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HbG93

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  1. South Shields 2024/25 Assembling the squad Good news! Previously assumed to leave Taylor Foran has signed a new deal - long live captain Foran! However previous top scorer Jaden Williams has left for League 2 team Harrogate Town. This meant it was crucial to find a new leading man upfront, and a new partner for Foran. This window was a struggle as despite my idea of creating a shortlist and using trials too weed out any U23 player released from a prem club in hopes of finding another Taylor Foran-esque player; was of course brilliant. There was however one issue (outside the issue of about 1/3 not wanting anything to do with us)... Competition to sign. We pretty much lost to every club in England when competing to sign a player. However a positive development with the promotion was the fact we could now get two players in on loan from our affiliate Sunderland. OH! And I realized I shouldn't filter for Expired - English players but Expired - UK&Irish players Zak Johnson would join our defense and despite his leading quality being his height. Zak would somehow struggle to be more than a reliable squad player - mind you those are not common around here. The other player we acquired on loan was none other than Harrison Jones! But in all seriousness he would prove a good addition too our weakest area of the field - the central midfield. Some other lads were added for the midfield amongst them: Mark Helm who became the regular pairing with Jones. There also is new goalie in Brad Young and a revamp of our left-flank. Tom Field would become starting left-back - a far more experienced player than most of our options. Ahead of him would be Liam Smith a good old pace winger with a bit of technique and dribbling but little to no end product. We could do with a new right-winger but I am soft for academy products as such Joel Kirby is given the spot. But now to the important stuff everyone is waiting for! Who is Foran's new partner? Is it Charlie Hayes-Green snatched up from Kettering Town for a mere 12K compensation fee? While Hayes-Green physical profile leaves for more to be desired... he's a solid defender that's not allergic to having the ball in possession. Or would it be Jarrell Quansah an absolute unit even amongst titans who was more scared of the ball? Luckily for me the latter was a natural at both centre-back and right-back and quickly proved a more consistent performer than loanee Zak Johnson allowing me to play both Quansah and Hayes-Green. Up top I ended up with two main options. Tai Sodje a Man City release - one of the few that choose us over other options. He was similar to the other striker we picked up Owen Farmer. With both being get in-behind type strikers. The question was finding out who would pair with surprisingly still here Caleb Chukwuemeka. Sodchuk? Farmchuk? Well in the end there is no more Chuk as he left in winter after receiving a 50K bid which I brushed of replying with 200K... which they accepted. Bit surprised I tried convincing myself why this was a good sale. After all Caleb was on fire scoring 16 in 19 and had the perfect profile to pair with Sodje or Farmer who after all were to similar to play up top together. The Season Tactics remained the same. August went 50-50 taking a loss to promotion bidders Chesterfield. However in September we moved into a positive direction with a 3-1-1 record which included an important 3-0 win over Doncaster who also would put in a strong year. October went in a similar fashion but with an irritating loss too relegation fighters Torquay United. November would end up perfect in the league but also see us head out of the FA Cup first round versus Huddersfield. December saw us end up with the sale of Chukwuemeka at which point I really questioned if I had shot my so far title bid in the leg. However Tai Sodje which had lost out on a starting role to Farmer mainly due himself. Perfectly took the chance to step up scoring in 4 out 5 starts. Making me halt scouring the nooks and cranny of the entirety of the United Kingdom for a new striker. At the end of December we would be leading the back. Our so far excellent form saw disaster in February costing us the pole position as we went 1-0-3 - but the win is very noteworthy as it was our second of the year over Doncaster. This form drop was however short lived and thank god for that because March was packed with 7 games of which we only lost points in 2 of them. Chesterfield however initiated their Flyde impression tanking a 6 points lead at game week 40 finishing 3rd. Despite Doncaster being in blitzing form winning 8 in a row to see off the season they finished 2 points behind us. Making the otherwise painful February exceptionally tasty in hindsight. Final Table Brad Young proved himself a great pickup despite actually being the 3rd in the pecking order of goalies I attempted to sign. Our defense was yet again stellar with Taylor Foran as expected leading the charge. Quansah was solid but a more conventional right-back could be a smart pickup for next season. Hayes-Green will likely continue as Taylor Foran's main partner next year, and despite not having the best performances Tom Field will have to do at left-back. Youngster Joel Kirby at right wing struggled but that was expected. Harrison Jones did well in the midfield (even covered up top on occasions), but I would prefer a even better player in his spot, and I already have my eye on a better loanee in this position if Sunderland allows it. Liam Smith (thank god I realized I can sign anyone from the UK not just England) because man he was fantastic! He didn't let his 8's in crossing&passing or 7 shooting stop him, and I am inclined to trust him for next year. Up top Tai Sodje ended up eventually playing to our hopes despite needing until December to start. Owen Farmer played really well whenever available but that was a slight issue with him. His selection availability isn't the best. Others that are of note our previous starting left-flank Josh Doherty and Rosaire Longelo of who only the latter will continue with us next year. Joining Josh Doherty out the door is Lewis Lukeman, Zak Johnson and Harrison Jones. I hope to loan in a new leading striker protagonist next year, and have Farmer & Sodje compete playing whomever is in form. As I mentioned above I also hope to loan in leading midfielder after that some cover that is reliable. And while we could definitely find a better staring right wing I give Joel Kirby special status. Perhaps I should be more ambitious in signings but I genuinely think we already have good quality. While Tom Field didn't have a good season rating yield he has quality that's hard to replace within our target pool. In short there is without a doubt better players available out there, but Id rather find good quality step ups than small increments at this point. As for our chances next season I think playoffs are very much on the menu. Oh and I will be hurling contract renewals at Tayylor Foran every opportunity I can - That man will be my captain in the Premier League!
  2. South Shields 2023/24 Recruitment Despite the team actually having an affiliation with Sunderland all my attempts to acquire a player on loan from them were denied. However using the good old faithful system of trialing a couple hundred unattached players to filter them down. We ended up having a strong window picking up a high quality centre-back duo in Taylor Foran and Marques Muir. They would prove pivotal in our promotion bid. On the other end of the field we created the fearsome Willchuck combo with Jaden Williams and Caleb Chukwuemeka a duo that would score 50 goals combined. Luckily the team already had above average full-backs. And while our wingers and midfielders left for more to be desired our starting eleven was still among the absolute best (in particular our defense). Granted our depth was questionable. Tactics I decided to apply a simple style using 442 aiming to find a balance of keeping the ball either in our feet or Infront of the team. Kept it simple on the roles but I do love pressing forwards in the lower tiers to help cover the lack of athleticism in the midfield which very much applies to us. Multiple times I considered adding more direct play as Jaden Williams had the profile to get in behind. But as the season unfolded he proved more than fit to the tactic as is. Table I actually had long accepted taking on the playoffs. After all during the season we only twice touched the 1st position and immediately conceded it. And when a tiring 1-4-1 April went by combined with a loss in game week 42 against main competitor Fylde. I was convinced the title was forsaken and playoffs would be our claim for promotion. But somehow Fylde went on to draw all their 4 remaining matches while we won all of them creating a final match day leapfrog clinching a title and promotion in one go. Now if only more than 5 of our players were willing to discuss a contract extensions. Taylor Foran, Marques Muir and Jaden Williams have all already announced their intent to explore options and the end of their contracts. I have a small hope I could convince Taylor Foran and Jaden Williams to reconsider. But I got some money on the table for Marques Muir which I took. I also suspect Caleb Chukwuemeka to follow suit soon. I have a long summer window a head of me... History
  3. As per usual I have already played a bit but I am bad at committing to a save before I get things going. Anyways I have done this journey before with this team so it was an easy pick - South Shields
  4. Perhaps should have done wall of text warning
  5. The wording of my choices are for sure up to be changed, but it's more about getting the idea across here. I know also that some of the things here are to some degree already covered, or effected in other parts and player instructions. Regardless I think these would be valid changes or additions. Let's start with Team Instructions. 1. There should be an team option for "Look for switch of flank" this is a common feature of football when both building up play or breaking down opponents. Currently it only exists in FM as a possible trait, which is odd as this is a clear tactical decision of how to approach play. 2. We should be given fleshed out abilities on how our team approaches "Play out of Defence" could feature similar options as the goalkeeper distribution has. I could for example select that when the team "Play out of Defence" it should look specifically to go trough my BPD, Regista or our wide players etc. 3. I suggest removing the option of "Shoot on Sight" replace it with a drop down slider like for crosses that gives different options - Actively take longshots (The team will actively look to setup and take long shoot opportunities) - Attempt longshots (Team will only take longshots when an adequate opportunity arises) - Avoid longshots (Team will avoid looking to create longshots, and they happen only based on individual decisions) - Could still add "Shoot on sight" as another option but I think it's a bad label overall. Maybe "Shoot whenever possible" and "Shoot only at opportune moments" 4. Similarly "Hit Early Crosses" is a very limited option, and is already somewhat represented through "Passing Directness" slider. I feel the better option would be a choice between "Cross from Byline" or "Cross from Deep". Both options should be selectable regardless if your team is actively "Work Ball Into Box" instructed or not. Making it as shown in the picture below: You could even argue to add in "Cross from Mixed", and "Don't attempt Crosses" should be a part of the options but then a drop-down slider like the one for crossing options makes more sense. 5. "Time Wasting" would serve better with clickable options. Like "Commit Tactical Fouls" "Take time when handling set-pieces/Buy extra time during stopping of play" "Clear the ball" "Look to hold up the ball" and so on. This would also allow for categorizing the already existing "Play for Set-pieces" under this tree. I rarely if ever see someone actively apply the Time Wasting slider, but with this more pick and choose approach it could help become choices of your tactic. While on the other hand "Creative Freedom" would serve better as a slider option! (Low meaning Disciplined -> High meaning Expressive) 6. In transition is pretty good however there should be options for the goalkeeper to either ask the team to "Come closer" or "Move further up" when he's distributing. This can allow a team with a good distributer and a target man/good header move up to make launching it up far more effective. At the same coin if you want to drop it short, and play out of defence having your team come closer would help aid that style. Fair to argue that "Slow down Pace" and "Distribute Quickly" are similar in nature but still they are a bit different. You might still want your team to "Come Closer" when distributing quickly to quickly start the build up, or still want them to "Move Further Up" when looking to quickly pick your distribution target. 7. Additionally there should be a distribution option that allows an outfield player to do it for the goalkeeper this has been seen several times in real-life! This would be great when managing sides that doesn't have a goalkeeper with acceptable distribution skills. 8. Out of possession instructions are very good, and really the only obvious missing piece here is having different formation shapes for different facets of the game. It could be baked in as an possible option in this tab that allows you to set a "Established defence formation". This would allow you structure your midfield lines way better during established defence. Player instruction 1. Shooting only has the option to "Shoot more often" and "Shoot Less Often". It makes it awkward when I have a player with exceptional longshot abilities but bad finishing inside the box or vice versa. Right now the options feels it reads more to accommodate players that are good at both Finishing and Longshots than just one of them. Perhaps instead it should be "Actively shoots inside box" Y/N "Actively takes longshots" Y/N. Of course selecting N wouldn't mean the player never does it, but it would make it occur less and vice versa more when Y. 2. I think this box from Player Instructions shown below is very poor What if I don't have an active target forward? What if my best header is a Box to Box player like Sergej Milkenovic-Savic? I would love for my team focus him when he arrives into the box. Far Post, Centre, Near Post are fine. But instead of forced Target Forward allow "Best Header", "Player arriving late in box", or even straight up the specific player like you can with GK distribution like pictured below. There's also a very fair argument that the ability to "Aim crosses at" shouldn't be an exclusive player instruction but also a team instruction. This would allow us to create a player that in a planned manner will actively deviate from the team instruction. 3. There should be options here for players to "Come deep to get the ball" this again like another mentioned idea features as a trait for players, but should still always be an tactical option. This would really help aid play patterns for a midfield without a dedicated "Playmaker" and some of them by default might even come with this as an evergreen part of their instructions (like a DLP). 4. Next we have "When Player Has the Ball" behavior options here is an excellent opportunity to add an instructions for behavior when facing pressure. Which would be a great chance to help impact just how overpowered pressing systems feels in football manager for years now. Suggestions for what I could be able to request is: - Looks to play out (meaning dribble/move/act in a progressive manner) (Again this features as a trait) This option would allow an individual to attempt using his dribbling and physical prowess to keep moving play up. - Look to avoid the press (meaning act in passive or even retreating manner) This option would slow down your teams build-up but trade it for a lesser risk of losing the ball - Attempt to play ball away/put ball out of play (Attempting a high risk/low probability pass or shot instead of risking giving it away or even just playing it out) This option would attempt buying time when likely losing the ball To end: Missing defensive options and New attribute? Defenders and defensive play have way to few options! Where are options to actively attempt interceptions and blocks? These could both be handy as available team options and individual instructions. You could even argue that blocking should be it's own attribute! A good blocker is more likely to both block successfully and do so legally. A bad blocker is more likely to miss his attempt or do it poorly and handball. Aggression, Anticipation, Concentration, Bravery, Positioning would all be aiding mental attributes! Yes it's fair to argue blocking is a combination of Tackling+Marking, but I think the ability to block is unique enough to be weighed as it's own attribute. Technical attributes also feels quite unimportant on defenders since so few really apply to them (basically marking+tackling with passing at higher levels -> and at that I have several times had world class defenders barely be better, equal or worse than my striker at them). So having another technical ability to look for would be nice. I see interception mentioned in a few roles, but there should be more options for us to apply it actively in our tactics. It will help diversify how someone can go about setting up their defensive game plan.
  6. This would be great! Playing with Standard-Liege the board sold the training facilities to handle their debts from real-life. After clearing the debts and making the clubs pockets rich. I still have under par training facilities because I had to build them from the ground up. Increasing from below average to average facilities with over 80 million euros in balance while being the best team in the league and single handily increasing our European spots makes no sense. I suppose in my case an ability to buyback our previous facilities would also work. But overall just the ability to make bigger improvements when the economy allows it would be healthy overall. It make sense to be able too make bigger improvements from 1 request if the money is there for it. As an example have had youth based saves where it's even in the clubs DNA to focus on our academy, and have plenty of money available yet our infrastructure goes up in small steps. Sitting on cash to improve our setup 3-4 folds of the original improvement only to face a 6ish month waiting period to request further improvements doesn't make sense. In situations like this perhaps the board and you have a meeting about how much it should be improved. You could ask from the maximum offered but then perhaps the board could then go "We have reservations about spending this considerable amount due to X Club Vision or recent X financial reasons" then it they could go "We will only upgrade by Y instead of your wished X".
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