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CityAndColour

By CityAndColour,
in FM Career Updates

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CityAndColour

CityAndColour

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Losing in the playoffs three seasons on the bounce must hurt. Hope you can pull it off next season, preferably by being top dog and avoiding the playoff altogether. GL :thup:

I'm at a bit of a crossroad really. I can't seem to avoid these massive form slumps which have cost me every season, yet tactically I don't see the need to change something that is consistently delivering high league finishes.

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CityAndColour

CityAndColour

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2015/16 Season Preview - Swindon Supermarine - Blue Square South

SwindonSupermarineFC.jpg

Transfers

Media Prediction: 20th

Title Odds: 80/1

Can we go one step further and take the title? I fear it's the only way we're going to get out of this league as play-offs and my management have never really gotten along. Of course we're still billed as relegation candidates by the bookies, media and my own board ("Just try and keep us in this league LOL") so the only pressure is what I'm putting on myself. A couple of good prospects to help out too, in Vanberg (was on trial at Colwyn Bay) and Johnson (released by Wigan youth).

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CityAndColour

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2015/16 - Swindon Supermarine FC - Blue Square South

SwindonSupermarineFC.jpg

League Table - Finances - Graph - Transfers

Season Review

After three play-off defeats in three Conference South seasons, there is only one acceptable outcome from this season. And, like always, we make our customary strong start to the season. One good thing about this team is we never have to play catch up later in the season. From league fixtures 19 through 28 we were in top spot and looking pretty comfortable

Then, once more, the form issues hit out of nowhere, and an 11 game winless streak in the league followed. We had another reasonable run in the FA Trophy at this point too, which meant players were consistently jaded. However, due to the appalling standard in the league this season, we never dropped lower than sixth (in fairness there were more draws than losses in that run).

March begins and so do we, breaking the previous streak with an equally perplexing seven game winning run. Satisfying as it wrested back the ascendancy, infuriating as this was missing for the previous two months. We drew our last three matches but it was still enough, although our winning points total of 77 was the lowest of the five seasons this save has been in existence.

The title was quite clearly won in the back half, as we only conceded 26 goals in 42 matches, and meant we were still getting points even when we weren't scoring. Special mention to 'keeper Max Oberschmidt, formerly of Fulham, whose signing co-incided with our final run to the title, and who kept seven clean sheets from 11 appearances.

Goal of the Season

[video=youtube;I235_dX1rOg]

The only goal of a tight game, as a quite breath-taking ball from Risvig makes it impossible for Johnson to miss.

Key Men

Nicolai Risvig - Another wonderful season from the Dane, as he generally played out on the wings rather than up front and contributed 18 goals and 12 assists. He is out of contract in the summer, but if I can get that sorted then he will be promoted to club captain next season.

Omar Koroma - Now an icon of the club, he clearly isn't the player he was pre-leg break, and he struggled at times. However, he was the one who scored the goals in the last month and a half and will get every chance to prove himself at the next level.

Mike Johnson - Forced himself into the starting XI with some strong cameos off the bench early on, and ended up our top scorer in the league. Shows promise.

Curtis Wynter - Second in tackles and fifth in average rating for the league, our right back continues to perform at a consistently high level. Another who is coming out of contract.

Abdi Abdulkadir - The former West Ham youth had an excellent campaign, mainly as a left-back. Along with Wynter, he ensured we were never torn apart by wingers.

Chris Salt - Once again, held the back four together. What a great signing he has been for the club.

Next Season...

Obviously survive, but I feel we have the squad quality to challenge for a mid-table position. Our usual early season form would be fantastic here.

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2011/12 - Evo-Stik Southern Premier - 1st (promoted as champions)

2012/12 - Blue Square South - 2nd (lost in play-off semis)

2013/14 - Blue Square South - 2nd (lost in play-off semis)

2014/15 - Blue Square South - 4th (play-off and FA Trophy finalists)

2015/16 - Blue Square South - 1st (promoted as champions)

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CityAndColour

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Thanks all. It was a terrible standard of league this season so it would've been extremely disappointing not to capitalise.

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2015/16

Charity Shield: Chelsea (Tottenham)

Premiership: Man City (Middlesbrough, Reading, Derby)

Championship: Huddersfield; Leeds, Sunderland (Peterborough, Blackpool, Colchester)

League One: Preston; Carlisle, Millwall (Tranmere, Torquay, Brentford, Dag & Red)

League Two: Newport County; Morecambe, Bristol Rovers, Hartlepool (Fleetwood, Walsall)

Conference Premier: Plymouth; Macclesfield (Cambridge Utd, Welling, Blyth Spartans, Gateshead)

Conference North: FC United; Boston Utd (Chorley, Gainsborough, Guiseley)

Conference South: Swindon Supermarine; Bromley (Braintree, Hampton & Richmond, Harrow)

Ryman Isthmian Premier: Bishop's Stortford; Staines (Whitehawk, Hastings Utd, Aveley, Bury Town)

Evo-Stik Northern Premier: Curzon Ashton; Woodley Sports (Sheffield, Matlock, Skelmersdale, Carlton Town)

Evo-Stik Southern Premier: Gloucester; Bognor Regis (Cirencester, Evesham, Bideford, Brackley)

Ryman Isthmian Division One North: Waltham Abbey; VCD Athletic (Potters Bar, Thamesmead)

Ryman Isthmian Division One South: Tonbridge; Walton & Hersham (Godalming, Met Police)

Evo-Stik Division One North: Harrogate Railway; Mossley (Salford, Clitheroe)

Evo-Stik Division One South: Chasetown; Buxton (Loughborough, Lincoln Utd)

Evo-Stik Division One Central: Banbury; Leverstock Green (Aylesbury, Leighton)

Evo-Stik Division One South/West: Flackwell Heath; Cinderford (Cammell Laird, AFC Hayes)

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FA Cup: Tottenham (Man City)

League Cup: Newcastle (West Brom)

Johnstone's Paint: Newport County (Morecambe)

FA Trophy: St Albans (Eastbourne Boro)

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Champions League: Lyon (FC Porto)

Europa League: Roma (Braga)

Super Cup: Paris St-Germain (Man City)

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CityAndColour

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2016 European Championships: Italy (England)

Italy retains its crown with a Pazzini brace. Jay Rodriguez grabbed his 12th goal in 18 caps to be the new hope of English football.

Meanwhile, Connor Wickham is capless and available on a free.

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CityAndColour

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11061_Blue_Square_Premier.jpg

My favourite league in real life, unsurprisingly given I support the league's longest tenants in Forest Green, but I love how competitive it is and always has been. Similar to the Championship in that any side can beat any other side on a given day and no one will bat and eyelid. This competitiveness always prepares the promoted teams well for league football, as evidenced by the fact that the teams that go up usually stay there, and teams relegated from League Two very rarely bounce straight back up.

It's my favourite league to manage in as well, and to me the toughest. A mixture of full-time and part-time clubs, and four relegation spots compared to only two promotion spots. It's very easy to get bogged down in mid-table, and very hard to catch up if you have a poor start. Not to mention we now switch to a 46-game season.

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2016/17 Season Preview - Swindon Supermarine - Blue Square Premier

SwindonSupermarineFC.jpg

Transfers

Media Prediction: 24th

Title Odds: 40/1

Captain: Nicolai Risvig

Vice-Captain: Jack Pelter

Icons: Omar Koroma, Nicolai Risvig

Favoured Personnel: Nick Mockford

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Predictably we're tipped to finish last (albeit at better title odds than the last three seasons in the Conference South) but I think we can make some noise, especially after a successful summer recruitment campaign. Alfie Le Fondre comes in on a free to provide us with some extra fire power up front. At 29 he is on a one-year deal, but looks like he could play at least a division above still. Risvig is promoted to captain after the departure of Anthony Ashman at the expiry of his contract, and will be deputised by new signing Pelter, a Kiwi/English centre half.

The big transfer coup however was undoubtedly David Wilson, who is signed for compensation from Worthing. At £5K he represents my first expenditure as a manager, and in all honesty he looks an absolute tremendous prospect who will demand first team football straight away. I will be playing him up front, not out wide, due to his off the ball and composure attributes, and will try to get his finishing up.

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CityAndColour

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There would be no chance something like that (Adam Le Fondre) would happen in real life.

He's not even that old and signing a £500 a week contract is unbelievable but still a quality signing :thup:

I agree. I'm five years into my save and the only season he's had playing more than five games was on loan to Shrewsbury in L2 in 2014/15. He basically rotted away in Reading's reserves for three seasons, then went out on loan, then was without a club for the whole 2015/16 season, which is ludicrous given he scored 17 goals the season prior. But I'm not complaining!

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As we approach Christmas, it has been a pretty up and down season so far. In terms of points, we're exactly halfway between the play-off and relegation spots (nine from each), and finishing there would be a perfectly acceptable result. One thing we do lack is that really good central midfielder, who can run the game. Right now we're getting by on our forwards.

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I don't know why the board would be playing hard ball. I'm favoured personnel, my job status is listed as 'very secure' and my contract runs out in the summer. I can only think it's because I was offered the chance to change season expectations at the start of Jan and I went with mid-table finish to get some extra wage room, but we are mid-table.

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2016/17 - Swindon Supermarine FC - Blue Square Premier

SwindonSupermarineFC.jpg

Season Review

It was really an up and down season. We went on winning streaks and losing streaks, and we only had something like seven draws for the season, but we were never in danger of relegation and always bobbing around the top half of the table. Le Fondre was outstanding, taking out the league golden boot with 28 strikes (31 including cups), while Risvig delivered his best season yet in his first as skipper, with a league best 20 assists to go along with a dozen goals from a wing.

However, sitting a comfortable 11th and going into the final few months of my deal, the board flat out rejected a request for an extension, saying I hadn't done enough to warrant a discussion. I knew it wouldn't matter and I'd end up getting a new offer at the end of the campaign anyway, but it still rankled me. I'd led the club to a double promotion, consolidated us, given us a platform to push for league football and was even on the club's favoured personnel. Also, the board were jerks.

Of course, the request new contract option remained greyed out for the rest of the campaign. I was waiting for the new deal to be slipped under my door, when, after 45 league games had been completed, a job that interested me suddenly became available...

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2011/12 - Evo-Stik Southern Premier - 1st (promoted as champions)

2012/12 - Blue Square South - 2nd (lost in play-off semis)

2013/14 - Blue Square South - 2nd (lost in play-off semis)

2014/15 - Blue Square South - 4th (play-off and FA Trophy finalists)

2015/16 - Blue Square South - 1st (promoted as champions)

2016/17 - Blue Square Premier - 9th

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2016/17

Charity Shield: Man City (Tottenham)

Premiership: Man Utd (Leeds, Huddersfield, Bolton)

Championship: Swansea; Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Norwich (Watford, Preston, Carlisle)

League One: AFC Wimbledon; Blackpool, Brighton (Newport County, Morecambe, Coventry, Scunthorpe)

League Two: Plymouth; Shrewsbury, Northampton, York (Aldershot, Yeovil)

Conference Premier: FC United; Dover (Bury, Stevenage, Forest Green, Cheltenham)

Conference North: Darlington; Gateshead (Droylsden, Curzon Ashton, Worksop)

Conference South: Woking; Bognor Regis (Grays, Gloucester, Kingstonian)

Ryman Isthmian Premier: Lewes; Braintree (Maidstone, Dulwich Hamlet, Ilford, VCD Athletic)

Evo-Stik Northern Premier: Weymouth; Truro (Bishop's Cleeve, Totton, Halesowen, Cinderford)

Evo-Stik Southern Premier: Gainsborough; Eastwood (Leek, Hyde, Buxton, Warrington)

Ryman Isthmian Division One North: Harlow; Lowestoft (AFC Sudbury, Great Wakering)

Ryman Isthmian Division One South: Whyteleafe; Horsham (Croydon Athletic, Crawley Down)

Evo-Stik Division One North: Lancaster City; AFC Fylde (Ossett Albion, Goole)

Evo-Stik Division One South: Newcastle Town; Mickleover (Rainworth MW, Atherstone)

Evo-Stik Division One Central: Brackley; Hemel Hempstead (St Neots, Northwood)

Evo-Stik Division One South/West: Tiverton; Bideford (Poole Town, Hungerford)

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FA Cup: Everton (Chelsea)

League Cup: Stoke (Arsenal)

Johnstone's Paint: Peterborough (Bristol Rovers)

FA Trophy: FC United (Darlington)

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Champions League: Internazionale (Roma)

Europa League: Bayern Munich (Juventus)

Super Cup: Lyon (Roma)

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200px-Forest_Green_Rovers_F.C._logo.jpg

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From a career point of view, it's not really a logical move. I leave a club in a great position to push for league football for a club just relegated from the Conference National and with financial difficulties. However the beauty of the game is you can justify these kinds of decisions, and the challenge of leading my real life club out of a current crisis and up the leagues is one I couldn't resist.

Currently, the club is £270K in debt, with a bloated wage bill the biggest factor. 19 players have contracts set to expire in the off-season, and it is unlikely that any will be retained, meaning a complete squad overhaul and a likely focus on youth. However, the four players on large wages (between 1.2K and 1.7K a week) are the ones who are under contract for next season.

I've signed a two-year deal and will no doubt be expected to win promotion within that period. After taking four frustrating seasons to get out of the Conference South, I'm now back there by choice.

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