Jimbokav1971

Feb 2042. Scottish Premiership. What a shambles of a month this was. 3 losses on the bounce mean that we have fallen completely off the pace and now trail 3rd placed Celtic by 7 points. Hibs, who have won their last 5 league games on the bounce are 1 point ahead of Celtic and then Aberdeen, (who are unbeaten in their last 16 games in all competitions), are a further 2 points clear at the top. Europa League. When it came to registering players for the Knockout Playoff stage of the Europa League, I could actually on register 14 players, (because everyone else was so young they didn't have to be registered), although I should point out we do have some older players of registering age who are out on loan. We were 4-1 up from the 1st leg against Lille and I thought we would romp it, but 1 goal in the 1st half and then 2 more in the 2nd half tied it at 4-4 and forced extra-time, and when they took the lead 5-4 in the 112th min I thought we were done. I shouldn't have worried though as it seemed to spur us into life, and 3 late goals in 5 mins in the 2nd half of extra-time gave the scoreline a look that wasn't at all how the game felt. Lille must be kicking themselves. Our reward for progressing past 3 French clubs in the Group stage, and then one of them again in the Playoff, is a trip to Germany. Scottish Cup. (The Big One). We shouldn't be conceding 3 goals against a Championship club. Hamilton are in League 2 so we should progress with some ease. Debuts. Transfers. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 33/40 from the spot at 83%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 7/12 from the spot at 58%. (Is no longer at the club). Finances.

Jan 2052. Scottish Premiership. A 4th successive clean sheet in the league sees us sit 3rd in the league. We have games in hand on both Aberdeen and Hibs above us, (3 games and 2 games respectively), but Celtic below us have a game in hand on us. Europa League. I don't mind an away draw at Marseille at all. Scottish Cup. (The Big One). Nice to give the Gers a right good spanking. (Rangers are 2nd bottom in the Championship by the way, so there is no way they are returning to the Premiership anytime soon). Records. Job Interview. Transfers. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 32/39 from the spot at 82%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 7/12 from the spot at 58%. (Is no longer at the club). Finances.

I had never hear of Galati or Galatz before. With regards to my reasoning, there is no great thinking behind it, (or any thinking at all actually). It's just habit more than anything. Actually no, that's not true. The "strategy" is all about avoiding promising a player, anything, ever. If I never back down then I can never promise them anything. That's the reasoning. If I don't promise them anything then I can't screw things up seriously, because basically everything else eventually sorts itself out sooner or later. The rift caused by breaking promises however i=can be permanent and I'm just not doing it.

Dec 2051. Scottish Premiership. Got to be happy with this month, (other than the Dundee game which was a shambles). We were rubbish and they actually deserved to win. Europa League. The mid-week blip from last month is a thing of the past, (thankfully). Scottish League Cup. I could tell you that we've finally hit the big-time because we've won our 1st big senior, top level trophy, but I just can't do it. Despite us receiving £369k for winning this trophy, I just can't change my opinion that this competition is anything other than a group of friendlies. Debuts. Awards. I can't remember who, but someone was keen on me giving (47b) Smith (Det) * a chance before I actually did. I think injuries and then transfers forced my hand against my "better" judgement, and now he plays through the middle for the 2nd Team. Although he's only scored 1 league goal this season, (and 1 in the League Cup), he's scored 10 goals in the Europa League, for a total of 12 goals in 19(7) appearances. Last season he played more often for the 1st Team, (when others were injured), and scored 9 league goals in 11(1) appearances. It means that his career record so far is 24 goals in 36(10) appearances, (which is pretty decent actually). I don't remember (43a) Quinn (F.Pro) * winning this award before. I mean he obviously did but I just don't remember it. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 32/39 from the spot at 82%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 7/12 from the spot at 58%. Finances.

Nov 2051. Scottish Premiership. A good month sees us move up to 5th in the league, but all 4 clubs above us have played more games, and the top 3 have each played 2 more games than us. Celtic below us have played 1 game less though. Europa League. We've suffered a few injuries and it's had an impact on the 2nd Team. 1st Team Libero, 2nd Team SRC, 2nd Team WBR. When everyone is available we're pretty decent, but when we have to drop down to inexperienced kids we struggle. We were really poor against Oţelul Galaţi, (who are Romanian by the way). Scottish league Cup. We're into our 1st Big-Boy FInal, but it's still just a collection of friendlies whether we win it or not. Debuts. Internationals. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 31/38 from the spot at 82%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 7/12 from the spot at 58%. Finances.

Oct 2051. Scottish Premiership. We sit in 7th, (bottom half), but I'm actually quite happy with how we're playing and we have a game in hand on 3 of the teams above us, (2 games on 2 of them). We were well worth 3 points away to Dundee Utd but I thought the 2nd Team were defensively poor mid-week at home to top of the table Hibs after they had got themselves into a great position 2 goals ahead. Hearts sneaked a late narrow win in a game that had 0-0 written all over it, (until they scored) and then we put in a good performance to win away at Aberdeen. Not an awful lot wrong this month. Europa League. The 2nd Team just keep on delivering in Europe. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 31/37 from the spot at 84%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 7/12 from the spot at 58%. Finances.

He's only 18 years old. Yeah, there is no way I'm selling him at 18 when he's contracted until he's 21. The 25% should come in handy later in the save, but in case you find yourself in this position again... 1. Just keep him until he has 2 years left on his contract. Just reject everything. 2. With 2 years on his contract, arrange to sell him, but also arrange to get him loaned back and also include at least a 25% clause. 3. The added bonus is that you won't pay his wages in his last year at the club. I'm not one to talk though. I had 2 players with +3 options and managed to lose them on a free when I didn't notice that they had been offered contracts and their +3 option vanishes once they accept the offer from the new club.

I honestly don't even look at who it is anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid with my responses when they come complaining. I do answer them, but I NEVER make a promise and I NEVER back down. I tell them that I'm surprised they want a good player to leave or they have plenty of time on their contract or they should be happy with being a squad player or whatever. I do actually talk to them about why they are unhappy, but I NEVER back down and I NEVER promise them anything. I usually have a huge squad however in this save it's separated into U19's, U21's and Senior Squad, so let's have a look at the Senior squad's happiness, (because I would expect there to be some unhappiness for the usual reasons). The other thing is of course, is that I get more unhappiness because I rotate 2x match day squads. The 1st Team play at weekend and the 2nd Team play during the week. This is still the Senior squad, but it means that Senior players are often unhappy because they want to play every game, (and I don't want my best players playing every game, (for a few different reasons). I've got 27 players in the Senior Squad. 15 of them are "Delighted". 7 of them are "Very happy". 1 is "Content". 1 is "Slightly unhappy". 3 are "Unhappy". When we look at the 5 "problem" players, (actually there are only 4 because "content" is fine but let's go with it), 2 are unhappy with they're playing time and 1 is concerned about his playing time. As far as I'm concerned, even though 2 of them are Team Leader and ab 3rd is Highly Influential, we should still be fine just so long as I don;t lie to them and break their trust. (40b) Stewart (IRL)(F.Pro) * loves me, but there are a few issues. He wants a new deal, (but has 3 years left on his contract), and as he's 27 I'm probably going to look to sell him with 12 months left on his contract, (if not before). His agreed playing time is "Important player", (and he is), but that doesn't mean that I want him to play every game, (because I rotate every single game). He expects to play against Ross County, (and he will start because it's a mid-week game), but even if this was the Saturday and he wasn't in the starting XI then I wouldn't care. I could reduce his playing time, but I really can't be bothered. None of this is worth worrying about, (imo). (40a) Brass4 (Pro) * also loves me. He's been promoted from 2nd Team to 1st Team this season, (both within the Senior squad). He's been complaining to his team-mates that he wants to start more games but we've only played 23 games this season, and he's made 11(12) appearances so he's played in every single game. He wants to START more games though and basically that's just tough. It's not going to happen because I like rotating. He expects to play in the Ross County game, (and he will), but he won't be starting. I am actually going to change him down from "Star" player to "important" player, and it passed without comment. The "alienated" bit there is quite strongly worded so this should hopefully take the edge off that a little. I probably should have any "Star" players, because it just doesn't fit with my rotation strategy. (42b) Potter (F.Pro) * doesn't love me at all, (and that's actually a surprise because I love him). He's a 1st choice MC, (with 40a) Brass4 (Pro) *). He wants to start more games because he's a "Star" player and is alienated so let's knock him down to "Important". That seems to have passed without comment too. Complaining to team-mates. Wants to start more games is tough. I'm still going to rotate. Has no strong feelings about the squad's support for me. I wonder if this is because he has been a "Star" for a while but I have been rotating the whole time so every year it gets worse? Struggling to connect with (40b) Stewart (IRL)(F.Pro) *, (who he was paired with in the 1st Team for the last few seasons, but no longer). Expecting to start against Ross County. No. (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is the 1st Team GK so it's not ideal at all that he's unhappy, so let's try and fix that. 1st thing I notice is that his playing time is Cup GK, but actually I'm not going to change that because at the moment he's playing more games than expected, and if I change it to 1st Choice GK then it will just give him something else to be unhappy about. Complaining to team-mates, (wants a new contract). We've got him on a 5 year dea and he's 24 now so there's no rush to offer him a new contract. 1 thing I forgot to mention that someone else touched upon is players supporting players who support other players who are unhappy. Again, (and I can't reiterate this enough), as long as you don't lie to them by promising and then failing to deliver on your promise, then you should be fine. I have 8 players who have negative scores on their playing time happiness, but only 4 players in the squad are actually unhappy so who cares? It shows how little it matters. The top 2 here are (42b) Potter (F.Pro) * and (40a) Brass4 (Pro) * who we've already covered. The 3rd player on the above list is (48b) Rodger (IRL) (Merc) *, and he's supporting team-mate (42b) Potter (F.Pro) *, but he's not even on the unhappiness list and is flying in the league and has just won Young Player of the Month so again.... who cares! (46a) Savoury (Real) * DC, (our Libero), is supporting me against team-mate (42b) Potter (F.Pro) *, and I think this is because although I play him as a Libero, he's actually a midfielder so he thinks that if (42b) Potter (F.Pro) * doesn't get his playing time then he will get more games as a midfielder, (but it's never going to happen). Of the other players who are "concerned", only (40b) Stewart (IRL)(F.Pro) * is actually unhappy. They're all getting the same game-time, (starting every 2nd game), so the deciding factor here might be that the higher the playing time expectations, the bigger the morale hit. With that it mind I should probably try to downplay that during contract negotiations, but the problem with that is that at the time all I care about is getting the contract signed and I just tell them whatever they want in terms of playing time then and deal with it later. (Luckily this doesn;t count as a promise or a lie).

@turnipis 100% correct, but I would go even further. Just completely ignore unhappiness in players, (unless it's your GK and he's taking pens). While it is important, there is nothing you can do about it because of the nature of the Youth Only save, so just save yourself some time and effort and accept that they will all have the hump most of the time and the way you're going to balance that is by getting them promoted/winning things. The only proviso here is... Never promise anyone anything.

I think the answer is quite easy here, but I suppose there are a few different things you have to consider along the way. 1. How long does ge have left on his contract? If he only has a year, (or even 2), and you can get him back on loan for 12 months, then does this make the deal more palatable? If he has longer than 2 years on his contract then I don't think there is much to consider. He's contracted so he's going nowhere, (unless they pay silly money of course that will allow you to completely revamp the club). 2. Are you happy for him to go on a free at the end of his contract, or is the plan to sell him for cash + clauses? If you want to get cash for him, how far away from that are you? 3. Who cares unhappy the players are. They will forget about it soon enough and/or have something else to moan about. The only thing they never forget is a broken promise. Never promise them anything! In your case the value is "not significant", so I would basically be letting him go on a free...... unless of course he's good enough that whoever signs him next is going to sell him for a big fee and you want 25%, (or whatever %), of that next fee. There were quite a few players in this save where I sold them for quite modest amounts, but the idea wasn't really to make money from the sale itself, but to make sure that there was a 25%, (or even 50% clause), which would hopefully be a winning lottery ticket when he was sold to his 3rd club. I'm thinking you might be in this position now so while keeping him for as long as possible is certainly 1 option, (especially for very low-level Youth Only saves), the smarter idea is probably to sell him with 12 months left on his contract, stick lots of clauses in there including at least a 25% resale clause, (not profit), and hope it comes up big. I will often sell players for significantly smaller fees in order to secure these clauses. It's an investment in the future, and what are you going to do with a few quid now anyway? Feel free to drop a little more info and pics in here if you want.

I've got absolutely loads of GK's to score 100+ goals, so it's no longer the significant achievement that it used to be. The best we've had in this save is (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" on 47, but he's now retired. (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * currently on 30 but is only 24 years old. The problem is that I have been rotating 2 GK's in recent seasons so the goals are shared, and on top of that they're not taking free-kicks. There are a few of our ex GK's still in the game though. None that I plan on signing though.

Sep 2051. Scottish Premiership. The results have been poor, but the performances really haven't. We battered St Johnstone, had 3 goals ruled out against Kilmarnock, (who scored 2 goals from an xG of only 0.46, against Falkirk we got a red card after 4 mins, (and still didn't lose), and we deserved to beat Celtic comfortably. We've been disrupted a little, (not loads), by injury, and we just seem a tiny bit off it. We just need to squeeze out a couple of wins and I can see us going on a big run. Europa League. The 2nd Team continue to do well in Europe, (bar 10 minutes of madness against the Austrians). League Cup. The result was more comfortable than the 5-3 scoreline suggests. Transfers. Ideally I would like to sell a 1st Team squad player in every single window. The key is selling them when not only is interest high, but also when it's the right time to replace them. We're still very much a selling club and it makes sense to move on strikers when we can attract a decent bid. This is better than decent in my opinion. Internationals. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 30/36 from the spot at 83%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 6/11 from the spot at 55%. Finances.

Aug 2051. New Stadium. We've still obviously got room for expansion in the corners, but this is a proper stadium compared to the tin-pot ground we were previously playing in. Scottish Premiership. We were in really good form in the league, but Aberdeen scored with their only shot on target and we couldn't take our chances. UEFA Europa League. We're in really good form in Europe, but there was a slightly sticky moment when we conceded 3 goals in the last 10 mins of the 1st leg at home to the Austrians, but we were strong enough to get the job done in Austria. We're into the Group stage now and have some tough fixtures with no less than 3 French opponents in the fixtures. League Cup. We smashed Clyde. Facilities. Season Tickets. Records. Youth Player poached. I'm not happy about this at all, (although I am happy that poaching is at least working again), but I do wonder at what point we will see us poaching players from elsewhere? Off the top of my head, (and using my very rough calculations in my head), then I anticipate that 1.5 gold stars equates to something in the region of 115-120 and then you have to work out how good that player might be relative to the other players at the club or in the league. I would guess that a 120 CA player is Good Premiership player. Remember that 1.5 gold stars does not equate to 1.5 PA. It's a completely different system that doesn't use your own players as a comparison and instead uses set PA. Transfers. Nothing significant as yet, but there are 2 fairly big deals in the pipeline involving players leaving. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 30/36 from the spot at 83%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 6/10 from the spot at 60%. Finances.

Jul 2051. UEFA Europa League. 2nd Qualifying Round. 1st Leg. A good away win by the 2nd Team to set us up nicely for the 2nd leg at home. Transfers. (42m) Martin (Fickle)6'0" SELL was very much on the fringes and with his lack of mobility a problem it made sense to let him leave. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 28/33 from the spot at 85%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 6/10 from the spot at 60%. Finances.

Jun 2051. Season Preview. We finished 4th last season and I expect us to improve on that this season. New stadium finished. No, of course they didn't name it after me. Knowing my luck they would have named it after (31j) Fullerton (Unamb) * anyway. Reputation, (before season tick over). Reputation, (after season tick over). TV Rights. European Competition Rankings. European Nation Coefficient. Although we're only ranked #8 by rep, our coefficient is now up to 6 and this means, (that from next season), we get 6 European spots in total, and 3 Champions League spots, (2 Group Stage +1 3rd Qualifying Round. Next ahead of us is France, and they get 7 European spots and 3 Champions League Group Stage spots. European Club Rankings. Considering we won 12 games in Europe last season, I'm surprised we haven't improved by more than this. The truth is that we won't get an accurate position of where we are until we have played 5 seasons in Europe. Internationals. Job Interview. Transfers. (37i) Morrison (Pro) SELL has been with us since we were in League 2 and while he was still capable of doing a job for our 2nd Team, it makes sense to cash in on him and allow a younger player to step up. He's our record league goal-scorer with 117 league goals, (59 of them in the Premiership), but he's actually scored 165 goals for us in total. The fact that he's joined another Premiership club tells you all you need to know. (38b) Jayes (SCO) 6'4" SELL has been a really important player for us over the years, (which is not the same thing at all as being good), but it shows just how far "mighty" Rangers have fallen that they have spent cash on him. I think the most attractive thing about him for them is that he only cost £10k, (and a friendly) and his wages are less than £1k per month. This will be a 3rd season in the Championship for the Gers and they're not in favourites to get promoted again this season. Finances.

Squad Depth. Jun 2051. GK. We've been really lucky to produce some really good GK's over the course of this save, even if some of them have retired now. 1st Team. (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * 2nd Team. (41h) Cairney (M.Citizen)6'2"* Loan. (44f) Gordon (F.Pro) 6'0" * Loan. (45c) Paskowski(POL)(Bal)6'0 * Loan. (48g) Fowler (F.Sport) 6'0" * Loan. (49h) Broughton (USA)(F.Det) * U21's. (46e) Hunter (Res) 6'0" * (10 of the 14 U21 games were played before Jan so I will keep him here & then loan him out in Jan). U18's. (51i) Pascazio (IRL) (F.Pro) * U18's. (50m) Swanson. (Unamb) WBL. For a long time this was a real area of weakness, but now it's got to the stage where we have a surplus of left-backs and can actually sell one. 1st Team. (46d) Bentley (AUS)(F.Pro) * 2nd Team. (49f) Clark (Res) * Loan. (49g) McCormack. (Fickle) U21's. (47h) Hilson (Pro) WBL U21's. (47g) Duffy (Bal) * U18's. (51b) Kirkwood (F.Det) *** U18's. (51f) McGrandles (L.Det) U18's. (50f) Knudsen (FRO) (DEN) *PPM U18's. (51g) Stuart. (Temp) Sell/Release. (41d) Dichev (BUL) (Bal) SELL Sell/Release. (48l) Wood. (Bal) SELL Sell/Release. (47o) Roxburgh. (NZL) WBR WBR. This is a bit of a problem area, not helped by me allowing decent young players to leave on a free when they might be needed by us. 1st Team. (43a) Quinn (F.Pro) * 2nd Team. (41d) Dichev (BUL) (Bal) SELL is a right-footed DL and while I may not need him to play at DL, I think I do need him to play DR. Loan. (42f) Johnstone (Unamb) * U21's. (47i) Anthony (Unamb) 6'0" WBR U21's. (48p) Gair. (F.Pro) U18's. (50e) Taylor (Unamb) U18's. (51j) Ellis. (L.Det) U18's. (50l) Tomaszewski. (F.Pro) WBR U18's. (49k) King. (Unamb) Sell/Release. (48h) O'Hara (Bal) * WBR leaving was a mistake. We had a +3 option on him, (I think), but I didn't notice Ross County were in for him & the option vanishes after he accepts their contract. I might just have to buy him back. DC. 1st Team DLC. (44e) Henry (F.Pro) 6'0" * 1st Team DC. (46a) Savoury (Real) * DC 1st Team DRC. (50b) Wilson (Unamb) 6'4" ** 2nd Team DLC. (46p) Weir (Driven) 6'1" * 2nd Team DC. (44h) Lemetti (F.Pro) 6'3" * 2nd Team DRC. (45g) McCroary (Merc) 6'4" Loan. (45l) O'Hara (F.Pro) 6'2" * Loan. (40c) Villanueva (PHI)(F.Pro)* U21's DLC. (49l) Shirra.(L.Heart) 6'4" DC U21's DC. (48m) Lemetti. (Res) 6'2" U21's DRC. (47c) Holt (Merc) 6'6" U18's DLC. (49e) Dunn. (Bal) U18's DC. (49j) Murray. (Bal) U18's DRC. (51m) Paudice. (Bal) Sell/Release. (42m) Martin (Fickle)6'0" SELL Sell/Release. (38b) Jayes (SCO) 6'4" SELL Sell/Release. (43h) Wills (F.Pro) 6'0" SELL MC. 1st Team MLC. (42b) Potter (F.Pro) * 1st Team MRC. (45e) Brass6 (Fickle) MC * 2nd Team MLC. (44b) Harvey (Spirit) * 2nd Team MRC. (40b) Stewart (IRL)(F.Pro) * Loan. (45j) Marshall (F.Pro) * Loan. (43b) Bradley (F.Det) * U21's MLC. (48c) McKee (L-Heart) * U21's MRC. (48j) Balmer (Bal) MC U18's MLC. (50c) Sørensen (FRO) (Fickle) U18's MRC. (49d) Sutherland (Merc) * U18's. (51a) Maley (F.Det) (IRL) ** U18's. (51d) Montgomery (Bal)(NIR) MC U18's. (50d) McCulloch (Sport) U18's. (50i) Zié. (Unamb) PPM U18's. (49m) Martin. (Pro) PPM U18's. (50p) Grady. (Bal) PPM Sell/Release. (48e) McKenna (F.Pro) This was another mistake. I think we had a +3 option on him, but I didn't notice that Ross County were in for him on a free until it was too late. Sell/Release. (48f) Thompson (L.Det) This was another mistake. I think we had a +3 option on him, but I didn't notice that Ross County were in for him on a free until it was too late. Sell/Release. (47j) Sharp. (L.Det) PPM SC. 1st Team SLC. (48b) Rodger (IRL) (Merc) * 1st Team SC. (41b) Gourley (NIR)(F.Sport)** 1st Team SRC. (40a) Brass4 (Pro) * 2nd Team SLC. (45a) Pobořil (CZE) (Spirit) * 2nd Team SC. (47b) Smith (Det) * 2nd Team SRC. (40o) Banner (F.Pro) * Loan. (45b) Dick (F.Pro) * Loan. (47d) Warnock (IRL) (Temp) * Loan. (44a) Neill (F.Pro) PPM Loan. (49a) Forbes (F.Pro) Loan. (47k) Bonar (L.Heart) * PPM Loan. (49n) Frame (F.Sport) U21's SLC. (48a) Edwards (F.Det) 5'5" * U21's. SC. (46f) Weir (F.Sport) * U21's SRC. (47a) Currie (Bal) 6'1" ** U21's. (47d) Warnock (IRL) (Temp) * U21's. (49a) Forbes (F.Pro) U21's. (47k) Bonar (L.Heart) * PPM U18's SLC. (49c) Halkett (Bal) * U18's SC. (50a) Donald (F.Det) 6'0" *** U18's. SRC. (49b) Courts (Bal) * U18's. (51c) Mackie (F.Pro) (IRL) *** U18's. (51e) Dick. (Spirit) Sell/Release. (37i) Morrison (Pro) SELL

I've loved this save so far and don't think the end is anywhere even nearly in sight so don't worry about your morning reading vanishing. I've got so many threads I need to catch up on but so little time.

Apologies for the little break. Life got busy with just the last month to play, but the wheels had already come off and every time I went to load up I just didn't fancy playing, (and ended up playing Rimworld again). Am back now, refreshed and ready to go again. In the middle of a my squad depth post, (which takes an age because I have forgotten who some of the fringe players are).

Yeah, the fixtures are tough at the end of the season when we make the top half of the cut, but the problem was the loss in Europe and it all snowballed from there. Onto next season!

Squad Stats. Jun 2051. Squad by Appearances. Squad by Goals. Squad by Assists. Squad by Avg. Rating. Squad by CA. The squad by CA shows that although we're much improved, we still have a squad that is hugely skewed in favour of PA over CA. We only have 15 players at the club with 3.0 CA or better, but conversely we have 33 player with at least 4.0 PA. For contrast we have just 3x players with 4.0 CA. Squad by PA. 7x 5.0 PA players. 9x 4.5 PA players. 17x 4.0 PA players. Squad by National Team. Squad by International appearances. Squad by U21 International appearances.

May 2051. Scottish Premiership. A bit of a strange finish to the season. we earned 2 points from our home games, despite scoring only 2 goals in these games, but then went and scored 4 goals away at Celtic and still came away with a battering. Hibs won the league with a 6 point margin over Celtic in the end, with Aberdeen a further 5 points behind and the us another 3 points back from then. It means that we were 14 points off the champions, (but 12 points clear of 5th), but when you consider that we dropped 13 points in the last 5 games of the season, we certainly were at least in contention after the split. I think the reasons for our late-season demise are probably partly down to our young squad, but also the exit from Europe on pens will have cost us in terms of morale and momentum. Yeah we fell away considerably over the last 2 months of the season, but we're playing in Europe again and at this stage that's all we need. Of course I would love us to be Champions and playing in the Champions League, but we're just not there yet. Debuts. Internationals. Awards. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 28/33 from the spot at 85%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 6/10 from the spot at 60%. Finances.

Apr 2051. Scottish Premiership. 2 points from a possible 12 this month is awful, and I think is simply a result of us crashing out of Europe and the accompanying morale hit. UEFA Europa Conference League. What a way to go out. I felt exhausted after watching this game. They scored 2 goals in the last 10 mins, (the 2nd in the 5th min of injury time to force Extra Time), but then led in ET before we took it to pens. Debuts. Records. U21's. A 2nd trophy of the season for our U21's. U18's. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 28/33 from the spot at 85%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 6/10 from the spot at 60%. FInances.

anywhere but England. Go somewhere weird and it may well turn out wonderful. Luxembourg all the way between the 2.

I've been busy. Still have 3 games to play.

Mar 2051. Scottish Premiership. The 2nd Team have been in good form in Europe, and the truth is that we battered Dunfermline but they scored 2 goals and we scored 0 goals. UEFA Europa Conference League. The 2nd Team playing really well in Europe and we're approaching the business end of the competition. Records. Internationals. Facilities. Goal-scoring GK's. (23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club). (23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club). (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club). (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 47/64 from the spot at 73%. (Is no longer at the club). (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) * is 23/29 from the spot at 79%. (Is no longer at the club). (33a) Black (Fickle) 6'0" * is 2/3 from the spot at 67%. (Is no longer at the club). (37b) Niven (F.Loyal) 6'4" * is 24/41 from the spot at 59%. (Is no longer at the club). (39c) Telfer (F.Pro) 6'2" * is 29/44 from the spot at 66%.(Is no longer at the club). (40e) Qurbonov (UZB) (Res) * is 0/2 from the spot at 0%. (Is no longer at the club). (43n) Welsh (F.Pro) 6'4" * is 27/32 from the spot at 84%. (41h) Cairney (Unamb) 6'2" * is 6/10 from the spot at 60%. Finances.