warlock

Going along nicely, bar that really irritating loss to Lincoln - hate scoring 3 and still coming out on the losing end. One good FA Cup tie away to a big club could make a world of difference to the finances. Fingers crossed

Sinners & Saints February 2028 For the shortest month of the year, February certainly packed in a few games. And since this is a Leap Year, the fixture computer took the opportunity to squeeze in another on the last day of the month. Despite the hectic schedule we managed to maintain our good form. While we're scoring for fun we're also giving up quite a few, to the extent that the board is regularly "concerned" by the number of goals we're conceding. As am I, but given the nature of our current run I'm holding off any further tactical twiddling. Against Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-final we held a 4-1 advantage from the first leg and the lads did a professional job in sealing the deal. But just in case we were growing complacent, lowly Leeds delivered a slap that brought us down to earth: We were dominant but careless in front of goal, and it took a late goal from CM Sforza to save us the embarrassment of defeat to a side who have been in the relegation zone all season. There were more signs of complacency against West Ham as we led 4-0 at halftime and then allowed them to score twice after the break. Happily, as the Hammers pushed hard to level the match, we hit them twice on the break late on. In the Carabao Cup final against Everton we needed another late flurry of goals to put a gloss on the result: We got off to a poor start, allowing the Toffees to take the lead after 16 minutes before we first equalised before the break and then scored again immediately after. But we were far from comfortable for much of the second half until Everton suddenly collapsed, allowing us to run riot in the last 10 minutes. More Saintly silverware: We progressed to the 6th round of the FA Cup with another 5-1 result against Championship side Derby, saw off a resurgent Brighton side in the league, and then faced Arsenal for the first of three matches in as many weeks, beginning with the two legs of the R16 tie in the Champions League before we face them again in the Premier League. Our gameplan for the Gunners was to keep it tight at the Emirates and then, hopefully, see them off at St Marys. In the event, we did rather better: We were happy to allow them the ball in safe areas while we constantly hit them on the counter. Only a stellar performance from Ramsdale in the Arsenal goal kept the scores level until the turning point in the 73rd minute. Having made all their substitutes, Arsenal went down to 10 men when Raheem Sterling was carried off with a cruciate ligament injury that might spell the end of the career of the 33-year-old as he'll be out for at least 6 months. As gaps began to appear in the Arsenal defence, Abraham got on the end of a Gonzalez cross and we had the lead. Gonzalez was instrumental in the second goal as he drilled a low ball across the Arsenal area and Upamecano turned it into his own net. In the Premier League we continued to stretch our lead as the clubs below us were unable to put together a run of victories - Liverpool lost to Newcastle and dropped points at Leicester; City lost to both West Ham and Norwich; Spurs and United also dropped points this month: Abraham is our top scorer with 29 goals from 39 appearances in all competitions. Backup striker Fer Nino is also scoring at a respectable rate - 14 from 15 starts - but he's very streaky. For example, having bagged a hat-trick on the last day of January, he failed to find the net this month. Our leading source of assists Sforza with 13, with other notable contributions coming from AMR Franco Gonzalez (10 goals, 12 assists) and AML Sam Edozie (14 goals, 9 assists), but all of our AMs are in double-figures for goal contributions. We open March with a tough game against Chelsea - the form team in the league - before the return leg against Arsenal and the FA Cup quarter-final against Huddersfield, before finishing the month with league games away at Arsenal and Forest.

Happy to oblige . Update incoming!

Tough loss against Bodo/Glimt, but a good bounceback win to follow. As Sir Alex used to say, never lose two in a row

Thanks buddy! It did take a while to figure out what was (probably) happening, even though it's quite the forum meme at this point. There's so much happening in the game that it's hard to keep track of everything.

Everything's coming up roses at the moment. Although it needs to... looks like Valerenga are going to be snapping at your heels every step of the way.

Looking forward to it

Ah, that's a shame. Hope you find another good one

It is. It wasn't set up to prioritise possession but we often enjoy 60-65% in games while still carrying a good threat going forward. Most of the changes over the season have been to give us better options in attack, especially against parked buses.

Sinners & Saints January 2028 Tactical interlude We haven't talked tactics for a while and there has been a shift in approach since last season. Nothing major, but a number of small changes. We began the season by dropping the wide AMs back to wide central midfield, both to make us more defensively solid and to provide a base for a consistent counter attack in a 4411 shape with two flat lines of four. That shape generally worked well but against better teams we were exposed in defence, so I then dropped the two CMs to a double-pivot in defensive midfield. That in turn made us more resolute in defence but often lacking a bit of attacking strength. So I pushed the wide midfielders back up to the AM line in a 42dm31 shape. All of these systems used a balanced mentality, and a counter-attacking approach that made sense given our pre-season prediction of a finish just above the halfway position. By the beginning of December, when we were leading the league, I had a sense that our opponents were paying us more respect and were less likely to push forward against us. This often nullified our strategy of sitting slightly deep, luring them out, and hitting balls in behind their midfield. I considered a number of changes, some more radical than others, and then decided that we were actually one of the better teams in the league, were defending champions, and we should start to play like it. That resulted in this system, which we're still using: From the beginning of the season to now, the key changes are a switch to 'positive' mentality for most games; the move of the DMR to CMR (largely because Veloso is an excellent player but can't play DM while Sforza is equally adept at both); and the use of both wide AMs in a support duty, which encourages them to drop back and defend in the 4411 shape. Much of the credit for all of these tactical systems must go to @crusadertsar and his excellent thread here: It's worth noting, I think, the low level of intensity in this tactic. I still have to give everyone 2 days off from training after every game - I have no idea how anyone can use a full-on gegenpress system and not suffer the consequences. And here's how the squad shapes up in this system:

Sinners & Saints January 2028 Transfer window The window turned out to be a bit of a non-event. A couple of youngsters - including the not-so-young Shea Charles - left on loan and we made no incoming signings whatsoever. I was open to signing a replacement for Charles but decided that we didn't need to I was equally willing to entertain moves for improved backups at either AMR or AML or to bring in a third-choice striker. The problem was meeting registration requirements as it was almost certain that any new signing would mean someone missing out on European football. There was also the fact that anyone who could have improved us was likely to break my self-imposed wage structure. Our wage bill has risen rapidly in recent seasons and is now at around £2m per week. That still only puts us mid-table for player wages in the Premier League but we're also at a point where we're breaking even year-on-year and I'd have to see sustained European success before I'd be happy to go much higher. We did have to fend off a couple of offers. The rumoured Saudi interest never materialised but we had two significant offers from Man Utd. The first was for LCB Lorenzo Pirola, for an initial £31m rising to a potential £49m. Happily, the player wasn't interested in the move and we could safely reject the offer. The second was slightly trickier as United came in again, this time for RB Filippo Missori, technically our backup but with first-choice Elias Jelert still out with injury I was extremely reluctant to see him leave. So I rejected the bid and we then did the "what's a fair offer" dance. We settled on £37m (a good upgrade on United's £30m offer) and no further bid was received. And so to the football: It was another brute of a month but also another excellent set of results and performances. The only game we failed to win was our final qualifying game in the Champions League. Just ahead of kickoff my AssMan mentioned that we only needed a point to go straight to the Round of 16 and I think the players took it to heart - we took a very early lead and the team was happy to see out a draw. The only other questionable performance came against newly-promoted Blackburn. We took the lead in the 38th minute but gave up an equaliser five minutes later. And we couldn't find a winner until the final 10 minutes So we're still fighting on multiple fronts. Beating Spurs 4-1 away in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final was a major bonus and our opening game of February will be the second leg. That 3-goal advantage should be enough to see us through. Also in February we have the next round of the FA Cup where we should have an easy-ish tie against either Derby or Reading, both of the Championship. In the league we're still occupying the summit as the clubs beneath us continue to trade places: We have an 8pt cushion over City and Liverpool with a game in hand. If we do clinch another title the inconsistency of our rivals will have played a big part in our success.

I hate February and it looks like you got dealt a particularly nasty one. Good job to turn that form round in April and May, so not a bad season overall. Better luck next time round

A brilliant season - well done, mate Oh yeah! Enjoy

Sorry, but this is one of my biggest complaints about the forums. SI marking something as a known issue just means they know people are complaining about it. Too many people read this as "SI know it's a bug", which isn't at all the same thing. Personally, I've never thought my teams were conceding too many from set-pieces, and certainly not from throw-ins.

Oh, I know! Especially now that we have the Saudi influence. I'm hoping that SI will tone it down for FM25 - yes, there's a lot of money in the desert, but it doesn't make for a great career progression.

Sinners & Saints December 2027 So here it is, Merry Christmas - everybody's having fun... except I'm not having as much fun as I was last month. We've hit a bit of a wobble; thankfully, so has everyone else. After an expected win at relegation-threatened Fulham, we hit the first stumbling block away at Monaco in the Champions League. The players wandered about aimlessly for most of the match and didn't seem overly concerned as Monaco scored again and again. Some home truths were delivered at fulltime and thankfully they responded with two good games against Spurs and Brighton. Off the back of those results I was hopeful for the away trip to Anfield where Liverpool are now under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane (after his very unsuccessful spell at Newcastle). And this was like the Liverpool of old... Klopp-style heavy-metal football, all-out attack, relentless high pressing: We managed to grab a lead, as LWB Doig headed home a freekick (the joy of a 6' wingback!) but Liverpool were level within two minutes and then ran riot to go in at halftime 3-1 up. After that, they kept us at bay and a 70th minute consolation from Edozie was the best we could muster. I had hoped for better against Norwich but it was a lacklustre performance and, despite take the lead just before halftime, we couldn't hold on to claim the win. Happily, we finished the month - and the year - in better form against two of the better sides in the league. Both were tight games but we were generally in control and held out for wins in both fixtures. Even better news, our nearest rivals were dropping points at a faster rate than we were. In December, City lost to both Arsenal and Villa, and dropped points against Everton and Brighton. Liverpool were on a winning run from the beginning of November (no European football!), but managed to lose to Chelsea in the Boxing Day fixture. And Arsenal have collapsed, their win against City their only victory in 7 games. Which leaves the table looking like this: As the transfer window opens some business will have to be done. DM Shea Charles is now 24 and hasn't developed as we hoped. It's time to call an end to his spell at Southampton and we've already accepted a loan offers from Getafe and Aberdeen that might result in a permanent move for around £12m. LB Doig is unhappy with his playing time and wants out; Saudi interest might make that happen. And LCB Lorenzo Pirola and RWB Filippo Missori are also subject to Saudi interest. Otherwise, I'm happy with the squad. We'll need a replacement for Charles, but that's the only real hole right now. Everything else depends, as always, on any players having their heads turned by big-money offers.

Only if Poch grows a backbone

Good start to the season, on all fronts. Best of luck

Nope. I've never done a journeyman and only once have I applied for another job. The application was successful but I didn't enjoy moving clubs mid-season and taking on someone else's squad so I quit that save. One-club saves for me!

I've had at least a couple over the years. But as @FrazT says, you need to watch for your AssMan's assessment - if he says the card was justified you have no chance.

A good month, a good season I see you got to play Stepanov, too!

The job offers keep rolling in... I think, so far, I've been offered Liverpool, Spurs, PSG, Roma and Inter. But it's always a No.

Sinners & Saints November 2027 Last time I said that after a tough-looking November we'd have a better idea of how good we are... well, it looks like we're pretty good! We faced top opposition in Arsenal (twice!), Chelsea and Man City (again!) and won all three games. You couldn't say we dominated, but we were good value for all three victories. On the other hand, we did struggle to draws against a lowly Everton side and a Rangers outfit who were in the bottom three of the Champions League table, so maybe we're not that good. I have questions about City's goal in the last game of the month: Haaland put his shot against the post and it rebounded to Kvaratskhelia who scored. VAR ruled he was in an onside position!? Luckily, Abraham pulled us level midway through the second half before Omobamidele grabbed a late winner and we held on to take the points. Having dropped points against Everton, we started the match level with City but in second place because of goal difference. The win put us back on top. There are clouds on my horizon, though. Having been relatively injury-free so far in the save, the law of averages is catching up with us now and we're currently without CM Patrick Berg and AML Antonio Nusa, although they'll be back in the next couple of weeks. Not so first-choice WBR Elias Jelert, who tore a calf muscle against Everton and will be missing for 2-3 months. I also have a problem at WBL where first-choice Josh Doig is demanding a new contract, despite the fact he has more than two years to run on his current deal and is already one of our highest-paid players on £80k a week. He wanted a 50% pay rise to £120k a week. I offered him £100k a week, and he cancelled negotiations and demanded a transfer. With Saudi clubs sniffing around, if we can get an offer at his value of £50m he'll be leaving in January. In terms of individual performances, Abraham is our leading scorer with 18 goals from 15 starts and 4 sub appearances - a fantastic goal return. Backup striker Fer Nino has done well when called on, with 6 goals from 7 starts. Backup RB Filippo Missori and CM Juan Sforza have provided the most assists with 8 apiece. Looking ahead, December will be the usual trial, with a total of 8 games to play in four weeks, and opposition including the remainder of the top teams including Spurs, Liverpool and Man Utd. There's also a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Brighton, and a tough Champions League tie away in Monaco.

I've not seen it for a while - haven't had a player miss training for several FMs now - but I have seen it in the past. I think, maybe, there's a rule about not being able to terminate international loans so you might be stuck with him. I'd stick him in the reserves and hope Chelsea recall him.

I wonder if "mørke" is the origin of English 'murk' and 'murky'? An amateur etymologist writes...