TheGoodRebel
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Posts posted by TheGoodRebel
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 28/29
JUAN SILVA - LEFT BACK
Juan is a young Peruvian left back brought in for just £500K and will provide cover to Uphoff. His work rate and determination are a little lower than I would like but he's got good potential so I'm keen to see how he will develop - plus he didn't cost very much so it's no risk.
VLADIMIR ZDRAVKOVIĆ - ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
Another loan signing, this time from PSG, Vladimir has been signed to play on the right hand side. He prefers to play centrally but I feel I can adapt him.
OPENING FIXTURES & LEAGUE TABLE
I can't lie, I was fearing the worst after our opening 4 games. Just 1 point and defeats to Coventry and Norwich. However, we actually played really well in all the games and I had the belief our fortunes would change just as long as morale didn't plummet. Ade managed to rally his troops and they got a convincing win against Leeds. Despite the two away losses to Spurs and Newcastle we have had home wins against Arsenal and Wolves.
That leaves us in 14th place after 9 games. It's going to be an interesting season as we're only a couple of wins from the European places. A good run of form can put us right up there.
EFL CUP
Unfortunately we got dumped out early by Preston on penalties - not sure this will go down well with the fans and the board. Although, after last season, Ade has plenty of credit in the bank with both.
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 28/29
After achieving promotion to the Premier League last season, how would Ade and his troops cope with the step up in quality?
TRANSFERS
ARIEL PARODI - CENTRAL DEFENDER
Ariel was brought in from Racing Club for £11.5m. Since signing him his media description is now Wonderkid. He also fits in well with the club culture of signing U23 players for the first team.
NIKOLA UPHOFF - LEFT BACK
Brought in on a season long loan from Bayern, Nikola is a very promising wing back and is our new first choice left back for the season.
TRAVIS AKOMEAH - CENTRAL DEFENDER
I've been impressed with this boy over his two loan spells with me. We have now signed him permanently for a cool £8m.
NOËL ASÉKO NKILI - DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
Another player who has impressed me while on loan. Signed permanently for just £2m. I feel we have robbed Bayern here.
WARREN ZAÏRE-EMERY - DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
Another loan signing, this time from PSG. Warren can play in defensive midfield or central midfield.
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11 hours ago, Vakama2619 said:
How are Rochdale going without you?
They finished around mid table in their first season in League One. However, they struggled a bit this season and just avoided going down. I can imagine it’ll start getting tougher for them, they just don’t have the resources to compete.
4 hours ago, ShaunG95 said:Great to see Coventry join you, I really thought you were building something positive with them but I can understand why an £83m kitty would be alluring. What is the budget looking like for next season?
Yeah, I was a bit sad to leave Coventry and it would have been nice to take them up and try to build something. Looking at how well they did though you could say I was holding them back!
The transfer budget definitely influenced the decision to move on though. Felt like I could do something big with them. Oddly the budget is only £40m this season - even though I didn’t spend last season’s!
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 27/28
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
FA CUP
We reached the 5th Round but got outclassed by Manchester United.
EFL CUP
Lost on penalties in Round 4 to Aston Villa.
THE PLAYERS
42 goals in all competitions for Rhian Brewster. However, he will be leaving us to join Mallorca in the summer as he didn't want to sign a new deal. José Machin will also be leaving in the summer. He won't qualify for a new work permit so we were happy to let him go and continue his career elsewhere.
The step up to the Premier League is huge, it will be a busy summer for Ade and all his recruitment staff as they scour the world for top quality reinforcements. The aim for next season? Survival!
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 27/28
SEASON FINALE
Ade's boys have done it! They sealed promotion back to the Premier League in his first season in charge, setting new records along the way. Ade paused to take it all in - he was finally a Premier League football manager!!
LEAGUE TABLE
Leading from practically start to finish, The Blades amassed a whopping 110 points losing just two games all season (away at Bournemouth and Coventry) and finishing 17 points clear of 2nd placed Norwich City;
After promotion was clinched, Ade gave an exclusive interview to Sky Sports News;
QuoteSky Sports News (SSN): Congratulations on Sheffield United's promotion to the Premier League, Adebayo. How does it feel to achieve this feat with your team?
Adebayo Akinfenwa (AA): Thank you very much. It feels amazing to achieve promotion with Sheffield United. We have been working hard all season and to see it pay off with promotion is truly special.
SSN: What do you think were the key factors that contributed to your team's success this season?
AA: I think the key factor was our teamwork and work ethic. We have a group of players who are willing to work hard for each other and that has been evident throughout the season. We also have a strong defence that has kept us in games and allowed us to pick up crucial points.
SSN: How do you plan to prepare your team for the challenges that come with playing in the Premier League?
AA: We know that the Premier League is a different level of competition, but we are ready for the challenge. We will be working on our fitness levels and tactics to make sure we are well-prepared for each game. We will also be scouting our opponents to ensure we know how to approach each match.
SSN: What are your expectations for Sheffield United's performance in the Premier League next season?
AA: Our main goal is to stay in the league and avoid relegation. We know it will be tough, but we believe in our abilities and are confident we can compete at this level. We will take it one game at a time and aim to give our best performance in each match.
SSN: You have had a successful playing career before transitioning into management. How has your experience as a player helped you in your role as a manager?
AA: My experience as a player has definitely helped me in my role as a manager. I have been in the players' shoes before and can relate to them on a personal level. I know what it takes to succeed at this level and can pass on that knowledge to my players. Additionally, I have learned a lot from the managers I played under and have incorporated their strategies into my own management style.
SSN: Finally, do you have any message for the fans of Sheffield United?
AA: Yes, I would like to thank our fans for their unwavering support throughout the season. Their passion and dedication to the team have been a major driving force for us. We will continue to work hard and do our best to make them proud in the Premier League. We hope they will continue to support us as we embark on this new journey.
The eagle eyed will have spotted that Ade's former club, Coventry City, secured a play-off place. Well, they made it all the way to the final against Bournemouth (the only two teams to beat The Blades in the league all season). Hoping that his former players would be successful, Ade decided to attend the match.
In fairness, Coventry got battered but they somehow took a shock 1-0 lead. Bournemouth kept knocking on the door and eventually found an equaliser - but they just couldn't get that second goal. In fact, it was Coventry who put the ball in the net again, but it was chalked off for offside. The game finished 1-1 A.E.T and went to penalties;
Coventry held their nerve and won the shoot-out 4-3 and would be joining Ade in next season's Premier League!
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 27/28
JANUARY UPDATE
After their blistering start to the season, how would it start to unfold for Ade and his Blades?
Well, we lost Adam Wharton as Newcastle decided to recall him from his loan. In fairness, he wasn't playing much anyway so it wasn't a massive loss. Ade entered the transfer market to bring in a new left back and a striker as cover for Rhian Brewster;
GONÇALO SILVEIRA RAMOS - LEFT BACK
Goncalo was brought in as cover at left back, we signed him on a season-long loan from Tottenham. However, he has become our first choice left back.
JHON DURÁN - STRIKER
We didn't have any cover for Brewster so Jhon was brought in from Aston Villa for £7.5m. He will only play when Brewster needs a rest or is injured.
LEAGUE TABLE
Our excellent start to the campaign has carried on throughout the whole season (so far). We have looked like winning every game, even the one we lost (away at Bournemouth). Ade is very happy with his squad and has settled on his tactics finally. You'd think only a catastrophic run of results would deny The Blades the title and promotion back to the Premier League. Surely it's now more of a case of 'when' and not 'if' this happens.
Here are the remaining league fixtures that will define Ade's season;
Here's how they fared in the cup competitions;
EFL CUP
Knocked out in Round 4 by Villa on penalties.
FA CUP
Still in the FA Cup and have Sunderland to play in Round 4.
Can Ade's troops maintain their form until the end of season and clinch promotion?
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 27/28
FISAYO DELE-BASHIRU - CENTRAL MIDFIELDER
Fisayo was brought in on a free transfer from West Brom to provide cover in the mezzala role.
OPENING FXTURES & LEAGUE TABLE
Ade has been delighted with the perfect start made by his new side. 12 wins out of 12 in the league and a title challenge is firmly on.
Ade will be hoping to maintain this kind of form over the course of the season and win promotion to the Premier League. Although he's gone from being unemployed to top of The Championship in a short space of time as a manager, he is conscious that he hasn't actually achieved a promotion yet or won anything. He will be wanting to rectify that this season.
When the January transfer window opens he will still have a lot to spend if he needs to bring in new faces as he spent pretty modestly in the last transfer window.
SQUAD PERFORMANCE
Everyone is doing well, however, the front 3 of N'Diaye, Bowler and Brewster have been lethal so far. Brewster is out of contract at the end of the season though and has no plans to sign a new deal. Maybe promotion might change his mind.
EFL CUP
We have negotiated our way to the 4th Round where a clash with Aston Villa awaits.
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 27/28
For the first time in his short managerial career, Ade finds himself under a little bit of pressure going in to the new season. He's managing a pretty big club in Sheffield United and they have high expectations. With a huge transfer budget at his disposal Ade doesn't have any excuses for not challenging for promotion this season.
TRANSFERS
ANGUS GUNN - GOALKEEPER
A new first choice goalkeeper was required. Ade snapped Angus up from Norwich for £4m - he became Ade's first signing at his new club.
TRAVIS AKOMEAH - CENTRAL DEFENDER
Ade had worked with Travis at Coventry and wanted the opportunity to work with him again so signed him up on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
LUKAS KLÜNTER - RIGHT BACK
We needed some cover at right back, Lukas is an experienced player who was snapped up from Arminia Bielefeld for £5m.
ADAM WHARTON - DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD
Ade was looking for a new playmaker and signed up Adam on a season-long loan from Newcastle.
NOËL ASÉKO NKILI - DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD
Another playmaker to rival Wharton, signed on loan from Bayern Munich on a season-long deal.
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SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 27/28
NEW CLUB
The managerial merry-go-round is in full swing and Ade has accepted the Sheffield United job.
While they're in the same division as Coventry, they have some serious money to spend. Ade just couldn't say no to a transfer budget of £83m.
Ade will be hoping to mount a serious assault on getting promotion to the Premier League in the upcoming season.
MEET THE SQUAD
Ade already has some very good players at his disposal but will no doubt be delving into the transfer market at the first opportunity.
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COVENTRY CITY - SEASON 26/27
SEASON START
We made a solid, if unspectacular, start to the season and were threatening a promotion push after 14 games;
However, a couple of events took place that threatened to derail our season. Firstly, Graham Potter kept complaining that I was using Akomeah as a ball playing defender and not a central defender. Despite him playing every game and averaging over a 7.00 at the time. As such, Chelsea called him back from his loan and wouldn't let me have him back.
Secondly, Micah Hamilton was upset because I was playing him as an inside forward and not as an inverted winger - despite being the top goalscorer in the league at this stage with 16 goals. As a consequence, his form just fell of a cliff.
These are things that REALLY frustrate me about FM and should have no place in the game. They are just so unrealistic
JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW
We needed some reinforcements due to the loss of Akomeah and an injury to Josh Maja;
MIKA BIERETH - STRIKER
Mika was brought in as cover for Maja, but he also suffered an injury in his first game that put him out for 7 weeks.
JAMAL BAPTISTE - CENTRAL DEFENDER
The replacement for Akomeah.
FINAL LEAGUE TABLE
We just struggled for consistency all season and could never put a strong run together. Every time we threatened to go on a run we would lose our next 2 games, usually against lesser opposition. Ade was very frustrated as he wanted to push for promotion but the team just never got going. Ade also experimented with different tactics to try and kick start the season, but it just didn't work out. There's a feeling of 'back to the drawing board' for next season. However, it was still a big improvement on a 16th place finish last season.
FA CUP
We made it to the Quarter Final but, despite taking a 2-0 lead against West Brom, we blew a golden chance to play at Wembley and lost 4-2.
EFL CUP
Knocked out on penalties in Round 3 against Wolves.
NEXT SEASON
The aim for next season would have been to try and reach the play-offs. However... Ade's journey with Coventry has come to the end
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COVENTRY CITY - SEASON 26/27
TRAVIS AKOMEAH - CENTRAL DEFENDER
Brought in to partner Harwood-Bellis at the back, great physical attributes for his age, signed on a season long loan from Chelsea.
HÜSEYIN GÜLER - DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD
Signed to provide midfield competition on a season long loan from Dortmund.
JONATHAN ASP-JENSEN - CENTRAL MIDFIELD
Jonathan came from another Bundesliga giant, Bayern Munich, also on a season long loan.
MICAH HAMILTON - WINGER
Another player snapped up from Man City, Ade was excited about Micah's potential at this level.
STUART MCKINSTRY- WINGER
Brought in as cover for the wide areas. Stuart is either footed so should comfortably be able to adapt to both flanks.
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COVENTRY CITY - SEASON 26/27
Ade was getting ready for his 1st full season at Coventry. After keeping them up last season could he build on that this season?
TRANSFERS
Ade was very active in the transfer market bringing in;
DANIEL BENTLEY - GOALKEEPER
Daniel was actually signed on a pre-contract by the previous manager. However, Ade would be looking for an alternate first choice 'keeper.
LUCAS BERGSTRÖM - GOALKEEPER
Signed on a free from Chelsea, the towering keeper was going to be Ade's number 1 for the coming season.
TAYLOR HARWOOD-BELLIS - CENTRAL DEFENDER
A top quality signing at this level. Taylor arrived on a free transfer and was going to be the defensive lynchpin that Ade built his team around.
CODY DRAMEH - RIGHT BACK
Signed to provide competition for the existing right back, Henry Lawrence, Cody is an attacking full back with plenty of pace.
JOSH WILSON-ESBRAND - LEFT BACK
Josh was brought in on a season long loan from Man City.
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COVENTRY CITY - SEASON 25/26
Well, after much deliberating, Ade decided against spending in January. He preferred to give a chance to the players already at his disposal and then perform any required surgery in the summer transfer window.
FINAL LEAGUE TABLE
Ade took 36 points from his 24 games in charge and achieved a 16th place finish. They were just 2 points above the drop zone when he arrived but finished 14 points clear by the end of the season. A good achievement for Ade, Championship football was secured for next season and he could finally start making plans.
FA CUP
We were knocked out at the first hurdle, but in all fairness this was not a priority this season. Securing our safety was the main thing.
EFL CUP
The club were eliminated before Ade arrived at the club.
FINANCES
The club took out a loan of £11.5m to help out the financial situation. However, there's not much to spend so it looks like we will have to take advantage of free transfers and the loan market.
FORMER CLUB UPDATE
Rochdale managed to hang on and secure promotion to League One. Ade was very proud for his former charges and wishes them all the best next season.
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7 hours ago, DavidBeckham said:
Quality start mate! I love this idea for a save! Not too sure why
Surely Beast Mode will be in the Prem the campaign after next!!
Thanks mate, glad to have you along for the journey! I hope Ade can emulate even half of what Defoe has in your save
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Stunning performance in the league - congratulations!
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COVENTRY CITY - SEASON 25/26
NEW JOB
After holding secret talks, Ade has been officially appointed as the new manager of Championship club Coventry City. This is a big step up for Ade and was an offer he couldn't refuse.
LEAGUE TABLE
Coventry currently find themselves in 19th place in The Championship. Just 2 points above the relegation zone, but also just 13 points away from the play-offs with 24 games remaining.
MEET THE SQUAD
Ade took the time to introduce himself to his new players, stopping short of making unrealistic promises. We have some decent players, who are certainly good enough to remain in this league. I'm not expecting to get sucked into a relegation battle and am hopeful of pulling away towards mid table safety.
FINANCES
£5m in the red, but a small transfer budget to work with in January once the transfer window opens.
Ade will have a very busy January!
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 25/26
Following a blistering start to the new season, could Rochdale maintain that form?
LEAGUE TABLE
After 22 games we've lost a couple of matches but are still challenging for automatic promotion.
EFL CUP
We narrowly lost to Stoke, although we put up a good fight against much better opposition.
PAPA JOHN'S TROPHY
Defeats against Wigan and Mansfield saw us make another early exit from this competition.
However, this is where the journey ends for Ade and Rochdale.....
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 25/26
MAZIAR KOUHYAR - WINGER
One of the things we lacked last season were wide players. Maziar was signed due to his ability to play on either flank, or through the middle.
BRYAN FIABEMA - WINGER
Bryan played for us last season and did a good job. It was a bit of a no brainer to snap him up.
NATHAN YOUNG-COOMBES - STRIKER
A striker was much needed. Nathan looks like he can score for fun at this level and will be a very important player for us.
OPENING FIXTURES
After a tough pre-season it was time to see how we would fare in the league with our new signings.
We came out like a steam train, scoring goals and being pretty solid defensively. Things were definitely looking positive. Ade was very happy with how things were going;
Ade is finally starting to get recognition for the work he is doing and has been linked with a couple of other clubs. However, after the great start he is more than happy to stay and continue his work with Rochdale.
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 25/26
After last season's play off final defeat, could Ade rally his troops and build the squad to mount another promotion push?
NEW SIGNINGS
Ade was very active in the transfer market signing 8 new players;
SHAUN HOBSON - CENTRAL DEFENDER
Shaun was brought in to provide competition in defence - Ade wasn't planning to use him as first choice.
JADEL KATONGO - CENTRAL DEFENDER
Jadel used to be at Man City and was brought in to be the new, first choice centre back who Ade wanted to build the team around.
OWEN BAILEY - DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
Ade wanted more numbers in midfield and thought Owen would provide cover. His versatility means he can also play in defence if required.
KANE WILSON - RIGHT BACK
Ade wanted Kane to be his new, first choice right wing back. Kane is easily one of the better players in the league and could probably do a good job in League One. Ade definitely had the next couple of seasons in mind with this signing.
LUKE MCCORMICK - MIDFIELDER
Ade signed Luke for his versatility. He can play central midfield as a box to box midfielder or behind the striker as an advanced playmaker.
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 24/25
FINAL LEAGUE TABLE
Ade's men had to settle for a play-off spot. The end of season run in was brutal and the goals dried up. Dropping points to the bottom two sides was criminal.
Had we won the final two matches, we would have gone up. However, in both matches we had goals disallowed. Whatever the result of the play-offs, Ade can be proud of his team as they were predicted to struggle near the foot of the table.
PLAY OFFS
Fleetwood were our semi-final opponents. We dominated the 1st leg, went 2-1 up but could not put our chances away. We then missed a penalty to go 3-1 up and conceded a late equaliser to leave it tightly poised ahead of the 2nd leg.
Fleetwood went 1-0 up and we didn't create anything, but then in the 88th minute we grabbed an equaliser to force extra-time. It was a pretty uneventful affair and we had to settle for penalties - which we won 5-4 after converting all of our attempts.
Rochdale were awarded with a trip to Wembley for the play-off final against Chesterfield, who, incidentally, had beaten us both times in the league without us scoring.
THE FINAL
Our board and fans didn't give us much hope!
And they were right not to - we just didn't turn up. We didn't create anything of note and conceded a late goal.
The season is over, but we have plenty to build on for next season.
Ade has no plans to leave Rochdale yet - unless an unexpected job offer comes in - and is optimistic for next season.
For now, it's time to regroup, assess the squad and see who to bring in for another crack at promotion.
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 24/25
LEAGUE TABLE
We're now approaching the business end of the season and we're currently in a play-off spot. Unfortunately Fiabema was called back by Unai Emery as he didn't like the role I was playing him in and we started to struggle a little bit with goals and threat in the final third. However, this squad is still massively overachieving.
We brought in a couple of additional loan signings to help maintain our unlikely promotion push;
JOSH STONES - STRIKER
Brought in from Wigan, John is a pressing forward who is going to provide competition for our existing strikers.
BRYCE HOSANNAH - RIGHT BACK
We wanted a new attacking right back and Bryce seems to fit the bill perfectly.
JUSTIN HUNSICKER - MIDFIELDER
Another midfield player brought in just to give us some extra cover and extra legs in the middle of the park.
Now that the transfer window is closed we will have to rely on these players to try and achieve an unlikely promotion.
Here's how our season unfolded in the cup competitions.
FA CUP
We made it to the 3rd round where we were drawn away at Everton. We fought a brave fight but ultimately were outclassed.
PAPA JOHN'S TROPHY
After winning our first game we lost our next two and got knocked out at the group stage.
Ade's first full season as a manager ends without a trophy.
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 24/25
LEAGUE TABLE
Ade is very happy as Rochdale sit 2nd at the halfway point in the league. The team have been playing really well and are mounting an unexpected promotion challenge. The players have adapted well to Ade's tactics and have started winning ugly when the going gets tough.
The squad has been strengthened with two new signings (both free transfers).
CONOR HOURIHANE - MIDFIELD
Conor brings a wealth of experience and class to this Rochdale side.
TOMMY LEIGH - MIDFIELD
Tommy is another central midfield player - Ade is very happy with the additions made to his engine room and will be looking for attacking reinforcements next. The three attackers have generally been performing well, but there just isn't enough cover at the moment.
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INJURY SHOCKER
Well I certainly wasn't expecting this to happen!
Spoiler
We will definitely need to do some business in January now
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ROCHDALE - SEASON 24/25
OPENING FIXTURES
We've got off to a decent, if unspectacular, start. One too many draws for my liking but I am sure as soon as the team gels we will convert more of these into wins.
LEAGUE TABLE
Mid table but it's still early days - will be good to see if we can convert some of those draws into wins as the season progesses.
EFL CUP
Comfortably beat Chesterfield but then got schooled by Premier League Bournemouth
PAPA JOHN'S TROPHY
Good start against Crewe, let's see how far we can go in this.
SUMMARY
We will have to see how this squad copes until the next transfer window in January before delving into the market. There will no doubt be some movement, but it's still a bit early to say where.
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Surely Beast Mode will be in the Prem the campaign after next!!
[FM23] Football's Strongest Man
in FM Career Updates
Posted
SHEFFIELD UNITED - SEASON 28/29
JOB OFFER
This was somewhat unexpected, considering Ade hasn't won anything major in his time as a manager;
He thought long and hard but ultimately decided to turn it down as he felt t's too early in his career and he wants to focus on club management for now. Hopefully he will get another opportunity in the future.