[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

This is very strange, I was predicted to finish 20th at the beginning of the season, now as we enter the new year and I'm second with a game in hand and could go top if I beat the leaders Port Vale on New Year's day, I'm predicted to finish dead bottom.

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

2022-2023 has come to a close and it's another year in the National League for Whitehawk. They improved on the previous year, finishing in 9th spot with a solid goal difference. The board still expect the club to be fighting for relegation in the following season, which may explain why they have not injected anything in the finances. I believe the team can push for a play-off place and that's what I will be aiming for. The cups finished early with Doncaster and Chesterfield knocking us out. 

The squad was improved but the core remained the same. Some players were moved on and others released as usual. The tactics evolved a little, after a good start to the season the form dipped terribly. We went from the play-off places to the 15/16th spot. A change in tactics and a good run managed to pull us back up the table.

The finances are getting worse so I will aim to play a lot of friendlies to try and claw my way back a little. I am still within the wage budget, but the lack of income is damning. Strengthening will need to be done via free transfer and I will try to move whoever I can on.

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

So the third season came to a close and we managed to finish 14th in the National League, survival was the goal at the start of the season and that was achieved. I was again nominated for manager of the year, but finished in third place this time. In the cups, Yeovil knocked me out of the FA Cup in the 1st round, but we went on a great FA Trophy run losing to Chesterfield in the semis (2-1 over two legs). Unfortunately three key players picked up serious injuries just before those games, including a broken leg for my main striker.

In the transfer market, I brought in several players on free transfers and released a few. I also made my first sale for £550. Financially, things aren't too great with a negative balance that seems unsurmountable, I will look at planning big friendlies again to reduce this before kicking off the next season. The squad is still quite average but it feels more consistent, I will look into strengthening if possible. 

As for the tactics, it's more of the same, I tweaked things a little, but my 4-1-4-1 is providing decent results. Next season we are still predicted to finish deep in the relegation zone, but with some new recruits I would hope we can push for a top half finish. I'm going of a three year plan to attempt promotion. With the financial situation as it is, despite me being within my wage budget, it's hard to attract the type of players needed for a clear climb up the leagues, and with no real youth set-up, it's impossible to rely on bringing through good talent and selling them on to balance the books. The board are also very against any form of affiliation as they want to remain independent and do not want to rely on loans to build the team. Going professional would help, but it's not looking likely due to finances. So it will be about building a squad and improving upon it little by little. 

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

Second season: 2020-2021

The build-up to the season was quite odd. Off the pitch, the 50k finances disappeared quickly and the planned development of the youth system was cancelled. We did sign a new sponsorship deal worth 14.5k/year, which was more or less our sole source of income, seeing as the attendance rarely exceeds 500 people. I did however get my first coaching badge. On the pitch things went well with a steady friendly period culminating in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace. I did book more home friendlies against strong opposition in the hope of getting some income but they were cancelled prior to the games.

With no transfer budget and a very limited wage budget, I could only strengthen sporadically and brought in some loanees. I did sign several free agents and released a bunch of underwhelming players.

These changes meant my team ended up much stronger on the defensive side, but lost somewhat going forward. We were the 8th best attack, compared to last season's 1st spot but were the best defence in the league conceding only 39 in 42 games. None of the players stood out, but the team put in a good performance to secure the league title and promotion to the National League.

The championship went down to the wire. In the final day of the campaign, Bath were top with ourselves and Havant & Waterlooville one point behind them. Our superior goal difference to H&W meant victory against Bath in the last game would guarantee promotion. In a great effort, the team sunk 3 past Bath and celebrated lifting the first National League South title of Whitehawk's history. The FA Cup ended in the 4th qualifying round with a defeat in a replay against Concord. York knocked us out of the FA Trophy in the first round.

The team over exceeding expectations, other clubs began looking at me and my staff. Our assistant manager was poached by Truro City and managed them to safety whilst our under-18 manager left to manage Maidenhead, finishing in a strong 10th place. Clubs were interesting in myself and the news was full of rumours I had to deny. I was approached by Notts County and Yeovil but I politely declined their offers. My first place finish earned me my second consecutive manager of the season award. In spite of his stats, winger Connor Tighe earned the player of the season award (unfortunately he is wanting to leave as he doesn't feel the club matches his ambitions, it will be a sad loss).

My squad overview, you can see there are many areas in need of strengthening but there's a good solid spine.

 

My tactics and first choice 11 by the end of the season:

I am now considering whether to use the same tactic or to look into something safer for the upcoming season, which may be a struggle. Financially we are now 300k in the red. The board has just announced plans to extend the stadium, doubling its capacity to 4000, in order to meet league standards and a prior loan is now due to be payed. Our kit sponsor has increased to 21k, not enough to make a difference at this point. Our semi-professional status, which is unlikely to change due to the finances, will likely make things much harder. Thankfully, several key players have signed new non-contracts, which has drastically reduced our wage bill. We are also due to resign winger Marsh-Brown who had left for Havant & Waterlooville the previous summer, he is a talented young player. Can Whitehawk defy expectations again and perform well in the National League next season?

 

 

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

I go into the last game of the season against the league leaders Bath only one point behind them, things are getting tense.

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

So I've just finished my first season with Whitehawk and after being predicted to finish 19th and struggle for survival, the team exceeded expectations qualifying for the play-offs thanks to a 5th place finish.

When I first took over, there were not even enough players in the first team to have a starting 11. And the U23s and U18s were not very fruitful either. This meant I dived into the transfer market, signing whatever I could to fill in the vacant positions in the squad.

Over the season, I continued to strengthen where possible, but my first team at its core mainly consisted of players already at the club when I arrived. I did release several players during the season for disciplinary reasons, and they were replaced by whoever was available (and scouted).

My squad does not have great current ability, with just a small number of standout players. There is some potential, but the part-time training is not enough to achieve it.

My tactics:

In the cups, I managed to reach the third round of the FA Cup, beating Coventry on the way. And although I managed to draw with Portsmouth at home, they thrashed me in the replay in a match where a couple of key players were absent due to illness. In the FA Trophy I was knocked out in the second round by Aldershot, a match I may have been more competitive in had it not come two days after the Portsmouth replay. 

The cup runs provided me with enough cash to stay afloat, especially as my wage budget slightly exceeds the small 5,4k allotted to me. This is mainly due to me reinforcing my coaching staff which includes Stephen Warnock as U23 manager. However, the downside of the cup runs was a lot of fixture congestion which, when coupled with the part time training and a terrible pitch (which was waterlogged more than once), meant my form dipped in the league. I was bouncing between 1st and 3rd spot throughout autumn. My form did pick up once I was knocked out of the cups, but it was too late. The team did enjoy beating league winners Dulwich 4-2 in the last game of the league.

We were defeated in the first round of the play-offs by Chelmsford. This gives us a solid base to push further next season in the hopes of promotion and potentially professional status. But with finances (50k) and an extremely low wage budget, it may prove difficult, as I cannot really bring in the quality needed.

I almost forgot to add. Three of my players finished in the top five average rated players of the season. Defender Matt Drage finishing first with 7.44. Striker Jason Williams got 34 league goals and finished top scorer, crazy considering he had only grabbed four goals in 40 something games in his previous promotion winning season with Whitehawk. Elsewhere, midfielder Fraser completed the most key passes (72). Whitehawk also finished as the league top scorers with 97 goals. They were midtable in terms of defence, which may be the area to look at for next year. Defender Drage scored 7 and assisted 12 all from corners, with the team scoring 33 goals from corners.

EDIT: I was voted manager of the season and striker Williams was named player of the season.

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

2 hours ago, tortugas said:

Why is there no mention in the rules if hidden attributes should be on or off? Doesn’t that have quite a big impact on the difficulty of the save?

Is it because all players have to be scouted?

 

sorry. I think I used the incorrect term here. I am referring to the “disable player attribute masking” during the game setup. 

It does say they should be hidden as the box should be unticked "All of the boxes should be left unticked apart from 'do not add key staff' and 'prevent use of in-game editor'. It should look like this."

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

When you're meant to be fighting for relegation but you find yourself in 4th place and hammering 6th place teams. Although I've probably just jinxed myself now.

[dafuge's FM19 challenge]

I went for Whitehawk, let's see if I can knock Brighton of their perch.