smplfc123

I've literally just signed a 1 year extension. With no room to move in either budget, i'm having to offload some first-teamers who only have 12 months left on their contracts, including last season's top scorer Joel Piroe. An interesting summer ahead.

Gutted, but expected. We put a solid fight over the two legs, but Toney's late winner in the 2nd leg means Brentford will meet Palace in the final. Time to assess my options. The wage bill has tipped over the scales and there's no transfer budget, so I fear repeating a play-off finish will be too much of an ask.

A superb last third of the season has seen us clinch an unlikely play-off spot. Young signing Hugo Ekitike finally settled and ended the season with 9 goals and 8 assists, helping to propel us in to the play-off spots. It's a really strong play-off group this season, with relegated Brentford and Crystal Palace failing to clinch an automatic spot. I genuinely don't believe I have the quality to beat the other contenders, but a good showing this season may enhance my profile nonetheless and we now have a shot to nothing. I'm yet to sign a new contract having turned down an earlier advance by the board, so let's see what happens!

I like that idea! I'm really enjoying the style of save in which you holiday/start later and then see how it's playing out. Forest also got relegated in my save, although their superior squad has them 15 points clear in League 1 under the guidance of Freddie Ljungberg. I do like the sound of a late start and rebuilding a big club. The problem for me as a Liverpool fan is that the 2 obvious ones I can think of that need an overhaul are Man Utd and Everton

Unfortunately my week away meant no Wifi (hard to believe these days I know), but it didn't stop me from making progress with my save. I've finally managed to get one going and I'm really enjoying. A reminder that I took over at the Liberty Stadium with the Swans sitting just 2 points above the relegation zone with 11 games to go. A strong start to my career on the South coast saw us finish the season quite comfortably in 16th, with just over £1m in the budget to try and reshape the squad to my liking. Ryan Bennett departed for Huddersfield for £1m whilst Liam Cullen left for Strasbourg for £1.1m. Yan Dhanda was the only other departure that brought in some money, as he joined Sheffield Wednesday for £500k. Experienced midfielder Korey Smith was released on a free, whilst I chose not to extend any of the previous loan deals the club had in the prior season. This meant I had about £3.5m to play with. I strengthened the back line, with Robbie Deas joining from Inverness CT for £250k and Matt Clarke joining from Brighton for £1.4m. Youngster Hugo Ekitike joined from Reims for £1.8m, with James Scott also bolstering our wide options with a 12 month loan deal from Hull. Returning loanees Morgan Whittaker, Liam Walsh and Brandon Cooper were also brought in to the first team squad. Teams did circle around Matt Grimes and Ryan Manning, but no bids materialised. The board asked for a top half finish and with us now having navigated through the January Window, let's have a look at how we're doing: We're probably right where we should be. Not good enough to be a play-off team, but good enough to be in the top half. We've drawn too many games and have lacked the depth in quality in attacking areas. Joel Piroe has been the shining star, scoring 15 goals in 24 starts, leading to a number of European clubs sniffing round. I don't think we have the quality to make a consistent run at the play-offs, but i'm enjoying this season and hopefully we can finish on a high.

Well after considering Cardiff City @Jogo Bonito, I ended up signing for their biggest rivals! After starting unemployed and seeing what jobs came up, nothing really peaked my interest until I saw Russel Martin part ways with the Swans. After promising what the board wanted to hear in the interview, I was offered the job on a 16 month contract, with the aim to avoid relegation this season and work towards a promotion bid in some form next season. The problem is that in the last 11 games, the Swans have picked up just 1 win and 1 draw, leaving the table looking like this upon my arrival: I've got 11 games to ensure safety, starting with a home game against mid-table Coventry. I'm confident with the quality in the squad that I can keep them up and then hopefully mould the squad in the summer to my liking.

Annoyingly, as with most of FM22 game time this year, work has postponed any chance of further progress on my Tranmere save this last week and as a result, I've lost interest. I do have some free time this weekend and next week to properly get stuck in to a save and after your recent posts, I'm even considering Cardiff myself!

I actually think Cardiff would be a good choice for you @Jogo Bonito, but i'll follow with interest whoever you decide.

Well our pre-season is almost over and unless anything dramatic happens now, i'm confident all of our dealings in the transfer market are done. We finished the season very strongly and I thought the best way to keep that momentum going in to next season was to keep as much of the squad together as possible. I managed to do that in the main, with Maynard being the only player from the squad being released. However, League 1 teams Portsmouth and Charlton came sniffing, with left-footed winger Kieron Morris joining Pompy for £125k and left back Callum Macdonald joining Charlton for £87k. Thankfully, I managed to convince Kane Hemmings that the bids for him from Ipswich weren't worth it. Calum Jones, Paul Glatzel and Keenan Appiah-Forson were all re-signed on loan from their respective clubs. All 3 were vital in that run-in and should be too good for this league. Kamari Simon-Swyer, Isaac Olaofe and Elijah Dixon-Bonner were signed on free transfers after being released from West Ham, Millwall and Liverpool respectively. Jevani Brown joins us from Exeter for £35k to replace K Morris, youngster Killian Phillips signed from Crystal Palace for £97k to bolster the back line and our final signing was Ryan Clampin from Colchester for £120k, replacing Macdonald at LB. Pre-season has gone well, with us about to play Carlisle in our first competitive game of the season in the Carabao Cup first round. Really looking forward to this season!

Well when I took over the job in January, the club had played 28 games and had amassed 25 points, leaving them sat in the relegation zone. We started well winning 3 of our first 6 and quickly escaping the relegation zone, but there was a long way to go. Here's how the rest of the season unfolded: I didn't want the season to end! After a rude awakening in our first game against Forest Green, we went on a brilliant run of 13 wins in 17 games. We kept it simple with a 4-3-3 (DM Wide) and Kane Hemmings went from his awful tally of 1 goal for the season to finishing on 14 goals. Our 2 loan signings from Hull and West Ham in CM really added some much needed youth to our midfield and it'll be the area of priority going in to the summer window. Here's how the final table looks: I honestly couldn't have been happier with the job. The owners have actually lowered their expectations for next season, with them expecting a play-off place at a minimum. If I can keep the core of the team together and make some shrewd additions, I believe we can definitely make a run at the play-offs. Looking forward to a busy summer!

But the fact you're picking up points @warlockwhilst not playing too well I'd argue is a positive. Away draws in the Prem are not to be taken lightly i'd say, especially whilst keeping clean sheets! Hopefully you can keep picking up points here and there until you do go on that inevitable run of good form. Do you have any early plans for the January window?

So after holidaying through the first part of the season, I was offered the chance to save Tranmere from relegation in to the Vanarama Conference. Let's see how the first month has gone: A mixed bag, 3 wins and 3 defeats. We were smashed in my debut at home to table-toppers Forest Green, but bounced back with a vital 1-0 win over play-off chasing Swindon. We didn't lay a glove on Walsall, but we were stunning against Barrow and followed it up with a crucial home win over relegation rivals Port Vale. A last minute goal killed what would have been a good point away in Newport, but overall, 9 points from 18 and I'm happy. We only made 2 signings before the window closed. Keenan Appiah-Forson joined on a 6 month loan deal from West Ham and Callum Jones on a similar deal from Hull. Both have already made the CM positions their own in our 4-3-3. The results leave the table looking like this heading in to March: We currently sit 3 points clear of Hartlepool, but equally, we're the same amount of points away from Stevenage in 18th, so it's all very tight. I'm hoping we'll be able to pick up the points early enough so that I can start some early planning for next season. Big earner Callum McManaman has agreed a pre-contract deal to go and play down under next season. Really enjoying this so far!