Jtomsett11

November 2029 This is a really good month, even if we conceded 7 times, which is more than double our entire season total up to the start of November, and lost our first game. The reason it's a really good month is we could afford a loss in the Champions League, we've won 3/3 in the league and if you look at our injury list on 11th November you can see we were really struggling at times: That's 1st choice AMC, AML, AMR out. 2nd choice AML, AMC also out. 3rd choice/ backup AMR and DM also out. Okay Agirrezabala was back without missing a fixture, but it meant he wasn't fit and needed subbing and we just didn't have subs for his position. Deportivo 2-0 Celta Vigo Another derby win! Fondevila scored an unstoppable angled drive to give us the lead and his replacement, Capone nodded us into a 2-0 lead that Celta Vigo never threatened. Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 Deportivo Sometimes, it just isn't your day. The same team that beat Barcelona (more or less) comes unstuck in Germany. The xG tells you it was equal, and it was really, except for their superior finishing and our torrid finishing. This especially applies when you consider nearly 1 xG of theirs comes from a penalty. Still, we live to fight on in the Champions League and it's the first time our luck has abandoned us so we take it on the chin. Deportivo 2-0 Athletic A really strong performance as we denied Athletic any real site of goal. Carrasco did the damage for us to seal the tie after Capone steered home another Agirrezabala assist. I'm so glad I kept Agirrezabala and didn't loan him out again this year! That was 20 unbeaten stretching back to last season! Real Betis 1-2 Deportivo Betis were second at the time they played us and I thought they'd give us a good game. They did more than that, as they completely tore us apart in the first half; time and time again they were through on goal, but somehow they failed to open up more than a one goal lead. That really came back to bite them, as once we scored (a fortuitous penalty from a handball) there was only one team creating chances. I didn't think we'd do it, but Agirrezabala managed to wiggle through on goal and when his shot was pushed into the path of Carrasco it was essentially an open goal to seal the three, possibly undeserved points. Altach Rheindorf 2-3 Deportivo We rounded off the month with a slightly nervy 3-2 win in the Champions League. We were never really at our best but luckily Mara seems to score when we need him to this season as his two goals just about saw us over the line. Complacency was probably the main issue here as they only had 4 shots, but they did have a reasonable chance to equalise in the last minute. League table Whether we win the league or not, I can't remember the last time I started a league season in a top league in this fashion on FM. Just 3 goals conceded and 32 scored. We're 7 points clear of Barcelona at the end of November. Incredible. Champions League table We're not quite as dominant here, but last season it was about sneaking into 24th (or that was the aim) whereas we're now aiming for the top 8. I'm not sure why we're behind Sevilla as we haven't played them so should be ahead of them on goal difference. Weird! We've got Celtic, PSG and Milan left so we'll have to see if we have enough to qualify in the top 8. December A busy month before the mid-season break. Every game here is winnable.

Deportivo Fabril October 2029 The B team has been rather hamstrung by the woeful budget of £35k a week on wages. Initially, I hired a decent manager, but this left me with no say over tactics and unable to do much to influence results. I decided to sack him, download a skin with instant result and then essentially manage the B team but instant result the games. I did this I think before the Lugo game, but I was definitely in charge for the Cordoba game. The difference I've made, or my tactics have made, is clear. We have 10 points from 6 (or 7) games, whereas before we had 2 from 7 (or 8). I thought that the 4 home games in a row could be where we start to claw back some league places, so I'm really pleased we've taken 10 points from 12 in the last 4 home games and have 2 in a row still to go. The league doesn't look pretty, and we've played more games than others, but I'm pretty confident that with reasonable rotation (difficult due to the wage restrictions) to focus on the winnable home games, we'll survive. It's going to have such a benefit on our young players who've managed to fit into the wage budget of the B team.

October 2029 Well we did concede, but only twice and that was against Real Madrid! This all feels very, very positive at the moment. Ajax 0-3 Deportivo The second team played here and it really was a stroll in the park. I played this one a while ago, so can't remember much other than Basic playing very well, really pulling the strings in the midfield and getting a lovely assist from a through ball to Capone. We also set a new record with this game. We did extend the record to 9 before the Madrid game. Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Deportivo We were very lucky to win this game. The curse of the unbeaten record nearly struck, as Nikolic and the back four had to be very alert and to be honest, Vallecano missed some sitters. They were made to pay for it by Capone, who was set up beautifully from a cross-field ball from Rubio, playing in the unusual position of AMR (although he is very capable of playing there). A few players such as Mara are looking a little weary as injuries have left us ever so slightly thin, but the important thing is the 3 points! Real Madrid 2-2 Deportivo Nikolic was finally beaten in goal by a superb low strike from Valverde before the tie looked beyond us just after half time as Fort misjudged his headed back pass and Araujo had an easy lobbed finish to make it 2-0. However, we came back superbly. Arsenijevic came on and turned the game around, first finishing from a tight angled volley and then setting up Mara for an excellent finish. We could of even won the game but for some brilliant saves made by the Real Madrid keeper. I said in the previous game that injuries have left us a little tight in certain positions (striker, AMR), but to be able to bring on Arsenijevic to change the game is a real difference this year as Enrique is also class. Deportivo 6-0 Slavia Prague The Champions League is going very well! Capone is relishing the role being afforded to him by Gordon's injury, as he wasn't going to get any game time at all this year without injuries. 2 goals and 2 assists here were expertly taken. Agirrezabala also impressed on his debut, scoring and assisting. He played AMR although he's being retrained to AML as he is right footed. An injury to Ludewig also saw Edu promoted from the B team for this game. The other player to make a comeback is our star man, Carrasco. He didn't last the whole game, but he showed how good he is with a goal just 19 minutes into his return! Deportivo 5-0 Almeria 3 for Carrasco and 2 for Enrique! Carrasco tormented the Almeria defence, nicking the ball time and time again and scoring most of the chances he had. I have to say, Man was also in great form, pressing well and setting up two of the goals. No goals conceded again! Deportivo 2-0 Barcelona When you see these you usually think you're cursed for the next game. We played this one beautifully. The second team were genuinely superb and held Barcelona at arms length for 60 minutes. Then on came 5 substitutes and Carrasco and Enrique got themselves into great positions with their fresh legs to seal us victory late on. This is a huge victory and what a way to seal the record unbeaten. Our only annoyance was an injury to Hector Rubio. We've been using him along with Man at AMR so in theory this isn't great news, but Agirrezabala has really taken the AMR position by storm since returning from his own injury, so I've now no issue with this at all. League table I stupidly forgot to take a screenshot, but we were definitely top. I can't remember, but I think it was by 3 points. November Real Betis are right up at the top, as are Celta Vigo so this isn't a particularly easy month. The Champions League should be easier, but both games are away. What more could the supporters want?!

Enjoying your latest thread as usual! You usually have some element of jeopardy about your saves (which makes them great to read as it's not just an easy stroll to success) and usually that's the fact you can't just go out and buy replacements, but the financial element here seems even more hazardous than normal. Even your solid performance in the league isn't guaranteed to continue as there's just so many games!

What an epic journey you've had! I've been reading over the last month to catch up and have thoroughly enjoyed all of it! Keep up the good work!

September 2029 Quite the brilliant month and we're still yet to concede a goal this season! Real Sociedad 0-3 Deportivo A third game in a row for the first team and they seem to be gelling really well, with Fondevila and Mara again on the scoresheet. Basic scored his first goal with a very good free-kick and he looks very good all-round. It's nice to see Oca and Huarte slot in when they come on (I make 4 subs on 60 minutes usually for fresh legs, so they get quite a bit of game time) as neither was ready at the start last season. Deportivo 1-0 Getafe Although there was a 15 day break for our first team, perhaps 4 starts in a row plus international football for many of them was too much as we looked jaded here. Mara has just thrown his toys out of the pram, demanding a new contract after his great start and demanding £59k a week and a 15% sell-on fee. That's just way too much in my opinion. I'm hoping it doesn't affect him too much (I've shut down the dressing room dissent so that's all okay) as he missed two chances here that he's buried early in the season. Nikolic wasn't down to take penalties so Enrique took it and buried it. We did play well, we just weren't as sharp as we have been. This isn't going to help us: We've picked up some bigger injuries this season which is a shame. Agirrezabala is nearly back, so it's likely that he'll get a lot more minutes now as we'll have him and Capone to probably back up Man. That's good for development, but a real shame for Gordon, who finished last season and started this season so well. Deportivo 1-0 Man City This might be our best result of the save, but it's definitely our best showing in the Champions League so far. We did have to do our fair share of defending, but we kept ourselves in the game and scored at the end. This was the second team playing too, so it's a fantastic achievement. In the end, it was the subs that paid dividends as Fondevila set up Mara, who is playing every game at the moment, to smash home late on. Villarreal 0-0 Deportivo On the one hand, this could be considered disappointing and we've only scored 2 goals in the last three games with one of those a penalty. However, Villarreal are no mugs and to be honest, I consider holding out for a draw here a very good result. Mara had his worst game yet (maybe I should have just given him a contract) and therefore, with no other striking options and a need to defend, I think it's a good point. Osasuna 0-4 Deportivo Issues with scoring you say? Mara out of form? All our problems are solved as we tear Osasuna apart. Rubio is a better fit on the right wing than Capone so I've been using his there, and he did really well here, setting up Arsenijevic who finished superbly across the keeper, before also sliding a brilliant pass through to Mara for his second after Arsenijevic had been unselfish and laid him off for a tap in. Man came on to give Mara a rest and scored as well. A lovely way to end the month. League table It's very early days, but it's nice to see us start so well this year. 0 goals conceded is excellent as is 16 scored. A real plus for us this year is our strength in depth; we've had some big injuries which would have derailed us last year and yet our second string can beat Man City. October If we haven't conceded by the end of October then we'll be in the hunt for the title! Two very winnable Champions League games too. It'll be, second team, first team, first, second, first, second I think.

August 2029 On the eve of the campaign, we found out that Carrasco would be missing for the first few months of the season, which is quite the blow considering our other strikers other than Mara have just gone out on loan. We have Curran in the B team, but we might need to him there to stand any chance of staying up. Espanyol 0-3 Deportivo No Carrasco, no problem so far! Fondevila pays me back for putting the faith in him as our main AML this season with a really good finish from an Enrique ball and then a fine pass to set up Mara for his first. Mara then sealed the win by nipping in and stealing the ball of a defender, rounding the keeper and slotting home. We then saw out the rest of the game. Deportivo 5-0 Sevilla I was worried about this game because Sevilla finished above us last season. I needn't have worried! Mara continued his fine start to the season with a hat-trick, while there was a first goal for Enrique (against his former loan club) and Arsenijevic. Absolutely superb start to the season! Champions League draw The Champions League draw offers us a good route into the next round I think. Ajax, Slavia Prague, Leverkusen, Rheindorf and Celtic all offer us chances to win. Probably, PSG away is the only guaranteed loss as we're home to Milan and Man City. September I won't show the table yet as we've played just two games. 4 winnable fixtures in La Liga and a tough start to the Champions League. The second string will probably play against City and Osasuna.

Summer transfers and pre-season I usually approach each off-season by prioritising positions as I did in the post above (RB, DM and AMR/L) but I'm finding it quite hard to get better players on our budget. With just £800k for our main squad, and £900k in total, we don't have loads of wiggle room to offer large salaries. The B team situation also means a lot of players will need to go out on loan. Signings In the end, we manage to bring in a RB, two DMC's and then a young CB for the B team, a young AMC for the B team and an AMR who goes out on loan as his wages are too high for the B team! Seiwald joins for a club record £16 million and he's exactly what I think we needed in DM - a very strong and combative player who is also going to be able to carry the ball forward and score or assist. Basic joins on a free transfer to add depth and a left footed player to the DMs. Again, he's an all-rounder and improves our options for segunda volante. He's on relatively low wages and will offer us security while Oca continue to develop. Font comes in to start at RB. I like almost everything about him, and he's got a little bit of room for growth. He cost just £8.5 million which is way cheaper than most RBs were looking like, and he is also on a pretty low wage. Marcos joins for £750k as he had a minimum release clause. He is fickle, but we're so short at CB and DM in the B team I couldn't really say no with that potential! Augusto is an absolute bargain at £1.4 million from Albacete. He would have been brilliant for the B team due to his low wage, but he's injured now for 2-3 months Ramirez comes in for £250k and immediately goes out on loan because he can't play for the B team due to the ridiculously low wage budget!! We might make some money from him at some point! Outgoings We've made quite a bit of money this transfer window, raking in a record amount of income. We've also loaned out half the world it seems! Significant outgoing include Val, Cirjan, Bernabei, Gonzalez, Vallejo, Hoever and Cheddira, although you won't notice Val (£9m) and Vallejo (£5.5m) as I sold them from the B team to raise funds for next years wage budget (hopefully!!) Val has been ever-present in our squad and had arguably his best season last year, but we've improved the DM slot so he makes way. I'm sad we've sold Vallejo, but my plan to register him for the B team doesn't work with our wage budget and we haven't got room in the squad to register 3 keepers. He's home grown, but is the worst keeper so we can't be sentimental about it and off he goes! Cheddira has been brilliant considering we signed him from a poor season with Levante. We make a profit and he's helped us out hugely. Cirjan came in on a free and in our title winning season he was just superb. However, we have Enrique and Arsenijevic and I don't think we can justify keeping him when he's on £36k a week. Hoever was also on £36k a week, and with Fort coming in I thought he was the best player to shift on. We bring in good money for him having signed him on a free. Bernabei has been backup LB and so to sell him for £8 million is great business. His first season with us was better than last season but he did do very well in the Champions League. Huarte takes over his role. Finances With all that money coming in, we're in a great position financially, but with still quite a low transfer budget. I did notice that the TV revenue ticked up slightly this year. We're also bringing in lots from matchday and ticket revenue, but we're still way behind on sponsorship. I asked the board to extend or buy the stadium but they weren't having it, despite 31000 season ticket holders in a 35000 seater stadium!! Squads After all of that, we end up with our first team looking like this. Our second string like this: With four spare players to slot in when needed. And our B team looks very, very thin (Colley since when out on loan as he wasn't registered and I didn't realise during the friendlies!) We may be borrowing from the U19s quite frequently! We may also struggle to stay in the league. We're up to 7th in the predictions; I want top four. Pre-season A superb pre-season of cups, culminating in us taking Barcelona to the cleaners with Carrasco getting a hat-trick.

That seems a little crazy that they want you to go straight up with just a youth team! If you spent all the money they've given as well you'd be well in the red. Bizarre!

B Team huge issue I've come across a massive issue. My plans were to use the B team to develop our younger players. However, I've fallen foul of the salary cap, probably because the B team technically have appalling attendances and no finances. La Liga 2 rules say you can have up to 4 players registered for other teams, but if I register players for La Liga I then don't have the option to make them available for Deportivo Fabril. If they're U19 I don't have to register them, so I might be able to get a squad together, but £35k a week is so low that I'll probably only be able to register 6-7 players maximum. I think I can solve this going forward by selling some players from the B team squad to boost the finances for next season. I'm also suddenly very tight in the first team squad as only Fondevila doesn't have to be registered. I'm going to try demoting the unwanted players into the B team and then selling them, and we'll see if this makes a difference next year. It's extremely annoying, as my B team squad is now going to be quite weak and at significant risk of relegation.

Transfer thoughts From the above, I'm pretty confident of the following positions: GK (Nikolic will be a very good player) LB (Williams and Huarte - although if we ever need an extra foreign spot Williams would leave) CB (Rotena in for either Banjac or Panzo, but otherwise no need for strengthening really) AMC (Enrique and Arsenijevic are the future) ST (Carrasco and Mara no problems) The ones that need strengthening: RB (Hoever is on £36k a week and not starting - that's too much really. Can we strengthen the backup and then promote Edu the season after this to replace Ludewig?) DM (Not sure how many, but we need better players to go with Garner. Padilla and Val can then be second string/ 5th choice DM with Oca in second team for a year) AMR and L - backups/ replacements for Capone/ Man - not sure whether from within the squad or transfers

Attribute growth July 2029 I find this point of the season really useful to assess the squad and where we need to improve. Star ratings are useful, but they are variable and sometimes feel quite misleading, especially around new signings. Goalkeepers This is a prime example; our coaches currently rate Yaakobishvili as our best keeper, yet when you see this you realise that oveall Nikolic, who is yet to play a game for us as we allowed him to remain on loan after signing for us, is definitely worthy of starting next year. His growth of nearly 5 points while still being some way short of his potential indicates he is the future. Cano did well to grow as the B team keeper, but I may see if Vallejo doesn't get too upset about being demoted the the B team once the registration window opens (I can't move him currently as he's first team registered) as it might make sense to have a quality keeper for La Liga 2. If not Cano will retain the keeper role. Luca is looking really solid and he's really young (16) with 4.5 star potential (or so the coaching team say). Salgueiro won't be retained past the end of this season and Sarabia may never make the cut, but he could end up a B team keeper. Centre backs Bella-Kotchap and Scholl were in our team of the season and they are our best centre backs, but I like to play a left footed CB if I can and that needs to be Panzo or Banjac. Both of those will be under threat next year from Rotena who has done really well out on loan to grow by nearly 5 points. His jumping is 14 and his pace just 11, but if those went up slightly (15 and 13 perhaps) he'd be top quality. Elsewhere, Angel and Daniel (the latter played a few times for the first team this year) both improve, Daniel by over 7 attribute points which is superb. Gonzalez is also improving and all three of those will feature for the B team next year in La Liga 2, which will be a huge step up but hopefully superb for their development. Cousillas and Sergio will leave as soon as feasibly possible, while Ban will remain in the U19s to develop. Full/wing backs Huarte is the one who stands out to me because he's now first team (or second choice) ready with potential still to meet. However, there's a host of players who've developed. Edu at RB played 5 games for the first team, while Koliada continues his steady growth; he'll get a chance in the B team next year as I want him to kick on as he still has 5 star potential. Albes has made significant progress as well. I'm disappointed with Salas, who cost very little but still has 5 star potential and played for the B team last year with very little development. Colley may just actually be a little crap as he's stalled; he's still a good B team backup. Priest is see as an AMR so let's see how his growth in that position is before I judge him too much. Villegas, Kotsaridis and Azzaoui are never going to make it, and just take up places in the B team or U19, so if I can't sell them they'll go out on loan until the end of their deals. Segunda volante Oca is the standout 'grower' here, but I still have doubts over his ability to command a place next year. The B team's promotion is perfect, as he can play with David and have Pablo as a backup as he has the least potential and the slowest growth. Padilla had good stats this year and has grown slightly; I would like to get a little more development out of him to be honest. Val was really useful this year, while Gonzalez played his part, but I think we need to improve the engine room as this role dictates so much about our play and Garner can't do it all on his own. Falque may never play for the first team, but with 3.5 star potential (2.5 gold), he could end up being a decent B team player in the future. Attacking mid The strength in depth here owes some part to the attributes needed for an AMC, but also to having some La Liga leading talent. Is it mad I'm considering selling Cirjan, technically our player of the year (according to the fans) so that Enrique can start with Arsenijevic as backup. Agirrezabala hasn't ever played for us! I may retrain him to AML as you'll see from the inside forwards as he's better there. Tortosa will play for the B team, Crespo will possibly be sold along with Diez, or at least loaned as although they look reasonable, they're actually pretty average. Rahman's lack of growth despite 5 star potential is disappointing, but Gonzalez appears to have grown a bit more so that's good at least. Leiva and Martin could be very useful players in the future if develop with Leiva already growing significantly in 2 months, albeit from a lower starting point. Inside forwards The first three players here don't play as inside forwards for us! Agirrezabla perhaps deserves a try; he's got potential yet to fill and could be useful from the right as Capone turns 30. Gordon and Rubio grew a little last year as they max out their potential (although they may have a little more to develop, who knows), while Man is also 30; I want to be replacing him and Capone by the end of the year. The player I had nailed down to replace Capone was Fondevila, but he's not growing as I would like him to. I may promote him to first choice this season and see if that kick starts his growth as his technicals and mentals aren't great. He is only 18 (just) so perhaps I just need to give him time. Elsewhere, Priest and Queijeiro also have 5 star potential without much growth. I may put both in the B team, but Queijeiro has such as low starting point in terms of CA stars I'm not sure the B team boss will pick him. If I don't have Fondevila in the first team (he did really well for the B team last season when he played) then positions are limited for the B team. Torres has 4 star potential and played quite well for the B team this year, so will stay down there. We've also then got Escarbros and Oliveira who aren't ready for the first team, but could do a good job in the B team. I've got some decisions to make here about who stays and who goes on loan. Strikers Carrasco is going to be our first choice next year, with Mara backing him up. I'll sell Cheddira as he enters his last few years, which frees up space for perhaps Curran or Escabros to be promoted from the B team if we pick up injuries. Curran came in last season for £2 million and after initially struggling, scored 11 league goals in the third tier to help us to promotion, so he'll definitely stay as first choice striker there. I didn't take his attribute score when he arrived so it looks like he didn't grow (although looking at all time growth I'm not sure he did!). Lavin will probably be loaned out so he doesn't clog up space for those with higher potential, while Alende will also be loaned out as although he grew last year, he's way behind where he needs to be for a 5 star potential player (I suspect his potential will drop).

End of season 2028/29 review A really good season, we actually weren't far off last season, just drawing 3 more games with a slightly worse defence and a slightly better attack, but Barcelona blew the rest of us out of the water to finish 13 points above us and 9 points above Sevilla. Considering we also won the Copa Del Rey for the second consecutive season and also made the last 16 of the Champions League, it's an unqualified success for me. I think we need to be aiming for top 4 from now onwards, especially with our budgets likely to improve next season. Our wage budget hasn't been confirmed by La Liga for next year, but I'd really hope it's higher than this year. Player performances Goalkeepers Yaakobishvili had a better first half of the season, but Vallejo had a much better second half of the season as at the half way point his xGP and %SV was a lot lower than it is now. I think we could improve in the GK position, but to be honest we've got a young player who is probably good enough to be second choice next season with 5 star potential and we'll promote him most likely. Yaakobishvili did become our joint top-goalkeeper-goalscorer, but he's been quite slow to get there. Defenders Bella-Kotchap and Scholl fought for the right hand side CB position and Banjac and Panzo for the left. Apart from tackle ratio, Scholl outperforms Bella-Kotchap and Banjac is outperformed by Panzo, so maybe I'm playing the wrong players as first choice? At RB, Ludewig and Hoever are my men and the former retained his starting place after a brief dally with Hoever this season. Both are quite similar in defense but Ludewig creates more chances. What's really pleasing is that Edu who played 5 games has very reasonable stats for a 17/18 year old. At LB, Bernabei was second choice to Williams, with Huarte coming onto the scene towards the end. Bernabei took corners when on, so his open play key passes is a better indicator of his success at creating, and although he's above the other two, I'm impressed with Williams and Huarte, who did really well to get 2 assists and looks a real asset with progressive passing, probably because he dribbles less as he's terrible at it! Midfielders Val has the best rating, and that's probably from his 5 assists, although Padilla is probably unlucky to have fewer assists with the highest key passes from open player of my mids. Gonzalez does a decent job, but doesn't offer the goal threat other players do, so is probably bottom choice, even compared to youngster Oca, who will probably play in the B team next year for experience. I'd like to strengthen this position to be honest. Garner didn't have a great year for us as previously he's stood out by miles, but 6 assists and 4 goals is pretty solid combined with very strong defensive output as well. Attackers In the centre (AMC) we played Arsenijevic and Cirjan. The latter stands out more, but he also missed chances this year whereas Arsenijevic was bang on his xG. On the left, Capone and Rubio play quite different roles, the former crossing more and finishing more chances this year, while the latter seems to provide more assists from lower output as he has done in previous seasons. Fondevila is our prospect in this position; he probably should have contributed more goals and while he completes the fewest crosses, he does provide a lot of key passes and his 3 assists in just 11 starts isn't bad. A starting place in the B team might allow him the develop further. On the right, Gordon is the key man with Man the backup. Man took a lot of corners and free kicks, so that boosts his numbers; his 14 assists was a fantastic return, so all in all I prefer Gordon who gets into the box more. He had a good first season. Up front, Mara and Cheddira started the season as first and second choice, and both did very well. But it's Carrasco, who arrived in January and finished as our top scorer, who was the real story. 17 goals from 12 xG and also 3 assists, more than either Mara or Cheddira; it's clear who is our number 1 next year. Team of the year This is interesting as I'd probably pick Gordon and Capone in my team of the year. Scholl was a great signing, as was Gordon on a free and Carrasco for £3.7 million. Banjac has done a fine job as an upgrade on what we had as a left footed CB. U19s The U19s had a great season, winning the UEFA Youth League and the U19 Division 1 title. A few players will definitely be promoted. B Team That promotion is made easier by this news. 3 back-to-back promotions from Unplayable leagues to La Liga B - this will offer us a superb development ground for our younger players.

Just catching up - excellent progress again although finances don't look as good - you need a good cup run or some sales which I know you can make if you need to!

I tend to notice that if the star rating and letter is higher then the overall quality of intake is higher. When I get an E rating I know I'm very unlikely to get any players above 3 star PA (which can be good depending where I am in my career; if on the rise up the leagues it's unlikely those players will be useful). I probably look at both letter and star but then straight away the top rated positions. I rarely look at the position distribution gtaphic as in a non- youth only save this doesn't really matter to me, it's all about the quality of the players rather than abundance. Then I forget all about it until intake day and if I'm honest I usually forget to compare unless the intake is crap!

Correct! @Tolke, quite a few people use this or some sort of nickname for players from youth intake, some add country of origin or a description to help them remember certain aspects to their players.

May 2029 Last season we'd have walked these games, but as our reputation has grown over the last two years, I've noticed that we're struggling to break weaker teams down and are hit more often on the counter attack. Such is the cost of improving a side and we'll simply have to adapt as we move forward. Deportivo 1-1 Rayo Vallecano We were really lackluster here after Carrasco opened the scoring. We looked like we could score more both before our goal and after theirs, but didn't, and ultimately paid the price of some sloppy play at the back as Hoever gave away a penalty after a very poor pass from Vallejo. They didn't create much apart from the penalty, but they probably deserved the draw. Elche 0-3 Deportivo Just before this game, Real Madrid dropped yet more points to confirm our second consecutive season in the Champions League. A huge achievement considering we've also won the Copa Del Rey and got to the last 16 of the Champions League this season with a ridiculously low budget. Although this wage budget isn't much more than we have now and includes the B team, that transfer budget is significantly more than we're used to and should give us room to play. We celebrated qualification in style, with Capone, Val and Carrasco marking the occasion with great performances. Elche actually should have done a lot better as we struggled with their counter-attacking style, but Yaakobishvili was in fine form to keep them at bay. Cadiz 0-2 Deportivo This time of the year, I'm often thinking about the squad for next year. Players like Capone, Rubio, Val, Gonzalez and Hoever are probably a little bit at risk as we look to upgrade from within (Fondevila, Oca, Huarte, Edu) or with transfers to improve the squad. A few of these players are really showing their worth at the moment, with Val and Capone impressing in the last game and Gonzalez and Rubio impressing here. It was the latter who scored a fine Giggs-esque finish (you know the one I'm talking about) after Huarte set him free before he then set up Carrasco who is slowly but surely finding consistency to go with that 5 and 4 goal burst in his first month with us. This was much more comfortable than the Elche win. Deportivo 2-0 Las Palmas Carrasco and Capone again! We should have scored more, but I'll take a dominant 2-0 any day! Granada 2-2 Deportivo A frenetic end to the season, as we looked likely to lose, before Mara and Man turned the game around within 2 minutes and then really we should have won before a late red card for Bella-Kotchap meant we just settled for the point. League table We actually relegated three teams in three games by beating Cadiz, Las Palmas and drawing with Granada! Third place is amazing really; we're just 6 points shy of the 90 we got last season and Barcelona ran away with the league so we can't be upset about not retaining the title. Real Madrid had a shocker and finish 5th. Sevilla will be annoyed to get 88 points and finish second, but that's the nature of La Liga when you have two super-teams competing. They'll lose their best player next season as Enrique rejoins us from his very, very successful loan spell.

Thank you - much appreciated! The La Liga title was a complete surprise to be honest - I never expected to win it so soon and I imagine it'll be a few years before we're really ready to challenge properly again! Probably no European football helped a lot.

UEFA Youth league This is really impressive from our U19s!

April 2029 I'm going to have to reduce the size of the screenshots here to fit this month in one go! This took me quite a long time in real life to play - I normally like to play a month in one go but bloody hell 9 games including a cup final is a lot! Overall, this is a really good month. Deportivo 4-2 Atletico Madrid We went behind to a penalty, then equalised with a penalty and then Padilla scored a lovely goal from a Rubio cut-back and Man sealed the points in all but name with a lovely finish from the edge of the area. Mara scoring was just the icing on the cake to ease the late pressure Atletico were applying. Deportivo 1-0 Real Madrid I completely forgot that losing 2-1 in a away leg to Real Madrid was actually a pretty good result. In the home leg we went ahead early with Fondevila continuing his improving output while Huarte also played really well at LB. We deserve to go to the final with a chance of holding on to the Copa del Rey title from last year. Deportivo 2-1 Espanyol Carrasco is going through something of a drought this month, but Mara is certainly not! He came on here to seal the three points after Cirjan's late strike. We didn't really play very well so it was great to take the three points. Celta Vigo 0-0 Deportivo This wasn't a great game and it's the first time in a while we haven't taken the 3 points off our rivals. They deserved a win against our second team, but we held out with all the defenders and Vallejo getting above 7 in match ratings showing who was doing all the work for us. Deportivo 2-1 Villarreal (Copa del Rey final) Capone was the star of the show as we retained the cup! We played really well, and probably should have won by more than just a single goal, but Carrasco continued his goal drought by missing a couple of really good chances. It didn't matter though, as Capone twice showed up, once from a lovely through ball from Garner and the other after a low cross across the box from Man in extra time. Sevilla 2-0 Deportivo This was just a step too far after the extra time cup win. Sevilla are a really good side at the moment and we never really got a foot in the game. Valencia 0-2 Deportivo We bounced back from the Sevilla loss superbly. It was our pressing that won us this game, and in particular Gordon, who twice nicked the ball off defenders when poor passes put them under pressure. Both times he slotted under the keeper superbly, and that was that! Deportivo 4-0 Mallorca Arsenijevic, take a bow son! A masterful performance; two expert finishes after good work from Val and then two superb through-balls as Mara continues his great recent run. A well deserved 10/10 rating! Deportivo 1-1 Granada We end the month a little poorly, but it has been a long month! We went ahead after a good Cirjan finish, and then Carrasco was just offside, as was Man from a good through ball from the Argentinian, who now hasn't found the back of the net all month long! Granada didn't deserve the point, but if you don't put your chances away, then you can't complain! League table We're very, very close to the Champions League now, and it's probably a done deal. A cup win and a second season in the Champions League is fantastic progress. The board certainly think so, considering me untouchable. The fans however, are only mildly pleased with us . May Some reasonable fixtures to finish the season.

Just a thought regarding keeper happiness - a lot of the time it's due to individual training - do you need to be individually training your keeper at all when he's probably maxed out his PA and you're so much better than the next teams domestically? Might just add 1-2 goals a season to break your record and you won't have to check before games (less work). Good luck in the champions league!

Youth intake April 2029 An interesting intake, but there's a number of players I won't sign. Low self-belief, unambitious (plus low determination) and then poor potential rules out quite a few players. The nicknamed ones were signed, while I've also signed Vieito and Kanoute as they have OK personalities. Martin and Torres are the standouts by stats. A rated for potential Leiva is a bit of a weird one. I mean, he's not fast, strong, particularly technically gifted or hard working. He does have good flair so there could be a good player there, but I'd be surprised if he amounts to much. Two-footed-ness is good obviously. Martin is my favourite and I fancy him as a very offensive segunda volante even if that probably is stretching him. If he ends up as an AMC that'll be fine too. Torres has 4 star potential, but looking at him I think he could be the real player. Those technicals for a LB are phenomenal at 16 and if he improves all his physicals by 3-4 (which is very do-able) he'd also be extremely solid physically.

NXGN50 The first time I've reported on this, as our players are number 1 and 2 Perhaps Enrique shouldn't be on loan!

March 2029 Well, the league went well, but we had disappointing results in the cups. Deportivo 5-0 Osasuna Wow, a think we have a real player on our hands. Last month 5 in a game, this month 4. The 3 goals for his hat-trick were almost carbon copies, Cirjan playing a beautiful ball through and Carrasco out-pacing the defenders, rounding the keeper and slotting home. It was nice to see Fondevila put his injuries behind him to put in a good performance on the left wing as well. PSG 3-1 Deportivo We tried, we really tried, but Martinez was just too good for us. Despite Fondevila scoring a lovely goal having come on as a sub, we just weren't clinical enough over the two legs. The fact we weren't completely outclassed is very encouraging though. Real Madrid 2-1 Deportivo We did so well! We had to patch a team together from both the first and second string due to suspensions and injuries, and we held out brilliantly to deny Real Madrid right until the death, and then we conceded twice! We've got the home leg to come, so all is not lost, but retaining the cup is going to be hard work from here. Athletic Club 1-3 Deportivo A goalkeeper penalty, another Carrasco goal and a goal for youth product Oca, who was relegated to the B team after the first few games of this season but has really grown in the third tier and deserves a bit of a game time as we approach the end of the year. This was a really strong win to end the month well. League table A great position to be in as we approach the end of the season. 7 points clear of 5th with a game in hand. The title is between Sevilla and Barcelona, but top 4 is within our grasp. April April is a monstrous month. 9 games and a youth intake to come in! Carrasco Our new striker has been sensational, so much so that he's our top scorer having been at the club 2 months. His growth suggests he's going to be elite, and I want to protect the club in order to make a lot of money when we come to sell. I've therefore given him a new contract already with way more money than he wanted, but that means it's a 4 year+2 deal with an £80 million release clause. I think this is well worth it.

Loan updates February 2029 I saw this a few days after the end of the January transfer window, in which I'd considered recalling Enrique. I now think he might be the reason we finish below Sevilla this year. 8 league goals and excellent performances; he's developed a lot and will probably be first choice AMC next season for us. I think the fact is, we wouldn't have won the league with him, and 2nd-4th make no difference in Spain so I probably made the right choice to allow him to develop and then star for us next year, rather than mess with team dynamics now.