will help him develop, but I dont like the idea of going into a match without a backup goalie in the bench. So yea, I need to consider this. I dont like the Transfer Window, I dont want to lose players, but it is the reality of it. Hopefully we can get through the next 30 days without too much change...but who knows? Well here we go......Onward and Upward!! Thanks for following along!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 January 2029 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts We started the new year hosting Man United and were able to steal all 3 points in a match I honestly thought we would lose. Shackelton didnt score, but he showed his value by getting 2 assists. He really looks good coming forward and playing the ball to the midfield players. I feel like him being able to play as a midfielder does impact his ability to see how the play can develop. Knight started the scoring for us in the 25th minute and Jota slotted one away in the 34th from the spot to give us a 2-1 lead going into the half. Mateta gave us our 3rd in the 47th and I changed things to start to slow the match down and get ready for the ensuing attacks. Rashford had one hell of a game as he was able to get 2 past Vustov, but we held on and sent them home with a loss. Wolves came to Ashton Gate and we were able to once again earn all 3 points. Moder (who we sold last January) put them on the board first. But Anderson got a beautiful setup pass from Mateta and grabbed us a goal in the 37th. Jota once again found the net from the spot in the 69th minute and Simms got on the scoresheet in 2nd half stoppage time to put this one out of reach. Peterborough came to town for the FA Cup and I decided to play youngsters mixed in with a few of the rotational players and allow the starting 11 to get some rest. I got really worried when our only score of the 1st half was from Clark in the 29th minute to get us back in the match after going down 0-2. The 2nd half the team responded really well to the halftime talk as Ramsey scored a braced (67th and 82nd minutes) and Armstrong scored a header from a corner in the 75th for his first Bristol City goal. We conceded goals from corners in both halves of the match and know that our backup goalie situation will need to be looked at to make sure we can cover corners. We then traveled to Leeds and on paper at least, this match should have been a draw. All of the stats were pretty much the same with the Ramsey goal in the 34th minute the only goal in the match. We then traveled to Brighton for the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and once again, the match was pretty even on paper. McGurk started the scoring in the 59th minute and I thought we would be able to hold them off, but were scored on twice in consecutive corners and lost a really close match. So needless to say, I decided to start looking for a new set piece coach. We then headed to Bournemouth. This was an ugly match. I set us on a cautious mentality and I guess they took that as permission to commit fouls at will. We had 17 fouls and 4 yellow cards in this match and even though we had the majority of the possession, we didnt take any shots. Our only goal was in the 52nd when McGurk scored with a beautiful pass from Martin. They drew it level in the 82nd and there was nothing I could do to get the team fired up enough to go and try to win this one. I was really disappointed with our intensity in this one and really felt we should have won it (if we had taken any damn shots). We finished the month hosting Liverpool. This is another match where we ended up with the same stats as each other and the score reflected it. They set up for a corner in the 4th minute and somehow Knight, while attempting to clear the ball from the near post, scored an own goal to give them the lead. Ramsey got us level in 1st half stoppage time with a solo effort where he moved the ball through their defense before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner of the net. Knight got 2 assists in the 2nd half as Jota got us level again in the 55th minute after they had taken the lead with a goal in the 51st. Simms, playing the part of the supersub, cut between the central defenders and got a lovely pass from Knight before he beat the keeper to give us the lead in the 60th minute. I knew 30 minutes was too long to hold on to a 1 goal lead and I knew there was 1 more goal in the match. Either it would secure the victory for us, or it would allow them to draw level. They scored that last goal in the 81st minute and we split the points. I thought we would win that one so to drop those points was tough. But looking back over the month, I could not really complain at all. I said last month that 6 points would be a good month....so 11 is freakin amazing!! Accolades Team of The Week Thoughts It is nice to see Mateta getting some accolades. He does a great job when presented with the ball. I hate to say it though, but I think he is losing a step, so it is nice to see him still being recognized for his contributions to the side. Youngest Bristol City Scorer Thoughts Another nice thing to come out of the Peterborough match. Im not sure he will make it to the starting 11, but that cant hurt when he tries to find a new club. League Table Thoughts At the beginning of the season, I was asked about the points needed to stay up. The reporter shared that he thought 40 points would be enough. So, for us to have 42 points at the end of January, yea, that is pretty damn cool. If someone had offered me this scenario back in August, I would have jumped at it! I think things are going very well. Leeds are struggling after a strong start and Wolves seem to have some fight in them and with that 7 point cushion, I think they stand a good chance of staying up. Financial Stuff More TV Matches Thoughts More free money, yea, cant complain about that at all. Loan Repayments Starting Thoughts I knew we would start to repay this at some point. I am glad we are in a strong financial position to do so. EPL Payroll Information - After Close of the Transfer Window Thoughts This just blows my mind. Forget about the $416M we are behind Man City.....we are $131M behind the league average!! Leeds is going to be in a tough spot if they do get relegated. Im not sure they can sustain that level of salary if they drop down. Be interesting to see. February Matches Thoughts We are going into a tough month for sure. Chelsea, Spurs and Man City are all above us in the table. Brighton is a team that we just cant seem to beat and then we close out the month hosting Sunderland. I think 3 points is realistic, 6 would be great. But unless we can snatch a match somewhere, I just cant see where it will come from. New Signings Defender (Central) Dean Huijsen Thoughts This is one I brought in from Juventus. I think we got a steal in him since he only cost us $125K. I signed him the 1st day of the transfer window and he has already gotten some time on the pitch. Williams was my only depth for central defenders and Huijsen provides us another player in case we need him. The added bonus of him being young and hopefully can still develop. I liked this one quite a bit. Striker Adama Bojang Thoughts This was our only signing for the rest of the transfer window and it was on the last day. I guess I used the rest of the window to just watch the frantic movements of teams. I really liked what I saw from this 24 year old and his price of $1.5M from Reims I felt was more than reasonable. I signed him and immediately sent him out on loan since I have Mateta and Simms. Mateta just seems like he has went as far as he can and I really want someone who can stretch the defense and take advantage of gaps with pace and acceleration. I think Bojang can get even faster....at least I hope he can, haha. But he gives us some really good depth. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I always get to the Transfer Window with dread and apprehension. But this one wasnt too bad. I did have some come after Lindsay, but their offer bordered on the ridiculous so it was a no-brainer to reject it. I actually was looking at an upgrade for left defender. But the asking price was asinine. So, even though he was interested, Koln just wanted more than I was willing to pay. I will keep an eye on him and may try to unsettle him to see if I can sign him at the end of the season, but there is still alot of football to be played for sure. I cant help myself, I have continued to check in on Elia Lythondria. But it is a team I dont even recognize. At the end of last season, with the squad I left them, they got 19 points and were able to stay up. They proceeded to sell or release all of the players, except 4. They sent everyone except Alic out on loan and proceeded to increase the payroll to $90K per year above the budget. This season, with the new squad and the massive payroll, they have gotten 9 points throughout the season. I understand that a new manager wants to have players they want, but to see the total turnaround in the club is just sad to see. I wont be able to follow them next season since I have dropped the rest of the leagues in Cyprus. I just hoped they would do better. Bristol City has had a remarkable season so far. We have won the matches we should have and been able to snatch points from other matches to put us in a very safe place. I know I will need to make some improvements in the squad to give us a better opportunity to be a stable club in the EPL and not be worried about getting embroiled in a relegation battle at any point in the future. I hope those of you who are following along with the save have enjoyed it so far. I know I have! Onward and Upward we go.....and where we stop....who even knows! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 February 2029 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I knew this would be a tough month, and it was. Even though we were able to snag 2 points in the Brighton and Man City matches (I still cant believe that Man City result) so for us to get 5 points this month, I am very pleased. The Chelsea match was as bad as I thought it was going to be. I changed us to a Cautious mentality and I guess they thought I meant for them not to shoot. After they had taken 20 shots and we didnt take any, I changed the mentality to Balanced, but I dont think it mattered much. We took 2 whole shots, well, at least both were on target. When compared to their 31 shots, 14 on target, well, we should be lucky it wasnt any worse. Ironically all of the goals were in the 2nd half. After we went down 0-1 in the 72nd and I changed our mentality, Bukari got a lovely pass from Ramsey and drew us level in the 74th. I changed to wasting as much time as we could and they retaliated by scoring 2 more goals in 2 minutes. That was a 1st class butt whooping and I am glad they didnt score more. We headed home to face Brighton. I felt we could beat them. But they took the lead in the 1st half. Mateta has been struggling so I started Simms. He repaid that trust by scoring a scorcher in the 49th minute after a lovely pass from Jota. We kept the pressure up but were not able to break through. They are a team I have really struggled to get a handle on them. 4 days later we welcomed high-riding Manchester City and I felt this would be another match on the scale of the Chelsea match. But I decided that the Cautious mentality didnt do me any favors, so I put us on a Balanced one. I think it through them off of their game plan. Neither side acted like they wanted to win the match. We both had 8 shots, with us getting 4 on target and them getting 2. We had more of the possession and sadly committed more fouls, but the end result was neither of us were able to score in that match so we shared the points. We then traveled to London to take on Spurs. Statistically this was a level match, but they were able to carve us up twice in the 1st half and we faced a 0-2 deficit for most of the 2nd half. Surprisingly we did get one back when Busanello was able to see a gap in the defense and slot the ball away in the 81st minute. But it was too little too late and we fell to another defeat. As we headed home for the Sunderland match, the board and supporters both expected us to get a draw. Damn, playing the team at the bottom of the table and they expect a draw? Wow. Ramsey took control of this game as he scored in the 23rd and 67th minutes to ensure we earned all 3 points. We controlled the match to the point that Sunderland did not even get a shot on target (they did take 4, but I never saw them on the in-match highlights) so I was proud to look back at the board and supporters knowing that we had disappointed them and not get the draw....we got the victory instead. I expected 3 points...we got 5. So I would say it was a good month. Team of the Week....X2 Thoughts I think this was a great recognition for Busanello and the game he played. Yes, we lost, but he put in a top-level shift and rightly earned the recognition. Thoughts Ramsey has become a vital player for the side. He pulls the strings in the midfield for us. It always presents this in a 4-4-2 formation, which we do not play. Ramsey plays as a midfielder as an Advanced Playmaker with the Attack mentality. He is definitely our best player right now....except for Vutsov (who I still cant figure out why he isnt recognized, oh well) but a well-deserved honor for Ramsey. League Table Thoughts I still am dumbstruck by the fact we are in the top half of the table. It looks like Bournemouth and Newcastle are in a fight with us for that 7th spot. It looks like position could possibly be in the European Conference League Playoff, based off of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners. I know there is still 8 matches left to see where everything ends up. But to even be a part of this conversation is mind-boggling. There are a total of 24 points left for us.....and 24 points to Fulham. We are really close to being safe from relegation, no matter what the rest of the season match results are. This is a nice position to be in for sure. March Matches Thoughts Only 2 matches, I guess there is an international break, I havent checked yet. But that Newcastle match is HUGE. Whoever wins that will be in the driver's seat for that 7th spot. I think that is a 50-50 match, we can win it as easily as we can lose it. I will split the difference and say a draw. The West Ham match is at Ashton Gate and I feel we can win this one. Lets hope I am right! Some More Of That TV Money.... Thoughts We are making money every month and have wiped out the deficit I had created during the first transfer window. So every penny we earn is money in the bank. Oh, I know that when I type a currency amount I use the dollar sign instead of the pound sign, which is what the currency is. I know this sounds crazy, but I dont know how to put the pound sign. I guess I could research how to do it. But tbh, it never crossed my mind, haha. I will try to figure that out before the next update. And Now About That Manager.... Thoughts This was pretty cool to see. Now onto the next 200! Thoughts I now have earned all of them. I havent done that in many years of FM, so I am really proud of that. I checked my Reputation is up to 65%. I am really pleased with that. It is good to know the kind of impact I can have on the squad. Thoughts Wow, this really shocked me. I know we had hit a bad patch, but it was what? 7 or 8 matches, at most. Boy, they have short memories. Yea, we won the next match. But I am really worried about their expectations going forward and if I will be able to keep my job if we hit another bad stretch. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations It was great to be able to Transfer Window behind us. I actually did sign another player, a midfielder. I will share his info with the next update. I wanted to get a player in who is already playing at our level and not another development player. I was asked again about the number of players I have out on loan, but I feel like it gives them great playing time which is what is needed to help them develop. I know our roster will go through some more changes at the end of the season. I want to be judicious in the signing of players, not just to spend the transfer money they have given me. I transferred some of the extra Transfer Budget into our Scouting Budget to allow us to scout the whole world for the rest of the season, not just Europe. I also am trying to bring in 3 more scouts to give us better coverage in northern and eastern Europe as well as Central America. Hopefully they get signed soon. They had to get work permits. This season has went very well. I hope it continues! Thanks to anyone who has followed along. This has been alot of fun. Onward and Upward we go!! To where, who in the world knows? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Youth Intake Overall Rating Thoughts Not our strongest bunch of youngsters. We will see how they do in the evaluation match. Top Talent Good Talent Decent Talent Thoughts I doubt we sign many of these players. I have been disappointed in the 2 Youth Intakes that I have had here at Bristol. Hopefully we can get better ones in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 March 2029 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I felt like we could win both of these, but I know how my team seems to play so up and down. It depended on which Robins squad showed up. I knew how important the Newcastle match was and Ramsey rose to the occasion. Jota sent in a lovely ball from a free kick and Ramsey slotted it home in the 25th minute to give us the lead. Newcastle's Zaniolo was sent off in the 39th minute for a harsh tackle and they responded by scoring in the 43rd minute. I have been sticking with Mateta but I dont know if he is trying to hard or is not trying hard enough. Once he hit a 6.4 rating I sent in Simms to try to give us a spark. Simms took a pass from Lindsay and scored in the 64th to give us the lead. Ramsey played a lovely pass to Bukari in the 77th minute that he beat the keeper with to put the game out of reach. The rest of the match saw us getting nonstop attacks but they were unable to break us down and we headed back to Bristol with all 3 points. I saw that even with a week between the matches that some of the players were tired so I swapped some of the regular starters out. I cant seem to get quality starts out of either of my strikers right now and this is something I will need to take a hard look at. West Ham seemed to want to let us take the game to them. They only attempted 4 shots with only 1 on target. McGurk got a long pass from McArthur and was able to beat the keeper for the match's only score in the 23rd minute. Every time I saw us passing the ball I was concerned that we would make a silly pass and turn the ball over to allow them back into the match. Even though they had more of the ball than we did they were never able to translate their possession into a goal. We were able to keep our 1 goal lead and end the month with all 6 points. A Great month for us! Team of the Week...X2 Again Thoughts Ramsey rightly deserved this recognition after his performance in the Newcastle match. He has developed into one of our go-to players and really orchestrates things in the middle of the pitch. With every match he has increased his stature in the league. I just hope that doesnt mean I will need to fend off non-stop suitors for him this summer. Thoughts It looks like the pundits were impressed with McArthur and McGurk as well. I think it is wonderful to see both of the players recognized like this. I am really proud of them. League Table Thoughts I know we wont break into the top 6, but to be sitting in control in 7th place with only 6 matches to go. This is just crazy. It has been a wonderful season for us. I think the remaining matches put us in a strong position to retain this league position and with it, the possibility of European football. Not bad for a newly promoted side! April Matches Thoughts We start out with Crystal Palace (20th) and then have Brentford (12th). We head home to welcome Forest (16th) and the head to Southampton (15th). We should win every match, but I know that is a huge ask. I feel like 9 points is a good goal for us as we head into the end of the season. Monthly Accolades Young Player of the Month Thoughts Turk is one of the players I am keeping an eye on. I think he has the potential to turn into a good one, if he continues to develop. I think this is a testament to his ability and speaks highly of how well he is developing. Goal of the Month Thoughts I like Sabiri, but he is so inconsistent. I am glad to see him getting this recognition and I hope it bodes well for his career. He is under contract until 2030 but I hope I can sell him during the summer. Hopefully this will encourage other teams to meet my asking price. Most Recent Signing Midfield (Center)/AM (C) Shandon Baptiste Thoughts This was a free transfer of a player who had been released by Brentford during the transfer window. He agreed to a team-friendly $491K salary for 2 years. He has been coming off of the bench since his signing and has provided the depth I felt we needed in the midfield. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations I have really enjoyed this save, in spite of the times I wanted to throw my laptop out of the window and my wife had to remind me that the windows are open. The challenge with a team like this is to try to make sure they win the matches they should while sneaking in the occasional victory in the matches we should lose. We are playing well and there is no reason that I can see that will cause that to drop off. As I look towards next season, I know there are positions that we need to improve. While I like Busanello, I feel like we could improve our left Wing Back. I think Manu will be ready to take over as the right Wing Back. I hate to admit it, but I feel like it is time to consider selling Mateta and bringing in a player with more speed and better finishing. We just are not putting ourselves in the best position to score goals. We are relying too much on the midfield to win matches for us. I want to see more production out of our strikers and Mateta just hasnt performed well this season. Maybe a new home would benefit him....and us. There are just 6 matches left in the season and we are sitting in a strong position to stay in that 7th position. I dont know yet if it will mean anything, but to finish that high is pretty awesome. The most nerve-wracking thing is every time I start a match I get this sinking feeling we are going to lose. But the squad has found a way to prove me wrong more times than not. I have learned one thing though, dont play a match right going to bed. Either I end the match all excited about how we were able to win, or stressed out about how we figured out a way to lose. Either way I immediately start thinking about the next match, trying to figure out what changes to make in the squad, tactics and training. The end result is that it takes quite a while for me to be able to go to sleep. I will admit I hate transfers and contracts. Transfers are a never-ending series of second guesses about whether a player will actually improve the side or not. Contracts are arguing over salaries that 9 times out of 10 are higher than the agents said the player would want. Once the negotiations are over then it becomes a question of their production matching their salary. I really dont like the prima donna attitude of some players....demanding to be played in their "favorite position", which I learned years ago was a perfect way to make them angry when you have to play them somewhere else.....their demand that I improve a position or the coaching staff....which I never agree to...it is my organization and a player doesnt have the right to demand who I hire or sign. But almost every contract starts with something like that and when you reject those demands it seems to send some of the negotiations downhill. The joys of managing in the top-tiers of football I guess. Thanks for reading along....this has been one hell of a journey....Onwards and Upwards we go! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 (edited) April 2029 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts I had a really good feeling as we headed into that first match against Crystal Palace. The team had been playing well and even with minor changes for each match they didnt seem to lose any of their focus. Things went better than I had even guessed they would for us as we were able to only drop 2 points during the whole month. The Crystal Palace match started with a very frustrating first half that saw neither of us being able to score. Even though we seemed to have more of the ball (which was confirmed as I saw our possession was over 60%) we just couldnt seem to beat their keeper. That is until the 69th minute when Maeta finally broke his 13 match goalless streak with a beautifully placed shot into the back of the net. McArthur added to our tally with a lovely header from a corner 10 minutes later. Mateta slotted his 2nd of the match away in the 81st to put the match out of reach. But then we seemed to lose focus and allowed them to break through on a counterattack to get back into the match in the 85th minute. We then headed over to Brentford for our 2nd away match of the month. Everyone expected us to get a draw and we didnt fail to provide one. They opened up the scoring in the 4th minute before we seemed to find our footing and Ramsey leveled it all up in the 35th minute and Anderson gave us the lead in the 44th minute as we headed into the half. We allowed them to level the match up again in the 58th. Knight gave us the lead again in the 73rd minute as Mateta ave him a lovely pass across the front of the goal. But we were not able to hold onto the lead for long until they tied it all up for the last time just 4 short minutes later. In all honesty, the result was a fair one when all of the stats were evaluated so I was pleased to head home with 4 points. I tried not to look at the other results since we had played the last match of the previous week, but I realized how close we were to ensuring we would not drop any more spots...all we had to do was beat Nottingham. No pressure, huh? I played it down to the team as we prepared for the match, but can I admit I was very nervous as I watched that initial kickoff. I guess my nerves were impacting the squad as they didnt seem to be able to get the ball into the net. The first 16 minutes were not kind to us as we quickly went down 0-2. But then they finally decided it was time to start playing. Who knows, maybe me berating them from the touch line had something to do with it? They responded by Mateta scoring in the 25th, Baptiste slotting another one home in the 32nd and Bukari cementing his Player of the Match performance by adding a goal in the 45th minute to his earlier 2 assists. So we headed into the LR leading 3-2. I wasnt sure I could handle another half like the 1st one, but that was the end of the scoring. We tried to hold onto that slim single goal lead and they worked to break us down....luckily we were the one to be successful. With that result, well....you can read the rest below. Southampton came to Ashton Gate with us riding high and they quicky put is in our place as they opened the scoring in the 10th minute. I guess that is what it takes to wake the team up as we once again scored 3 goals in 15 minutes with Mateta (16th), Anderson (29th) and even Foster-Vigors getting in on the action in the 31st. But of course we have to make things interesting and allow them to score in the 49th minute as we tried to control the rest of the match and keep them from scoring anymore. I felt 9 points would be a great month for us...and we got 11. Maybe I need to start playing the lottery? Accolades! Player of the Week Thoughts It was awesome to see that Mateta was awarded the Player of the Week after the Crystal Palace match. He finally broke out of his slump in a grand fashion. Wonderful to see! Team of the Week.....X3 Thoughts Not a bad week at all....4 players in the Team of the Week. I guess they really liked the Crystal Palace result! Thoughts After the Brentford draw, we had 2 more players recognized. Personally, I feel like we should have had more on this list! Thoughts For the 3rd week in a row there was a member of the Bristol City squad in the Team of the Week. Bukari rightly deserved his spot here and in my opinion, should have been the Player of the Week! Race for the Coefficient Spot Thoughts I am still trying to wrap my mind around all of this stuff, but I think this is good news for English teams! League Table Thoughts I think this has been one hell of a season for us. Even if we do nothing else, we, not only got promoted, but we stayed up in a grand fashion! No matter what, we will finish the season in 7th place. Not bad, not bad at all.... UEFA Conference League Bound!! Thoughts Next season we will have European football!! Who knows, we might even win a match or 2? May Matches Thoughts Just Everton (10th) and Fulham (18th) left this season. These matches mean nothing to our final standing, but I think they mean everything to the supporters. I am tempted to play a weakened squad and not risk any major injuries, but that goes against my nature. I will put a full-strength squad out for the Everton match since it is our last home match. For the Fulham match, I may give some of the backups a run out. I havent made up my mind yet. I will go conservative and just say 3 points this month....but lets hope for all 6! Premier League Profit....or Loss Thoughts This has been a GREAT by-product of our being in the EPL. With the money we will get for our league position, if my calculations are correct, we will make over $50M this season. What a great bankroll to have now! I am really confused how those other teams stay afloat when they lose soo much money....I hope we never have to find out. Some Great News for Bath City Thoughts I saw this pop up in my social media feed and I decided to check their remaining schedule. They had 1 match left...the playoff to enter the promotion playoff, my schedule allowed it so I decided to attend the match. What a wonderful match to attend! A back-and-forth match that saw the opposition level the match up with less than 5 minutes left in regular time. Bath had to score in the 2nd half of the extra time to draw the match level and send it to a penalty kick shootout. The Bath keeper blocked the 2nd shot and the Romans made all 5 of theirs and went through 5-4 on penalty kicks. Off to the next round! Thoughts I couldnt believe my luck as we were not playing on the day the promotion playoff match was being played against Dulwich. So, I decided to attend this one as well. In this one, Dulwich scored in the last 10 minutes to draw it level and the extra time saw no one being able to score so once again we went to penalties. This one saw the first 5 takers from both sides slot the ball into the net. The 6th Dulwich player approached the spot and took his shot and it slammed into the post before careening into the stands. The 6th Bath City player slowly took his place behind the ball and with ice in his veins calmly sent the keeper to the right as he slammed the ball into the bottom left open corner of the net. I was able to attend 2 matches....both went to extra time and Bath won both....what a wonderful surprise! I saw they also decided to expand the stadium to hold another 500 supporters. Hopefully I can attend some matches next season as well. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations This has been one hell of a season...and we still have 2 matches left! But what a ride!! I dont know if my heart can take another season like this though. I keep waiting for this to come crashing down on us but we have been able to win when we were supposed to....and that is what matters the most I guess. I know I am going to have to make some changes in the squad though. Even though I dont show a bias towards my players....I actually do have that. I dont like getting rid of players, especially when they have played well. But we got lucky more times than I want to admit to myself and I know that at some point our luck will run out. I will need better players to make up for the lack of luck when they does happen. It is going to be a long off-season for sure. But we need to get through this one first! Then I can start dealing with next season.... Thanks for following along....I welcome any comments.....if anyone cares to make any.... But even if you dont....thanks for reading along and watching how things have transpired for this humble football fan..... Onward and Upward we go, where we end up, who knows? There's only one way to find out....here we go! Edited March 20 by BrnwsBucksFanNC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 (edited) As I come to the end of this season I am considering retiring this save, or at least stop sharing the updates. There does not seem to be any interest in how this is going and it takes time to post the updates. However, if anyone is following along I dont mind at all continuing to post the updates. But it feels like they are just disappearing into the cyberverse.... Edited March 19 by BrnwsBucksFanNC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vakama2619 Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Yeah it's pretty hard to get investment into saves tbf, I have been following along, however haven't really spoken. Also do you mind if I get the Cypriot file you used? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 16 hours ago, Vakama2619 said: Yeah it's pretty hard to get investment into saves tbf, I have been following along, however haven't really spoken. Also do you mind if I get the Cypriot file you used? I have found that I have enjoyed it, just wasnt sure that anyone was following along so was the effort needed to put it here worth it. So thanks for letting me know that you have. I am going to continue it and will post it. I have had too much success to be honest, so at some point the wheels will come off and I will plummet like a rock, lol The Cyprus data base I have used is the Riddler's Basic Version, Cyprus (4). I got it through the Steam Workshop, but I am sure it is available other places. I have contemplated resigning from Bristol and heading back to there, haha. If you do start a save there, I would love to see how you are doing, I had alot of fun there. It will be a challenge to unseat the top couple of teams there. If Elia had offered me a salary I probably would have stayed there to be honest. I would love to see someone taking them down. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 (edited) May 2029 Monthly Report Team of the Week Thoughts I thought this was a really great recognition for the youngster. Well, he is 21, so I guess not a youngster per se, but I guess it is all relative, haha. This was for the Southampton match where he, not only started, but he got onto the score sheet as well. In that match he got not only the goal, but an assist as well. I think this bodes well for his development. EPL Young Player of the Month Thoughts Another great honor for Foster-Vigors. I hope he develops well enough to feature more with the starting 11 next season. Match Results Thoughts The Everton match saw us play our last home match of the season....and what a season it has been! I considered playing a much weaker side, but decided the sold-out stadium deserved better than that. I did rotate some of the regulars starters, but for the most part this was a full strength squad. Ramsey got us off to a flying start after getting a lovely cross into the box from Bukari before slamming the ball into the back of the net in the 2nd minute. I thought, here we go, off to the races. But we seemed to go to sleep at that point. Jota scored from the spot in the 37th minute after.....I am not sure, there were too many bodies in the box for me to figure out what happened. We let them get back into the match in the 40th minute, but that concluded the scoring as Everton did everything they could to unsettle us. We gave the home supporters a win to end their season. We traveled to Fulham, where if things went their way and they were able to beat us, they would be able to avoid being relegated. As the match went on and we had only taken 3 shots through 55+ minutes, I felt like we could get broken at any moment. I changed the mentality to Attacking and it must have lit a fire under them, okay, for just a few minutes. But it turned out that was enough as Knight scored after getting a lovely pass from Anderson in the 65th minute. Neither side scored after that, but it was not due to a lack of trying on their part. Thy ended up taking 14 shots to our 7 and committed 20 fouls to our 15. It was an ugly match, but once again, we headed home with all 3 points. I felt bad about Fulham losing because of their relegation fight. However, when I saw the rest of the results, they could not beat the drop as they ended up 4 points down into the drop zone. League Table Thoughts I never ever thought we could have this good of a season. I know it is going to take work next season to repeat our success, but we are going to give it a shot! Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month Thoughts Shout-out to Tommy Conway. He has been out on loan since January 2028 and his contract is up in June 2029. I wish him well as he moves on to bigger and better things. He just doesnt have the quality to be a factor in my plans going forward. Transfer Spending Thoughts We spent more than some, but not as much as others. I know that I will need to keep an eye on this as I continue at the club. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations One thing before I continue on. I am going to make the images on here smaller. People can click on them and it will enlarge it. I think it will keep my posts shorter. Hopefully they are not too small to see. Please let me know if I make them too small to be read. I know I considered wrapping this up, but I am too invested into it to do so. Looking back over my career, I have had some really good luck when it comes to match results. That makes me really concerned because I know that things can collapse as fast as they go well. I dont know if I will be able to survive that happening since they were ready to throw me under the bus because we had lost some matches in December. This season is coming to a close and then we will move on to the next one.... Here we go, Onward and Upward!! Thanks for following along! Edited March 20 by BrnwsBucksFanNC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 End of 2028 - 2029 Season Board Feedback Thoughts It is good to see the board are pleased with the how things are going and that we continue to ensure that we are operating within the payroll budget. Supporter Feedback Thoughts There are 3 things that stand out to me on this. Firstly, the shift towards casual, fair weather and family supporters and away from our core supporter groups. Secondly, the loss of over 115K followers on social media. Lastly, the moderate influence the supporters have on the board. I dont know why we would lose followers when we are doing great, that really baffles me. I am also really concerned about this level of influence, there but for a few results to see me out the door. The End of the Season Presentation How It All Unfolded Thoughts Jota has been the picture of versatility. He started out the season on the left, but with the improvement in Anderson's play I shifted him to the right. He can easily play the attacking midfielder from either side. I was shocked to see that we sold out every home match....more to come later on that one! Season To Remember Thoughts I am never sure of how they come up with these ones, but more power to them! The New Arrivals Thoughts The new players made an impact on our success and I was really pleased with every signing I made this past season. Ramsey and McArthur quickly worked their way into a starting role and I am excited for what they can do next season. The Starting 11 Thoughts This was pretty much my "go-to" all season and they rose to the occasion. I hate to admit that we will probably see some pretty big changes, but I want us to be even better next season. Accolades Thoughts Some of the nice things that were said about the squad over the past season. Financial Fair Play Update Thoughts I know that Everton was hit with a pretty big point reduction (I think it was 10 and then reduced to 5 or 6) for violating these rules. So I am glad to see that we are safely in compliance. Commercial Success Thoughts That Broadcast Revenue blows my mind! I am really pleased to see everything increasing....except ironically matchday commercial and retail income. EPL Payroll to Turnover Thoughts This is another huge number for us....we are making more than we are spending. On top of that, we are only spending about 30% of what we make...so the rest is money in the bank! Season Finances Thoughts These across-the-board increases will set us up for the future. A good cushion in case we do get relegated. Tax Bill Thoughts And of course, since we made a profit...we have to pay taxes on it....oh well. Upcoming Season Payroll and Transfer Budget Thoughts The payroll is about the same, but that is a pretty hefty transfer budget. I think I am going to be spending some of it for sure, I just hope I dont spend it all. Planned Stadium Expansion Thoughts When I was going through all of the season ending stuff I saw that we had sold out every home match. I decided to take the plunge and ask the board to expand the stadium. There is no reason to build a new one since the current one was rebuilt in 2016. Ashton Gate has a very long history (it was originally built in 1887) and I think it is important to hold on to that history if possible. This expansion will increase us a little over 3000 seats. Hopefully we are able to sell out the new capacity and we are still in the EPL to take full advantage of it. Financial Picture Thoughts I havent shared one of these in a while, but holy shoot! That is a huge swing in the balance of the bank account! If it wasnt for the tax bill we would be sitting even prettier. To know that I have this added cushion to cover the expenses for the upcoming season is a good feeling. One less thing to worry about. Looking Ahead - Thoughts and Considerations Another season in the books and, as of yet, we have not had a bad season. I know I am probably jinxing myself by saying that. We have had really good luck though and luck can swing to be as bad as it has been good. I know that will happen.....I just hope I survive it. I also realize that I am going to have to make some improvements in the team. Mateta seems to have lost a step and that 13 match dry spell he had could have been a disaster if we didnt have a strong midfield to pick up the slack. I think that I am going to need to upgrade some of the defenders as well. I just havent found someone who is a dramatic enough of an upgrade to justify the cost. Lots of players to go through and tough decisions to make..... Thanks for sticking through this with me and I hope you enjoy reading along.....Onward and Upward we go!! Well, not sure how far up...but I think you get it! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 June 2029 - Preparing for The 2030 Season Head Coach of the Month......Almost.... Thoughts Looks like that one was a coin flip. Well, at least I made it to 3rd place. Premier League Signing of The Season Thoughts If you are going to have a player come in 2nd for Signing of the Season, well, at least it is against someone like Sanchez. I think Ramsey will be even better this upcoming season. Premier League Season Review Thoughts I guess that is fair, for us to be the Overachievers. We hit a good run and was able to ride it to the end of the season. A strong start and a strong finish definitely helped us. I hope we can have a similar strong start to next season. New Average Attendance for Bristol City Thoughts I guess we are trending in the right direction. Hopefully once the expansion is finished we can increase this! European Club Rankings Thoughts I thought this was worth sharing because of the increase of Apol. They were one of my opponents in Cyprus. It is nice to see them with such a massive increase. Bristol City Small Reputation Boost Thoughts Well, baby steps I guess. A gain is a move in the right direction, no matter how small it is. UCL Coefficient Spots Thoughts Looks like Man United benefited from this. Still not sure how this is calculated, but England ran away with it. Youth Recruitment Setup Improvement Thoughts The board approached me about increasing the available salary for the Loan Manager. I decided that I would suggest we spend the money on something else. Based on our last couple of Youth Intakes, I wanted to see some improvement there. The board agreed and I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Financial Fair Play Reports Thoughts I still am learning about this. But it is green, so I take that as a good thing. Another Season of That TV Money Thoughts The TV money last season gave us a huge boost. I am glad to know that we will have another season of that. 2029/30 Season Fixtures Released Thoughts We start this season and end it at home, which I really like to see. I think we can start with a win...and I am unsure after that. Defender (Center)/DL Guilherme Gaspar Thoughts This has been my only signing. I didnt see the need to spend money to bring in players who are similar to the ones I have. I think he is going to develop well and I will probably send him out on loan. We actually got him on a free transfer from AEL in Cyprus. I guess I cant keep away from there. July Matches - Friendlies Thoughts I decided to send the squad to the western US for the Training Camp. Hence all of the American friendlies. I did schedule the one against Bermondsey as a chance to get a look at the squad...then we jump on the jets and head out west. Looking Ahead....Thoughts and Considerations There are quite a few factors that are going to impact things this season. I spent quite a few hours going through the players that we could afford, both on transfer fee and expected salary demands, and didnt find anyone that I felt would be worth spending the money on. I did make one knee-jerk extension that I instantly regretted as soon as he agreed to it. Sean McGurk is an okay player, but not one I should have kept. There was interest in him and I should have pulled the trigger and sold him. These things show my biggest flaw, I dont like to let go of players. I need to keep working on this as my career progresses. I know the board gave me $66M in Transfer money and I have not spent any of it yet so that is just money in the bank for the club. Which I dont think can hurt anything. I dont feel good about this season. Last season I think it was my arrogance, I mean, we went on one hell of a run to get promoted. But now after the past season, I know what we are up against and I think we are going to struggle, very badly. I dont know if I will be able to survive a bad stretch. The supporters were not angry when we hid a short skid last December against the top teams in the league. I will deal with that when it happens, but I am already starting to watch other jobs to see what may be open once I get sacked. I know that can come across as very negative, but I think it is more realistic given the fact I didnt make any improvements in the squad and we had more than our fair share of luck last season. Well onward and upward we go....and where we stop nobody knows! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted April 14 Author Share Posted April 14 July 2029 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts The off-season started with some great results, then we seemed to not be able to score. Granted, San Antonio and OC set up with 8 players in defense but we couldnt break them down. I kept changing the squad around as I continued to evaluate different players. I really thought we should have won those last 2. So, I dont take this as a good sign for the upcoming season. Hopefully things turn around soon. TV Matches Thoughts Some of that free TV money!! Nice to see that for sure. Season Ticket Sales Thoughts Our current capacity is 26,387 so to see that we there are only a little over 3K tickets that are not sold, yea, that is pretty cool. Vutsov Being Sold....Maybe Thoughts I am not sure who brought it to my attention, but I confirmed with his agent that Vutsov had no plans to resign with us and was going to be walking at the end of his contract. I decided to put him on the Transfer List with a price of $30M. This is what I got as soon as he hit the list. Looks like I hit his valuation on target. Matchday Income Thoughts I really wish we could make more, but with the size of our stadium, this is the best we can do. So I need to spend the money wisely. Petrovic Signed Thoughts After I got a firm offer on Vustov I put a condition on the deal that I sign his replacement. Petrovic actually is a better player. I was able to get him for a bargain price and he is excited to be a part of the squad. Vustov Finds a New Home Thoughts I thought it was interesting that I didnt get any other offers for him. They started out with a $14M offer, which wasnt going to happen. I probably could have gotten more, but to see that it will be $34.5M, I cant complain at all. New Signings Tom Bischof Thoughts Even though I seem to be signing quite a few midfielders, I dont seem to have gotten the right one yet. Hopefully Bischof changes that for us. I paid $5M for him. He wanted to leave TSG Hoffenheim and I was more than happy to bring him to Bristol City. I think he has the combination of youth and drive to help us become a better team. Dorde Petrovic Thoughts He was never a consideration until Vutsov said he wanted to leave. I do think I got the better end of the deal to be honest. I hope it turns out that way. But as soon as I got him signed, sealed and delivered I saw that he had gotten injured. He has a broken finger and will be out for 2-3 weeks...so we wont have him between the posts for the start of the season. Yea, that sucks... August Matches Thoughts I hope we can get back on the winning ways before the season starts. With our starting GK out for the Bournemouth match, that one will probably be a loss. I dont know the other match opponents yet, so who knows about that. Brentford, based on the return of Petrovic, that one should be a W...but who knows this season? Looking Ahead.....Thoughts and Considerations Sorry for the break in updates....life got crazy. But we are back at it again.... Its funny how player demands can change all of your plans. Vutsov demanding to leave caused some disruptions, but I hope things settle down now. I do think this season will be tough. I hope we are able to stay up for another season. I am really concerned that if we hit a rough patch that I will be sacked. If...and when that happens, we will see what comes next. But until then....onward and upward we go....and where we stop...who the heck knows! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted Thursday at 23:20 Author Share Posted Thursday at 23:20 August 2029 Monthly Report Match Results ThoughtsThe last 2 friendlies were much better than we had been previously playing. That last friendly, WOW, more on that later! The Bournemouth and Brentford matches were really frustrating. We had the lead and had more of the possession, in both of them. But we seemed to lose focus in the last 10 minutes or so and gave up the equalizer. I have to admit that I am shocked my laptop made it through both of those matches. The Boavista match was sublime to watch. McArthur had a brace as the match was never in doubt. Our effort was helped by them having a player sent off in the 29th minute. As we prepared for the 2nd leg, I decided to rest some of the normal starting 11 and we couldnt seem to buy a goal in that match. We had the better of the match in every category, except the one that mattered the most, the score. We hit the woodwork 3 times and missed the open goal 3 more times. It just wasnt our day. But with the home leg giving us a 5-0 advantage, losing the away leg like that didnt keep us from moving on with a 5-2 aggregate score. Overall, I am pleased with how the season has started. Especially since we didnt have our 1st team keeper for the 1st match! This is One For The Record Books! Thoughts I know this was a friendly, but what a performance!! League Table Thoughts Its early in the season so this doesnt really say much. But at least we have 2 points!! Season Ticket Sales Thoughts I think the decision to expand Ashton Gate is going to pay off in spades for us. Im really pleased to see the supporters putting their money where there support is! Changing The Face of The Team....Selling Off The Extra Players Shandon Baptiste Thoughts I decided to sell Baptiste since I just didnt see him in my future plans. I had him valued at 7.8M so getting 9.3 for him, I am not going to complain. Mario Martin Thoughts Another one that I didnt see having a future with the team. I had gotten an offer of 2.4M for him and I almost laughed. I kept pushing back and was pleased to get my asking price of 15M. UEFA Europa Conference League Cup Draw Thoughts Not the best of draws....not the worst. I would have liked to not have seen sides like Sturm Graz and Trabzonspor in the group, but I think the others are all winnable. I guess we will see. September Matches Thoughts You have to be kidding me?!?!?! Yea, maybe we can win against Southampton, but I think that is our only chance of winning anything. Maybe we can sneak in another point somewhere, but it will be luck to pull that off. Finacial Statement Thoughts I am pleased to see this. We had a great financial year last year and I hope that this upcoming year is just as good! Thoughts and Considerations....looking Forward The start of the season looks pretty rough. I hope that we can get some points out of the matches and move on in the EFL Cup....but that is going to take alot of luck on our part. I am looking on brining in another midfielder and a left or right defender...or maybe a central defender. But I am not finding any that I want to invest in yet. We are getting closer to the end of the transfer window so I am going to be busy for the next few days. I hope that the board and supporters dont get too upset with the lack of results that we are more than likely going to face, so I will keep my fingers crossed. As we go....onward and upward....hope you are enjoying this and I welcome comments and feedback....lets see what happens next! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrnwsBucksFanNC Posted Saturday at 18:18 Author Share Posted Saturday at 18:18 September 2029 Monthly Report Match Results Thoughts The Southampton match was a tough one. We traded goals with us taking the lead and them equalizing. The shoot-out was where new goalie Petrovic earned his paycheck as he was able to stop 2 shots to give us the victory. I hate penalty shoot-outs, but it worked out for us. It was the first time I have seen someone have to retake their kick as Ramsey had to make his shot twice since their goalie jumped off of his line too early. The Hull City match was harder than it should have been. I tried to rest some of the 1st team since I knew we were going to have the matches hard and heavy there and it almost backfired on me. But Hull City having a player sent off in the 12th minute and goals from Ramsey (25th minute), Alan (59th minute) and a brace from Simms (26th and 76th minutes) secured us the win to move on. After that we hit the tough part of the month to face Man United and Spurs. This was a match that was one for the books. Man U took a 0-2 halftime lead and looked to have this one locked up. Mateta found the back of the net to give us one back in the 66th minute, but Rashford gave Man U the 2 goal cushion in the 80th minute. Then my guys woke up as Jota got a lovely cross in the 85th minute to be able to slot the ball into the bottom corner of the net to give us some life. There were 5 minutes of stoppage time and with 94:43 in the match we got a lovely cross that their goalie didnt secure and as the ball bounced around, Mateta was able to head it into the top right corner of the net. Yes, the neighbors must have heard me at that one...but holy hell!! We finally got our 1st win in the EPL this season as we beat Spurs 2-1. Anderson scored one from the spot in the 28th and Mateta secured all 3 points in the 49th minute as he beat the keeper with a chip shot over his head (yea, that was really cool to watch!). We then opened our group play for the Conference League play with a 3-2 victory over visiting Trabzonspor. Goals from Alan (18th minute) and Manu (23rd minute) as well as a Trabzonspor own goal allowed us to start off with one of those crucial victories. We ended the month with a trip to Chelsea and another draw for us. McArthur opened the scoring for us in the 14th with a sweet header from a corner, and Isak tied it up as he found a loose ball and slammed it into the back of the net in the 1st half stoppage time. At the half it was 2-2 with Knight giving us the lead in the 71st as he slammed the ball into the back of the net with the keeper being slow off of the mark. Sadly, we gave up a penalty and Petrovic was beaten to allow them to level it up and that is where it ended. This was a tough month and the fact we made it through WITHOUT a loss is a major accomplishment in itself. So I have to be very pleased with how well we played. Team of the Week Selections 11 September Thoughts Mateta did us proud as he was selected for the EPL Team of the Week for his 2 goals against Man U and his 8.7 match rating. 18 September Thoughts Taunzebe continued the great recognition for the squad as he was selected for the TOW for the match with an assist and a match rating of 7.5. 25 September Thoughts Petrovic finished the month up with another strong performance that was recognized as he was selected for the TOW. At first, this one shocked me. He gave up 3 goals, 1 of which was a penalty kick. But when I considered that he faced 18 shots, 12 of which were on target....and he technically only allowed 2 to find the back of the net.....yea, that is pretty awesome! TV Matches Thoughts Free money is always great!! Money Matters Commercial Income Thoughts This is something I dont like....I dont know for sure how to increase it, but the gap between us and 10th (Leeds) is 14M....and over 385M behind the leading Man City. Player Payroll Thoughts This really shocked me. I am only about 4M below my cap, but even then I wouldnt catch Middlesborough. I wont even look at the top clubs....damn. League Table Thoughts I know it is still early, but I like to know we are safely in the middle of the table. I hope it stays that way. I know we will drop, we cant keep getting draws like this (maybe we can turn those into wins!) so who knows. But the thing that is shocking to me is Liverpool at the bottom with only 4 points. I know that wont last but man, that looks odd! Transfer Window Roundup Money Changing Hands Thoughts Those numbers are just staggering to me! Premier League Roundup Thoughts This is really misleading since the vast majority of the players we sent out were on loan. But I know this is something I need to do better of keeping players at home. Players Sent Out On Loan And Sold Defender (Central) Guilherme Gaspar Thoughts As I watched him develop I realized that he just wasnt going to become what I had hoped he would. So I decided to move him while the interest was high and got what I had him valued at. And Brought In On Loan....And Bought Defender (Left) Isak Maatta Thoughts I saw the Busanello was starting to decline as a player so went looking for a replacement. Isak was highly recommended and with a valuation of 25-35M, I feel like our total package of 23.75M was a steal for us. Glad to see him in the starting 11. And The Players Brought In Midfield (Central) Attacking Midfielder (R/C) Alan Rodriguez Thoughts I know this position is one I keep recruiting for, but I just dont seem to get it 100% right. So the deal for Alan was one I had been thinking about for about a month leading up to the end of the transfer window. We were able to get him from Argentinos for 7M, with the possibility of it going to 8M once he plays 50 matches. But to get a seasoned midfielder for that price, I couldnt pass it up. Midfielder/Attacking Midfielder (Right, Center) Daniel James Thoughts Even though James is 31 and at the upper end of the age I look at to sign players, his acceleration and crossing were not to be denied. The only concern I have is his passing rating and that was what caused me to baulk on this transfer until the last week. RB Lepzig had purchased him on 1/1/29 for 11M from Cadiz before they sold him to us for the (what I consider) a bargain price of 5.5M. I had enquired about him in August but his agent told me he wasnt interested in moving since his move from Cadiz. But when I reached out again in the last week of the transfer window he wanted to move so we brought him back to England and cant wait for him to add to our success on the pitch. Defender/Wing Back (Left) Isak Maata Thoughts I explained the loan of Isak earlier so this wont be long. I am moving towards more of a Wing Back play for my fullbacks. Maata has the skillset for me to be able to use him in multiple setups and I value the flexibility that it gives me during the match. Defender (Central) Luis Rodriguez Thoughts I think this was a steal of the biggest magnitude! I got him for 475K and gave him back to Herediano for the rest of their season. He is 17!! Let me say that again, 17 year old. I am shocked he isnt listed as a "wonderkid" but I want to thank the scouts for finding this gem. I cant wait to see how well he develops. Did I say I got him for less than 1M??? He isnt joining until 1 Jan, but that is where some of the transfer money went. Striker Rory Wilson Thoughts As I watch Mateta and Simms slot the goals into the net I also have watched their age tick up. I wanted to find a younger striker that was similar to them yet still had some room to develop, I found Wilson. His trade value was 9.4-11.6M. So I offered 9.25M....and they countered with an offer of 11.6M, 2 installments of 2M each and 30% of the next sale....so I countered with an offer of 9.25M. As the transfer window started to close....they sent me back an offer of 11.6M, 2M after 50 goals and 30% of the next sale. I countered with an offer of 9.25M. They finally accepted my offer, even though it was after the transfer window had closed. To get a player who can step in and play if needed now, but will continue to improve for a low price, I am really pleased. I am excited to see what he can do. I will be selling 1 or 2 of the strikers in the January window, but that is still a couple of months away....lots to get through before we can get there. October Matches Thoughts This month should be a good month for us....except that the matches come hot and heavy. But I feel like we can win the at least 2 of the EPL matches. So 6 points will be a good month for us. The EFL Cup match, that one I am not too sure about, especially after coming so closely on the heels of the Ballkani and Southampton matches. I will probably play a rotated squad for that match to try and get some rest for the starters. Thoughts and Considerations.....Looking Ahead This was such a hectic month. The matches coming hot and heavy with the added transfer window, I thought I would never get out of September! But we survived, not only on the pitch, but without any major problems in the window. One area I am going to have to look at is my backup keeper. The gap between Petrovic and Rojas is glaring and if Petrovic breaks another finger (or worse), that is going to be a big issue. So that is my biggest target as we move towards the January window. The board and supporters both gave me a grade of B+. That makes me feel a little safer, but not by much. The supporters have alot of influence with the board and they can turn on me in a heartbeat. I feel like every month is another one that I start on the hot seat. I am also finding myself looking at other teams that are looking for managers. I am really invested in this team, but I hate to admit, not 100%. I am going to keep going until I feel like things are going south and then I may decide to hand in my notice. But somehow they seem to be able to do just enough to be good enough....if that makes sense. Anyway, thanks for reading along....onward and upward we go....well...you can figure out the rest of that! Thanks for your interest!! P.S. I have been trying to find a skin that works well. I keep flipping between a couple of them. If you have a preference, let me know. I will do what I can to make it happen on my end! Damn that is a long post!! Sorry about that, I need to figure out how to shorten the match summaries but even with that, with the transfer window...yea, lots happened this month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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