SkiIIs

congratulations buddy! what holds next??

Season 9 - 2032/33 - Macclesfield FC - VNL After just missing playoffs last year, I wanted to improve on that and challenge for promotion. We started off well but Maidstone started off better winning their first 12 games and put a sizeable gap to the rest of us. That remained for the majority of the season until with 11 games to go, they started dropping points and with 3 games to go we had caught them and sat first on goal difference. We played against Eastleigh away and didnt really turn up and lost 2 - 1 with Maidstone winning which put us 3 points behind. We both won our next game meaning they would need to lose away to lowly Chelmsford and we were home against Rochdale. Maidstone copped a 96th minute goal to lose, however we also crumbled at home losing 3 - 1. The semi final was at home against Leyton Orient who we had drawn and won during the season. We undeservedly went behind just before half time but fortunately we equalised before halftime. Second half we blew them away winning the game 4 - 1. That gave us my first trip to Wembley and with only Sutton Utd in between us and league football. We had beat them twice in the league so we went into the final with the mental advantage. Both teams had chances but we made the most of ours and won the game 3 - 1 with two goals in 3 minutes in the second half which gave us a comfortable lead. Promotion has come at a really good time as there's lots of Premier League teams and others in higher divisions sniffing around our talent so hopefully I can keep them away for a little while. After promotions, the obligatory conversation occurred on turning professional but we also needed to install a grass pitch as part of the league rules next year. That's how well Im going thinking we had been playing on grass already?!?! That set us back a little but we still made a profit this year and also got 50% of Jevaun Morgan's transfer from Lincoln to Oxford which was 77k. Another lovely surprise after gaining promotion was Robbie Savage approaching me and asking if I would like to improve our Youth Level to take us to a Level 2 setup. Youth Preview This again might be due to last year's change of HOYD but I wont be keeping him around if this is what he's promising. Youth Intake I forgot to take a snapshot of the whole intake, but as you can see only two players worth noting. Both of them light hearted isnt strange. Leighton Dorney 33A is probably the best prospect. Good physicals and good front three technicals in dribbling, finishing and first touch. Martin O'Neill 33B is the other player that might have a future. Pacy, flairy with good technique and passing gives him the attributes that might make him exciting, but we'll see if he develops further.

thats what you call a great escape!

you're so close, any season now!

was in the midst of a change in HOYD but seems to be a common issue for me tho Old New:

the following year was a bit of a disappointment but i think we have the talent coming through to start challenging multiple promotions

Season 8 2031/32 - Macclesfield FC - VNL Was going to be a difficult season after losing Jake Jones up front with no real obvious replacement, however when resigning a few of my players they started wanting 'gaining promotion by year xyz' in their contracts. Season started off slow and it took us a while to adjust to our new frontline but we did get it together somewhat and with 3 games to go we were in 6th position with another prospect of playing in the play offs again. We lost the next game then conceded an 87th minute equaliser in the following game against second place Maidstone Utd. Going into the last game we were 9th and needed to win and results to go our way to keep our season alive. We were doing out bit up 5 - 2 away to St Albans who had nothing to play for and other results were also in our favour and then this happened: No improvements this year and instead we have slowly accumulated a bank balance of 1.5m so hoping the board agrees to improve youth facilities next year, hopefully before Robbie Savage decides to move on. Youth Preview Im hoping this is just the transition year between HOYD's as this is not a great preview Youth Intake Not the deepest intake and quite dissapointing with overall talent. Shining light could be my Greek GK who will start for me next year from day 1. Ive been playing Haydn Hibbs 29C for three seasons (126 games) and he is still stuck on 1.5 stars. Thefanis Dalamitras 32A is exactly what I needed with good technicaals, determination and personality. Bit on the weak side but hopefully that builds as his body fills out. Dave McCarthy 32B is the only other player that has potential to make the first team. No where near the talent we got in Blackett and Hay last year however so might have to develop in the u18's or on loan when hes a little older.

Season 7 2030/31 - Macclesfield FC - VNL Had a bit of a boost towards end of last season that Cieran Walsh 27A who was still upset about being relegated the year before and refused to open up contract talks approached me saying he felt he was being underpaid, so I signed him up quick and proper. Season opened up with 4 losses and 2 wins which is how i expected life in the VNL would go but over Nov and Dec we won 10 out of 12 games to sit as high as fourth. We remained in the play off spots for the remainder of the season and with 2 games to go, still had a mathematical chance of clinching the title from 3rd spot. We dropped a home game against Boreham Wood 3 - 2 which cost us avoiding to play in the playoff first round which would eventually be our last game of the season as we lost to Dulwich Hamlet at home 2 - 1. We had another international and this time it was from.... Angola! Pretty cool that we have two African internationals in my defence, but would love to replace them both in the starting XI. Managed to get two coaching courses approved which will get me to Cont A once complete. We also had enough cash to upgrade our training facilities which will complete next season and move us from Good which i think goes to Great next. A big shout out has to go to Peter O'Brien 27P who was an absolute beast this year winning the top goalscorer and POTS awards playing in right wing, scoring 33 goals in 42 starts and chipping in with 11 assists as well. This is a player that was rated the worst of the intake Youth Preview Im in desperate need in defenders and didnt look like I'd score any this year with the preview not showing much depth. Youth Intake The preview was right that it wasnt a deep talent pool, but the best talents are really good with great personalities! Colin Hay 31A looks a proper talent at only 15yo. Technically gifted but at this level but is matched with good determination and leadership qualities. Made his starting debut in the Mezzala role which didnt suit but once played behind the striker, scored in each of his last 4 game include the playoff becoming the youngest ever goalscorer for our club. Cornelius Blackett 31B comes in and is pretty much our best option as our box to box midfielder. Strong, aggressive and tough tackling is whats needed in front of a toothless defence right now. Had 7 starts for a rating of 7.21 and chipped in with 3 assists. Leighton Truffas 31C is an absolute bonus from a preview that didnt have any top defensive prospects. He will probably need a bit of time but could be the pick of the lot once he gets going. We're about to lose our Striker after just two years as I had completely forgot to add in 3 club extensions onto contracts (ive now done that to my youth players). I fought back offers all year in the hope we could get promoted then miraculously turned his head to sign but it hasnt happened.

You really sapped the life out of poor Kato... there's not much left of him after his career haha

Season 6 2029/30 - Macclesfield FC - VNLN How much better is this game when you're winning and winning well! Yes yes i know its just the VNL North but can be said for any league. Going into the season, I knew it had to be a big one as I had 3 developed players all in the starting lineup that would not sign on past this year and after making playoffs last year, it was a great chance to give this league a shake. We hit the blocks running winning the 10 of the first 12 games with the other 2 draws. We then had an absolute disastrous October getting 1 point in 6 games and put us back down the pack. We then went on a 17 wins 3 loss record which put us 1st with 9 games left. At that point we were dealing with some longer term injuries and hence discovered a player or two from our youth that played a role but inevitably, we lost momentum and finished off in 3rd on goal difference. Two straight forward 2 - 0 wins followed in the play off semi final and final to win promotion back to the VNL proper. Only the one improvement this year and that was to our training facilities which cost us 1.8m. We're still making profits each month which is fantastic, hopefully we decide to expand the stadium a little upon promotion as we are almost filling up our 5,907 capacity up each week. We also had our very first international player from none other than..... Uganda!!! Not our greatest player, but best of a bad bunch at left back Youth Preview This did not fill me up with optimism Youth Intake Luke Harvey 30A looks like a little aggressive workhorse in the middle with good technique. Instantly becomes our best penalty taker Livesey Arestidou 30B is the one I'm probably more excited about. Has really good physicals, great touch and technique and can put the ball away. Decent personality but if only he knew where to stand on the field with his 1 positioning (like seriously, he sometimes can be seen ordering hot food when we're about to kick off) Renaldo Elvin 30C is seriously versatile, not sure what to make of him but there could be a player there somewhere, just dont know where

he's a beast!

Is it just me or is it much more difficult to get teams to delay transfers until the end of the year?

Season 5 2028/29 - Macclesfield Town - VNLN Just before the season started, I decided to sell my best CB and my RB, both were 4.5 star (current ability) players as they were refusing to sign new contracts after being relegated. They would have to be replaced by 1.5 star (current) players as we just dont have any decent defenders. So the expectation of the Board to finish mid table I thought was just about right, whilst we reset and build up again. However, after winning 7 out of the first 10 games and sitting second, promotion wasnt a far fetched dream. We then went through a bit of a baron period around the heavy schedule of December and January where we lost 4 out of 6 games and another poor period in Feb/March where we lost 4 out of 7 games saw us slide down the table and making the play off spots become the challenge. As soon as we got our new youth intake, there was belief again (ill touch on why later) as we then won the next 3 games and a draw again Halifax meant we finished 6th and would play Scarborough in the play offs away. Our form was good and we hit the lead thanks to our new gun striker in the 4th minute. We then had a goal disallowed in the 61st minute before Scarborough equalised in the 77th minute then scored the winner in the 91st minute. Im not overly disappointed as I expect us to lose another contingent of players next season as they are refusing to sign so best we sit here and transition into new prospects to take us forward. Our improvements are drying up as we start to hit the maximum levels, both Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment are at Exceptional (from memory thats the max). Both Training and Youth Facilities are at Average but need significant cash (for this level) to improve and Youth Level is 3. Im also at Continental C licence now too. Bit of novelty news as well is the Huddersfield has now twice approached me to take them over, not sure what their obsession is but its flattering. Youth Preview The preview wasnt the best given we're now down in the VNLN but maybes its cos a couple of our players are rated as VNL standard. Youth Intake Really excited by a couple of these players and I suspect these are still my previous HOYD recruits but he certainly did leave me with a couple of gems! Jake Jones 29A is exactly what we were after up front and will certainly straighten us up a lot. Managed 6 goals in 7 starts at the end of the season Kyle Hughes 29B is the defender we need to replace Morgan 26E at the start of the season. Managed a couple of appearances and held his own. Still quite green in a couple areas and strength could be a worry, but 16 tackling and 15 determination of a Resolute CB is impressive. Might be able to chip in with a few goals on free kicks as well. Haydn Hibbs 29C is the A rated keeper that was promised. My GK O'Keefe is 33 and starting to decline a bit so will need replacing soon. Unsure whether its Hibbs that will make the spot his own.

might be late to the party here but this is either a bug or a April fools day prank My best player broke his leg falling over a sign on April 1 (in the game) and in real life too (Australian timezone). but he's not showing up as injured...

Classic!!!

Season 4 2027/28 - Macclesfield - VNL Season continued on from the poor finish from last season with more downs than ups. Apart from the first few games, we were never more than a couple spots above the relegation zone but only ever spent 3 weeks in those spots throughout the whole season until there was only 2 games to go. Last year we may have rode our luck in those last two games to stay up, it was the complete opposite this year. We were at home to Torquay and were up 2 - 0 and ended up drawing that game 2 - 2 whilst Northampton scored a 95th minute equaliser to ensure we were in 21st spot going into the last week. We needed a draw and Northampton to lose which they did 2 - 0. We were down 2 - 1 and had a chance to equalise from the spot but missed and copped another at the death when we pushed hard to find that goal that would keep us up. To be fair, it was coming and i think its a bit of a lesson for transitioning to youth way too quickly. But thats fine, Im willing to play the long game. The only issue is my 5 best youth prospects that are my 5 best players all approached me telling me they want to leave cos we got relegated so we may need to digress a bit before we progress. Couple of improvements this year, one to youth recruitment which has made that to Good. Our youth rating improved to 3 from our request from last season. The other improvement was a little weird, I approached the board after the season to improve the youth rating and after rejecting it initially, they approved after i convinced them. However they improved my youth facilities and spent every penny we had in the bank to do so. Youth Intake Had hoped for a similar intake as last year however this one isnt to that level and hence I made a move to my HOYD per my previous post. Whats most disappointing are the personalities and I dont have the senior players to be able to mentor it out of them yet. Pics were taking at the end of the season. Christian Rush 28A might soon be my starting winger especially if I cant hold on to Tim Abele 26B. Has good pace and good with the ball and despite being unambitious, has good determination. Malcolm Cooke 28B has some deceptively decent attributes and once those 9's turn into double figures, he will look the sorts. Is slack officially the worse personality? Ive had 2 highly rated prospects at left back that havent quite made it and is a problem position for me. Craig Faherty 28C has some decent stats for a striker. Oliver Harvey 26A hasnt been notching enough and wants to move on so he might get a chance sooner rather than later.

was reluctant to change as he was producing the goods... one poor intake and this is our new man

nothing special, im starting to think its more about the current level of players as im struggling again this season... and this is my current preview

Amazing that you could win the champions league with those players! Nice job

Thanks mate, here's hoping! Will post a screenshot when I get home tonight

Season 3 2026/27 - Macclesfield FC - VNL On the back of a settled season and highly promising youth intake and going undefeated in the last four games once they were able to play, I went into the season with hopes that we could push on and perhaps challenge for a play off spot. There's a feel good factor around the club with major investments into our youth but also tangible growth in training facilities and stadium expansions. The season could not have kicked off any better winning the first 3 games including a 7 - 0 drubbing of Fylde sitting atop of the league. Around the September and October months, we held our own with 4W 3D 5L's but then went 6 games undefeated leading towards the festive period. We beat Halifax Town again on boxing day 5 - 0 and at that point we were still in the play off spots. What happened next is something that could not have been foreseen. 1 win in the 19 games and 6 points from a possible 57 left us equal with Morecambe in 20th spot with goal difference being our saviour from finding ourselves in the relegation zone with only two matches to go. both Morecambe's games were against already relegated team whilst we had to go to Hartlepool and play Solihull Moors at home who were still in for the play off spots. We absolutely stole a win at Hartlepool thanks to a late offside call and penalty and a game of the year contender against Solihull where we found ourselves behind but fought back from 2 goals to save our spot in this league. Our finances started off in the red (by about 600k) due to the training facility upgrade before the season and by October, the board decided to reduce the transfer budget to zero (who cares) but also reduced our wage budget by almost half to a limit below our current spend. A little premature by the board as we were still making monthly profits and were back to cashflow positive in the second half of the season. This meant i didnt ask for any improvements during this period but did get approval to complete my National A licence. Once we were in the black again, we improved our Youth Recruitment to Above Average and after the season had concluded and we survived, Owner / DoF Robbie Savage asked if I wanted to improve our Youth Rating which i bit politely agreed and now have a Youth 3 rank. From memory, this will chew up a lot of costs next year so we'll see how we go with our funds next season. Interestingly enough, we had the 3rd highest attendance in the league with 4,750. Look Back Oliver Harvey 26A didnt perform as I had anticipated up front after scoring 4 from 4 last year. He only managed 10 in 44 league starts with one of them being a penalty. He's attributes have improved but still has an unambitious personality. Similar thoughts about Tim Abele 26B, had lots of game time but maybe my expectation was so high after his 4 starts last year. Noticeably, his personality dropped from Professional to Fairly Professional Jeavaun Morgan 26E was my biggest achiever. Now at 17, he is my most highly rated player at 4.5 start which is only VNL level mind you and was quite solid in the centre of defence. Youth Preview With all the investment in youth that the club has made over the past couple of year and the fact that the level of the squad is so low, I was expecting a juicy intake and thats exactly what the preview showed us. Youth Intake Pleasantly surprised by the amount of 5 star prospects so for the third year in a row i signed all players. There's quite a few instant starters and Ciaran Walsh and Michael Ratcliffe are already considered as stars of the team. Ciaran Walsh Really good starting physicals for a 16 year old and will get a lot of game time next year, potentially on the right wing. Hopefully that aids his development and offsets a bad personality and poor determination Michael Ratclifee Im in desperate need for midfielders and Michael fits the bill. Will be my starting box to box midfielder next year already has the tenacious attributes of a future leader of the club with a good personality Gregg Cox This pacy forward could come in handy especially if Henry doesnt become the player I want him to be. Is explosive, determined with a good first touch. Mercenary aint the worst personality to work with!

Season 2 2025/26 - Macclesfield FC - VNL Losing the first three games gave us the reality check that I had expected, that we were prematurely promoted and most of our players are out of their depth at this level. Hope of staying up was quickly improved as we ended up wining four games in a row between match days 5 - 8. This put us in mid table which we stayed throughout the campaign and managed to steer clear from the drop zone which was a fantastic result. The squad was similar to last season bar a couple of retirees and my back up winger not obtaining a work permit and hence leaving. The youth players from last season weren't overly great but did fill in as depth and were used as required. Finances are still really strong as we continue to make monthly profits so we're able to spend and improve a few things. We improved Junior Coaching twice, Youth Recruitment, youth Facilities for 350k and also extended the capacity of the stadium by 1,507 seats which cost us bugger all (400k) as we received funding for most of the cost. Then after the season the Board approached me to see what I thought about improving our training facilities which they received a hell bloody yeah! Although, this did put us in the red to start next season but I'll worry about that later. I was also able to start my National B licence but thats where it stopped for the year. Youth Preview At some point, I expect the investment into our youth to pay off and the preview was not bad. Three handy wingers to come Youth Intake Now this is what I'm talking about. It is much better than the preview suggested and have quite a few instant starters that will accelerate the transition to youth Best Prospects Oliver Harvey will go straight into my starting lineup as I train him up to be an Advanced Forward. Finishing of 16 is unreal at this level and he showed that once he signed scoring 4 goals from his 4 starts. Super excited abut him as our striker Drummond only managed 12 goals from 37 starts. Tim Abele has the markings of being a future international for Austria having being called up to the u21's a month after joining us from the academy. Awesome personality and good determination has the club excited for what he will become. Managed a goal and two assist including a POM in the 4 games he played for us this year Jonathan Dyer I just love a good resolute prospect. We were very light on right backs so hes a welcome addition and has really good mentals including strong determination and apparently loves to get the crowd going. He's pace is a worry and will be the focus in training.

Season 2024/45 - VNL North I inherited a pretty decent squad for this level which is no surprise as to why they were promoted the year before which includes Wayne Rooney's younger brother John. My personal objective for the year was to solidify our position in the league and hopefully look to utilise the financial strength of over 1k season ticket holders to improve the club. After the first 4 games and 4 wins later, that objective quickly changed to push for a bit more. By the midpoint of the year we found ourselves atop of the table but that was only for a short spell. However, we did maintain our good form and remained in the top 4 for the remainder of the season. We won our last two games and Blyth Spartans draw and lost which meant we claimed second spot and would play Chester at home in the play off semi final. In a game we truly deserved to win and under performed our xG, we had to wait until the 79th minute for our goal to come from our 13th corner. This meant we would face Blyth Spartans at home in a one of final to see who would be promoted to the VNL. We raced to a 3 - 0 lead which included 2 penalties well converted by former Blackburn youth prospect Alex Curran. He then missed chance for a hattrick from the spot again with 17 minutes left which then led to an almighty change to the game. Blyth scored 2 in 3 minutes and with 10 minutes left gave us a real scare! I went all defensive mode and we were able to hang on to win promotion! Not much to write about in the cups, knocked out in the 3rd qualifying round to a non league team in the FA Cup and knocked out of the FA Trophy by Stourbridge who were eventually relegated from the same league. Off the field we made decent progress as well. Financially we are very viable and can afford to invest. On coaching courses, the board are quite happy to develop my coaches, but i had to scratch tooth and nail to get my National C licence but am yet to get the green light for a B licence. The board did tho approve improvements to Junior Coaching, an update to training facilities (after they were downgraded) which cost 750k and improvements to Youth Recruitment so that was nice of them. There was also a slight adjustment to our stadium which meant we'd have more seats to replace standing areas which reduced the overall capacity which only cost 65k This is how our facilities stand: Youth intake was not the greatest, there's some potential there but the best two prospects have my most hated personality in Unambitious. Jordie Hollins looks like a good GK prospect with a great personality, but I already have a good GK and his only 29 so not in a rush to replace him. I cant see any of these prospects breaking into the first team right away, but they will get game time off the bench and when injuries and suspensions occur so hopefully that aids their development as we look to fight relegation next season. Andy Baird (screenshot taken into the next season as I had forgot at time of signing)

likewise! Hows the YAC treated you in this iteration? I decided to try attempt and complete the Ultimate challenge first but find myself back here

Upon deciding which country I would attempt first, I had to go with England with unfinished business from FM23 where we managed to make the Premier League with South Shields before eventually getting relegated and sacked. Ive decided to go with Macclesfield FC who are the pheonix club of the former Macclesfield Town FC who were founded in 1874 but were wound up in 2020. They have since been promoted 3 years running to make the VNL North. The team was ok however bit of a brain fade by not renewing the contracts of the fringe players has left me pretty short. Looking forward to the youth intake to bolster the squad a bit. This is me and the start up: