Jogo Bonito

@hasdgfas A solid start, if not spectacular. But that's a good response to relegation and I'm sure a few tweaks will get you flying. Meanwhile, I'm settled in to the dugout at my first EFL club of FM22. Unfortunately it's not an original choice for these threads, but Hartlepool just didn't seem to be the right one in the end even though I freshened up the kits I made for them. I quite liked these simple kit designs and colour combos, but it clearly wasn't meant to be. Instead of Hartlepool, this is where I landed on 4th April 2022... At the time of Brad Ford's arrival, Bradford were 8th in League 2 with six league games of the 2021/22 campaign left However the club had lost three of their last four fixtures, and promotion chances were slipping away The welcome came from re-appointed ex-Chairperson Julian Rhodes who was reinstalled at the expense of German custodian Stefan Rupp The official website delivered the news of Rhodes return, which was later confirmed as being more than a consultancy role Rhodes hoped to oversee a return to better days, as he had been in charge during the club's Premier League era Mark Hughes was moved in to an Assistant Manager position after informing the club that he wanted to use his experience in a less-pressurised role Managing Director Ryan Sparks remained in his role, and would probably contribute more than Rhodes on day-to-day duties Sparks assured the new boss and the supporters via the club website that the budget would be decent regardless of how the 2021/22 season ended The reality was that there was no transfer budget at that point, but Sparks had another announcement to make on the club website That one gave good vibes, as he announced that the club had signed a lucrative new kit deal with Macron for the start of the 2022/23 season The end of season run-in was already covered a few days back so we won't go over that again here in detail Just to recap, a 5th-place finish was achieved through solid defensive displays - but an extra time own goal handed Walsall a 1-0 win and promotion in the PO Final The good news for Ford is that of his 28-man first team squad (plus two away on loan) the majority could be cleared out almost immediately Six players were at Bradford on loan, and most would not be retained The vast majority of the permanent players had contracts about to expire, and underperformance made those decisions quite easy to make A few more would also be pushed out of the door, leaving Ford with the exciting task of assembling his own squad ahead of the new campaign The fact this needed to be done via the free transfer market was not a concern, the manager knew he could bring quality in without needing a transfer kitty The club remains an attractive option at this level, and the generous wage budget (for League 2) was what Sparks had earlier been alluding to The new regime also knew that the reputation of Mark Hughes would play a part in attracting new talent - but another media release took this one stage further This is a wrap for now, but more news will follow as the Bradford City rebuild gets underway

Bordeaux is a great choice of club, going through some awful times - obviously only on a football scale, it's a only a game etc. You've made progress, steadied the ship and agree with what has been said above about surely maintaining your Ligue 1 status. Of course, given my spell with Lorient in FM before , I would have preferred you both to stay up! Good luck in restoring some pride to the wine region club.

Season 2022/23 - Part 3 The last update at the end of October 2022, saw Valencia sat 5th after 15 league games & having qualified from the CL group with one game to go The dead CL rubber in Germany at the start of November didn't really matter - especially as a two-month break for the World Cup followed our defeat However the return in January didn't go too well after a promising start, even if only one of the three losses was in La Liga The Copa Del Rey campaign saw us fall at the very first hurdle to our affiliate club in the second tier - rotation or not, that was unacceptable The transfer window closed with no arrivals or departures as nobody was prepared to take the players we didn't want off our hands The only deal struck in fact was that the loan of Maxi Gomez was terminated just before the transfer deadline The Uruguayan striker hadn't scored a single goal for us last season, but had bagged 18 in 22 games on loan at Osasuna so we wanted to give him another chance Two goals on his return to Valencia was sweet and despite the 2-2 draw with Real Betis, it was a nice welcome home for Maxi February was a much better month as we went undefeated in four league games and managed to hold Liverpool to a draw in the Champions League home leg Defensively the month was much improved with only one goal conceded in those five fixtures, but the lack of a goal in Europe made us big underdogs for the return A point at home to then-leaders Villarreal at the start of March, and a comfortable victory over Cadiz teed up the European encounter nicely But The Reds were much too strong for us at Anfield, and we can't have any complaints about being dumped out by them The next outing was another tough one, but a really good display earned a convincing 2-0 win over Barcelona to keep us in contention for a Champions League slot again Those hopes took a dip as April started with back-to-back defeats, but we fought back well to claim three valuable wins including over Atletico Madrid By now it was a straight battle between Real Madrid and Villarreal for the title, with barely a point separating us, Barcelona and Atletico for 3rd-5th Luckily May gave us some slightly easier fixtures, and despite a loss at Getafe we won all the others to comfortably take 3rd The win over Real Madrid showed we could do well on our day, and that day saw us cement 3rd spot and them lift the trophy at our Mestalla Stadium The last game of the term was against Espanyol, who we relegated despite a strong rotation and implementation of several teenagers to our side The performance graph shows a much steadier run in the second half of the season, but don't be fooled by the gap to 1st & 2nd as we never had a sniff really Paco Alcacer was top scorer again with 22 (19 in La Liga) but left-back Jose Gaya won the fans award and was voted Spanish player of the season The high average rating and Player of the Match awards were justified, even if a large number of his 18 assists were from set-pieces Financially the club improved due to European funding, not that the board gave any budget at all until after the season closed off Below are the player stats across all competitions, with 48 games played in total during the year Domenech and Isco have signed pre-contract deals with cash-rich clubs in the Middle East, whilst Tejon & Diakhaby are about to sign new ones to stay It's been a fun two years at Valencia, finishing 2nd & 3rd in La Liga, making them 'more Spanish' again and improving the club financially But Mario Kempes has just retired as Chairperson and been replaced by a random Lithuanian businessman, so it's a natural time for me to pass on the baton too Thanks for reading, and sorry it's been so slow just to get two seasons completed Adios amigos y hasta luego...

You haven't seen the Maltese on a night out, it's by no means a certainty

Thanks mate. Believe it or not, I've never been to mainland Italy myself - only Sicily, and Corsica (yes, I know it's French really and just close to Italy). My small team at work sees me sat between two AS Roma fans, and we have a public holiday and an extra concession day this coming Monday & Tuesday so a small group of us are heading off on Saturday. I really hope it is Eternal, and that it remains alive after our visit. Good to hear you have enjoyed it on your trips there, I'm sure I will too.

Yes, I am quite sure (but may still be wrong ) there were no transfers made. I've completed my second season at Valencia now so the League 2 reveal is edging closer (although a long weekend to Rome may delay it being posted). Yes I do agree, having a different date and challenge is nice, especially as it's not much different to where we now are in real time. Congratulations for the stroll that took you down Promotion Road with Forest. Hopefully the 2nd season will give you more to focus on! You need some curve balls like the one directed at Willand for @CityAndColour. Tough times indeed!

Sorry for the slow response! I'm not sure how he looked before as I've never managed him. But a short term deal seemed worth my time given the low wages and 'quality' that he may serve up occasionally. Thanks for the endorsement, even though it has taken me ages to reply! It was a low risk move when I needed some extra support in the ranks. In more surprising news, and after my laptop really struggled to 'continue' through the two-month stop for the 2022 World Cup, I have finally completed season 2 now. The update will be written up and posted in the next day or two, hopefully.

Sympathies to Bolton for a brave fight against relegation. Unlucky at Oldham for another narrow miss, but still doing very well. And congratulations at Swansea for a fine season and promotion. I've completed the 2021/22 season, my first EFL campaign of FM22 Now you're all wondering how that happened so fast and so quietly, right? So it's confession time... I took a new save by loading Canada as a playable league. And started in England on 4th April 2022 at the start of the CPL season. I had to re-load about 6 times to make sure the team I wanted to manage was not in the PO spots, and finally managed to get them starting from 8th place in League 2 with 6 games left. I wanted to start a little lower than that, but this was looking like the best option I would get. A little bit about the club? Using this method of start date means the squad is the original one, no transfers made. But the team I am managing had a ridiculous squad depth of 28 senior players plus another 2 out on loan. The maximum number of players you are allowed to register in League 2 is 22. The squad also included 6 loan players, although the maximum you can use in a match squad is 5. And they had lost 3 of their last 4 league games. It seems they needed both a new manager and also new controllers at board level, but the short-term focus was on the last 6 games. I had a reasonably good start, with a really tight defence masking a lack of goals being scored. I nudged the team up to 5th courtesy of DWWWLW results in those 6 games. The first two wins were 1-0 with a 90th minute winner and 2-1 with an 86th minute leveller and 90th minute winner. It showed some spirit, but luck played a big part too. I mentioned the defence, and that sequence of 6 games saw only 6 goals for and 3 against, so you could say it wasn't particularly exciting to watch. The play off games came and went, a 0-0 draw away and 1-0 win at home (80th minute winner when it was looking unlikely) booking a place in the final. The play off final itself was 0-0 deep in to extra time, until my left-back scored the only goal of the game after 100 minutes. Unfortunately, it was an own goal and it was a 1-0 defeat that would bring another season in League 2. The cause wasn't helped by the 6 loan players deals ending on 31st May - and the PO final was 4th June. The word shambles springs to mind. On the plus side, of those 9 games in charge, 5 had been clean sheets (6 if you only count the first 90 minutes of the final) with only 3 goals conceded (or 4 if you wish). With 6 loans already expired, I am excited to know that a further 12 players are out of contract (all of them will probably leave), and another 4 or 5 contracted players can probably be sold or packed off on free transfers to other destinations. I'm very happy to be given the freedom to improve the quality of the squad, even if my recruitment drive will be aimed at free transfer players due to budget (none). The loan market will be avoided completely. Earlier I mentioned new ownership being needed too. I can't promise to deliver on that, but some sort of change can definitely be revealed soon.

So true! I've not even completed four seasons in total since the BETA was launched Great commitment to plough through those seasons at Bolton & Oldham. @warlockNo surprise to see you plundering points with Forest. But hopefully you're enjoying your time there. @smplfc123I'm enjoying your story with Swansea. A shift in approach will keep things interesting hopefully. Best of luck for 2024/25. I've hit a bit of a brick wall with Valencia as my laptop really struggled to get through the two month break for the 2022 WC. After what seemed like (real) weeks of just pressing continue and waiting for it to progress day by day (it seemed like minute by minute, it was so slow) I've finally stumbled in to January now. However, through no fault of the club or save, it hasn't really been 'fun' doing that so I need to get the enthusiasm back to finish off season 2022/23. The thinking time whilst hitting continue in the last few weeks has given me a chance to decide what appeals next though, so some positives there at least. And I have come up with something that hopefully will give me a decent run at my first EFL save of FM22. In fact, if it goes well, I still have three teams lined up using the same start point. But it will be one at a time, so no bold statements that I will actually get time to manage all three

Congratulations on the Cup win and good luck for what lies ahead.

It's a shame you have to lose Piroe, but good luck and hopefully your squad will be competitive to run strongly again.

I like the idea of this, Lyon do have a rich history of producing talent and this approach is similar to how I try to shape my clubs too. Best of luck

@smplfc123Strong finish to the season, unlucky to lose the Brentford tie though. I hope you decide to stay with The Swans. Some challenges for the new season, but that's the kind of thing we often crave for in FM and it's right at your fingertips now

Season 2022/23 - Part 2 Playing time has been limited of late, but I've found time to make some small progress with Valencia September and (in particular) October 2022 were fixture-heavy months due to the over-achievement of last year putting us back in to European competition At the end of August we sat second after five league games, and September was a little disappointing domestically after a good start against Villarreal Dropped points at home to Celta Vigo was one thing, but losing at Cadiz was poor in every sense In contrast the month had seen an excellent start in Champions League Group F with tight and invaluable wins over strong German and Italian outfits A 3-3 draw away to PSG was also a fine result, but being 3-1 up until very late on meant this was seen as a bittersweet outcome despite being huge underdogs The league form in October was also a mix of good and bad with a heavy defeat at Barcelona and a 4-3 loss away to Atletico Madrid (also after being 3-1 up) The draw against local rivals Levante wasn't good, but hard-fought wins over Sevilla, Alaves & Mirandes (in stoppage time) were useful and kept us in a reasonable spot The 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao was our best performance in the league during the month, and hopefully that standard will be met more often again now October saw two European nights, and despite a narrow loss away to PSG, a second win over AS Roma confirmed qualification alongside PSG with one game to go The graph below shows we have dipped over this period, partly due to losing our stronger right-flank combination of Porro and De Frutos for most of this batch of games The latter returned a few weeks ago, and the winger marked his return with a goal - whilst the former will be back soon and will be a big improvement at right-back Left-back Gaya has been the outstanding player so far, although his assists tally is boosted by taking most of our set-pieces on the right side You'll see that we have neither excelled in attack (10th best) or defence (8th best) but we have had to heavily rotate and both rankings should improve in time Financially we have taken massive steps forward, partly due to sound business acumen but significantly due to obscene money you get for playing in the Champions League The month of November is, of course, a domestic football tragedy due to the Winter Wonderland (aka 2022 World Cup in Qatar) After our game in Germany on 2nd November, we have nothing else in the calendar until 1st January 2023 We'll make our transfer plans and report back after the winter window closes, but we did add one player on 14th October Spanish international Isco had been a free agent since leaving Real Madrid in the summer, and I managed to secure him on a very low wage The short term deal was by choice (and he took some convincing), but he should add quite a bit as we tackle multiple competitions He was ineligible for the Champions League group stage, but will get included at next registration point (so far he has given two assists in three league games) See you again soon, and thanks for reading

@Sysiphus Excellent season with The Owls, your squad seems to be at peak ages or youngsters with potential. @smplfc123Doing very well with Swansea. I like the idea of starting on a different date, taking on an alternative challenge. I've not done that for a couple of versions but does give a fresh approach. You did well to steer them away from relegation and it's a very solid season this time so far. Will wish you success. @warlockHow many times have you managed Forest now? Joking apart, that's a good place to start with them and although a first season promotion should be fairly obvious, it least you'll get another year out of them before abandoning your PL effort I've decided to finish my second season with Valencia before cracking on in the EFL. The main contenders remain Cardiff, Plymouth and Hartlepool unless something more interesting comes up early with a fresh transfer update.

It could be time. Somewhere between 0-3 saves are possible as following Bradford on the elimination from the shortlist of five is Derby (for now). Despite their kits being my favourite creations after my Valencia ones, I just don't think it's the club for now. Which leaves one from each division in Hartlepool, Plymouth, and Cardiff. Speaking of which... Sorry to hear that but I understand. That's what happened to me after three months absence from FM when managing Palermo. Cardiff would be a great choice and we could end up in friendly competition Elsewhere, incredible success at Shrewsbury (some amazing signings there, good work) and Oldham (unlucky, but an excellent season). Good luck at Bolton with that run of friendlies, that's...heavy. Financial gains will be useful but for me, too much early pressure

Good to hear on TGH. He has actually filled in at left back for West Brom this season but I see he has no ratings for that. However for me he would be used as defender or wing back on both sides (cover for the left) when required. Boards be like boards. That always seems out of sync, I just ignore what anyone thinks. Boards, fans, media. Whatever

A solid season with Oldham @Parmie I've had Whelan on my EFL striker shortlist since before launch, I like his goal ratios and seems he is decent in FM too. @hasdgfasGood luck with Bolton. A good pick and squad. They came close on my contender list but I have managed them before. I feel they have a good balanced L1 squad. @warlock Ipswich have done very well to be clear of you, but you're having a great season there. Big gap to 3rd. You won't be the last person on this thread today who has signed Gardner-Hickman on loan. Great choice

Welcome back. Hope you enjoyed your time out I know you lucky guys have been enjoying a public holiday over in UK, but no such luxury here which means no real progress. Saying that, I've got 20% closer as Bradford have been ruled out. I just cannot work with that squad, despite all the obvious attractions of the club and potential. All I have achieved tonight is to adjust my Cardiff home kit. It's a bit more subtle than before, and now they have a 25% chance of being picked...

I decided Stockport was too far down the pyramid (maybe next season) so League 2 would definitely have to be my lowest point. I'll leave Gateshead to you! The Monkey Hangers do have a 20% chance of being chosen though Thanks mate. They're definitely a contender! How are you getting on with Tranmere? How is Isaac doing and how did he do at Sutton in his first year? @kopfan1977 Thanks for comments on the kits. I know it's wrong, I just thought it would be a way of getting the red of Wales and the 'lucky red' of the owners in to the Cardiff kits. I know it would be hated by the fans, but thought it could be virtual fun to create some passion amongst the supporters. FWIW, I was totally against the rebranding from blue to red and was very pleased it got reversed eventually. You've done a great job with Cardiff just like @jackripperalthough it's fair to say I'd only get one or two seasons out of them myself. @ParmieAnother promotion. You'll need a bigger house to display all the trophies you have won already in FM22. That's probably why you only went up via the PO system this time, right? @Ronaldo BeckhamWell a two year spell at Luton was a success, no harm at all in taking a break. I did for several months and was good for the time out. Best of luck buddy.

Thanks, I don't find making the kits easy but I feel good when I complete some good ones. My choices come down to many things really. Where the club is based and kit colours are a factor, but mainly I like clubs that have a decent size stadium and a reasonable (at least balanced) squad that just needs a little bit of tweaking. For example, I'd love to manage Sheffield Wednesday as I never have before, I like their history and stadium and kit colours - but the squad is just way too far from my own personal taste to do it. I don't like too many loan players either, so often want to terminate those already there. I don't like players over 30 so need them to be nearing the end of their contracts. Basically, it's more about players I don't like to waste my time managing, as I'm very confident in my ability to pick good replacements and make a nice squad. I usually have those lined up in my head before I start a career anywhere. Thanks for your interest. It could well be one of those two (Bradford or Plymouth) as Cardiff may be good for FM23 or a transfer update later in the year. Derby appeals as it's fairly certain it wouldn't be a one-season save ending after promotion. Hartlepool, I don't know yet. But they're not often mentioned and I just feel I could do something different there. I'm far from finished with Valencia though, so forgive me if it takes time to get going.

Yes, each of them has an appeal for differing reasons. I'll decide before FM23 comes along

I'm long overdue a spell with an EFL club (alongside Valencia) but as usual the hardest thing is narrowing down the club. I've somehow managed to find one reason or another against 67 of the 72 EFL clubs. Sutton United, Lincoln City and Blackpool were very close to the shortlist (and an honourable mention to Stockport County who also tempted me) but here are the final five candidates. I've made myself some kits for each club and some time soon I will decide who to go with. CARDIFF CITY The Welsh club is one I've not managed before. They have lots of players who will be out of contract in June 2022 and an overhaul is expected IRL. Keeping a few of the younger and better ones, and adding to the group of promising youthful first team players already tied down should make them an enjoyable option. I couldn't resist adding some red to the home kit for a bit of spice too, the fans will love that. I need to find a better fit for the blue home kits, I've not found that easy yet and it's hurting my eyes to look at the colour tab bar being different. DERBY COUNTY A big challenge with their 21 deducted points, transfer embargo and administration. There will be no choice but to use the youngsters, some of whom look quite talented, and it would be a fairly unique opportunity to test myself. I've lined up local firm Rolls Royce as the new shirt sponsors, in some fairly neat, simple and traditional kit designs. I'm not bothered if they're relegated either, assuming I was to keep my job. PLYMOUTH ARGYLE Dropping down to League 1 is the club I'd intended to manage way back when FM22 launched. The squad needs little work at all in the first season, and I've made some tasty looking green-inspired kits with Devon's very own kings of custard as the new sponsors. Nothing against Ginsters, but they're from Cornwall and so Ambrosia is a very good replacement. The Green Army has the facilities to support a side challenging for League 1 promotion, and I think they can be competitive at Championship level too. BRADFORD CITY For League 2, one of the choices is Bradford City. They're a massive club at this level and should not be here. But one look at the squad shows why they are. It's really awful and out of the five clubs on my radar, this is the team that needs the most surgery. However, they'll have a reputation that could attract players and a stadium and fanbase that could soon see them rising again. I'd like to focus on a Yorkshire theme with them, with an aim to recruit mainly from around Yorkshire (but maybe Ireland too). HARTLEPOOL UNITED I'm not really sure why they're on my list. Possibly because they are one of the few clubs I have never managed in any FM version. I also like that fact that not much is expected of them, and they're from the North East which is a region I've not really experienced in FM due to not liking much about Sunderland and rarely going to the Premier League (Newcastle may change that). I also like the fact they have a Finnish affiliate club, and that might make for some interesting transfer business on expiring contract players (if they can obtain work permits). I've gone for simple but different kits here, steering away from their traditional blue and white stripes. The choice of XG as sponsor is deliberately ironic as I really have zero interest in XG both in FM and reality.

Good choice. Good memory too! Hopefully you can soon find a striker with pace in the U23 squad, or on a pre-contract (or on loan). Don't worry about the finances too much, they'll usually sort themselves out in FM

Wazza seems confident the Kirchner deal will be sorted within the week, which will be good for you if it happens by then. It sounds like Rooney has all the deals ready including recruitment, according to his comments a few days ago. If that is true, it really is incredible as most clubs even without your issues are nowhere near that stage and wouldn't be for a month or two. Maybe he has exaggerated a little, but a full pre-season would go a long way to reinventing your club. I've not committed to Derby, but if I do it will be with Rolls Royce as sponsors and using the kits I have created. The challenge of managing them on the winter update is quite appealing. No choice but to go with youngsters, potential that some free transfers may be possible after the takeover, and no doubt a real struggle to get to safety. A bizarre thing I noticed in my Valencia game on the winter update was that Derby got promoted during the first season via the play-offs. I have no idea how the AI would have achieved that