andershs

Happy Christmas to all. My 17-year old talent in defense, Cameron Bennett - 33A is attracting intense interest from all the top clubs in England. Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham and Man Utd. I have him on a contract for another two years, and am about to play in the Championship next season. My question is: do I sell him with a sell on fee and hope that he gets sold at some point or do I battle for him and make him the focal point of team, risking, that he leaves in a couple of years anyway, but without having developed as he might have done at the top clubs? I have reasonable cover in central defense. They are of course all poorer that Cameron Bennett.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 10 - 2033/34 - League Two Work got in the way, so I haven't been able to continue my save in recent weeks. This is also why the detail level is limited in this season update, as I played the season three weeks ago. The players at League One and Two level, continued to carry the team, and we were simply the best team in League Two. Gaining back-to-back promotions and titles. Excellent. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - Another fantastic season with direct promotion in the end. We lost three in a row in december, but otherwise, we were really good. This is quite similar to a save I had with Morpeth Town a couple of years ago, where you fly past League Two once you get out of the Vanarama National League. Because the youth intake facilities are upgraded, and the youth players are on a much higher level than the VNL. In the FA Cup we lost to Preston in the first round. I cannot object to that. I did not prioritise the EFL Trophy using it to get game time for my youth players. Team (Details) - I think League One is the correct level for many of our best players. So I do not expect another easy promotion next year. That will require better players, I think, or a few years to develop on the current group. Gavin Kershaw - 28E had another very impressive season. Astley Rawson - 28C, Luke Kyle - 28F, Andrzej Gawlik, Cameron Bennett - 33A, Charlie Kiely - 31D, Enock Coo - 29D, Davis Rainford - 32A, Charlie Roddan - 28B, Connor Muir - 26C, Anthony Coyne - 28H and Antoni Petrie - 30A form most of our team. Outside these players, the quality drops significantly. Facilities - Our training facilities were downgraded due to technological advances. I cannot afford to improve them currently. Finances - What a disaster. I don't know what happened. Our stable balance of £3.5 million vanished quickly in our first season in the football league. We now have a negative balance of approx. £600.000. It is briefly masked by the £1.8 income for season tickets for next year. But this will most likely severely hamper our ability to keep hold of the best players. Each month we had a loss of approx. £100.000 with the intake facilities being our biggest expense post. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - I know my players are at a high level currently, but on first glimpse, this is the worst intake so far. Defender Jay Preece is probably the best player. This is worrying as we haven't really had many players coming through the intakes now for 3 years. Ever since we lost our first HoYD Ben Bailey. In a couple of season, that might become a big problem. To remedy the poor intakes, before this season, I even changed the HoYD from Paul Ashworth to Scott Mason who has a preferred formation closer to our 4-3-3. But in the short run at least, it seems to have made no difference. No Transfers in - With Andrzej Gawlik and Charlie Kiely - 31D in central defence, Marcus Hearne - 32B developing nicely and the emergence of Cameron Bennett - 33A, I chose to sell D'Arcy Raglan - 27A to QPR in League One. I don't have high hopes, that he will generate anything substantial in sell on fees. Goal for next season: Survive in League One. Keep hold of the best players with our ruined economy.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 9 - 2032/33 - VNL We did it. Next season, Macclesfield is once again a part of the English Football League. We were excellent this season, and won the league in convincing manner. It is an excellent feeling, considering the anticlimactic end to last season. In other news, we had an uneventful takeover as Robbie Savage ended his engagement in the club. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - A fantastic season. We are just very good for this level. At no point were we in any real trouble, and we only once, in January, lost two matches in a row. I was beginning to worry, that we threw it all away in the end, as we stopped playing when we were almost there mathematically, but we managed to get over the line. The core of the players we have at the club currently are all League Two or even League One material, and we followed the best teams matching them round by round, and in the end we powered through and won the league. To underline our strength, we managed to reach the third round of the FA Cup, were we battled our way to a replay at Elland Road, in front of almost 23.000, against Leeds, currently in the Premier League. In an uneventful first match, we held Leeds from any big chances earning a sound and sturdy draw. Excellent. Team (Details) - As noted, we have some very good players at the club. If it was not because they were brought up here and our finances are excellent, they would be long gone. They are lead by our best intake from 2028. Most of them are on contracts until 2035 with an option to extend for another year. As the good players are reaching 21-23 years of age and developing nicely, their wage demands are starting to become a problem. In an effort to secure the future, I extended the contract with Charlie Roddan - 28B in the small window where he was not angry at my dismissed offers from other clubs. He now earns approx. £14.200 per month. This is at the limit of what the club can cope with, and what top half League Two or decent League One teams are offering their players. I have also tried to extend the contract with Astley Rawson - 28C, but his demands are even higher making it infeasible to accept them. This could be a problem going forward. Furthermore, the core is made up of Andrzej Gawlik, Enock Coo - 29D, Connor Muir - 26C, Anthony Coyne - 28H and the free-scoring star Gavin Kershaw - 28E. He scored for fun, Haaland-style, and earned the topscorer title in the division. Other honorable mentions goes to Antoni Petrie - 30A and Abdallah Chafik - 29B. Charlie Kiely - 31D had a breakthrough season, and will be a regular starter next year, while Luke Kyle - 28F inexplicably did not really develop further and is still only two star current ability. He is the best right back at the club and has loads of potential, so he will start next year as well. Facilities - No changes here. Finances - They continue to be very good. The increase in wages seems to have been offset by our FA Cup prize money and gate receipts. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - Excellent, but not in depth. Cameron Bennett is easily the best player that has come through the youth system in this save. At 15 he is already a regular starter. Hopefully, he can help us immensely in the coming season and/or earn us a good amount when he transfers to a bigger club. But other than him, I am really not impressed. The meager result of the last two intakes is a worry, when our best players are more sought after than ever and demand wages at the limit or above our capabilities. In a few years time this could mean a sudden, substantial drop in quality in the squad. This is also why we will find another Head of Youth Development this summer, when the contract with Paul Ashworth expires. On paper he looks fine with a good personality, but whether it is his preferred formation or something else, good intakes has not materialized. Although, I do acknowledge, that a partial explanation for the drop in intake quality is of course the development and strength of our current players. No Transfers in - Nothing here to report. I sold Gary Greenaway - 28I with a 50% sell on clause, because we have good quality in wingers. Reece Ord - 26A has been set for release by Bristol City, while it looks increasingly unlikely, that Alan Corcoran - 25B and Exaucé Binguila - 26B will generate any notable sell on fees. Charlie Hopley - 28A at Reading might still develop into a good piece of business. Goal for next season: Survive in League Two. Hopefully, our wage budget will be increased such that I can tie down the best players on longer contracts.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 8 - 2031/32 - VNL What a bitter, bitter way to end the season! Why are there not two automatic promotion spots in the Vanarama National League? Having vented my frustration, I am also incredibly proud of this season. We were brilliant all season, and finished with a ten games winning run, and were incredibly strong all season if January is excluded from the picture. I don't think I have tried that before at this level. Ultimately, in the play-off final, less than ten minutes away from the English Football League, we collapsed. Lights out. End of season. That is tough to take. But we were running on fumes at that point. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - The young players keep improving and gets better and better. That resulted in a season where we were continuously in the play-off spots and briefly went top of the league. We finished in second place with 101 points (!), but sadly lost in the play-off final against third placed Dulwich Hamlet. With three matches left to play we had an outside chance of automatic promotion. The table looked like this and our fixtures like this. We continued winning, but it wasn't enough. Opposite other years, as noted, we finished the season strongly, going on a ten match winning run before losing in the final in extra time. Truth be told, we were under siege for most of the game, which is underlined by the xG of 3.84 for Dulwich Hamlet compared to our measly 1.35. We fought like beavers however, but in the end, accumulated fatigue catched up, and they scored the equaliser in the 84th minute. After that there was only one winner. What makes this even more annoying is that we actually beat Dulwich Hamlet twice in the league. In the FA Cup we were convincing as well, beating Fleetwood Town and Dorking Wanderers from League Two, which set us up against Arsenal at The Emirates with 60.000 in attendance. I couldn't have asked for more, and it earned us a good amount. Our strong season was also highlighted by us reaching the fifth round of the FA Trophy. Team (Details) - The core group of the team is getting really good. Good or Leading VNL players with room for further improvements and Astley Rawson - 28C as well as Gavin Kershaw - 28E are Good League One players, all according to my coaches. Furthermore, given my good economy, I have them tied down on contracts until the summer of 2035. At left back, Joshua Roberts - 28J is our starter. He gets overlooked because he hasn't got the potential like some of the other players, but for this level he is really good. I feel like this team could be a mid table team in League Two with the ability and talent present, but the Vanarama National League is just difficult to leave behind. We managed to cope without Exaucé Binguila - 26B (See under transfers below). Andrzej Gawlik took over and has developed nicely. At 18, he is already our best central defender. Other strong and developing players are our right back Luke Kyle - 28F, midfielder Charlie Roddan - 28B, right winger Connor Muir - 26C and winger Anthony Coyne - 28H. Enock Coo - 29D came back from a season on loan and reinforced the defensive midfield. Dieter Bickerdike had a good season. I almost lost him though, as his contract was up at the end of the season and he complained about squad depth in the goalkeeper position. I promised him the youth players would develop. This has helped before. He wasn't impressed. He did changed his mind however. After the season, we will say goodbye to legend and club record appearance maker Lewis Fensome when his contract expires. He has been excellent, but his current level is far from good enough. If we keep hold of the players, we should be in for another good season next year. A couple of sidenotes: Our 20 year old goalkeeper Astley Rawson - 28C is now with lengths our must valuable player and one of our absolutely best players. He is on contract until summer 2035. With established Championship clubs interested and him wanting silly amounts for extending the contract, I might consider selling him next summer if we are not promoted. He might be the one that secures us financially with a percentage of next sale clause, and we have some improving back ups in Kemoy Mason - 30B, James Reece and Joe Duggan - 31B. But in the short term, we might suffer, if I decide to go forward with a sale. Nicky Payne - 25D is a strange story. His contract is up after this season, and he is only two star potential who can become a leading VNLS/N player. On the other hand, he has been an almost regular starter and played 250 games for the club. When he came through he had a four and a half star potential. Judging by star ability he hasn't moved at all since the intake. I think I will release him. There are better and more promising youngster that can take his place. But it also shows how much we have improved in the last few years with the maxed out intake facilities. Facilities - No changes here. Finances - Still very good. The FA Cup game at the Emirates against Arsenal, and the sales of Charlie Hopley - 28A and Exaucé Binguila - 26B helped cancel out the minor deficit we are facing yearly after going fully professional and increasing the wages. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - Not impressive. Davis Rainford and Marcus Hearne look promising. Jonathan Lougheed, Deane Fradley, Luke Dainty, Shaquille Bayode and Aaron Knox are ok. I hope it is just a minor blip because we changed the Head of Youth Department and since the general level of our players are increasing rapidly in these years. One thing I overlooked about our new HoYD Paul Ashworth is that he prefers 5-3-2 and I play 4-3-3. That might be a problem going forward. We will have to see. I have extended his contract until end of next season. No Transfers in - Dieter Bickerdike changed his mind on staying at the club due to the recent signings that were made?? Well, not by me. On the sales side however, a lot happened. Having sold right back Alan Corcoran - 25B last year to Peterborough, I decided to sell Charlie Hopley - 28A to Reading in the Championship. I got 50% of next sale clause. Because he was grumpy, and since he was the one I had the most difficulty in incorporating in the team (a Raumdeuter/Trequartista right wing? I am old school CM93/94, so these roles in that position are like a dangerous black box to me ). Moreover, due to the fact that Championship clubs were interested and that we had good cover on right wing. Furthermore, Exaucé Binguila - 26B was sold in the summer before the season started, when Salford activated his minimum fee clause. Foolishly, I did not offer him out to other clubs with a percentage of next sale clause, so he is gone for good with no potential financial gain in the future. The approx. £125.000 we got is no gamechanger. A percentage of the next sale might have been. Striker Reece Ord - 26A is still at Bristol City. Goal for next season: I hope we can have another go at promotion next season. The quality of the players is there. My current gutfeeling however is, that this was the year, and we missed it. I hope I am wrong, but it depends on whether we can keep hold of our best players.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 7 - 2030/31 - VNL This season, it clicked. I don't know if it was the better players being a year older or the professional status kicking in. But we had a fine season and managed to keep hold of the players and extend important contracts. We finished the season with the highest point tally for a season yet. Unfortunately, during the second half of the season, we were hit by a very large amount of injuries. Maybe due to the lack of squad depth. But we found it harder to keep up the impressive performances. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - We were excellent. And at a point in second place only one point from first place. Then injuries took its toll, and the poor end to the season reflects, that my only good goalkeeper Astley Rawson - 28C got injured. He was gone from the 13th of april, and I had to start my 17-year old, talented keeper Kemoy Mason - 30B. He made absolutely no saves, and exhibited questionable positioning throughout. Without that goalkeeper injury, we could have secured a better position for the play-offs, and who know what might have happened. But that is part of the game, and in particular this challenge. And it is unfair to expect a newly graduated 17-year old to perform miracles. And all in all an excellent season. In the FA Cup, we again reached the first round getting knocked out by reputable Sheffield Wednesday currently from League One. Team (Details) - As I said, I think we had a very high number of injuries to our key players. That may be down to their youth, and that they play more games, than is normally expected by young players. But I try to rotate often. We are also lacking in squad depth. Remember Exaucé Binguila - 26B? His contract was up, but I did not release him. After the transfer window closed, and no clubs were interested, he suddenly wanted to stay, and we signed a new long term contract. Excellent. He is now though clearly the highest paid player. So I might have to let him go at some point and bet on some of my younger, cheaper talents. He has a minimum fee release clause, but at least, I will get paid if he leaves. Otherwise, Luke Kyle - 28F was impressive at right back. What a player. He was also the reason why I chose to sell Alan Corcoran - 25B to Peterborough United in the summer. Charlie Roddan - 28B, Charlie Hopley - 28A, Connor Muir - 26C are the spine of the team. They are very good. Talking of spine, Anthony Coyne - 28F made a fine start the the season at AML, until he damaged his spine and was out for 6-7 months. Striker Gavin Kershaw - 28E is my overshadowing star. He is simply fantastic. He scores so many goals. At the striker position, I have a lot of quality in Steve Loveland - 27B, David Baker - 29A, Antoni Petrie - 30A and now Brayden Wolland - 31A. I cannot drop Gavin Kershaw, so unless a club comes in with stupid money, I might sell one or two from the back up group and hope for the jackpot with sell-on clauses. I do however know, that it is always handy to have one or even two players in backup for this challenge. You newer know what might happen. Lewis Fensome is still around, but he will leave next summer when his contract is up. A couple of you players to watch: Andy Smith - 29C on right back is next in line if Luke Kyle - 28F is sold. Andrzej Gawlik from last years intake has developed rapidly, and looks like a proper centre back. Lewis Douglas - 28D has been on loan at Southport, and will strengthen the midfield next season, where we are particularly light in DM. Facilities - No changes here. Finances - After going professional we are for the first time losing money. It is not alarming though, and with this rate, we can keep the club running and sign players on contracts for the next years without problems. As mentioned, we sold Alan Corcoran - 25B to Peterborough. Reece Ord - 26A is still at 21 lingering in Bristol City U21s. None of them looks likely to earn a big amount on the next sale. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - Not the best intake. And yet another striker in Brayden Wolland - 31A. Also Joe Duggan - 31B is another promising goalkeeper. That we can use. Paul Keane - 31C and Charlie Kiely - 31D in defense and midfield are positions we need some cover for. We could use some power in midfield and another goalkeeper, as the end to this season has shown us. So I wouldn't mind of next years standout players had one of those positions. Our very good Head of Youth Development Ben Bailey left for Chesterfield in the summer before the season. Instead we hired Paul Ashworth. I hope he can keep up the good intakes. No Transfers in. Goal for next season: A top-half finish. I would like another shot at the play-offs, if possible. The current group of players are good enough. We might lack the squad depth, though.

First thing that pops into mind is a Smithwicks with a Guinness head...

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 6 - 2029/30 - VNL This was an eventful year. As noted in the previous post, we planned to go fully professional at the end of this season. This happened in april this season. In general we improved this season, and the final position of 9th overlooks the fact, that we were in the play-offs for most of the season. We will lose Exaucé Binguila - 26B, who has just won his first senior cap for Congo, as his contract is up this summer. I upset him by rejecting an offer from a bigger club, promised to sell him for a certain fee, didn't and now he is bitter and won't sign a new contract. That is sad and a bit alarming because he is clearly our best defender, and our youth intakes have been quite top heavy when it comes to real talent. The transition to regens in the starting eleven is now practically complete. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - As noted we did improve. We started really strongly, but the missing squad depth and the fluctuating performance levels associated with having such a youthful squad showed over the winter and in the last part of the season. In the hypothetical situation where our best 15 players are fully fit consistently, we will probably be promoted or record a top finish. The ability and certainly the potential is there in the squad. But we improved, and the young players got a year older so I cannot complain. The cup run I wanted did not happen because we drew Huddersfield in the FA Cup 1st Round. We did manage to earn a replay which brought us a good amount in gate receipts, so I have to be satisfied. Team (Details) - This is a stressful time for the squad (me ). The sheer number of players having come through the intakes makes it hard not to overlook several good players. Moreover, as I noted, the intakes have had a lot of extremely good strikers and wingers (not complaining) so fitting them all into the starting eleven and keeping them happy is a job. We will lose Exaucé Binguila - 26B. That is disappointing, but something that happens in this challenge. D'Arcy Raglan - 27A will have to take over. Due to the improved intake facilities, the best of the players are now at a level where they quickly draw interest from bigger clubs. This adds to the stress and upheaval. This is certainly true for our best players this year Astley Rawson - 28C (Report), Alan Corcoran - 25B, Gavin Kershaw - 28E (Report), Charlie Hopley - 28A and Charlie Roddan - 28B. Dieter Bickerdike in midfield had another decent season. The surprise of the season is our winger Connor Muir - 26C (History). He had been on loan for the past two seasons in Scotland and returned before the season as one of the best players with a potential to play in League One. With only another year left on his contract and several bigger clubs circling. He straight away got grumpy when I promised to sell him, but didn't. In a stroke of luck Falkirk offered to loan him for the season and I accepted. As soon as arriving in Scotland again, he forgot every grudge he might have had, and we could sign another long term contract. The transformation away from original players os practically complete. Only survivor is club record appearance maker and captain Lewis Fensome, and that might not last long. The other players from the group Kane Drummond, Luke Duffy, Conor O'Keefe and Brandon Lee are all leaving at the end of this season. If I can keep hold of the majority of my best players, we have a core group in the squad with a potential to play at least in League Two long term. Facilities - We have turned professional and will be signing players on full time terms going forward. Excellent. Otherwise, no news. Finances - It will be good to find out how the professional status affects the finances, but currently they are stable and very good at almost £3.000.000 in the balance. Keeping an eye on Reece Ord - 26A at Bristol City, they extended his contract with another year. So the 50% of next sale clause is still not lost. Unfortunately, at 20, he doesn't look like a player on the verge of a breakthrough in the Championship. I hope I am wrong though. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - Another good intake. Antoni Petrie, another striker, is the star this year. Ricky Byrne looks like a promising defender togehter with Andrzej Gawlik, and Jacob McGarry-Rowley could be a good winger. Kemoy Mason is another needed keeper in case Astley Rawson - 28C is sold at some point. No Transfers in. Goal for next season: Survive. Hopefully, Binguila leaving will not have too much of a negative effect. Get fully up to speed with being professional without losing too much money.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 5 - 2028/29 - VNL As I said last year, we are stable and dependable. We are the definition of a midtable VNL team. That being said, looking at the details, we did perform better in matches and did improve overall even if it is not visible from a first glance. The transition from original players to regens in our first team is almost complete, and the general level of these are increasing. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - Not much new to add here. We finished in 12th, but with a few more points that the last couple of years. And as noted above, we did perform better in matches. There is improvement. The fluctuations in performances decreased, and the number of times we were completely outplayed also went down. Next year, I would like a decent cup run. So far, with the finances being as good as they are, I haven't focused on this and played my youngsters for valuable game time. Team (Details) - The performance levels of the team improved this season. So did the ability of several of our regens. We still have a few original players in the squad, but they are not that good anymore, and in a season or two they will be gone. Lewis Fensome, our record appearance maker, along Brandon Lee and Kane Drummond are still in the team. But not that good anymore. In January, after a period where the quick picker preferred our goalkeeping talent Astley Rawson - 28C, I made the change and made him first-choice keeper replacing club favorite Conor O'Keefe. Rawson is just better now. In midfield Dieter Bickerdike had an even better season, and this year actually won the VNL Player of the year. He is extremely good at this level, and with a potential of a decent VNL player, he is not wanted by everyone. These players are nice to have. Alan Corcoran - 25B at right back is one of my best players, but with the emergence of Luke Kyle - 28F, I might sell him, as he is attracting a decent amount of interest. Exaucé Binguila - 26B is my best central defender, has one year left on the contract, but will not sign a new. As his Potential is judged by my coaches to be that of a Sky Bet League Two standard player, I am tempted to let the contract run out, and benefit from him for another year. I might even be lucky to be able to extend the contract. Newly graduated striker Gavin Kershaw - 28E scored a lot of goals. What an impressive season from a 16-year old. He is just clinical, and at this level seems like a combination of Kane and Inzaghi. Nice. Charlie Roddan - 28B and Charlie Hopley - 28A was also among our best players. The wonder season of Kershaw, meant that Steve Loveland - 27B received fewer starts than first imagined. He is quite good though. Facilities - No changes here. Youth Intake facilities (Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment) are at max level. Scratch that. Future changes. At the dead end of the season, the board asked if I found it a good idea to go fully professional at the end of next season. So this is what we will do. Good all in all, but I have never tried this lower than League Two, which makes me a bit worried for the finances long term. But we will have to see. Finances - With the youth intake facilities upgraded fully, the gate receipts and season ticket are still securing a profit. It is not as stable as previous seasons. If I play no matches, the fixed cost of the youth setup will result in a loss, but over a full season, we are making a decent profit. Lovely. At some point, I might ask for training or youth facility upgrades if this continues. The good finances, I feel, is the real difference between the relative success of this challenge attempt, and some of my other failed attempts. It is just much easier when you can sign contracts, improve facilities and keep the oaf of a chairman from selling your best prospects for nothing. In other news, Reece Ord - 26A developed in the Bristol City U21s, but did make his debut in the Championship. I hope he makes it, and Bristol extends his contract, otherwise, I will miss out on a 50% future fee clause. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - A good intake, but at first look not as good as last years intake. That may change over time though. David Baker is the star. I currently have Kershaw, Loveland and Baker as strikers, so I might look to sell Loveland next year, since I am only playing with one striker. I have to be careful, though, as Kershaw has been very good and developed rapidly, so he might also be gone soon. Abdallah Chafik looks like a really good winger, Andy Smith and Enock Coo will strengthen my defense, and Lea Woodhouse might be retrained as playmaking central midfielder as I currently do not use attacking midfielders. No Transfers in. Goal for next season: Survive and keep improving. If I could break into Top-10 in the league and get a decent cup run, I would be happy. Keep hold of my best players and prospects or sell them for good current or future value.

It worked like a treat. Thank you very much! My best, and only really, goalkeeper was under a barrage of offers from bigger clubs. I ignored them all as well as his desire to have a conversation. As soon as the interest from other clubs stopped (Why, I don't know. Too many failed bids?) he was happy at the club again, and we have now started contract negotiations. This goalkeeper was a player I could not afford to lose.

A general question concerning an important area of the game, particularly for this challenge: I am on the brink of losing my best central defender at the end of the season when his contract is up. I am currently in the Vanarama National League. My coaches judge him to potentially be a League Two standard player. Once League One and Two clubs started showing interest, he was determined to go play for a bigger club (minor issue). I rejected the first offer, he got grumpy, and I promised to sell him for an agreed amount (they are always ridiculously low). He was the one player, that I hadn't tied down on a longer contract, and as a result, that is it. He is now unhappy while waiting to be sold, even though no clubs have offered the amount, and I cannot extend the contract in any way. So my question is actually: what are your experiences in this regard? Are there any other possible options out of the 'Why did you not accept the offer, I want to leave'-conversation that possibly yields better results or are not promises?

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 4 - 2027/28 - VNL I haven't caught up with my sudden burst of FM-inspiration. With this update, I am up to speed with the in game date and events. We are a midtable National League team. And a pretty steady and stable one in fact. We got a point more than last year, but finished 15th. Somehow, the defeats were better distributed, such that it seemed, that we never got into a really tough period. Moreover, contrary to other youth challenge saves I have done, I sold my most talented striker once the bigger clubs started circling without much of a fight. I have previously been locked in continuous battle with my star players when holding them against their will, and I wanted to avoid the negative effect on the morale, and I had another talent that could take over. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - Another midtable finish. This time in a slighty poorer position 15th. We won a point more than last year though, and with the talent we are incorporating in the squad, and the the talent coming through the youth intakes, I am hopeful that this is just the low point before we start improving once the young players develop further. I might be wrong though. No cup run to speak of. Team (Details) - We still have a group of original players in the team. But they are getting older and challenged more and more by our increasingly talented youth players. Conor O'Keefe is still just our best goalkeeper. He is 32 now, and his ability dropped to two stars after the season. I am tempted to begin to play my new goalkeeper from this years intake Astley Rawson as he is almost as good already. But he is only 16, so I will probably wait a season unless O'Keefe cannot keep up during the season. Alex Hurst, Brandon Lee and Lewis Fensome are also part of this group, as are Kane Drummond who had a good season. But the young players are stealing the spotlight. Dieter Bickerdike had a player of the year season in midfield with 14 goals and 6 assists. Nicky Payne and Tosin Kypriadis continued their development while Exaucé Binguila, Alan Corcoran and Steve Loveland are easily my best players in the squad. So the bottomline is, that the talented youngster are gradually forcing their way into the team. That is really satisfying. In January, just before the transfer deadline, I sold my best striker Reece Ord (season 2, 2025/26 intake) the first time bigger clubs started bidding. To Bristol City in the Premier League. He was my best striker, no doubt and contributed with 13 goals this season, but I get 50% of the next sales amount, and I was always fighting a loosing battle keeping hold of him. Furthermore, Loveland is capable of taking over. Reece Ord was judged by my coaches to have the ability to play as a standard League One striker, so I am tempted to cash in on the £900.000 buyout fee of the clause, since the prospects of him being sold for big money is limited. But you never know. Facilities - Due to our good economy, I managed to get Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment improved once more. They are now both Exceptional. With the quality of regens coming through now, I cannot wait to see how it will be when this comes fully into effect in a season or two. Finances - Even with the youth intake facilities fully upgraded, the gate receipts and season ticket sales are turning in a monthly profit. This is really good. The fee from Reece Ord only contributed approx. £38.000. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre, Preview) - What a crazy youth intake. I got caught up in the excitement and nicknamed all the way from A to J. Charlie Roddan looks like the missing link in midfield. He look really, really good. Charlie Hopley is almost as good as Reece Ord and will be a leading striker or winger for this team. Astley Rawson, shown above, is as good as my current goalkeeper, and Gavin Kershaw has the look of a wicked striker in the making. I can supply screenshots of the others. There are many. No Transfers in. As mentioned, sold Reece Ord to Bristol City. Goal for next season: Survive again. I would like to see an improvement in performances with the talent pool the club has at its disposal for this level.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 3 - 2026/27 - VNL I am really liking this save, and it means I am currently going through some matches. This was the year, when reality caught up with us somewhat. The retirement of our central midfield and the ageing of other key players meant, that the performance levels dropped considerably. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - We managed a midtable finish again. That is very acceptable. Even though we finished only one place lower than last year, this is not the full picture. We struggled far more, which can also be seen in the league chart. The retiring players in midfield and other key players in decline, meant, that we had to embed youth prospects from our first intakes into the squad. It is probably a season or two too soon, and we haven't got any really obvious replacements in midfield. So far the major talents have been in defense and offense. We started poorly. Had a decent late autumn and winter until december, had a bad spell in January and February and ended the season relatively fine. But we survived, and started the transition from original players to regens, which can be tough. Team (Details) - Youth prospects have started to make their mark. Conor O'Keefe is still our best goalkeeper, but at 31 he is starting to decline. Without him though, we would be far worse off. Lewis Fensome, Alex Hurst and Kane Drummond are still key players for us. In midfield Dieter Bickerdike had a decent season after breaking through last year, but is average rating of 6.94 really says everything about our season. Tosin Kypriadis was also used in midfield, mostly out of necessity, but he has the potential. Three players are really standing out: Exaucé Binguila in defense. He came through last years intake and has developed rapidly. It still does not show in his average ratings, but I put that down to his young age. The same can be said about our first-choice right back Alan Corcoran. They are improving quickly and are just very good. One where both development and performances go hand in hand is Reece Ord. Topscorer and with most assists, he is just very good and without his goals, we would be in even more trouble. Facilities - I managed to get Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment improved again. They are now Excellent and Good, respectively. Very nice, indeed. Furthermore, due to our excellent and growing balance, I asked for training facility improvements. They should we finished by the end of october next season. Hopefully, that will help the youngsters develop even more. Finances - With the improved training facilities and youth upgrades, we are still making a profit each month. That is lovely. This is down to us being second in the league wrt. average attendance (5.045) and a capacity crowd of 6.031 actually turned up for our final match of the season against Hartlepool. That is our main source of income, and still enough to more than cancel out the growing expenses for youth facilities and player wages. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre) - Given the many youth intake upgrades, I was expecting a bit more. A decent intake without being as good as last years. And even though the players are at first not look that exciting, they tend to become really good, due to the youth intake upgrades. Steve Loveland looks like our future striker. D'Arcy Raglan looks like a solid prospect in central defense and David Kinsey, Jonathan Morgan and Daniel Chandler all look promising. No Transfers in. Goal for next season: Survive again. Hopefully, the youngsters that has come into the team this season can continue to improve, and we can raise the performance levels a bit.

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 2 - 2025/26 - VNL It turned out, that my original concern following our promotion to the Vanarama National League and our playing ability level was unnecessary. We managed a safe midtable finish in the VNL and until the end of the season, had a slim chance of reaching the play-offs. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - We started the season strongly. Had a dip in November and December followed by a good period in January and February and stopped playing once the play-offs were not an option, loosing the last three matches. But all in all, a very satisfying season as a newly promoted team. The cup run was more like a failed race walk and never quite got going. Underwhelming, but the league was our clear priority. Team (Details) - It turned out, that the team was capable of being competitive in the VNL. Connor O'Keefe stayed strong in goal. Lewis Fensome and Ryan Qualter again formed a good central defence together with Brandon Lee on left back. John Rooney fell out the team in midfield, but Luke Murphy played a decent season. Both are retiring at the end of the season. Luckily, Dieter Bickerdike had some sort of breakthrough season in midfield. He will have to take over next season. For goals and assists we had Kane Drummond and Alex Hurst while Alex Curran had a mediocre season. A major breakthrough came from our youth graduate from last years (the first) intake Alan Corcoran who quite quickly replaced Tre Pemberton as our first choice right back. He is just very good, and his star rating and improvements is what makes this challenge extremely exciting. Facilities - We improved the training facilities as they were downgraded, and we had a decent balance with monthly profits. Moreover on top of the conversion of 1000 standing places to 500 seats, the board decided to increase the capacity with 1.631 seats. Importantly for the viability of this challenge attempt, given the good finances and decent performance in the league, I managed to get two upgrades to the Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment. They are now Good and Above average, respectively. Finances - Even with the stadium work and training facility improvement, further investment in the youth setup and new and better contracts for key players and new youth prospects, we keep turning in healthy monthly profits. This makes this challenge much easier so far, and I have been enjoying it immensely, as this is usually one of the most limiting issues in this challenge. Youth Intake (Dev. Centre) - What a strong intake. The best ones are defender Exaucé Binguila and striker Reece Ord. Cole Wright, Connor Muir, Troy Ward and Taavi Mägi also look very promising. No Transfers in. Goal for next season: Survive again. With John Rooney and Luke Murphy retired along with several of our key players so far showing decreased ability levels, we are forced to start playing our youth players. It might be a year or two too soon.

I have jumped into season 2 before posting the season one review. So it is intake preview date. And this is a proper Youth Preview... Apparently, the Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment upgrades from season one, and the ones I have managed to get through in season two is paying dividends. This looks nice, and here is the full overview. Hopefully one good player (A) to each position in my current 4-3-3 tactic. Now wait for me to get a completely underwhelming youth intake this season

Macclesfield FC (England) Season 1 - 2024/25 What a strange, but fantastic season. This is easily the best start and the best season I have had in FM for quite some years, let alone in this youth challenge. We somehow won the first 9 matches and 14 of 17 matches. After that it was more as expected for a promoted team. As I noted in the previous post, we were either on top in the matches or way off the beat. First in the 37th try, we actually managed to draw a league match. Crazy. But to make matters even more surreal, we managed to stay in the play-off positions and finished in 6th. Furthermore, we made it all the way through the play-offs and got promoted. This hasn't happened for me in quite some editions of FM. But very good times. League (Results 1, Results 2, Cups, League Chart) - As written above a very strange, but at the same time fantastic season. Alex Curran was our topscorer. Team (Details 1, Details 2) - Some fantastic performances from Alex Curran, Alex Hurst and John Rooney. Ryan Qualter was our best defender. I am however seriously worried about our unexpected promotion, because most of our midfielders and Ryan Qualter is 33+. I fear, that we will struggle immensely in the VNL next year, and our first intake is too young to take over. Facilities - Given the good season, I managed to squeeze in improvements to the Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment. They are now Average and Fairly basic respectively. Moreover, the board decided to convert 1000 standing places (is that the correct term?) to 500 seats as it is the rules in VNL. Moreover, because of our impressive finances, I asked for improved training facilities as they were automatically downgraded. Finances - Macclesfield FC has a very strong economy, and with an average attendance of 3986 in VNLN, we turned in a healty profit each month surpassing £1 million in the end of the season before the training facilities upgrade. Youth Intake - Given the mediocre preview, I was actually satisfied. Tosin Kypriadis is a much needed central midfielder, and Alan Corcoran looks like my next right full back. Conor Corbett could become a decent striker. Nicky Payne could become a decent central defender. A wildcard is Ahmed Akpan. He looks decent, but a winger without any speed is not promising. I could also include Ben Henderson. Decent potential, but with Determination of 1, it is unlikely to happen for him. No Transfers in.. Goal for next season: Survive. Period. I fear badly for our performance levels next season with my ageing midfield. Hopefully, we can begin to blend in the players from the first intake, but I wouldn't be surprised if we are relegated.

Macclesfield FC - Season 1 2024-25 Yout Preview The Youth Preview is here. It is difficult to say whether this is good or bad. But it could be worse, I guess. In other news, in the 37th try, we finally managed a draw. It has been a very strange season. Either we are on top in games and winning relatively comfortably or otherwise we are quite clearly beaten. But gone are the days of winning the first nine matches and 14 out of 17. We are slowly but steadily sliding down the table. This is no catastrophy though, as I will be glad to just survive in these first difficult years of the challenge until the player intakes are flowing. Edit: This is however, easily the best start to a FM save I have had in many years.

I am currently working my way through the first season in VNLN with Macclesfield, and I can easily say, that after 18 games, I have never started better in any save. The save is not open currently, but it is something like 15 wins and three losses. I am beginning to wonder if it is some kind of bug, because this has never happened to me before, and I haven't suddenly become a tactical genius or done anything radically different. On the player development side, I cannot say yet.

Here we go. I am stoked to be able to manage Macclesfield FC for this challenge. We have a decent squad although with some ageing players particularly in midfield. The Manager The Squad Facilities Finances No initial transfers The starting youth players look quite good. Especially Dieter Bickerdike. What a name.

Thanks for your feedback, and thanks for another super edition of this game :)

Hi again Sorry if the issue is misplaced. I think it is the same issue as this:

Thinking about starting this challenge. Regarding Ireland, which is in the list of possible countries. Since there are no promotion to the leagues, is it a case of simming one season, and taking over the team that finished bottom? BR

Aaaand sacked! This is a good reminder, why not to start in Denmark. We were rubbish from start to end no matter the tactic; gegenpress, counter, wingplay, but to no avail. Being Amateur does not help, and it was only after I was sacked, that I realised that three teams were relegated.

Are you guys using an instant result skin? I am thinking that is necessary in order to do this challenge (before FM24 is out)