Hootieleece

April 2032: Regular Season "The more things change the more they stay the same" Manager's Thoughts Jester thought that the time off between matches would reinvigorate the side but it did not and out dismal play continued. Jester even tried out a new tactic against Norwich that promised much but was defensively porous due to lack of practice. The U-21's are showing that the future is bright. The end of the season has basically come and now we are just trying to win a few matches for respect and trying out the new formation for next season when we will try for another top half finish and another trophy. Schedule Highlights (Lowlights) The long-awaited break in the schedule was a double-edged sword.....almost a month between fixtures and other than U-21 play, Jester gave the boys some time off from matches. He still practiced every day and some of the more tired Star Players got a week of rest from practice as well. For all of the futility in the first team the U-21 are coming along well and a few might make their debuts in the first team next season. Our Goalkeeper isn't the best but at his salary there is room to bring in a top keeper for next season even if he is an experienced International at 24. With all of the time away from matches Jester had been watching the Women's World Cup and found it interesting that most of the teams used a 3-4-3. So he tried to create a 3-4-3 for future use of PNE. The extra practices between matches seemed like a perfect time to create a new tactic and introduce it to the team. The Backups were out played by an inspired Watford team that was helped by the Referee! The match against Man United saw the Starters using the 5-2-1-2 DM Wide take on a top team. We weren't at our best but played well..... The next match would see Jester try out the new tactic with the backups....against a relegation threatened team. We started well and then there were defensive mistakes all over the place.......Not ready for prime time! The U-21's continued their good work. League Table Monthly Analysis Report even with our less than stellar defensive play the last month or so we are still defensively sound. Player of the Month He is our star striker and Jester is changing his role from CF-S to CF-A for next season. Looking Ahead to be continued:

March 2032: Regular Season "Another Cup Win means a return to Europe" Manager's Thoughts The month of March saw our hectic schedule slow down to normal, but our play didn't improve except for one night in London where our Cup Dreams were realized once again. This means no matter what happens we will have European Nights and a trophy we might be able to win next season. The team on a whole is playing like the season is over mostly due to tiredness because of our "insane" schedule of the past few months. The Cup win will also allow us to continue rotating the team to make sure that the Young players get the playing time they need to step up for the future. Schedule Highlights Keeping with the new "Streamlined" look of updates I will only use the Carabao Cup and Youth Development screenshots. The big match of the month was the trip to Wembley and the Carabao Cup Final versus Manchester City! We are the defending Champions and are going to keep our trophy out of Man City's grasp! We are definite underdogs, but Jester had an "Ace" up his sleeve. and a change of formation..... and we win in Extra-time/Overtime on a 118th-minute goal by Mikey O'Neill! We had 500+ passes that is the winning formula most of the time! Jester thought that the officials was for Man City...... The season is now successful, no matter how bad it gets because we have European Football next season! Carabao Cup Review The Biggest Overachievers! Youth Intake Kelsey Sneddon Dan Bennet Jamie Aklaq Sion Lloyd This looks like a decent bunch of players, skilled but Jester thinks only 1-2 might make the team in a few years. He thinks Lloyd probably unless the team changes formation and playing style. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Even though we aren't winning it isn't from not playing defense! Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead The month off between fixtures in March and April is a double-edged sword, but hopefully Jester can keep the boys engaged and finish the season strong. to be continued:

I go to the squad view. Sort by the average player rating of the last five matches. Whoever is on top becomes my player of the month unless it is obviously a backup with little playing time. Sometimes my choice is influenced by the game if the player wins an award, I make sure to name him instead or at least mention him.

February 2032: Regular Season "It all comes to an end" Manager's Thoughts The whole thing came crashing down in February the two months of non-stop matches caught up with the team. We also on the whole played better competition, Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle, and Sporting CP in the Champion's League. The Top Dogs of the Premier League had their way with us and confirmed tha our dreams of European Football were just that dreams. We played Sporting CP tough and might have won if we weren't so tired. Luckily the rest of the season will give us a chance to rest up and we still do have the Carabao Cup Final to look forward to. Schedule League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead: to be continued: PS. I had to reset my computer last night and lost most of the images from the month of February. Let me know if this makes for a better update. After reading @Carambau's post I realized I was posting too many images.

January 2032: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team kept the good times rolling for most of the month of January. The losses to Bayern and Chelsea and the draw with Aston Villa show a team that is near exhaustion due to the fixture list. Jester has done everything to stave it off, (lots of recovery time and rest if possible) but it was eventually going to catch up with this young and thin squad. The Team also sold a few of their older players as younger players stepped up to take their places in the First Team, but no major moves were made to help team depth due to the cost of players that would make a difference. With all that the team did itself proud in the Champion's League and made the playoffs and is in 8th place in the Premier League. Schedule Highlights The New Year would see the boys start another 10-match month with a trip to the south coast. Took the early lead, but Brighton fought back to take the lead, and then with subs on we got two big goals for the win! The media is taking notice of our good form. Jester is worried about fatigue even though the team is either in recovery or on a bus! The next match just 3 days later was versus Aston Villa who were in poor form. Jester played the backup's, and they just couldn't do the job..... The next match was the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg at Turf Moor. Jester gave his Starters a rest to be ready for this match! Beating our "Ancient" Rivals is what we are about! Terem Moffi was allowed to leave because our recent purchase Engeland had joined the team after finishing his season with Bodo/Glint. Burnley put up a tough fight but in the end we scored a penalty to take the three points! The next match would see the boys head to London to take on QPR in the FA Cup. A rotated squad was sent on to the pitch for this one. The Star of the show was our new striker Engeland even if Bueno was POM for getting the assists! As a "reward" we would play Newcastle next......Jester had already decided to play the backups in that match. The second leg of the Carabao Cup was just days later....with the starters itching to play after the performance of the backups versus QPR! Burnley played us tough yet again but the win at the Turf Moor provided the winning edge! We will have a mountain to climb in the Final, but Jester thinks it is the only way to get European Football for next season. Four Days later we would play Liverpool at the DW Stadium. They had quite a team assembled..... and they were favored, but Jester thought PNE might have a chance! and he was right! the boys fought through the tired legs to win a legendary victory! We blew them away in the first half and then held on for dear life in the second half! Just Three Days after the Liverpool win it was off to Munich to take on the German Champions FC Bayern! Jester was pessimistic about our chances but the match still had to be played no matter how tired his players were..... We shipped out a CB that was found to be extra! Mostly because he wasn't much better than the 20-year-old replacement even though he had been a valuable member of the squad in the early years of Jester's reign. We played terrible and Jester thinks that a combination of complacency and tired legs because of the match schedule is beginning to catch up with the team. Three days after the defeat in Munich PNE was back on the pitch this time versus Southhampton. People are interested in taking us over because we're making money! Our "Golden Boy" will be staying with the team for a while...... The Backups played great since this was their chance to strut their stuff! The next match was just a few days later and was the last of the Champions League Stage. We were favored to lose even at home....with a chance for a bye in the Champion's League Playoffs on the line! We won big but it wasn't enough for the Bye! So close yet so far! The Front Three had a field day against the French Team Nico O'Reilly showed his skills yet again..... Just three days later the boys were on the Bus to London and Stamford Bridge..... Chelsea were in bad form but PNE was tired...... The loss didn't come as a shock to Jester as he was wondering how much more he could ask of the boys. League Table Monthly Analysis Report and our defense was the BEST in the Premier League this month! Player Awards He is the backup Trequarista, but if he keeps this up he will challenge O'Reilly for the starting spot! Player of the Month Nico led the charge against Liverpool and OL with some great performances! Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead: Jester doesn't know if the squad can keep up this level of performance. The Bayern and Chelsea matches showed a team that had "Hit the Wall" physically and mentally. to be continued:

I tried to limit my images, but 9-10 match months make it hard. especially since I use the images to help me write the text afterwards.

It was only 3-1 but could have been more except for some ludicrous saves by their goalie.

Xavi Simons is a gem of a player, but I think Alex Scott is a similar player. Good work bringing in the young talent.

Jester has wet dreams about 4 match months with PNE! Keep up the good work. It is a funny thing judging talent in the game....sometimes the player you don't suspect becomes the "Man" by his play on the pitch. I have some 2 star players that often put in a good performance better than 4-5 star youngsters with better attributes, but they are also 26-28 prime years for players.

Just went through Nine in December.....that is why I have to rotate and hope so much.

December 2031: Regular Season "Rolling along" Manager's Thoughts The team finally found its groove again beating the teams we are supposed to and losing to our betters (Man City and Arsenal) but we are winning our games in hand and moving up the table. We are now just outside the European Places. Jester still thinks that a Cup win is the most logical way for us to secure our place for next season. Also, our young stars are getting recognition in the world of Football and may be hard for us to keep and replace even if their transfer fees will show a healthy profit for the club. We are still giving up goals to Over-the-Top Balls but now mostly after subs screw up the marking assignments of our defense. Overall, the club seems to have stabilized after a slow start in October and November. Schedule Highlights The month of December would be a busy one for PNE with NINE Fixtures. The first fixture was a home match versus struggling Middlesborough. As the team was still considered in the relegation battle and Jester didn't want to take any chances, He played the Starters and was rewarded with a dominant victory. Castledine the SS-A was the star of the show with a Hat-trick! He was also named player of the Week! The next match wouldn't be so easy, A trip to the Etihad Stadium to visit Erling Haaland and League Leading Man City! Mind games..... We looked the worse for wear with a rotated team and lost badly to Man City and Haaland! Jester wishes he had Haaland on his team......it would make life easier...... Preston draws QPR in the FA Cup! The next match was in the Champions League and would see RSC Anderlecht visit the DW Stadium. We were big favorites and hopefully we will @SixPointer We did dominate and it was only the spectacular efforts of the Anderlecht GK that kept score close. Look at those stats! Two great games in a row for Castledine! Jester can't wait to return to Deepdale after the renovations! After the match against Anderlecht during the Week, DW Stadium saw Arsenal come to town. Jester played a half-rotated team and paid for it. After the loss to the Arsenal, just three days later was a match in the Carabao Cup against Everton. The trip to Liverpool would be tough but Jester was pulling out all the stops to defend his trophy. As he saw a Cup win as his bes chance for European Football this season. It went to penalties' and Everton paid the price..... As a reward we will play our Ancient Rivals at Turf Moor first in the Semi-Finals! After escaping Everton, the team then hosted Southampton at the DW Stadium with a rotated squad. Preston was favored but needed to do a Professional Job. The Backups came through and put in dominant performance. The team was rotated so that the Starters could take on Newcastle United in their visit to the DW Stadium. Preston was favored but Jester was sceptical. Jester shouldn't have been as the Starters jumped out to a big lead and only an Over-the-Top ball led to their goal after a substitution screwed up the defensive marking assignments. Highlights on Sky sports! Finley Roberts player of the Week! The penultimate match of the month would see PNE take on Aston Villa. No doubt the trip to Birmingham would be tough and Jester would play a rotated squad. We are playing much better and are making up ground by winning our games in hand! Three days later we played the ninth and last match of the month! DW Stadium had had a busy schedule this month. Brentford played us tough, but our early lead was enough to see them off..... Oh, how the mighty have fallen....... League Table Monthly Analysis Report Manager and Player Awards European Golden Boy Welsh Player of the Year and Player of the Month Manager of the Month Management Report because of good management and potential transfers in the January window the board has made extra money available. and the rumors are starting..... Financial Report Looking Ahead: to be continued:

I play RSC Anderlecht in the Champions League next in December 2031 with PNE. I will make sure to smash them in your honor.

November 2031: Regular Season "When it all comes together." Manager's Thoughts The soccer scheduling gods must have heard our prayers for mercy in that November was only five matches and only one we weren't favored in. Also, this makes the losing of the previous month that much harder to take. Our future will test the team because BOTH December and January feature NINE matches! The success during this month also saw the Board back Jester to bring in some players to improve the team for the second half of the season. Jester will have to ponder whether another player or what position needs to be addressed and next month will give him plenty of chances to figure it out. Schedule Highlights The month of November would be a little easier on the team with only one match in which we wouldn't be favored. That was the first one of the month versus Athletico Madrid. We travelled to Madrid for the match, and we were surprised to be favored given our terrible form of the past month. I guess the pundits were right.....We played some beautiful football against A. Madrid ripping apart their 3-4-3. Our Strike force led by Finley Roberts had room to work that they don't see in the Premier League. The win was not without cost.....as we lost our "Super Sub" Roberts rounding into form is a good thing to see after a slow start due to injury. The team returned home from Madrid jubilant but had to quickly travel to Leeds for a Premier League match up. The winning continued in an affair between two equal teams that were allowed to play physical by the referee. The Hero for PNE was our Goalie Wally Jonck, who kept a clean sheet with three impressive saves. Most of all it ended our run of bad form in the Premier League..... The next match would see Watford visit the DW Stadium. This was another match that Preston needed to win to stay out of the Relegation Battle. Watford was bottom of the League. Preston was favored and Jester rotated the squad a bit before the trip to Northern Ireland. Harvey Vale who usually comes off the Bench led the Backups to victory over Watford. The team then headed for Northern Ireland to take on Larne. Preston wasn't expected to beat the N. Irish side, maybe because they played an aggressive 4-4-2 that seems to give PNE fits. The team went down because Larne defended deep and scored on an Over-the-Top ball. Some changes were made to mentality, so PNE pressed harder and to "work the ball into the box" the team came out definite winners! Academy Product and backup CF-S led the team to victory after the changes. The team then had to face another team that played the 4-4-2, Bournemouth. After the success against Larne, Jester implemented his changes from the start and took Bournemoth by surprise. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Defense is definitely the hallmark of this team, but it is nice to see some scoring. Monthly Awards Runner up yet again! beginning to feel like Susan Lucci. Management Report because of the good month and Board Support of our work we were given a bigger Payroll Budget. $1.76M/Week isn't that bad except in the Premier League! Financial Report Looking ahead: 9 matches in the month will stretch our rotations a bit.....to say the least! to be continued:

October 2031: Regular Season "No Pain, No Gain." Manager's Thoughts The scheduling gods can be hard to deal with at times and during this month we played some of the bigger teams in world Football. We played them all tough but it meant for a lot of losing and a draw against a side we should beat. Unfortunately, teams have figured out how to beat us. Press us hard and deny us the wide spaces to begin our counter attacks. As for beating our version of the press even the best teams in the world seem to be playing Route One Over-the-Top balls to defang our defense and if they don't do that they play keep away with precision passing. Fortunately, we are still playing well in the Carabao Cup, and we were able to upset Chelsea once again this time at Stamford Bridge. November will be a better month on the pitch Jester hopes as there are some winnable matches that we need to win to stay out of the relegation battle. Schedule Highlights The month of October began with another tough road match. This time Anfield and Liverpool. Liverpool was of course favored but Jester hoped to pull off an upset. It was an embarrassing loss, Liverpool scored and then pressed us into the ground and kept it up during the second half when they were down to ten men whenever they didn't have the ball. After the chastising loss to Liverpool the team returned to Preston to ready themselves for Brighton. Jester needs the team to play better if they are to stay out of the relegation battle. We played like a team bereft of confidence.....and were pressed hard by Brighton as well and their goal came from an over-the-top ball. The next match would bring Juventus to DW Stadium for a European Night. The fans were excited because a big-name team was visiting. For some reason we were considered favorites..... We played well but were beaten by superior talent. Big night at our Home away from Home! After the match with Juventus another tough match was on the list....Man United at Old Trafford. We played them tough, but we were having trouble against the press and were forced to defend for our lives..... The Media is taking notice of our trouble on the pitch. The next match would see the team head to London for the Carabao Cup versus Chelsea Chelsea is a definite favorite, but we seem to have Inzaghi's number..... The Backups played due to tiredness and it being a cup and came out on top! Again, Chelsea played too defensive, and we were able to take advantage because they DIDN'T press. Defending our Trophy! We were led by Academy product O'Neill! Everton is our next opponent in the Carabao Cup! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

I wish I could be as ruthless and as efficient as you in the transfer market. Glad to see you back at it.

Sell the ring leaders! and then find a leading player that supports you and make him Captain! That is what I did with a player rebellion in my PNE save. Also try to have weekly team bonding sessions during training.

Back September 2031: Regular Season "Reality Bites" Manager's Thoughts The month of September was a mixed bag. We lost both League matches but played well in the Cups. That is mostly because the backups played in the league due to registration rules and the fact that teams are beating our press with over-the-top balls again! Even with the 5 goals we gave up in Premier League play we are considered the best defensive team in the Premier League! This means if we play our starters we have a chance against ALMOST any team, but our backups need more seasoning and hopefully they will come along well during this first half of the season and keep us afloat until after the Champions League is over. Schedule Highlights September started with lots of meetings about the financial health of the Club after the Transfer Window. Even though we are playing in the Champion's League we have one of the smallest playing payrolls in the Premier League! One reason for that is the limited amount of Commercial Revenue and Sponsorships we have. While the meetings were going on the International Break happened and this occurred: Our main man Finley Roberts will miss all of the matches this month! We are 2000-1 to win the Champion's League! The first match of the month was against West Ham United at the DW Stadium. We were favored but Jester played the Backups because of the Champion's League in a few days time..... West Ham pressed our young Backups hard and were rewarded by the Referee with a penalty and numerous Set Pieces. The Backups are going to have to play better or it will be a long season. The next match would see a full strength PNE take on the weakest team in our Champion's League Fixture list. We dominated as expected, their only goal came on a World class shot from range on their only shot on goal! Our players are getting consideration for the English National Team! Next we traveled to London for a match against Brentford......another match played by the backups due to tiredness and registration rules. Brentford was favored but Jester thought we had a chance against Brendan Rodger's team. We were beaten time and again by balls over the top of our press. The next match would see the Backups play yet again this time in the Carabao Cup versus Liecester City Preston was favored and after the bad loss in London, they were itching to take the field! It was dominant performance for 70 minutes until Leicester went Over the Top Route one Style on us. Which is how we gave up the two goals that made the scoreline look better than it was. N O'Neill playing as CF-S led the line and the scoring! Our next opponenets in the Carabao Cup will be a less than Charitable Chelsea side..... The final match of the month was against Celtic in Glasgow! The match was between two evenly matched teams and led to a 1-1 draw. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Even though we lost both our matches in the league this month we are among the best defensive teams in the Premier League, mostly because of our Goalie. Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

August 2031: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts Going on Vacation and forgetting all of the tinkering to the roster that he wanted to do was the best thing Jester could have done. The arrival of Harvey Vale put Castledine on notice and he is now playing the best football of his life. The same could be said of Nico O'Reilly who has been setting up the goals. If you had told Jester before the season that he would win three out of five matches in August including a Blowout win over Chelsea and playing Newcastle and Tottenham on the road close, he would have bitten off your hand! The team didn't tinker with formations or roles even though Jester has been watching a lot of Football lately and is thinking of the possibilities of a 3-4-3. This season will be live or die with the "Nesselquist" Variant again and the early returns are promising. Hopefully the team can keep up the momentum as the backups start playing more matches due to Champion's League. Schedule Highlights The regular season would begin with three tough matches Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham. But before that the team started suffering injuries that would put players in jeopardy for the season opener against Chelsea. Carlos is one of our key players I am expecting him to whip in crosses to Finley Roberts. our Captain also went down as well..... He will only miss the opener probably..... speaking of the opener and our first at DW Stadium in Wigan. We will be the underdogs against a powerful Chelsea team whose Achilles heel is their Manager Simone Inzaghi. The Marketing and Sales Department reported they sold ALL available Season Tickets! Opening Day came and the team was ready..... All the match practice showed, and Chelsea was playing too defensively for all their offensive talent. Castledine the AMC-SS was the star of the show with a hat trick. Three days later the team traveled to Newcastle for the second match of the season. Since it was so close to the first match and the team had another match on Sunday at Tottenham. Jester rotated the squad and played the backups. This wouldn't help us in that we were underdogs, but Jester felt it was needed because he didn't want to wear out the first team before European Football started! It was a close match, Newcastle took and early lead and then early in the second half PNE took the lead! Then Rodri came on and won the match for Newcastle. Three Days later the team traveled to London and took on Tottenham.....this was a match that saw the team at full strength, but it was not enough to overcome Tottenham's early goal. Even though it was a loss, Jester saw a lot to like about his team and the two close losses showed that last season wasn't a fluke. Another week went by and the team hosted relegation candidate Norwich to DW Stadium. Preston was favored and Jester played his strongest side. It was an even match until Harvey Vale, our offseason acquisition, came on and scored two late goals to secure the victory! The team finished its renovation to the First Team Training Facilities, and they are now State of the Art! The Champions League Fixture list came out. We have a tough list, but Jester expects to win about half of them. Jester expects to play the Starters in most of the matches especially against the big-name teams Bayern and Juventus. Jester is happy with the progress being made compared to where we were 8 seasons' ago......one match from relegation from the Championship! Leicester City is the team that PNE begins its defense of the Carabao Cup against. This Cup will definitely see the backups used due to other commitments. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

Auxerre will be a tough road to build up. I understand your defensive problems I had many with PNE until I was able to buy better players especially against top teams.

Real Madrid is everyone's "Bogeyman" in the Champion's League! Otherwise, it was another decent season......but you really want the treble so you can retire in style, right?

June/July 2031: Offseason Part Two/ Preseason Manager's Thoughts The team had a good preseason especially since there wasn't a lot of turnover in the squad. Newcomer Harvey Vale has thrived as a AMC-SS and will put pressure on the incumbent Castledine. As always Jester plays a lot of Friendlies to build up match fitness that allows his teams to get off to fast starts in the regular season which often negates the pressure of a possible relegation battle. This season the team will have European Football in the Champions League. This will test the team and its depth. The result against Borussia Dortmund shows we have a way to go before we are really going to be contenders. The most likely ending for this season is a midtable finish safely above the relegation fray, Schedule Highlights Most of the teams transfer activity was fininshed before the end of June. With Harvey Vale being the only player expected to make the first team. Somehow the team lost ranking even though we played better in the best league in the world and won a trophy! But the ranking must hold the lack of European Football against us! But our stature within the UK is growing! We were the biggest overachievers last season. It will be difficult to repeat with the European Football stretching the squad depth, but Jester expects a solid midtable finish. The signings of the season were mostly "wonderkids" that we can't afford to get for our team. Finley Roberts our young Striker has had the best season ever for a PNE player for consistency. This was a young "wonderkid" we tried to get before the big boys came in for him......of course he chose Manchester City instead of "bucolic" Preston. This is a player my General manager found to add to the U-21's. He might break into the lineup in a few years....if not he will be sold for a profit. June ended with the team still in good shape financially with almost $100M in the Bank! July 2031: Preseason The team reported for preseason training and the team was much different than last season. It included Harvey Vale and a few U-21's that Jester felt would get some time as backups with the extra matches due to European Football. The team was also scheduled to travel to California for a series of Friendlies with MLS teams. The teams preseason schedule saw the team play most of its affiliates and have big matches against Borussia Dortmund and AS St. Etienne so that Jester could gauge how his team would fare in Champions League. In other news a young player we sold to Fulham for $8.5M that helped bring in Finley Roberts was let go on a free..... He isn't bad and Jester almost offered him a contract......but decided he had younger better players already..... Early in the Preseason Training a backup Striker got a significant injury that will leave him out of the team for quite a while. The team expects to sell enough tickets to almost sell out DW Stadium and be 3/4 Full after the renovation to Deepdale! Jester was offered International Management with Portugal....he declined.....He has unfinished business with Preston North End! Most of the Preseason Matches were against inferior teams and PNE was able to win....after the trip to the USA they came back to their first real test. Borussia Dortmund was just better on the day with precise finishing especially on Set-Pieces. A week later the team took on ASSE from Ligue 1. Hopefully ASSE was just promoted because they were awful and made us look really good. This was our las friendly before we start the season with Chelsea! This player we signed for the U-21's was bought by Stoke without even playing a match..... The uphill fight financially that PNE faces is shown with the following graph: 2031-2032 Premier League Preview We should be able to stay out of the relegation fight especially if our Key Players Finley Roberts (Striker) and Carlos Colombo (LWB) have good seasons. No PNE players are Preseason favorites for awards. Management Report The Board, Supporters, and Team are behind Jester and are expecting a successful campaign. Financial Report to be continued:

Still struggling with squad sizes as well. My U-21 squad is massive and I loan out 10-15 players from it usually.

That is a problem I have at PNE as well, but it is also that I have a "Core" I am happy with......but in the upcoming season more young players will get playing time with Champions League and Premier League play stretching the rotation a bit.

Slovakia or North Macedonia?

Are you aiming for a Promotion Challenge this season? Youth Development in the Academy is always a "crap shoot"!