DOUBLEALPACA
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Posts posted by DOUBLEALPACA
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AFC Crewe - Season 5 Summary
Not entirely sure how to summarise season 5 in words, so I reckon this picture will probably do the trick.
For context, this was the Northern Premier League Division One West Playoff Semi-Final. Heartbreaking and absolutely gutted. Even worse when the FA 'stayed silent' over my criticsm of the Red Card and the fact there were 4 minutes of added time and both their goals came after that...
On reflection, coming 2nd in the league was a huge achievement and certainly gives us a platform to build on next season. Regardless of where the board wants us to finish, or where the media expects us to finish I'll be aiming for playoffs again.
Why you ask? Well...
That's why. We finished 2nd, with the 2nd lowest salary in the division. Not even a quarter of what the highest spenders in the division are paying. I am confident that if we can hold onto the core of this squad, bring in some new blood and some loanees to sure up the depth, we can certainly push for the playoffs again without having to increase the salary too much.
Financially, we are in a very good spot again having made around £30k profit, benefiting from a couple more good cup runs.
Onto season 6!
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AFC Crewe - 2026/27 Season Review
Finished what has been undoubtedly the toughest season so far of the challenge. With the additional cup competitions (four in total), and with my insistence on spending as little money as possible, the squad was most definitely spread thin throughout the early months of the season and the strength in depth (or lack of) was plain to see towards the end of the season.
That being said...
We did it - via the playoffs and quite literally by the skin of our teeth - but we did it! Four straight promotions is quite the achievement and considering we were predicted to finish mid table at the start of the season, it feels great to know we're competing at yet again a higher level next season.
As you can see from both the table and the fixtures, it was a very close run in at the end of the season. When we lost to Glossop North End and gifted them top spot, I thought it was over but a series of results meant we went into the last day of the season ahead on goal difference and of course, we lost 4-5 to Kidsgrove and they drew to lift the title. The playoff games were tense affairs and had my heart pounding but, we made it and that's all I care about!
Financially this season has been great for us, due mainly to the small cup run success we had in both the FA Vase and FA Cup.
My insistence on not spending money has also helped and as a result we do still have a couple of Amateur players on the books as well as relying somewhat on loans. I envisage that continuing next season but I did want to shout out two players who are still on amateur contracts and have been on the journey the entire time with me.
Both Ethan and Rudy (who is also my captain) have been incredible for me on this journey. Both have averaged above a 7 rating for 4 straight seasons with each season obviously being a step up. They are without a doubt the first names on my team sheet, and I cannot wait to get stuck into season 5 with them!
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Well, season 3 isn't finished but we have already secured the title!
With four games remaining, we have secured the automatic promotion as champions and are now looking forward to our fourth season at the club (although, having said that I still haven't had an offer to renew my contract, so I'll probably request that right away!)
As you can see, it wasn't quite the forgone conclusion we had seen in the previous 2 seasons, but the team has none the less punched above its weight by winning the league on the lowest salary in the league by a fair whack!
I'll be going into next season with positivity and I'll report back before the start of next season to share how the team will be shaping up and what our prospects look like in the next step up!
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Start of season number 3 coming up - had a lot of transfer activity and really wanted to spend as little on wages as possible so the squad currently looks like this...
As you can see a LOT of loan signings and a lot of players that my assistant doesn't seem to rate, but I'm quite happy as I've kept my Goalkeeper, Left Back, a Centreback, CDM and my two attacking mids and striker from last season and I've faith in them if they stay fit. As a result, finances and salary looking good...
As for aims for the season, I was originally targetting a playoff finish and the media seem to have more faith than I do... excited to start the season now! Let's see what I can do with a number of players still on amateur contracts and pay as they play contracts!
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Second season over - another league win and the finances are still not in the red! That being said, my wage budget for next season is set to £250 a week so I've no clue how to approach that!
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7 minutes ago, MHawkins78 said:
Any way to stop spending £1400 scouting a month?
I’ve sacked my entire recruitment team but still it comes out lol
If you set your Scouting Range to £0, then go to your Shortlist and untick 'Keep Scout Reports up to Date' it'll stop spending on scouting.
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1 hour ago, K13eke said:
2023/2024 Season - Half Way Update
It's extremely impressive seeing the speed some of you are going at with this challenge. I've got an extremely pedantic FM playing style where I obsess over everything, never holiday and watch all games so my seasons tend to take quite a long time to complete. I unfortunately won't be anywhere close to being the first to complete this challenge but it is so nice to be enjoying the game again using a club I love.
League Table:
We find ourselves top of the league at the half way point of the season but it is extremely close. I've still not made any transfers in or out, which I believe makes me the only person to do this so far (at least on this thread). I usually love completing the youth academy challenges that we see on here and I'm also considering going down that route with this one meaning I can only use players from the academy and transfers are banned.
Academy Prospects:
Exciting times ahead - Can't wait to get the U18's team up and running next season.
Board Requests:
Increased Junior Coaching - Completed
My persistent requests for coaching badges has been rejected 3 times so far this season which is a bit of a disappointment, however hoping to push for this again before the end of the season.
I would like to thank you all again for taking part in this challenge. Regardless of the pace you play at, if you're not already a board member at our club, I hope this spikes your interest to read into what AFC Crewe are all about. Made by fans - For fans.
Updated challenge table to be posted tonight or tomorrow.
I love that approach to be honest. I watch all games on either Extended or Key highlights - switch to Extended when I start a bad run of results haha!
I've found I've had a quiet week or so at work and working from home means I can rattle through at quite a pace, but I think at some point I'll stagnate a bit and slow the pace down. It's my favourite save on FM in a LONG time. I'm really invested in the club and the players (which makes it devastating when players leave!)
Have attached a look at the current squad as I sit atop the Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division at the half way stage - you'll notice I still have a good number of players on amateur deals and have dipped in the loan market as I'm trying to be as smart with the finances as possible to strengthen the long term prospects of the save.
I reckon the next league up will see me have to start tying down players onto Semi-Pro contracts... in the meantime I'll keep asking and getting rejected for a Senior Affiliate haha!
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23 hours ago, DOUBLEALPACA said:
Settled in quite nicely and the squad has really found it's rhythm. It's been completely overhauled and I can't complain at all!
Quick heads up for anyone wanting to avoid spending money - I set my scouting range to £0 and on my shortlist I unticked 'Keep Scout Reports up to date' (second screenshot below).
Promoted with games to spare! Really happy with the squad - genuinely think this team will cut it next season!
Really loving this save, can't wait to get stuck in to next season!
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On 21/01/2024 at 15:39, DOUBLEALPACA said:
That's worked a treat - thanks a bunch!
No idea how this is gonna go but I'll check back in once I've played a chunk of the season!
Settled in quite nicely and the squad has really found it's rhythm. It's been completely overhauled and I can't complain at all!
Quick heads up for anyone wanting to avoid spending money - I set my scouting range to £0 and on my shortlist I unticked 'Keep Scout Reports up to date' (second screenshot below).
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10 minutes ago, K13eke said:
I've just attached the kit and logo to the bottom of the pinned post. If there are any issues with it please let me know.
That's worked a treat - thanks a bunch!
No idea how this is gonna go but I'll check back in once I've played a chunk of the season!
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1 hour ago, K13eke said:
Welcome Aboard!
There are! Are you in the club discord by any chance or is this something that you've seen online today? There was a basic kit and logo packs posted in the Discord under the 'FM' page.
If you're not in there, let me know and I'll see if I can send it to you.
Hi mate
I'm not in the Discord no - I saw this online today. Would appreciate if you can swing em across!
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Just loaded this up - can't wait to get stuck in.
Any idea if there are any Kitpacks for AFC Crewe!?
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The Official AFC Crewe – Journey up the Track Challenge
in Challenges, Sign-Ups & Experiments
Posted
AFC Crewe - Season 6 Update
Season 6 down and again, despite punching above our weight for the majority of the season, we came up short in the Playoff Semi Finals.
Tough to take, but we continue to move. We made a profit in the finances and so we're moving the right direction. I will be aiming for at least the playoffs again next season, so watch this space!