rlipscombe
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Posts posted by rlipscombe
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13 hours ago, Biscotti said:
Gonçalo Brandão | NK Krk | Croatia | 2053/54 (Season 34)
I think the fact that I feel only reaching the Quarter Finals in the Champions League feels like an early exit tells you a lot about where we are right now. With FM21 looming I'm not sure I'm going to have more than 1 more run at this. On the plus side, it was a record-breaking season in the league. Still no unbeaten season, but we sent new records for wins (31), points (96) and goals (99) - not bad at all for a 36 game season.
As for players? Of course it's my boy Francisco again. The first truly great product of our youth academy has been superb once again, and is due to sign a new contract any moment at £300k p/w. I'm happy to pay it, as it will mean he's unlikely to get poached by another team. Still primarily coming in from the right wing, Tomas Prucha has also been essential. This year he was the top scorer in the league and I can see him continuing on to ever greater things from here. I've not highlighted defensive players for a while now, so I'd also like to shine a light on Noël Beugré. Probably my cheapest ever "world class" player, I picked him up for only £245k at 18 and at only 22 he is among the best defenders in the world. You may also notice a lack of Telmo Silva here. This season was likely to be his last one as first-choice and Man City offered some reasonable money for him in January. I feared not, though, as I had someone out on loan in St Etienne who fit the bill just as well. Meet Fernando Marques. As a result of how he's developed, I think Prucha might continue to live out on the wing - especially as he's playing well - meaning I still have an extremely scary looking attack for my opponents to face.
Edit: I've just rejected a bid of £124m for Beugré. From Marseille, of all teams.
I admire your determination to try and crack the CL - certainly seems to be a glass ceiling at the moment in terms of the Quarter finals. Really hoping you can break through it and complete the challenge. Beugré looks to be a beast and a future star without doubt. £124m is an insult, particularly when it comes from Marseille....... Any of the BIG teams interested?
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12 minutes ago, jmarchand said:
Seen in a blowout Juventus win against Sassuolo.
3 goals, 5 assists, but not good enough for a 10.0 rating.
Must have done something really bad to upset the ratings guy in a past life...
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43 minutes ago, jmarchand said:
Best of luck with that!
As for FM21, it does make sense to consolidate into one thread. it becomes win the highest possible continental competition starting with a club promoted in the lowest playable division in this country rather than just focusing on the Champions League.
Thanks! Good old Covid put pay to my last employment so currently looking for something new. And yes it would be the highest achievable continental club competition possible for that league
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44 minutes ago, Biscotti said:
I think consolidating all those challenges into one thread makes a lot of sense. There's some countries where the concept is (near) impossible, but it shouldn't take too much research to work out which ones. This thread goes through spikes in activity and having a few more options available might help even that out (and encourage more people to try something new).
My thoughts exactly. It would need some research into promotions / relegations etc for example but as you say, the increased variety may encourage new players / new saves.
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*** FM21 ***
In other news, I have been thinking about FM21 and how this challenge might look for the new version. I am debating expanding the challenge to a 'Global' level (less England as we have Dafuges challenge for that). I have mentioned it in the Ideas thread and am mentioning it here to gauge opinion. The premise would be the same, i would just have to work out the nuances for the other continents. A few years ago i did a save in South America and that was good fun. On previous FMs we had threads for these challenges run by other players but for FM20 these don't appear to have existed.
Alternatively, separate threads could be created for those saves - I just feel that they might work best in a collective? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
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On 28/10/2020 at 02:53, jmarchand said:
So this just happened...
not sure how not replied earlier... (real life) Job hunting i guess. Wow, that is a big signing... The fans seem happy though. hope it works out for you.
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fingers crossed for you @Biscotti. Really hoping you manage to complete before FM21 (no pressure though!)
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well done @Andrew Haines - your persistence finally paid off and a combination of a good squad, great form and a tactical tweak certainly helped you finally overtake Celtic and Rangers (and bizarrely Hamilton!)
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32 minutes ago, Rumple43 said:
The ghastly 2022/23 season was finally done with. As I flicked over the calendar on my imaginary desk, I looked out of the imaginary window of my imaginary office at the imaginary youth players running around my imaginary training ground. I think (or would imagine) that I was pondering that the 2022/23 season was stupid, and shouldn’t be attempted again. I was also probably going mad, as it was June, and I had no youth players to run around. They were all on holiday.
With my commitment to Wednesday potentially waning at the back end of last season, perhaps I was just ready for an off-season. To get down to the same squad building, transfer dealing, planning and preparation that I probably enjoy more than the actual games. But I didn’t really know where to start. Something about this summer just felt a bit, off?
I couldn’t put my finger on it, so let’s continue with June and see how we go.
When In Doubt, Cheque Book Out
As I generally did when I wasn’t sure of something, I went out and spent some money. Or more accurately, I did my usual scouting and due diligence for players I wanted to buy. As I seemed to be continually bringing in CM loan targets (McTominay, Caballos, Paqueta to an extent), I figured I should probably start laying down some firmer roots in the area and getting in someone permanently.
McTominay, the Captain, had been drafted in once his loan finished, but I needed someone along side him to be a bit more attacking. But who? It was time to play Blind Date again!
Behind door number 1 was this little Belgian wonderkid, who I liked an awful lot!
Pauly had a lot going on for a 19 year old. That first touch, ooooo! The passing, ahhhh! The technique!!! Solid physical stats, very good mental stats for 19. Plus a positive personality type in resolute. He was the real deal. Sign me up!
Behind door number 2 was another cheeky number my scouts had found me, this time from Portugal.
A very similar prospect, still the wonderkid tag, still the positive personality, but his stats didn’t quite pop like Pauly. That said, Joao Brito was still looking like he would be a very good player, and if the price for Pauly was obscene, he might be a good back up option. We all saw how that worked out when I took the back up plan of Esposito!
Finally, we had a player my scout had found for me a few years ago that I’d kept tabs on. From Barca, tick. Wonderkid, tick. Perfectionist, tick. Let’s go to door number 3!!
You can’t beat the Perfectionist personality in my opinion, so that was a huge plus. The long term injury wasn't ideal, but shouldn't be an issue. He still wasn’t quite as good as Pauly when directly comparing, and he was a lot more expensive. Still, three worthy candidates. Time to ponder, check out some potential price points, and circle back to this one later in the summer.
What, you thought I was going to choose now? I never do that. That’s how I get you to come back and read my next update 😉
Genius!! Made me chuckle did this section... Tricky one, for me between Pauly or Moriba... If it was me, i'd go for Pauly. Looking forward to seeing who you go for...
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2 hours ago, Andrew Haines said:
The step up to the Championship is brutal from League One. In previous years I've gone straight down as well. Sometimes relegation can help you rebuild and have a fun year smashing your way through the league below.
I agree. Sometimes one step back helps propel you two steps forward... Good luck
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good to see you return @Tecmo. Sorry to hear you got relegated but at least the board have faith you can bounce back next season. Good luck
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11 hours ago, Rumple43 said:
It's gone quiet in here recently, wondered if the new forum update had turned off posts from other users haha
Ha ha! It has seemed to be quieter in general. Guess the effect of FM21 being on the horizon... I'm still checking in!
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well done @jmarchand - a great improvement on the previous season. Sounds like those signings were key - sometimes as much as you may like some people, you have to look at it objectively and make decisions. (i am currently having a save as my team, and whilst Barry Bannan is rated 1.5-stars, and doesn't really play much any more, I just can't let him go as he has been a great player for us IRL and my favourite player. I even made him Director of Football even though he isn't very good!)
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hopefully a case of one step backwards, for two steps forwards. The new signings look promising and the additions of Premier League rejects hopefully is pointing to an upturn of form again next season. good luck
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16 hours ago, Biscotti said:
Gonçalo Brandão | NK Krk | Croatia | 2051/52 (Season 32)
Still no unbeaten season, but this was our most dominant season yet. We once again broke the points record, and we won the league with 8 games still to play. Unfortunately, even after the big signing, it was still another Champions League Quarter Final exit - this year to Man City. I am really rather worried now that if/when I finally do reach a final that we'll completely bottle it anyway...
As for players, well Francisco is still the beating heart of the team. Now listed as a club legend, I very definitely would like to keep him around for the entirety of his career. Arón has been quietly making himself indispensable as the holding man, but truth be told I'm considering moving him on this summer as I have another player who is most definitely his equal and has only been out of the first eleven by virtue of experience.
But the player I'm sure you're all (maybe?) been waiting for: I'd like to extend a very warm welcome to the returning Telmo Silva, fresh from his CL winning season at United. The £110m fee was offset by the 50% sell on clause which came back to us and with him winning this season's Ballon d'Or (his 2nd) I think he represents a fine investment despite now being 30. If his physicals hold out I can see him being our top man for at least another 3 years, although we have a very exciting 20-year-old Czech player who is snapping at his heels.
Great to see Telmo Silva back. I bet you are glad you inserted that clause!! Would say that will be a fine deal if you get another three years out of him. His stats are still there for now and he might be the key to breaking the ceiling you seem to have at the moment.
Good luck for next season - really have my fingers crossed you can complete the challenge. You've certainly put in the work!!
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can't say that I have noticed that before.... Might well have happened though...
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47 minutes ago, Biscotti said:
There are also some countries where there is no direct qualification into the respective Champions League (Malaysia comes to mind and is certainly not the only one). While this doesn't make the challenge impossible, it probably makes it harder for those nations than it is in even the smallest of European countries.
Ok - Obviously it is an idea at the moment and I haven't looked into all of the detail as yet. I appreciate that it may require some tweaking for some countries.
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43 minutes ago, corinthiano said:
I am finally getting back into FM next year and would certainly give Brazil a go if you expanded the challenge. It does give people that like to play outside of Europe a chance to join an active thread, so I think it is a good idea.
Off the top of my head the tricky countries to decide whether and how to include would be US, Australia and Singapore (+South Korea with no relegation from second tier) - I think in past threads you picked the team that finished last the prior season.
Yes that is what I was thinking. Europe is great with the familiarity of the countries but exploring deep into South America, or in Asia might be interesting for some. It would be interesting to see how those countries compare as a challenge compared to Europe.
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I am considering the idea of expanding the 'European Small Club to Big Club Challenge' for FM21 to a 'Global (less England obviously as we have a successful thread for that) Small Club to Big Club Challenge. Previous versions of the game had other threads for different continents (South America in particular) but there wasn't one for FM20. I am wondering whether there would be interest in expanding the challenge to cover those countries not currently falling under a thread?
Obviously there are countries with no relegation from the bottom divisions and I am not sure of the set-up of some nations but if there is sufficient interest i will look into it in advance of FM21. I have enjoyed playing in South America before and am gauging interest in this idea.
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21 hours ago, jmarchand said:
Playing along my season, things aren't going too bad. it's been entertaining to say the least. Here's a sneak peek at the EURO Cup individual leaders at the moment...
That would certainly suggest things are going pretty well in the EURO Cup for you....
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tricky season there @Thebaker - slight downturn domestically and in Europe but it was a tough group to be drawn in. Like the look of the potential of Ndiaye - he could become a star for you. Good luck for next season. Is there any option to give a new contract to Okrah to increase his minimum transfer fee?
Good luck next season.
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great update as ever... Love the chats with Mr Chansiri!!
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unlucky @TheMadMonk - shame the form tailed off but hopefully you can regroup and make a season-long assault on the league.
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@TheMadMonk - welcome to the challenge. Good luck in Serbia.
@Biscotti - i think that that is what is known as a transitional season. hopefully these new signings can propel you back forwards
@Andrew Haines - Great first season in the SPL, and European football too. Shame to hear Sarmiento has opted for Hearts. Hopefully you can find a replacement
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FM20 All-European (Less England) Small Club to Big Club Challenge
in Challenges, Sign-Ups & Experiments
Posted
They've grown in stature then. Getting some serious offers then for your players. Keeping him a mystery... What are your finances like in general?