Joelhesslegrave

End of Transfer Window We made four more signings to round off the first window. Jordan Cropper joined as a backup right back from Cardiff Met Uni, also giving us a long throw option if required with his 17 long throws. Also in defence, we signed Noah Watson on loan from Dungannon, who can play centre back and left back. Our final two signings were made on deadline day - young midfielder Nick Burton on loan from Derby, and then in the final hours, we were still looking for a striker. The player of choice, having looked through possible loan options but not finding a suitable option, was Zack Clarke, who had become Llandudno's record goalscorer during my time at the club. He's not great for this level, but can hopefully do a job as a backup. After a win in our first game against Kerry, as well as a 4-0 thrashing of lower-league Tolka in the Munster Senior Cup, we lost the next two games and weren't really competitive in either. From the three goals scored in our league matches, two of them were from centre-backs and the other was an own goal, so the forward players aren't firing. It's looking like it could be a long and difficult season, despite being predicted to finish 5th by the media. However, the board's expectations are only to avoid finishing bottom of the league, so there should be no issues in terms of job security. I have coursework deadlines and an exam coming up so updates may be limited for the next week or so, but they'll be provided asap.

The Transfers (so far) It's currently 17th January 2027, the day before our first pre-season friendly, and we have made seven additions to the squad so far, whilst losing one player. That player was Robbie Lynch as expected; he didn't want to sign a part-time contract and ended up signing for Cork City in the Premier Division. Our first signing was centre-back David Roberts from Loughgall, once of the Chelsea academy. He and David Cassidy (a Treaty United academy product who left for Waterford last year, resigned on loan for the season) will be our backup centre-backs for the foreseeable future. We have also signed a goalkeeper, but not a backup as originally planned. On comfortably the biggest wage at the club, we welcome Luca Janosch from RB Leipzig for £21.5k (the club's record signing, in fact), to be our first choice keeper on a three-year deal. Dylan Morgan also comes in from Cambridge, a decent option who can play on the left or centrally. A similar type of player, Daniel Okwute also joins from Kerry, capable of playing on the right and centrally. In midfield, we have currently made two additions: firstly, Dean McMenamy, a free agent after spending four seasons at Waterford, followed by Steven Turner on loan from Wrexham, currently second in League One, who will hopefully prove to be a shrewd acquisition in the DM role for only £30 a week, although we only have him for five months currently. In other news, there is again talk of a potential board takeover. We have also improved the backroom staff who were significantly lacking in ability. Our first competitive game will be in the Munster Senior Cup, the competition of which we are already holders, but will need to win it again for it to count. We enter at the Quarter Final stage along with three other teams in our division, three lower-division teams, and Cork City. We begin our league campaign on the 12th February against Kerry, a team I could have chosen to manage. Did I make the right decision? Find out soon!

The Squad The first eleven pretty much picks itself - we will be playing a counter-attacking 4-3-3 with a DM, who will switch to an AM if the match situation suits it. Former Man Utd academy goalkeeper Tom Myles looks decent enough, although he didn't have a great 2026 season. We will sign a backup goalkeeper as the current backup, Jacob Bulmer, looks pretty poor. We have two good right backs, Connor Barrett and Robbie Lynch, although the latter is under offer from two clubs and is on a non-contract, so this is a situation we may have to immediately fix. In terms of centre backs, Dominic Bernard and Ben Blythe are the standouts, with Osaze Irhue as our only backup for now. Ben Greenwood is our only left-back currently, but he looks relatively well-rounded for this level. Moving into midfield, there is very little depth aside from Lee Devitt and Gabriel Adebambo. Gavan Holohan has lots of experience but is physically lacking, and Leon Kirrane and Craig McCarthy don't look like reaching the required standard. Stephen Christopher and Thomas Considine will start the season on the wings, with Millar Matthews-Lewis through the middle. Fionn Doherty and Mark Mustapha are our backup striker options at the moment. There are a few decent prospects in the U19s, but none that look ready for immediate first-team action. Overall, the first team looks decent, but there is very little depth within the squad. With a transfer budget of 86k and available wage budget of 3k, we will look to greatly improve the squad, mainly providing quality in depth, but perhaps looking at a few stars to add to the starting lineup.

CLUB 2: TREATY UNITED We make the decision to leave Llandudno, having taken them as far as we can within the Cymru Premier. Having attended multiple interviews at clubs across Scotland and Ireland, we were offered jobs by Kerry FC and Treaty United, both in the second tier of Irish football. We accepted the offer from Treaty on the 5th December 2026, who are currently predicted to finish 6th in the 10-team league. Moving to Ireland unlocks another six trophies for us to try and win. We will be competing in the SSE Airtricity League First Division, Sports Direct FAI Cup, and Beamish Stout Munster Senior League Cup, which we are actually the current holders of. Treaty United were founded in 2020 and based in Limerick, in the munster province of Ireland. They are a semi-professional club based at Markets Field, a 4,500 capacity stadium. They have spent their whole time as a club in the First Division, with a record position of 4th in their first season. Previous manager Alan Reynolds resigned at the end of the Irish season, with a poor record of only 28% of matches won. The club was founded in 2020 after the demise of Limerick FC due to financial problems. Originally called Limerick United, the owner of Limerick FC threatened legal action upon the choice of the name, so the name Treaty United was chosen as Limerick is known as the Treaty County. The Irish season differs from the rest of the British leagues in that it runs from February to October, so we have about two months to take a look at the squad and make any required transfers. The next post will explain our transfer activity and take one final look at the squad before the start of the 2027 season.

November 2026 So far, this has been a season plagued by inconsistency and a struggle to step up to the higher division. Despite this, we find ourselves in 5th place after 16 league games, although the league table is very tightly congested, aside from TNS in 1st, and the relegation zone. Given that the squad is largely inexperienced, we opted to sign Sudanese international Mohamed Eisa, who has played over 300 matches and scored 135 goals at various levels of English football. There has been talk of Chairman Chris Edwards stepping down, having in been charge slightly longer than I've been at the club. Rumours are circulating about either a local investor or someone from within taking charge. I have been secretly attending interviews with various clubs in other leagues, most notably Bath City, who invited me for an interview, told me they were willing to find a senior affiliate club, and then hired someone else! Llandudno keep agreeing in principle to finding an affiliate link but we have not been able to find one just yet. Given that we are nine points behind TNS in just November, a league win looks unlikely, and with relegation pretty much avoided already too, it's looking like a mid-table sort of season, something that could become a common occurrence in this league with TNS so dominant. Therefore, I am actively looking for other jobs, most likely a move to a different country, to challenge for some more trophies!

Season 3 (2026/27) - Llandudno Llandudno's return to the Cymru Premier after six seasons was fully deserved after our performances, but we will have to step it up a notch if we are to compete within the higher division. Here's how the squad is shaping up after four new additions in the summer: backup goalkeeper Archie Cunningham, centre-backs Dylan King and Alfie Newby, and midfielder Leo Smith. At this point, Theo Knight and Stevan Stanic-Floody are the only two senior players remaining from when I took over at the club. Aims for this season are to finish mid-table in the Cymru Premier, with a hope to challenge for the title next year. We have already been knocked out of the Conference League in the First Qualifying Round (as expected) but received a massive financial boost with 300k coming in, allowing us to improve our training facilities and add to our transfer budget, although our scouting is still limited so we struggled to find players to significantly improve us. However, we have been able to tie down our best players to part-time contracts, meaning we are less likely to lose them during the season. We have made a decent start to the season, with two wins from our first four games, and currently sit third in the table, although eventually challenging against The New Saints will be a whole different challenge! So we've now reached the stage I'm at now, September 2026. I'll update here regularly with my progress, as we hopefully start to tick off more trophies. However, unless we see significant progress, and quickly, we might have taken Llandudno as far as they can go. Only time will tell. Update October 2026 I was touted as the favourite for the Dundalk (Ireland) job, but never received an interview. After a 2-1 home win against league leaders Bala, I was offered an interview with Havant and Waterlooville (strugglers in the National League South), which I did attend but would be unlikely to accept if offered the job. In other events, we were knocked out in the third round of the Nathaniel MG Cup by TNS; however, we have already won this competition so I am not too concerned about it. At the start of the month, we are in 4th place with ten points, but already five behind TNS at the top. Our aim for the season is looking like a challenge to finish in the top six (the league splits into two after 22 matches), and maybe pushing for a place in the top three for continental qualification and another financial boost.

Season 2 (2025/26) - Llandudno After coming so close to promotion last season, this season was our big push for the Cymru North title, which only has one promotion spot so we could have another go the next year. A considerable number of signings were made again, with some deadwood let go. Most notably, we brought in midfielder Aman Panesar and left-back Hayden Carson, both from Caernarfon, the same team we had signed Zack Clarke from the previous year. We also signed centre back Blaine Hudson on a player-scout deal, as well as backup striker James Holland and midfielders, Alfie Cutbush and Ben Trueman, the latter having been released after 14 years in the Liverpool academy. We also signed a new goalkeeper, Adam Hayden, after three tried-and-tested goalkeepers failed to impress the previous year. We knew that we were probably the strongest side in the division, which placed even more importance on the WBS League Cup, as we would not participate in it if we got promoted. The season began unconvincingly, although we did put up a great fight against Wrexham in pre-season, losing 4-3. We relied on penalties to get through the first round in two of the cups, but by the new year we were second in the league and still in all three of the cups. As holders of the Nathaniel MG Cup, we again reached the final but lost to Premier side Penybont, but twelve straight league wins between December and March saw us reach the top of the table. We reached the semi-finals of both the other cup competitions, but frustratingly we were knocked out of the WBS League Cup - possibly a competition we might have to come back to if we win the league. We ended up sealing the league title on the penultimate day with a 2-1 win over Guilsfield, and then went one step better and got revenge over Penybont by winning the Welsh Cup, which gets us into Europe next year! Again, we relied heavily on the strongest players in the squad, as we lacked squad depth, but they got the job done in spectacular fashion overall. Zack Clarke outdid his previous season, and some more, with 28 goals in as many league games. Victor Arong and Stevan Stanic-Floody suffered frustrating injury-ridden seasons, but still managed to contribute decent numbers, whereas Theo Knight shone with 20 league goals. We didn't quite match our points tally of the previous year, but in the end, 69 points was enough to win the league and gain us promotion. I also received my first major personal award, being named the Cymru North Manager of the Year, as well as completing my Continental B license. Having started with no badges or experience, my attributes are looking much better now. Trophies Added: JD Cymru North JD Welsh Cup

Season 1 (2024/25) - Llandudno Having finished 12th the previous season, I clearly had some work to do if we were going to win some trophies any time soon. With that in mind, I made nine signings before the season began. The most notable of these, who played key roles throughout the first season, were centre-backs Luke Jones and Phil Davies, midfielders Jack Jones and Craig Davies, right back Jordan Hamilton, and a large portion of our modest budget on a striker, Zack Clarke. By the end of August, four more players had arrived, with them all playing the majority of games that year: midfielder Adam Orme, left back Joel Green, striker Victor Arong, and centre-back Ben Burrows. We began the league season with a defeat and two draws, before abandoning our 5-at-the-back system in favour of a 4-2-4. This worked wonders, as we suffered only one defeat between August and January, a period which saw us shoot up the table, including some thrilling games (typical of lower league), such as a 6-4 win over Caersws, 5-3 over Bangor 1876, 5-2 and 6-2 in consecutive December games against Ruthin and Guilsfield, and a 9-2 thrashing of Prestatyn at the end of January. We were still in all three cup competitions as well, with the Welsh Blood Service League Cup looking like the most important to win whilst we were still in the second tier, as Cymru Premier teams do not take part in it. And at the end of January, we claimed our first trophy (hopefully of many), beating Flint Town 4-2 in the Nathaniel MG Cup final. Our first cup exit came at the hands of Premier side Llanelli Town, as we were knocked out of the Welsh Cup (FA Cup equivalent) at the quarter-final stage - not a bad effort from a second tier side. We continued to perform strongly in the league, keeping up with leaders Airbus UK, and the WBS League Cup was looking increasingly important. Heartbreakingly, though, we lost on penalties in the semi-final to Conwy, a disappointing defeat to a side comfortably below us in the league. A league defeat to Denbigh the week before had put Airbus in charge of the league with a decent lead, and despite a 4-0 win over Caernarfon in the penultimate game, Airbus were crowned champions, although we did beat them 4-3 on the final day. Overall, not a bad first season. We ticked off one trophy and made good progress in the other cup competitions. In the end, we were only one point off winning the league, achieving 73 points from 30 games with a massive 97 goals scored. It was the poor start to the season that cost us. Our defence wasn't the best, but our front four and two in midfield were a huge part of us doing so well. Strikers Zack Clarke and Victor Arong scored 17 and 27 respectively, Arong's goals coming at more than a goal a game. Our two wingers, both at the club in real life, were also excellent, Theo Knight contributing 10 goals and 7 assists, and Aussie Stevan Stanic-Floody with 7 goals and an insane 30 assists in 30 league matches. The most notable player from our youth intake was a centre-back called Mike Cross, a 6'7" machine with 16 jumping and 11 heading. He went straight into the first team. Trophies Added: Nathaniel MG Cup

2023/24 Season I used a custom start date file to change the start date, starting from the 1st April 2024, which was the closest I could get to the real life date at the time. I had interviews with a few National North/South clubs, as well as a team in the Scottish lower leagues, and a team in the Welsh 2nd tier, Llandudno. Their previous manager, Jordan Hadaway, had been sacked within two weeks of the save starting with Llandudno finishing 12th of 16 teams in the JD Cymru North. By the 19th May, I had been hired in my first role on the north coast of Wales, and had two months to have a look at the squad before my first season in charge began in late July...

I've been playing FM for ten years now, and have only just started to try some challenges. I completed the Italian and French sections of the Glory Hunter Challenge last year, but fell out of love with the save. I decided recently to attempt the infamously difficult British and Irish Steel Challenge, likely making use of the new feature where you can transfer savegames to new FM versions. The rules of the challenge vary between different people, but here are the rules I am using: Must win every trophy in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland (all trophies listed below) Regional leagues of equivalent level (e.g. Vanarama North/South) only need to be won in one region Promotions do not count as trophies - must win the league outright No restrictions on the nationality of my players (i.e. they don't have to be British) Starting unemployed with no coaching badges or experience Here are the leagues and trophies (39 in total) we will be fighting for: England Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL League One, EFL League Two, Vanarama National League, Vanarama North/South FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Community Shield, EFL Trophy, FA Trophy Scotland cinch Premiership, cinch Championship, cinch League 1, cinch League 2 Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup, SPFL Trust Trophy Wales JD Cymru Premier, JD Cymru North/South JD Welsh Cup, Nathaniel MG Cup, WBS League Cup Northern Ireland Sports Direct Premiership, Playr-Fit Championship, Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League Northern Irish Cup, Northern Irish League Cup, County Antrim Shield, Steel & Sons Cup, Intermediate Cup, Mid-Ulster Cup, North West Senior Cup Ireland Aitricity League Premier Division, Airtricity League First Division FAI Cup, Munster Senior League Cup, Leinster Senior Cup, President of Ireland's Cup Here I will track my progress and hopefully some of you will enjoy following it! I've already completed the first two seasons (and simmed most of the first) so I am currently in September 2026. I shall shortly add updates for the first three seasons. Any links to player profiles, etc., will be from the current season (i.e. September 2026).