_Ben_

Yes. I had to skin over it with that secondary container. One of the things I left as it was because the latter is more impactful in my eyes.

I’d thought about taking it a long way but might need to take a step back. I’d thought I could have goals/xG, goals per90/xG per 90 etc for the actual stats. With that - I’d then be able to add in a metric image - such as the 5 dots (20% for each) that I use elsewhere. I think that I need to stop and just take check on how much work this would be! Like this, but on a bigger scale... And, so far, on the Player Search panel: What do people think?

And here it is: Quite nice for trying to analyse opposition threats from previous form..

Yeah... In person properties, the personality section looks like this: <!--personality--> <record> <integer id="id" value="PPst" /> <integer id="width" value="150" /> <integer id="minimum_width" value="150" /> <translation id="name" translation_id="251873" type="use" value="Personality[COMMENT - person list view column heading]" /> <flags id="customisation_context" value="any" /> <translation id="category" translation_id="248359" type="use" value="General" /> <integer id="auto_hide_priority" value="98" /> <record id="widget_info"> <symbol id="class" value="client_object_viewer_xml_panel" /> <string id="file" value="widgets/personality widget" /> </record> <record id="column_widget_properties"> <flags id="alignment" value="left,centre_y" /> </record> <record id="column_heading"> <flags id="alignment" value="left,centre_y" /> <translation id="text" translation_id="251873" type="use" value="Personality[COMMENT - person list view column heading]" /> <translation id="hint" translation_id="330307" type="use" value="Personality[COMMENT - person list view column heading hint]" /> </record> <record id="search_filter"> <integer id="id" value="pfpu" /> </record> </record> You can see where I've changed the widget_info away from personality_label and directed it to that widget. I saw that this was possible on the position one so figured that all would work! You can still use personality_label elsewhere, as seen below, as this only changes the fixed listed items, as would changing the numbers to dots, for example: The personality widget is really simple: <container height="60"> <layout class="vertical_arrange" vertical_layout="-1,-1" vertical_gap="2" /> <widget class="personality_label" autosize="vertical" font="text" alignment="left,bottom" colour="text"> <record id="object_property" get_property="PPst" /> </widget> <container height="60"> <layout class="vertical_arrange" vertical_layout="-1,-1" vertical_gap="2" /> <widget class="media_handling_label" autosize="vertical" font="text" style="semi_bold" alignment="left,top" colour="faded text"> <record id="object_property" get_property="Pghm" /> </widget> </container> </container> I've also amended the hierarchy widget to show both hierarchy and social group. The next idea is to amend the 'Last 5 Games' widget to include goals, assists and conceded in that period. I'll pop up a screenshot once done! Entirely my idea! I love the Newgan faces so like to make the rows a bit bigger than default and this means there is wasted space, which I've now found ways to fill!

The widgets can contain any separate entity that the game stores. Sadly, things like all time clean sheets appear to be formulaic and done through tables and, as such, cannot be isolated!

I’ve just seen this. I had found a workaround - I will get back to you when I’m in-game, probably tomorrow.

I've made some very minor changes to certain strings, which turns them into widgets and allows me to double up. This comes off the back of seeing the Team/League widget that comes in the game. The name is now custom to show all nationalities; the position now shows left and right foot strength as well as media description; the personality label now includes media handling and the wage label now includes an expiry date. Some changes to the Team View with this, too - namely the appearances and goals widget:

He’s been in the first team since the game started and in a mentoring group with Passlack (Resolute and Level Headed) and Lawrence (F.Pro and Level Headed) - for no real reason, to be fair. That was, until I saw that the mentoring review mentioned things like Temperament changing. When someone is Light Hearted, most of their hidden attributes are ‘good’ and I know that - because I use a star icon to show a couple on my squad view - that his wasn’t ’gold’ (15 or over) but Lawrence’s was. After just over a year at it, he’s now turned ‘gold’ and has become a Model Citizen, so I got really lucky! The Samake and Bothmann thing is a hark back to my attempt at ‘control’ - maybe it’s their Det (I think it needs to be 14) that is stopping them from being a Model Citizen. I got lucky with Kozic in hidden stuff but can see this one! I’ve got a long term mentoring ‘project’ lined up anyway - so will see how that one goes…

He looks to be quality! I think the fact that the game already describes him as BPD shows just how he has no real areas of weakness that won't be ironed out. Build your youth team around him!

I've got time! Hopefully he'll grow into the role and I can see some strong outcomes - because, right now, he's not being a part of the goal, instead the pass before the assist, which does not get credited. Aside from your Allison's and Ederson's - both of whom are in the Middle East - I think that Raya is the best ball-playing keeper in the game for me. I've also never seen a keeper (but then again, I rarely manage at the top level early in the game) who has the 'plays way out of trouble' trait! I hope to bring him in and then use him as a mentor for a youngster of the same style and see what I can do. Yeah - the build up style is still a work in progress but we're moving the ball quicker through the thirds and trying to be more clinical, which is why we are passing around by the box elss and less. --- Whilst I have you... The long term mentoring has worked! I went back and looked. Kozic had been Light Hearted but something (I think temperament) must have moved and he's now a Model Citizen. It's been a nearly two year process but there's been some successes. I want to see where this has come from because Tchetchoua is also Light Hearted and, if there is potential to move that on before he becomes too influential, I want to explore it! I also have Samake and Bothmann in the U19 team who I feel could be there with some Determination work?!

As soon as I saw Fernandez’ attributes, I really wanted to give him the opportunity to create havoc in Zone 14 as an advanced playmaker. That, however, meant that there’d need to be some switching of roles – as I don’t feel that two playmakers would work with this style and could possibly slow the play down more than I wanted. Whilst a T(a) is a playmaker, I don’t feel as they’re as much of a ball magnet and I’d already used one in a previous shape, just in the striker role. It would also mean a change to that role – with two more rounded forwards in Tchetchoua and Pejcinovic – the CF(a) role came into play and I feel I can mitigate their combined lack of heading ability through our style, anyway. With a focus already on to work play through the middle and an AP(a) role that is already quite attacking, removing the ‘Get Further Forward’ player instruction felt like a sensible option. Here, in our early build up, we have a very clear 3133 shape which means I am able to play diagonally and forwards with several banks of overloads. Having two wrong footed players in that right-sided bank – Osterhage and Molina are left footed – it means that their natural body shape brings them back inside to play in one of the three attackers. What I like most about this still in the Samake, deputising in this game, is holding his width – despite playing as a more conservative IW(s) yet the FB is still drawn to him. Whilst the ball is a good thirty plus yards away, here Fernandez is two on one with Tchechtoua up top, or, if he moves, two on one with Samake on the full back. Being able to move the ball through Ndiquidi and forward is going to be a key element of our play here. In this still, I’ve been able to get Fernandez on the ball in a pocket of space as the midfield has been baited into pressing the Molina/Osterhage/Passlack overload but the ball has bypassed them. Again, he can drive forwards and Samake and Tchetchoua are now potentially part of a 2v1 versus their full back. Even more interesting for me is how the T(a) and BBM(s) operate when the ball is out on the left. Osterhage occupies an aggressive position, one that I’d consider more akin to that of a CM(a), Mez(a) or AP(s) but a quick switch, again, can create a 3v2 with Passlack on that side. Overall, it's a little more scripted than I'd normally like in terms of team instructions as I tend to try and use roles that allow that within them. However, things like low crossing cannot be controlled by a player role and I feel you can have the same roles play the same at different tempos: a winger will hold his shape and cross at a lower tempo but will naturally progress the ball when asked to play at a higher pace. Likewise, I could overlap on the right with a Support duty there but feel that I want both, an attack minded player and an overload and I could use playmakers in the centre to naturally gravitate around. With these, I think I can move us closer to my intended playing style and the addition of 'Run at Defence' combined with dribbly-roles will only allow us to emphasise that element of our transition. I also had two further exploratory tactical things to consider... I'm in no rush to get this right and have, therefore, taken a full half of a season to explore the outputs of Fernandez in this role, with pass maps from his first three games forming the image above. My intention is for to get into that Zone 14 where a very clickbaity video tells me I can see up to an 81% increase in chances of scoring, compared to when the ball does not come through this zone. Overall, despite our strong team performances, he hasn't really set the world alight, as his stats - below - show. A lack of assists, expected assists and, to be honest, key passes is a concern for me. He's probably too aggressive to be in an area to carry the ball that much but yet it still safe - not losing the ball a huge amount of times! That being said, the eye test is positive and it's not as if we are struggling to find the net and find creators elsewhere in the team. I just need to fine-tune this one. Next up is the Pau Torres role. Whilst FM24 cannot compute this, a key metric of Pau's play is his progressive actions: he the ball 1,084 yards in Villa's win over Fulham. It is the 8th time that Torres has passed the ball over 1,000 yards in a single Premier League games this season. This link to show how Torres’ forward thinking draws in players to create spaces further up and this link shows the number of passes that Torres has made into the final third. I pondered about whether to introduce a HB(d) in front and go full out with a L(s) here, properly utilising the positional play elements to create a very fluid back three but, actually, have settled on - more often than not - the L(d) role that sees him patrol slightly ahead of the defensive line in a 325 in build up. That, again, can be altered as we look to fulfil that ideology of building up with one more man - as seen with the 5v4 here. Kozic's pass map from his first game as a L(d) is above with a 66% success rate of long, forward passes - hopefully something I can build into his game and, when compared against all outfield players, he's dribbling - per game - more than about 60% of them, that's not too bad, either. I want more cutting edge and risk from his passing game, which will, in turn, reduce the 94% completion rate but it's another work in progress role within this shape! Javier Fernandez - left - and Luka Kozic - right - statistical outputs, compared against all players in the top 25 leagues, represented as a 20% percentile band. Yet... It's working overall! We're not quite at the turn yet but we've been pretty strong across the majority of the matches, even after a shock opening day defeat. We've won each game on xG this year and are recording 2.20xG per/90 (1.90 in the league), with two goals scored a game. We look a little on the soft side at the back, but I think that an upgrade in the goalkeeping department will assist there. Tchetchoua has, unlike last season, found his scoring boots in the first half of the season and leads the league, and team, with no small part down to his five goals in the dismantling in the DFB Pokal. With so much focus on tactical development, I really feel that we're on to a winning formula here and so many players are performing well, with us working towards our goals. For reference, our metric comparisons at this point are: Possession: 54% (7% increase) Final Third Passes: 58 (decrease of four) Expected goals per shot: 0.14 (increase of 0.02 per shot) Dribbles: 15.64 (increase of 2.38) Interceptions: 21.66 (increase of 1.30) Defensive line height: 40.27 yards (increase of nearly four yards) Opposition conversion rate: 10% (increase of 1%) Pretty good going towards those targets we set at the start of this season. Elsewhere, a quick look in Sweden shows a shock as feeder team Brommapojkarna actually won the league with my ex-side Elfsborg down in fifth having changed the manager who successfully destroyed my squad! The highlight has to be Christian Brahmer, who notched twelve goal contributions whilst out on loan there. David Raya - or, at least - a player like David Raya could be the final piece of my jigsaw and, given our strong showing this year in the league combined with the fact that promotion will open up significant avenues that I've not been able to explore yet, I have gone pretty much all in on finding a new goalkeeper. His on-ball ability is, to my knowledge, unmatched within the pool of players who are willing to join us and his contract expires in the summer. His stats show him at a struggling Tenerife side, who really don't play out from the back like I want to so I'm taking them with a pinch of salt, somewhat. The fact that he's 35 does concern me somewhat but I've never truly tested the age boundary of a goalkeeper and he could, potentially, be here for four or five years. Likewise, the (hopeful) promotion means that new players will become interested in joining our journey and I may then be able to spend a more significant proportion of any budget - safe in the knowledge that I have stabilised the club financially - on said player. The other element of my development is coaching staff: and, in this case, Pablo Perez. He joins as a youth coach and, now that I have added attributes back into my game, I am able to chart his progress across months, years and coaching badges. This move follows a previous appointment in this mould, as Oscar Lewicki moves up to fill a gap within the first team. I pay far too little attention to this area of the game so wanted to make myself a bit more accountable by posting about it! Nur de VfL!

If you've played a match prior to accessing this screen - this is what you should see:

I echo the sentiments about your quality of turnaround here. Keep it up!

With the smooth, inevitably, comes the rough! It’s when you find out the most about these youngsters, in my eyes. I’d love to see how someone like Aguirre reacts to the push and agree that moving Bravo on was right. I have faith that you’ll find your way out of the slump though! What are the board targets? Can you afford mid table if the turnaround isn’t 100% successful?

Good luck! I had wanted to manage in Greece last year but my journey took me away from it. In terms of the skin - what is it you’re missing? I can DM you an update with staff attributes later on but happy to take any requests from you!

I hadn't planned much in the way of further departures given our ever-increasing bank balance and financial prudence and it was only Stumberger who added to the list of senior departures, moving, like the two before him, for pure profit after arriving for free last summer. That, for me, solidifies that - whilst last summer feels very non-permanent - it was an important and successful window as the financial windfall has secured our future in terms of potential for our own spending or on wage increases. It's mad that I'm able to write such an important update that comes two (in-game) weeks after the last one but I've absolutely loved this process and feel that I've set the standard for my own recruitment methods in FM24 and beyond. All of my recruitment work is now done through scouting focuses - no more manual scouting unless I've chosen to watch a particularly player in a match and then get interested in another! That, to me, feels very realistic as my time is spent on the training pitch and in the dugout. I set my scouts out with a pretty wide set of instructions, looking for certain positions and certain types of players (bargains, youth, experience, contract expiry) and in certain areas (Germans and, currently, Swedes, are top of my list for future) before then streamlining them through a set of shortlists like those that I showed in my last update. For me, this is when my work starts. The initial work is built around statistical analysis meaning it's rare that I'll be signing unused players or those on the periphery of their squads unless I am secure in their quality through previous data collections. I then rank these in terms of my preference and begin to work through this list, ensuring that my priorities are met. For this window, I did not utilise the DoF - who can automate this process because I wanted to be coy about wage structures, ensuring that I paid players less this year with contract boosts upon 30 games (around our potential promotion or, if not, a time when I'll have thoroughly judged why we haven't gone up and how they're playing). For example, a contract may look like: €20k p/w base wage (negotiated down from €26k) A 20% top division wage increase, taking their wage to €24k p/w A wage increase upon 30 games taking their base wage to €25k p/w, knowing that this will likely come after promotion and I can achieve that 'new contract boost' at a time when they may be asking for parity in terms of other Bundesliga players. An assist or goal bonus that work outs at between one or two months wages (€50k to €100k in this example) knowing that, should they score or assist ten or more, I'll probably be doing pretty well! As I said, I set my stall out with at least five players in each area and the below four are the deals that I made. What is the best - and most realistic - for me is that some of these were not first choice and I probably could've done better or signed a more expensive player if I were to relax my budget structure. However, I wanted to stick to my own morals and the ideology I built for recruitment and have now got these four new signings. I ended up with Sari despite making two moves for Kluivert - firstly when he was still in contract with Bournemouth but was, as expected, knocked back by his €50k p/w demands and then, secondly, following his release where a meagre €15k p/w wage was agreed. Sadly, he chose to move to Portugal. What was important though here is that my move for Yusuf Sari was already underway, as I opted to consider several options at the same time before I'd then - with good fortune - be able to pull the plug on all but one. His contract is exactly as intended - a lower wage here and a secured 'Squad Player' status that allows him to rotate with Molina but then earn more upon a successful season here. I liked the stats that he produced in Turkey's top flight and he feels like a good option based on what I saw. He moved to second in the list after I watched Siaka but was unimpressed by his desire to always move to his right foot, something that Sari won't do, allowing us to naturally narrow to create space out wide for Passlack. Dzenan Pejcinovic wasn't at the top of the list for a striker but, when I weighed up the pros and cons, I felt that he was a good deal on a free transfer. His history shows that he's bobbed between the first and II team for Stuttgart but his stats, above, came from a loan at Karlsruhe, who play at our level. His attribute balance looks pretty decent for this level and, as previously stated, he's very much backup, which my other options - namely a now-33 year old Kelechi Iheanacho - would not accept. Mehmet Aydin was the first purchase of my tenure here - costing €1.3m and potentially rising to €1.5m from relegated Union Berlin. As you can probably tell from this recruitment drive and built upon stats from last year - dribbling and ball carrying was key for me to improve. I feel that Aydin is capable of bombing up and down the right wing and delivering crosses. Whilst I often find myself looking at stats and thinking 'ahhh - he's poor' I need to remove that sometimes. Here, Aydin is compared to all defenders in the Bundesliga, for a team who finished seventeenth. He's still in the top 50% of defenders for progressing the ball and, despite a lot of backs to the wall defending, he still manages to intercept a decent amount. As a team that rarely found the net or were afforded any attacking freedom, it's no wonder he didn't dribble a huge amount. Yet, his stats compared to just full backs are decent- he can cross and has got himself a hand in a few goals, too. I think he'll rotate nicely with Passlack despite, again, being second choice in this area after Bahia insisted on wanting €6m for a full back who'd never played in Europe before. Javier Fernandez is the last man through the door and the one I'm most excited about. Like Ibrahimovic before him, he's a product of Bayern II yet his formative years were at Atletico. His stats ar pretty ridiculous but it wasn't until I watched his that I saw he played as the deepest midfielder, essentially a 6, which just stopped any dribbling from him. Yet, looking at his attributes, I feel an urge to get him carrying the ball forward and causing havoc in Zone 14. He was first choice but I had to be very careful with the deal as Paderborn snuck in at the last minute, leading to an ultimatum where his agent said 'pay this and he'll come or he's off' - luckily, I was able to. His free transfer was the third of the summer for us. Despite having created some €20m to play with, I spent just over 5% of that on incoming deals, instead tying a few players down to longer contracts and then starting the recruitment drive for next summer, utilising some of this money to widen my scouting scope. It might not seem much - there are no hidden gems here or players who've really come in to do something different to what they've done before but this was another summer where it was evolution and not revolution, as is my preference. It just feels so realistic - knowing that I could've had Kluivert (Bournemouth), Nathan (Bahia), Ulrich (Wolfsburg) in these roles but actually don't and that I need to build the style around what I do have not what I may have wanted! I think that my squad is now potentially a little bloated now – 22 senior players is 3 to 4 more than I’d normally like, especially to give minutes to youth. I like to run with a smaller first team to allow opportunities and, as such, may use the remainder of the window to consider the following departures: Adams out with Thiede able to cover LB and Fischer able to cover at CB too. Will out with Sommer or Thiede able to cover at DM and Voss on loan who can play DM and CB too. Kohler out with Molina, Ibrahimov, Sari and Pejcinovic able to cover at AML and Kuhn out on loan who can cover both wings too. There does feel like there is a quite a lot riding on this season - only in terms of my objectives though, as the board are content with a top half finish again. My tactical tweaks will need to work and work quickly though if I want to achieve those goals. Nur der VfL!

Thanks Hootie! I've learnt so much from others and often find myself reading and re-reading people's posts when something catches my eye. I'm ill at the moment so have spent my afternoon just staring at FM and, truth be told, it's been one of the most exciting windows I've ever had. The way I've built recruitment pools has meant I've been usurped on some, gone back for better ideas on others, moved players up the virtual list, and then just down right made missed out on some, which may come back to bite me. Nevertheless, I think we've strengthened and I'm excited to write about this process.

I'd imagine that deleting match score area panel.xml from the match folder will revert you to the original and, as such, remove this issue for you. I can't say for certain but that's because I've never actually managed in the EFL with this skin!

Thanks! My tactical changes initially came about as reactionary following my takeover here but, now that I've garnered a deeper understanding for the players, have been able to adapt it. That, for me, is a huge step forward as tactics have always been a weakness for me. The 2.Bundesliga does feel at it's weakest if I'm being brutally honest - so this is absolutely the chance we must take. It's already in game! I've edited stuff on this panel but don't think I've unhidden anything you couldn't get your hands on previously...

It'll be one of the panels I've worked on recently so not released yet.

The end of the season marks a really important time in my tenure here in Germany. Less than eighteen months ago, I was a Champions League manager, having wrapped up successive top flight titles in Sweden, losing only once in sixty games. Now, I sit here faced with a third season in the 2.Bundesliga and a lot of questions to ask myself and my tema. That being said, I'm completely committed to the job and have shunned interest from a couple of top flight teams across the continent of late, with the power of the project keeping me sucked in here in Germany. Longer term - and I'm talking five or six years - it may become necessary to take the next step but I've always enjoyed building on more mediocre budgets and within tighter constraints, which is what we've got here at Bochum: from the 26,000 seater stadium to the financial implications that will surely subside following several seasons in the top flight. As is so often the case, the finest of margins and the smallest of losses have held us back. We could mention the loss to Heidenheim, where a shocking start saw us 2-0 after ten minutes but a valiant effort was in vein as we could not find the equaliser, which would - all things staying the same - have seen us ahead of Darmstadt on goal difference. If it wasn't that, maybe it was the sickening last gasp defeat to the hands of the side that pipped us to automatic promotion or the pair of no shows against Paderborn and Regensburg, where our dilapidated side couldn't handle the heat. Nevertheless, we look back with pride as our finish tops that of last year and the year before, where they finished fourth in their first season since relegation. Looking at individual stats, through the order of minutes played, you'll see attempts at proper squad rotation were tough - injuries took their toll on the latter half of the season and both failed targets showed that there were areas that we didn't quite achieve what I set out to do. That being said - Tchetchoua ended with thirteen goals and, when you consider that he didn't score in any of the first fifteen league games, this is a pretty solid return. Likewise, Lawrence's aerial superiority showed from set pieces, allowing Ibrahimovic to somewhat falsely inflate his assist tally. Next season, under the stewardship of Vincent Kompany, Union Berlin will be joining us, along with St Pauli, who weren't cut out for the to flight and leave after just a year there. Within our division, Mainz - who somehow justified a €31m fee for a defender in January - will surely want to improve on their pretty awful showing and ten place failing below their xPos. There will also be a Hannover side who will surely not want to spend much longer at this level but, aside from that, the floor is ours as we can hopefully push on and assert our dominance. When I moved to Bochum, I tried to explain my tactical thoughts through a series of bullet points which would, in the Hammarby method, lead to a series of metrics that could be used to calculate quality of performance as well as outcome of it. Below are those five core ideologies of our play, now adapted - in bold - to show our amendments and changes in style of play. The core goal remains the same though and I do feel that, however slowly we are moving, we are still moving forward with it. Calm build-up through numerical advantages in a 3-2 shape shape matched to have one more player than the opposition in the early transition: either 3-2, 3-1 or 2-2 box. Progress the ball forward vertically through overloads in the centre of the pitch wide areas to create spaces centrally. Get the ball into and around zone 14. Run at the opposition defence and counter attack from turnovers in the middle third. Win the ball back through a solid defensive line rather than committing to duels. Whilst the comparison cannot exactly be aligned, due to the fact I took over midway through the 28/29 season, there are some interesting developments: Less possession than last year, which is interesting and would require a little more investigation. My thoughts are that we're no longer having quite as much possession in the defensive third, given the fact we've moved away from a 5-3-2 shape, where, previously, we'd definitely have more than one extra player there. We're creating more without a huge amount more passes in the final third - which, actually, I am not against - showing that we are trying to be clinical. That, yet, isn't working with a drop in average shot xG - indicating that some of our attacking play is not quite as free and as well-rehearsed as it should be. The turnover and transitional elements are stronger as we have improved our dribbling and interceptions rate, whilst dropping - or, at least, what looks like dropping, our defensive line. The hint states that this is point of first defensive contact, which actually indicates that we have not necessarily dropped deeper but have become far more compact in shape - something which I was keen to do. It has also allowed the opposition conversion rate to stay the same, suggesting that the chances they are creating and, importantly, the quality of our goalkeeping, hasn't diminished. Something that I intend to look back on this year and further develop through some recruitment. With my ambitions lofty, this summer will be as important as ever as I look to build a squad that will see us win promotion from this division. I started the summer recruitment off with a handful of games left to go - selling two of my French imports for a whopping €19m in profit, despite neither of them actually playing well. Geubbels was somewhat usurped by Tchetchoua in his quest for ten league goals across the second half of the season and his murmerings were picked up by another Belgian team, following Anderlecht's move for Tillman earlier in the season. At €12m, this is a great figure for a someone who was essentially a backup. Likewise, Lemina moves to Belgium for €7m as I came to the conclusion that a full retraining mission of a player just about entering their prime must be handled carefully - and this one wasn't exactly done so. He's a decent player but €7m is a great figure that I intend to repurpose into the signings of several new players: Rotational striker: Now that Tchetchoua - a full Cameroonian international and representing them at the World Cup this summer - has virtually cemented himself as first choice, I feel that it is imperative I have an older striker, one with more than the fifty-odd senior games that the youngster has played, available to rotate in. Clearly, his half-season goal drought has has a lasting memory with me and it's something I'm keen to ensure I have the resources to ensure I can manage better next time. Because there will always be a next time. Rotational right winger: With Molina's failed target, I need reinforcements here. My promise to develop youth means that he'll get all the time he needs but I cannot, realistically, be carrying a playmaker who is creating just a handful of goals a season into the top flight, where he is completely untested. I will, however, support him as much as humanly possibly in his quest to become that combo creator/dribbler and want to partner him with a player in a similar mould. Ball carrying centre mid: I believe that Osterhage has been immense this season but I have little in the way of depth behind him, bar Jan Sommer, who could really use some time out on loan to develop and gain experience. Again, I'll put faith in him developing but feel that some experience here would help. He'd potentially join a small group of players who are enjoying success elsewhere as developmental loans. A dribbly centre mid: It's time to introduce players who can carry the ball more in my quest to rise up the dribbly rankings and I think a centre mid is needed here. Tillman's absence has never been filled and Maier is young and, again, could do with some extra experience. Rotational right back: The stalwart Passlack played all but thirty-four minutes of first team football this year and, therefore, some assisting for his aging legs is much needed. A player who possesses similar traits - in terms of getting forward - is key here, despite this role not exactly being in my long, long term plans. As such, a converted winger or someone who could even play as a ball carrying midfielder might be a positive option for us to ensure that we get the best for our money. Upgraded keeper: Not an 'essential' but Gebhart's '2' for Determination and not fantastic ball playing ability can always be a marginal gain for us. The best part of this summer is that I now have some money! With €19m from above sales, I will also receive €4.25m in both January 2031 and January 2032 from the Tillman sale. Combine that, with a sort of 'eggs in one basket' approach and I'll see €15m+ for prize money at the end of the season and €30m+ for prize money at the end of the season following promotion. I am conscious that I want to keep within our wage structure but build in bonuses and new wages post-promotion, knowing that it'll sweeten a deal now but also save money in the long run through forced renewals. Yet, this summer should see a departure from the 'free transfer business' of last - regardless of the success and the profit I have turned in such a short time. I always reach a point in my save where I want to do this. I've tried to achieve it on previous games but it's going to get my full attention here. My plan is to create shortlists, with at least three men on each. I will use of DoF if I don't want to structure payments but will look to spread payments cleverly, something which I am notoriously bad at doing. Below, I have the beginnings on my shortlist for the right winger role: The fun here comes working through and deciding on how to order these. Clearly, Kluivert is the biggest name here but he comes with the downsides of being 31 and also wanting a substantial wage and, more than likely, would not settle for being in rotation with Molina. Then there is Borges, a player I seem to remember from FM-fandoms in years gone by. Seems decent, but playing for Jong Ajax. They're a second tier team like us, but, really, would he improve us? Then it comes down to stats - dribbles and key passes are the name of the game for this role and, for reference, Molina averaged 1.82 and 1.39 respectively in these metrics last season. Therefore, it'd be Sari that is the only player that comfortably exceeds them but part of me has an interest in Siaka too, mainly for the fact that it's still mid-season in Sweden and I can go and watch him play for my old team GIF, where his chances created and dribbles per game rank him pretty high when combined. I then have this same process for all of the above positional needs! FUN! Nur der VfL!

True. I think that, for me with the creation of a player pathway from the U19 team too, it's potentially even more than that; what holes do I have that need filling? How can I stop myself needing to recruit? How old are these youngsters? To be honest - it's my first time trying it out, so I'm now a little apprehensive as Molina has registered exactly zero assists in his quest for eight. I was not aware that the target was 'from that point on' and not accumulative. I don't think that either will actually reach their target based on this information - shame but I can't expect successes everywhere and every time: that's just not realistic. I don't know! The three players below are vying for the striker spot in my youth squad. I use an IW(s) there because Sadirov fits that mould on the right hand side but I don't actually think Tarnowski is really made up to be a striker as his movement is lacking as is his finishing. That being said - there's no huge holes in his game and my Trequartista role does require a pretty well rounded passer/finisher, which he is. It's really early in his development and it's likely my U19 manager will play him wherever is needed, so I'll let the dust settle for 12 months or so and see where we're at with him!

I’m going to keep this as a separate ‘off the pitch’ update, with a final end of season update driven by statistical work, hopefully… The sale of a key player is always an important part of the season and I was forced into that when Anderlecht met my €22m valuation of the American attacking midfielder. He’d spoken to me days before about wanting to explore his options at the end of his deal – eighteen months from this point – but I’d been able to talk him down with a spiel about loyalty. Yet it was he who had quickly forgotten that when the Belgian giants came calling and, given his statistical output, felt that the money – given our overall financial situation – would be worth more than the one goal and four assists he’d provided. Furthermore, the two instalments, both in January of €4.25m, would – potentially – fund two further transfer windows, dependent on our situation. Obviously, this coming on deadline day meant that I was rushed to source a sensible replacement so, instead, was left with the promotion of academy player Christoph Kuhn. He’s far from perfect but is a wrong-footed right winger who can play backup to Molina. Speaking of the young German/Spaniard, I moved to make a decision that I’ve not made before: using this opportunity to offer Molina a new deal, with the clause that, should he assist seven more goals this season, I’d make him a Regular Starter for next. Pretty self-explanatory really – he’s now got a realistic target to work towards and, if he achieves it, will have performed well enough to be part of my first team plans and probably one of my more valuable players. I then did the same for Tchetchoua, with an added €97k (some two and a half months wages), should he score fifteen times with the aforementioned promise of regularity to his starting time (and, probably a €15m income from the sale of Geubbels – who is already showing murmurs of annoyance at not being the first choice striker but would bring in a fee that’d dwarf the bonus Tchetchoua would earn) if he reaches ten goals. He promptly scored twice on the day after I’d begun this contract renewal, which feels incredibly promising or the long term future for him. Elsewhere, I allowed Stanislaw Majewski to get some defending practice at the Eredivisie’s bottom side, NAC. Not an ideal place for him to cut his teeth but his rise to prominence has been so quick and so unexpected, I’d already recalled Theide to the first team and, as such, felt the playing time, wherever it came, would be of more benefit to him. With six teenagers – Fischer, Kuhn, Thiede, Sommer, Tchetchoua and Molina as well as four more at twenty-one or under, Maier, Adams, Kozic and Kohler, I feel that there has been a complete culture change here. All of the above players, bar Adams - bought in by the previous regime – are home-grown in the academy and have had a clear journey marked to the first team. However, with an average age of 23.15, our team is young and really inexperienced. With no real plans – despite our lofty position and good form – to be in any place other than this league next year, my focus is to now supplement these players with strong-personality, experienced heads who can bring the best out of the young players I have. --- With youth intake day nearing, I felt that - given the nature of my save - it was important to share the development of the promising youth from the last intake. Full development profiles can be seen by clicking each screenshot. I am delighted to see that, overall, the players are generally improving just a little bit more each month. Watanabe's loss, around October last year, cannot be attributed to an injury or an a change to the additional focus (as this is repeated in February and July and a repeated pattern wasn't evident there) but it's important that I look at this, along with the smaller losses for Samake and Schonwalder, to ensure that the youth training is optimal and pushing them each month. With three of the four born in 2012, they'll still have one further season at this level before I either move them on loan or bring them into the first team, but, given our development over the past year and a half, I cannot say for certain where we will be and what the first team will look like at that point. Ideally, a spell in Sweden (as three players just have done) will be an ideal stepping stone for them to cut their teeth in adult football at what is a pretty decent level. The youth intake itself felt a little underwhelming. No elite talents, at first glance, yet, once the dust had settled and my scholars were announced, that figure had changed to two. The five players below - all of whom have a full profile screenshot linked through their thumbnail - are the most promising of the bunch and the most likely to make the move to earning professional, first team football either here or elsewhere. --- As the season moves closer towards the conclusion, I can reveal that interest in both Geubbels and my second French signing of the summer, Lemina, has intensified, largely down to the development of my youth players here. I truly believe that this bunch of players is good enough to get us promoted but, as previously mentioned, we're still not quite doing it as I'd like to. I think that the summer is going to be a great time to reflect on that from a holistic perspective as opposed to an individual player level. Despite this being a purely player orientated update, there is still an incredible amount of focus and concentration put into the training, match day build up and actual match - like nothing I've ever done before. In the spirit of previous posts and now I've learnt the motto....Nur der VfL!

Lost track of this for a while and come back to see where you are now: great achievement! Can I see some of your better players please? The mentoring and youth development must be working wonders...

You're building some really strong foundations Shrew! Congratulations on the European qualification. Any realistic aims for there next season or is it just an 'enjoy it' but make sure you qualify for it again? I love Aguirre but I too am an absolute sucker for just moving them into the team at such a young age. Currently, half of my squad are teenagers and that, despite a great academy focus, is just not realistic! On the other hand, my playing time is now so much slower that a year or two in the B team and then a couple of loans means I'd never play long enough for these kids to break through! I will watch how you handle him closely and probably learn a thing or two!