Forget Müller, here come the Magpies

[snootyjim]

[snootyjim]

What a game! We never should have let Sunderland take the game so easily, but a typical Piper (YP28) breakaway put us back on the straight and narrow.

[snootyjim]

Unbelievable...

Piper was just sensational. On the big Wembley pitch he absolutely ran riot early on, as we pitched long balls beyond the defence and he left Plymouth's defence totally stranded. They adapted tactics to stop him, and I was gutted when they eventually equalised, but we did in the shootout.

I still can't believe it, this is just incredible.

[snootyjim]

[snootyjim]

Season 16 - 2029/30

Competitions

League Table - League Positions

FA Cup - Destroyed by Boro before we could even start, but I don't really care that much!

League Cup - Again, not great and should have done better against Morecambe, but I took that risk with the reserves.

Club

Finances - Normally we get over £2m for taking part, but nothing as of yet - I'm guessing that's because we got promoted, which has made things really tough. Should start improving rapidly when we're in the Premiership though.

Facilities - So, a 17,250 capacity stadium is en route. Once we've got a bit more money I'm planning to plough some investment into improving the youth and training facilities.

Players

Squad

I'm really pleased with the squad at the moment. There are a few players down at the bottom - pretty much every early recruit excluding Blunt - who may be moved on imminently, but it all depends how well the reserves and under-18s develop. We've certainly got a lot of potential to improve, but whether we can make the jump quickly enough to the Premiership...

Nathan Haley (YP1) - Actually had another decent season, and his wage requests have been reasonable. Useful utility player, if no more.

Mike Greenwood (YP3) - Useful as an occasional backup, but this should be his last season.

Ethan Blunt (YP4) - Another good season, although he didn't score so many. Until the younger CBs improve, he's vital.

Daniel Hopper (YP7) - 11 appearances, 2 goals. If I get the opportunity, I'll try to move him on - as much it pains me, he can't hack it at this level.

Geoff Western (YP13) - Did well when required, but he's so far down the pecking order now - another playing out his final season.

Greg Williams (YP17) - Has finally been replaced. Moaning about not playing, his time at the club will soon be over.

Marcus Hopkinson (YP18) - Just 3 poor appearances in the cup - I think I'll let him go.

Neil Charnley (YP20) - Played 19 games at CM, which says more about the quality of our CMs than anything else.

Owen Bartlett (YP21) - As I suspected, finished. Stephens and Aktürk have rendered him pointless this year.

Will Hughes (YP22) - Really good season, playing excellently in both ML and up front.

Nicolas Ashton (YP23) - Didn't play, nowhere close to the other strikers. His contract won't be renewed.

Ged Scott (YP24) - Very effective at MR - he's even better up front and I probably should play him more there but it's MR where I need him.

Spencer Paul (YP25) - Not great, but I'm much happier with him than Williams (YP17). Hopefully he'll be overtaken next year by youth players.

Morton Tarr (YP26) - Pretty anonymous, but maybe when other players are released he'll get more opportunities.

Lyndon Browne (YP27) - Good season, and still improving.

Chris Piper (YP28) - Probably one of the finest seasons I've ever seen in FM for a striker. Sensational.

Neal Carter-Harris (YP29) - A little better this year, but totally in Ged Scott's shadow.

Robert Symes (YP30) - Another great year - he's really growing into the ML role.

Ross Jordan (YP31) - Much improved season - his fortunes will be really important next season, we need a strong central midfield.

Hasmet Aktürk (YP32) - Very consistent, and helped out by Stephens at LB. Now going through the English youth setup.

Jason Stephens (YP33) - Brilliant debut season - he's already one of the best players at the club.

Aaran Cook (YP34) - My best CB prospect alongside Nichols, Cook had a really strong season and was everpresent.

Stuart Hawkins (YP35) - Started excellently, especially with his 2 debut goals. Broken ankle spoiled the end, but he'll be back next year.

Former Players

Harold Radcliffe (YP8) - A second anonymous season at Wrexham.

John Carey (YP12) - Another failure to appear for Sheffield United.

Ross Burnell (YP16) - Left Colchester for Crystal Palace, still useless.

Retired Former Players

Tadhg McCormack (YP2) - 223 league appearances for the club and was valuable if not impressive. No real career after leaving.

Kenneth Adu (YP5) - Played 204 games but couldn't make the step up in league football and, failing to find a new club, retired at 22.

Junior Cochrane (YP6) - Failed to hold down a first team place, and couldn't hack it after he left either.

Harry Bryan (YP9) - Radcliffe (YP8) retrained to ML very successfully and rendered him pointless - so pointless that FM didn't save his details.

Ricky Benson (YP10) - Looked to be first choice early on, but almost instantly played out of the team. Only 49 appearances before retiring.

Thomas Pryce (YP11) - Like Benson, he looked like he'd be first choice, but never really got much of a chance and retired after leaving.

Jermaine Frear (YP14) - Scored a goal every 4 games, but he was always a backup and was quickly overtaken by new youths.

Carmine Tubbs (YP15) - Was important for a while at MR, but quickly dropped off under the challenge of Charnley and retired after leaving.

Callum Fleming (YP19) - Looked to be a valuable CM and ML backup, but quickly dropped off and never made it at Forest.

[snootyjim]

Easily my biggest connection yet, just slightly tempting!

No way I'd miss out on our first Premiership campaign though.

[deltablue]

No way I'd miss out on our first Premiership campaign though.

Quite right.

[snootyjim]

August 2030

QPR 3 - 1 Dorchester

Scott (YP24) blazed a penalty over the bar early on, and after QPR went 3-0 up, he fired a second penalty at the keeper's legs. Symes (YP30) headed in a late consolation, but we can't miss 2 penalties in a game.

Dorchester 0 - 2 Chelsea

We weren't bad, but Chelsea were on a totally different level.

Dorchester 0 - 6 Oldham (League Cup 2nd Round)

I put out the reserves, admittedly, but I've never seen anything like this. They're in League 1! We barely strung together a single attacking move.

Arsenal 5 - 0 Dorchester

As horrific runs go... thankfully we've got an easier few games coming up.

September 2030

Dorchester 3 - 3 Liverpool

Scott (YP24) put us in the lead with a penalty to make up for his misses against QPR, and Piper (YP28) added another after half-time. Liverpool pulled one back, but again Piper (YP28) struck to put us 3-1 ahead. We conceded in the 85th and 92nd minutes, very frustratingly, to throw away a potentially valuable 3 points. On the plus side, we do have the first points on the board.

Southampton 0 - 0 Dorchester

Not great, but Southampton are a good side, regular top-half team a couple of years back so I'll take.

Dorchester 2 - 1 Huddersfield

Great to get a first win on the board. Huddersfield took the lead, but in the final 10 minutes Piper (YP28) scored twice to seal a deserved victory.

October 2030

Norwich 2 - 1 Dorchester

Norwich were much better, but we held firm and eventually Scott (YP24) gave us the lead. It always seemed likely that they would score, and it was no great surprise when they equalised and then took the lead. Worse than the loss, Piper (YP28) then went off the pitch with a 2 month injury.

Dorchester 1 - 0 Blackburn

I handed Scott (YP24) a match up front in place of the injured Piper, and he grabbed the only goal of the match.

Dorchester 0 - 0 West Brom

Scott (YP24) missed his third penalty of the season in the first minute, and it probably cost us the game given how close it was.

League Table

[snootyjim]

November 2030

Man Utd 6 - 0 Dorchester

Another drubbing - it could've been a lot worse, with Man Utd going 5-0 up by the 33rd minute, but they eased off after that.

Wigan 0 - 0 Dorchester

Another decent result. Hopefully we can keep grinding these out.

Dorchester 1 - 1 Blackpool

Blackpool took the lead, but we scrambled home an equaliser through Scott (YP24). We're doing just about enough to stay out of the relegation places as things stand.

December 2030

Dorchester 2 - 2 Charlton

Cook (YP34) put us in front, but Charlton equalised almost immediately. Symes (YP30) put us back in the lead, and it looked as though we'd grab an undeserved victory until they grabbed an 86th minute equaliser.

Stoke 0 - 0 Dorchester

Stoke had a man sent off, and we had enough chances to win, but no such luck.

Dorchester 1 - 1 Leicester

Leicester took the lead just after half time, but we equalised through Scott (YP24). A long time since we've won, but at least we're earning points.

Dorchester 4 - 4 Spurs

I was expecting another drubbing against 2nd placed Spurs, but it didn't happen that way. They did get the first goal, but Piper (YP28) allowed Symes (YP30) to volley in an equaliser, then Scott (YP24) broke away from the defence and slotted a neat finish in off the post, and Jordan (YP31) smashed in a third from outside the area. Spurs pulled one back, then Scott (YP24) re-established our 2 goal lead with a penalty, but again Spurs pulled one back, before equalising in the 81st minute.

I wish we'd got the win, but it was a very good result against a top side.

Man City 4 - 0 Dorchester

Giving away 2 penalties didn't help, but City were always going to win it.

Dorchester 0 - 3 QPR

Should have done a bit better in this game, to my mind. Never looked close to scoring.

January 2031

Chelsea 4 - 0 Dorchester

Another big defeat puts us into the relegation spots. Chelsea went down to 10 men, but it didn't seem to help us much.

League Table

[cerud]

Congrats on promotion! Hope the Premier League begins to treat you better than it has so far.

[snootyjim]

Congrats on promotion! Hope the Premier League begins to treat you better than it has so far.

Thanks

We are really struggling, admittedly, but it only takes a few good results to get back on track.

[snootyjim]

January 2031

Dorchester 3 - 1 Aston Villa (FA Cup 3rd Round)

Good opportunity to get back on form - we took the lead through an own goal, and though Villa equalised, second half goals from Scott (YP24) and Cook (YP34) gave us a really important win - morale shot from abysmal to very good across the board.

Dorchester 4 - 1 Arsenal

Piper (YP28) put us in the lead after just 2 minutes, and further goals from Blunt (YP4) and Scott (YP24) put us 3-0 up. Arsenal scored to threaten a comeback, but Piper (YP28) hit back just 2 minutes later to stop them in their tracks. Great result against the 5th placed side.

Liverpool 1 - 1 Dorchester

Liverpool took the lead just after half time, but Jordan (YP31) hit a great equaliser from outside the area.

February 2031

Dorchester 1 - 2 Arsenal (FA Cup 4th Round)

We took an early lead through young centre back Nichols, but Arsenal were the better side and they turned the game around by the end of the first half, and we had no answer to them.

Dorchester 1 - 1 Southampton

Tough match against a big side. They took the lead just before half-time, and it looked like a loss until the 89th minute when Wright sneaked a valuable equaliser.

Dorchester 2 - 2 Norwich

Norwich went down to 10 men after just 10 minutes, but nonetheless went in 2-0 up at the break. Charnley (YP20) smashed home just after half-time in a rare appearance, and Jones equalised with his first goal in 18 hours of football. Can't believe the number of draws we've got so far this season.

Huddersfield 3 - 2 Dorchester

Huddersfield went 1-0 up, we equalised through Hawkins (YP35), then they went 2-1 up, we equalised through Jordan (YP31), and then they went 3-2 up but this time no equaliser. Frustrating to be so close, but not much I could have done in retrospect.

Blackburn 4 - 2 Dorchester

One own goal and a rare one from Carter-Harris (YP29) weren't enough to stop a rampant Blackburn side. Quite a while since we last won now.

League Table

[snootyjim]

Youth Intake 17 - 2030/2031

Handy group of youth prospects. The keepers aren't hugely valuable, given how well Browne (YP27) is playing, but Sylvester (YP36) will go straight into the first squad.

Smith will hopefully take over from Williams (YP17) and Bartlett (YP21) as an LB deputy, and then Murray and Browne should get opportunities in central midfield.

Doesn't particularly stand out in any area right now, but apparently could be a leading Premiership CM in the future.

[snootyjim]

March 2031

Dorchester 1 - 1 Man Utd

Piper (YP28) tapped us into the lead, but Man Utd fluked themselves level just before half-time.

West Brom 0 - 1 Dorchester

Finally, a win. Jordan (YP31) put us in the lead with a tap-in, and then West Brom had their striker sent off so we could more or less coast to the end. We'll need a few more wins to hit the 40 point mark, but it's a good start.

Dorchester 1 - 0 Wigan

Close game, with Piper (YP28) breaking the deadlock. Should have played a bit better against a team in 20th place, but any win will do.

Blackpool 3 - 3 Dorchester

Piper (YP28) opened the scoring, but Blackpool raced into a 3-1 lead. Piper (YP28) tapped home our second in the 20th minute, and then we chased for an equaliser for a long time, until Wright finally got us level. We might have got a winner late on, but it would've been harsh on Blackpool.

April 2031

Dorchester 2 - 3 Middlesbrough

Piper (YP28) put us in front after only 3 minutes with an incisive finish, and Scott (YP24) converted a penalty soon after, but Boro pulled one back and an own goal gave them an equaliser, before they took the lead in the second half. We really should have beaten them with the chances we had, but we weren't clinical enough.

Charlton 2 - 3 Dorchester

Carter-Harris (YP29) gave us the lead with a header, but Charlton almost immediately equalised and took the lead. Thankfully, they had a player sent off for 2 bookable offences after just half an hour, and as the game drew on they became increasingly tired, and we grabbed victory through a pair of Cook (YP34) and Blunt (YP4) headers.

Dorchester 1 - 0 Stoke

Close game against our nearest relegation rivals, but Piper (YP28) proved to be the difference between the two sides with his second half goal. With that win, safety is all but assured - a huge relief after so many ups and downs this season!

Leicester 1 - 1 Dorchester

Leicester were slightly stronger, and went 1-0 up shortly after the break. Not for the first time, we needed Piper (YP28) to rescue us, and that he did, securing the draw in the 71st minute.

May 2031

Spurs 0 - 4 Dorchester

No idea how this happened. Spurs are 2nd in the league, so perhaps the fact that City had already secured the league prevented them from putting too much effort in. They conceded an own goal after just 1 minute, and goals from Piper (YP28), Carter-Harris (YP29) and Blunt (YP4) completed a great win.

Dorchester 3 - 4 Man City

City put out a bit of a reserve team having already secured the title, and goals from Symes (YP30) and Nichols put us 2-1 up. A late own goal gave us a chance of getting back in the game, but City easily deserved the win.

Aston Villa 3 - 0 Dorchester

Villa took us to pieces, with their striker (usually bereft of goals) scoring a great hat-trick, and allowing us only one shot on target.

[snootyjim]

Season 17 - 2030/31

Competitions

League Table - League Positions - We survived, which is the main thing. Unsurprisingly, this is a very tough league, but we are capable of beating even good teams like Spurs. I might play a little more conservatively next season, and try to utilise Piper's pace a bit.

FA Cup - Did well to beat Villa, but Arsenal stopped us dead in our tracks.

League Cup - Unbelievable and embarrassing even now. I still have no idea what happened.

Club

Finances - Really strange year financially. Our revenue is huge now, mainly the TV money, so we're making £1-3m profit each month.

Facilities - And the effects are clear to see - we're just completing the second round of improvements to both training and youth facilities, around £13m of investment.

Players

Squad

We've let a lot of players leave on free transfers, and there are still more to go. Our facilities have moved on so far lately every graduate bar Blunt (YP4) looks useless. I'm anxious to bring through the kids from this year's youth recruitment but they're not really good enough for the first team yet. Current plan is to move on most of the dross and let the kids fill in as reserves where necessary.

Nathan Haley (YP1) - Didn't play. Really sad, as he's my first youth player, but he's kicking up a fuss about not playing, so he's on his bike.

Ethan Blunt (YP4) - I used to say that if Blunt played well, we played well. He's still first name on the teamsheet, but nowhere near as instrumental.

Daniel Hopper (YP7) - Desperately wants to leave, but no-one will take him.

Neil Charnley (YP20) - Hanging on by the skin of his teeth, until some youth players take all his opportunities.

Owen Bartlett (YP21) - Didn't play, got very upset. I'm optimistic that someone will sign him in the transfer window.

Will Hughes (YP22) - Has fallen behind youngster Wright a little in the pecking order, but not bad.

Ged Scott (YP24) - Had a good season, scoring 10 goals in his 25 starts up front. With Carter-Harris improving so quickly, I'll use him more up front next season.

Spencer Paul (YP25) - Only one start, and he was woefully bad. Not sure who will replace him, but someone needs to.

Lyndon Browne (YP27) - Did fine, no complaints at all.

Chris Piper (YP28) - No surprises that he didn't do as well in the Premiership as in the Championship, but a goal every 2 games is really impressive, and 10 assists is great as well. If he leaves, we might be screwed.

Neal Carter-Harris (YP29) - Had more opportunities at MR, but he really struggled. As one of my better players, it shows the challenge of the Premiership.

Robert Symes (YP30) - Did well, providing 9 assists and 4 goals from the left wing.

Ross Jordan (YP31) - Decent year, along with Hawkins (YP35) he's providing the strong midfield we desperately needed.

Hasmet Aktürk (YP32) - Really struggled this year. I need someone to back him up, but I've got no idea who that will be.

Jason Stephens (YP33) - Didn't make the step up too well, but he's one of my best players. The "new Stuart Pearce" apparently.

Aaran Cook (YP34) - Another who struggled, but we're really lacking depth in defence right now.

Stuart Hawkins (YP35) - Did reasonably well, hopefully him and Jordan can form a good partnership next year.

Former Players

Mike Greenwood (YP3) - Didn't play, free transferred.

Harold Radcliffe (YP8) - Moved to Wycombe, made only one appearance.

John Carey (YP12) - Another failure to appear for Sheffield United. I considered signing him when he was really unhappy, but we've got a new batch of young keepers now.

Geoff Western (YP13) - Asked for a contract termination, made sense. Several keen L1 teams.

Greg Williams (YP17) - Didn't play, free transferred.

Morton Tarr (YP26) - Didn't play, free transferred to L1 AFC Wimbledon.

Retired Former Players

Tadhg McCormack (YP2) - 223 league appearances for the club and was valuable if not impressive. No real career after leaving.

Kenneth Adu (YP5) - Played 204 games but couldn't make the step up in league football and, failing to find a new club, retired at 22.

Junior Cochrane (YP6) - Failed to hold down a first team place, and couldn't hack it after he left either.

Harry Bryan (YP9) - Radcliffe (YP8) retrained to ML very successfully and rendered him pointless - so pointless that FM didn't save his details.

Ricky Benson (YP10) - Looked to be first choice early on, but almost instantly played out of the team. Only 49 appearances before retiring.

Thomas Pryce (YP11) - Like Benson, he looked like he'd be first choice, but never really got much of a chance and retired after leaving.

Jermaine Frear (YP14) - Scored a goal every 4 games, but he was always a backup and was quickly overtaken by new youths.

Carmine Tubbs (YP15) - Was important for a while at MR, but quickly dropped off under the challenge of Charnley and retired after leaving.

Ross Burnell (YP16) - Was a useful DR/MR utility player, but couldn't keep pace with the Championship.

Marcus Hopkinson (YP18) - Struggling to play, I let him go on a free transfer, and he quickly decided he wouldn't play elsewhere and retired at 25.

Callum Fleming (YP19) - Looked to be a valuable CM and ML backup, but quickly dropped off and never made it at Forest.

Nicolas Ashton (YP23) - Didn't play, and he retired almost as soon as I let him go.

[snootyjim]

With a few of my players now involved in the youth setup, I've decided to get involved in the international side of things.

[deltablue]

Solid survival.

[cerud]

Good job on survival. The appoint to the U21s will help with youth on your domestic squad as well.

[AK22]

What a dramatic promotion to the Premier League! You must have gone through a huge mix of emotions!

Good solid survival job too

[snootyjim]

Solid survival.

Good job on survival. The appoint to the U21s will help with youth on your domestic squad as well.

Thanks

Yeah, I've been able to bring Stephens (YP33), Hawkins (YP35), Jordan (YP31) and Carter-Harris (YP29) into the squad, alongside Piper (YP28) and Scott (YP24), so we're making a big imprint on the U21 side - and none of those are undeserved places either. As soon as the position becomes available, I'm going for the England job, but I'm a bit concerned that my manager's nationality (Italian/English) might work against me.

What a dramatic promotion to the Premier League! You must have gone through a huge mix of emotions!

Good solid survival job too

Just a bit! I nearly punched through the screen when Plymouth equalised in the 90th minute, but the penalty shootout was probably even worse. One thing I must say about this save is that it has given me some of the best matches I've ever played in FM - and this one is probably right at the peak.

[snootyjim]

August 2031

Dorchester 3 - 1 Blackburn

Brilliant start to the season, with a Piper (YP28) hat-trick that started in the first minute and blew Blackburn away.

Spurs 2 - 2 Dorchester

Spurs looked strong early on, and headed in the first goal, but Piper (YP28) got a one-on-one opportunity and made no mistake with the finish, and then poked home from a Wright cross to put us in the lead going into half-time. Spurs equalised late on, but it was a great result.

Dorchester 1 - 0 Cardiff (League Cup 2nd Round)

A close match against the Championship side. Young striker Bond was released by Hopper (YP7), and managed to fire the ball past the Cardiff keeper to sneak a lucky win.

September 2031

Dorchester 0 - 0 Arsenal

Decent result against one of the league's big sides.

Latvia U21 0 - 2 England U21 (EURO Qual.)

We destroyed Latvia, and Piper (YP28) had a great game, scoring a goal in each half.

England U21 2 - 1 Finland U21 (EURO Qual.)

I gave Piper (YP28) a rest, but we lost a striker to injury and Piper (YP28) came on to give us the lead. Right-mid Turner put us 2-0 up, and despite conceding through a late penalty, we were easily the stronger side.

West Brom 2 - 0 Dorchester

Struggled away from home, West Brom were much stronger and deserved the win.

Dorchester 1 - 3 Man City

City took a very early lead, but Piper (YP28) blasted a great equaliser beyond the keeper to level the game. We looked like we could push on from there, but gave away a penalty to let City back in the game and they raced into a 3-1 lead before we could react.

Watford 2 - 0 Dorchester (League Cup 3rd Round)

Completing a third loss in a row, but for a reserve side, we actually played reasonably well. Watford were much more accurate in front of goal, and it was enough of a difference to earn them a deserved win.

Southampton 4 - 2 Dorchester

A long ball set Piper (YP28) free to give us an early lead, but Southampton scored either side of half-time to put us on the back foot, and we needed an undeserved Piper (YP28) free-kick to level the game. From there it was always a question of whether we could hang on, and in the 88th minute Southampton broke away to take the lead, and then hit us with a 92nd minute sucker-punch as we pushed for an equaliser.

League Table

[cerud]

Not a bad start. The number of draws is encouraging as you only need a minor push to get over that hurdle.

[snootyjim]

Not a bad start. The number of draws is encouraging as you only need a minor push to get over that hurdle.

A fine prediction, sir...

[snootyjim]

We started to grab a few wins, with Piper (YP28) in an absolutely tremendous vein of form. As things stand, he has 15 league goals in 17 league appearances - one more goal than he got in the whole of last season.

A bad month in December - there's no denying that. I think getting smashed 5-0 at Old Trafford knocked the stuffing out of us a bit, and it's really not surprising given the difference between the sides. Good opportunities to turn it around against West Ham and a close match at Boro, but I'm not too disappointed with the results as a whole - only two defeats, and against Utd and Chelsea I can't complain.

[deltablue]

Hopefully can pick yourself up from that bad run.

[cerud]

What is your wage budget as compared to other clubs? I expected you're still rather low? Doing well on limited resources!

[snootyjim]

Hopefully can pick yourself up from that bad run.

Doing our best, but it's proving really tough to get ourselves back into that early vein of form - Piper (YP28) is going through a terrible patch, along with Daniel Nicholas (YP37) in the centre of defence, which is bad news for the spine of the team.

What is your wage budget as compared to other clubs? I expected you're still rather low? Doing well on limited resources!

My budget is just over £14m, but I'm spending nowhere even close to that. Maybe as more of the contracts are renewed I will get closer to it (many are still on Championship salaries), but I'll still be a long way from even the worst teams.

This is the really telling screen though:

It's a miracle that we're staying in the league at all!

[snootyjim]

Still very indifferent form, but our league position is fantastic. Really need Chris Piper (YP28) to get back amongst the goals, but on the plus side Nicholas (YP37) is starting to improve at centre-back after a very shaky start. To be fair, I'm asking a lot of an 18 year old, making him my first-choice CB, but he's by far the best CB prospect we've got so I want to give him games. And his deputies are pretty woeful, so we're not missing much. Paul Cameira has been getting a few games of late - he's a Canadian international already, 9 appearances, but he's a little way behind Symes (YP30) in the pecking order.

The City games were good fun - a great draw at home that took us into a money-spinner away at the City of Manchester stadium. We got around £600k in gate receipts, which I accept isn't mind-boggling at this level, but it's still a handy lump sum. And the draw away in the league was a terrific performance, their first home draw of the season (and as things stand, their only one).

I'm not too worried about the rest of the season - we only need 3 wins from the last 11 games to break the 40 point mark. The main thing is how our new youth intake fares, given that we've improved the facilities again this season, the increase in rep if we can finish mid-table, and the new stadium move in the summer.

[snootyjim]

Youth Intake 18 - 2031/2032

Not too impressive overall, but Monks and Abreu look like quality talents - apparently Abreu is "possibly one of the best players of his generation".

I'm promoting both of them straight to the first team squad, where they will be 3rd and 4th choice behind Ged Scott (YP24) and Chris Piper (YP28).

As for the others, I'm not so sure. Gavin Hall may get opportunities in a while, but he has a long way to go.

[deltablue]

Not a bad future front pairing.

[snootyjim]

Not a bad future front pairing.

Fingers crossed. At least both of them are reasonably quick - if I can get a bit more acceleration and pace out of them that would be fantastic.

[snootyjim]

Another poor set of matches, but at least we won the final game. Piper (YP28) is still misfiring, doesn't look hugely confident at the moment. Focus, as I said, was all on next season really, so I'm not too bothered.

[snootyjim]

Season 18 - 2031/32

Competitions

League Table - League Positions - Another survival, although we spent a lot of time hovering around 10th place. We still need a few years to build our squad, but our best players are all 22 or under, and we're still improving facilities, so we should only get stronger for at least the next 10 years. Might be a bit of a slog from here on out in terms of grinding our way up the league.

FA Cup - Brief run, but we did pretty well against City in my view. Holding them at 1-1 until the 111th minute in the away tie was particularly impressive.

League Cup - I gave the youngsters a chance to earn themselves a first team place, and the cup run didn't last all too long. Probably deserved to lose against Watford, but I don't regret it.

Club

Finances - Still raking it in, around £1m per month and obviously a big leap in the off-season. Most of our money at the moment is going on upgrades and improvements to facilities. The new stadium will arrive in June, which will boost our cash even further - still not sure whether we'll fill all 17,250 seats, but I hope so.

Facilities - Yet again, more upgrades. We're up to good training and adequate youth, but both are being upgraded over the summer. I wish we could improve youth recruitment some more, but from experience it's one of the hardest to boost.

Players

Squad

Really clear how quickly we're moving at the moment. It's great to have some reinforcements up front, as beyond Scott (YP24) and Piper (YP28) we were a bit weak up front. Monks and Abreu should get a few opportunities next year to impress.

Nathan Haley (YP1) - After 537 league appearances, from the BSS through to the Premiership, this is the end of the line for the 31 year old. He made 42 appearances on loan at Bristol Rovers in League 2 this year, but only achieved an average rating of 6.6.

Ethan Blunt (YP4) - I can scarcely believe it, but one of the best players we've had at the club is now a liability. Needs some competition ASAP.

Daniel Hopper (YP7) - The 31 year old looks nothing but ponderous now, and couldn't even hack it on loan at Championship Rotherham. Hopefully he will leave over the summer.

Neil Charnley (YP20) - With the new central midfielders, Charnley can't make the first team any more. Spent the season on loan at League 1 Cambridge and was abysmal - I'll let him go this summer.

Will Hughes (YP22) - Not really very important now with the new strikers. Depending on his wage requests, I might let him go.

Ged Scott (YP24) - Really poor season, especially given that I let him play up front all year. I'll be looking to the new youngsters.

Spencer Paul (YP25) - Not playing, I'm focussing on Nicholas (YP37) and youngster Ross Browne now.

Lyndon Browne (YP27) - As always, did fine, no complaints at all.

Chris Piper (YP28) - Slowly adapting to life in the Premiership - had a great year in the England U21s and 20 goals in the league.

Neal Carter-Harris (YP29) - Another really poor year. No sign of anyone challenging him imminently.

Robert Symes (YP30) - Not too bad, but really not great. The best prospect of a challenger is the young Canadian, Paul Cameira, but it'll be a while.

Ross Jordan (YP31) - Not bad, still with time to improve.

Hasmet Aktürk (YP32) - Struggled again, but I've tended to play Blunt (YP4) in his place. Really disappointed.

Jason Stephens (YP33) - This is more like it, really growing into one of my top players. There are a few teams sniffing around him, but I should be able to keep him.

Aaran Cook (YP34) - Surprisingly good season, but he doesn't inspire me with confidence - always looks sluggish on the ball.

Stuart Hawkins (YP35) - As I hoped, he's formed a really reliable partnership with Jordan (YP31).

Caijah Sylvester (YP36) - Deputising for Jordan (YP31) and Hawkins (YP35), a decent debut season.

Daniel Nicholas (YP37) - Some really woeful form this year led to a lot of deserved criticism. He's developing at a reasonable rate, but he really needs to pick up the pace.

Former Players

John Carey (YP12) - In his 4th season at Sheff Utd, he finally made some appearances, but wasn't impressive.

Geoff Western (YP13) - Woeful season at League 1 Halifax.

Greg Williams (YP17) - Joined Hayes & Yeading in the BSS eventually, and perhaps has finally found his level.

Owen Bartlett (YP21) - Now rocking it in League 1's Brighton. More specifically their reserves.

Morton Tarr (YP26) - 41 appearances for League 1 AFC Wimbledon, but far from impressive.

Retired Former Players

Tadhg McCormack (YP2) - 223 league appearances for the club and was valuable if not impressive. No real career after leaving.

Mike Greenwood (YP3) - Made 381 league appearances, mainly at RB, and was a vital part of our journey up the leagues, but the Premiership was a step too far.

Kenneth Adu (YP5) - Played 204 games but couldn't make the step up in league football and, failing to find a new club, retired at 22.

Junior Cochrane (YP6) - Failed to hold down a first team place, and couldn't hack it after he left either.

Harold Radcliffe (YP8) - 342 appearances, primarily on the left wing. He was a terrific player when on form, but couldn't keep pace with our rise up the leagues. Never re-established himself after leaving.

Harry Bryan (YP9) - Radcliffe (YP8) retrained to ML very successfully and rendered him pointless - so pointless that FM didn't save his details.

Ricky Benson (YP10) - Looked to be first choice early on, but almost instantly played out of the team. Only 49 appearances before retiring.

Thomas Pryce (YP11) - Like Benson, he looked like he'd be first choice, but never really got much of a chance and retired after leaving.

Jermaine Frear (YP14) - Scored a goal every 4 games, but he was always a backup and was quickly overtaken by new youths.

Carmine Tubbs (YP15) - Was important for a while at MR, but quickly dropped off under the challenge of Charnley and retired after leaving.

Ross Burnell (YP16) - Was a useful DR/MR utility player, but couldn't keep pace with the Championship.

Marcus Hopkinson (YP18) - Struggling to play, I let him go on a free transfer, and he quickly decided he wouldn't play elsewhere and retired at 25.

Callum Fleming (YP19) - Looked to be a valuable CM and ML backup, but quickly dropped off and never made it at Forest.

Nicolas Ashton (YP23) - Didn't play, and he retired almost as soon as I let him go.

[snootyjim]

Who wouldn't want that job offer? Why, a man on a mission of course

And at the end of the summer, I was offered the Italy job as well - I'm holding out for England though, to help the young English stars at the club.

[snootyjim]

Unlucky to again draw Man City in the cup, but a very reasonable attempt. It sent us on a pretty poor run for a while, but were terrific against West Brom, fighting back from 4-1 down to level at 4-4, before West Brom finally won it in the 89th minute. Very harsh, but we responded well, destroying league leaders Chelsea at home and then restricting Man Utd to a draw.

Chris Piper (YP28) has been absolutely sensational, 13 goals in 10 games, and Ged Scott (YP24) has contributed 6 in 12. If they keep up an attacking partnership like this, we'll do well this season.

[cerud]

Monk's speed will be great up front A good finish overall, especially when looking at how you squad matches up to others. That comparision really puts things in perspective!

[snootyjim]

Monk's speed will be great up front A good finish overall, especially when looking at how you squad matches up to others. That comparision really puts things in perspective!

I hope so - I'm giving him a lot of opportunities to impress this season, decided to focus on him over Abreu for the moment.

And thanks - I'm still not really sure why we're doing so well, but every time I check the Team Talk Feedback the players are "willing to die for each other", and I figure that must be having a significant effect.

[snootyjim]

A very strange month. Dropped points in poor style against Bolton, Norwich, Liverpool and Leicester. Don't get me wrong, they're not poor teams (strangely enough), but we just had a habit of working ourselves up to a good scoreline and then totally switching off, or falling to pieces early on and spending an eternity trying to fight back from insurmountable early blows.

On the flipside, we drew 0-0 to 1st place Arsenal, and beat 2nd placed Man City 2-1 at home. The City game really was unbelievable - almost a typical City tie for me, where we managed to hit them on the break and then make the rest of the game in a long, hard slog. This time though, we actually held on a for a win, which is fantastic.

Our league position is a little disappointing, but if you look at the table it's also very deceiving. We might be 15th, but we're 8 points clear of 16th, and only 6 points from 9th place. Fingers crossed, we can grab a few more wins and start to really compete for the middle-ground.

[deltablue]

Still not too much to worry about in terms of survival.

[snootyjim]

Still not too much to worry about in terms of survival.

Yeah, we seem relatively safe as things stand. It's hard to see any rapid improvement in the quality of the side, but long-term we've got a long way to go, as we keep improving the squad year on year. On the downside, that could mean another 10+ seasons before we reach our peak and genuinely have a stab at the league.

I'm trying not to think about that

[snootyjim]

Really great couple of months, started by an appalling result against bottom of the table Charlton. I ripped into the side, and they genuinely responded.

Piper (YP28) is absolutely on fire, and he's now up to 28 goals in 31 appearances. The only slight problem is that we've taken a few injury hits of late. Caijah Sylvester (YP36) and Jason Stephens (YP33) have both been out for a while, but should be back soon - Ged Scott (YP24) on the other hand is out for the rest of the season. I'll be sending Leon Monks (YP38) into the fray, but he's still very young and it's a huge ask. If it pays off though, it will be a heck of a result.

And of course, we're doing pretty well in the cup. We've been lucky enough to draw some poor sides so far as opponents, but even so, I'm hoping that we can keep going.

[snootyjim]

Youth Intake 19 - 2032/2033

Bizarre intake, specifically the two strikers/defenders. I'll be focussing them on DC training, and hopefully along with Thompson they can provide a new generation of defenders to take over from Spencer Paul (YP25), Aaran Cook (YP34) and Ethan Blunt (YP4).

Howell will really struggle, since Jason Stephens (YP33) is a great player who will be playing every single game, and even if he's injured I'll be handing opportunities to Graham Smith. That only really leaves Dickens, who will be joining Matthew Fraser, Elliott Gordon and Keith Jackson in the "promising backup goalkeepers" category.

Matteo Vinciguerra is an English/Italian striker/defender from Plymouth, predicted to be "the new Alan Shearer". Well, that all makes sense.

[snootyjim]

Not a great final month, but some great results against Wolves and Norwich. We were extremely unlucky against Man Utd to lose the FA Cup Semi-Final in extra time, but there you go. As you can see, Piper (YP28) was as usual the main player, although it was nice to see Monks (YP38) getting on the scoresheet against Fulham.

[snootyjim]

Season 19 - 2032/33

Competitions

League Table - League Positions - Another rise up the leagues, this time 12th place. Admittedly slow, but I'm glad to see us improving. On our day, we can genuinely compete with the best sides now.

FA Cup - Brilliant run, and we were unbelievably unlucky to concede in extra-time - I really thought we could make it to penalties, and then, who knows. We earned a fortune from this run, well over £3m, mainly from the Wembley gate receipts in the semi.

League Cup - Great win to start with against Kidderminster, but yet again drawing Man City in the cup was a pretty unlucky move and I never expected any other result.

Club

Finances - Another great year financially. We've funded improvements to training and youth facilities, plus the stadium, and still turned a big profit.

Facilities - The stadium is being increased in capacity to 25,875 which is great news. We've been 94% full this season, and could be earning a lot more money from the big games. This is much more like a proper Premiership stadium.

Players

Squad

I'm hoping that Westley and Vinciguerra will adapt quickly to the centre-back role, given that both of them have the strange CB/ST mix. The squad overall is looking a lot stronger, with main weaknesses at DR and ML. Having said that, we do have some decent players in both positions - Aktürk and Blunt at DR, and Symes and Cameira at ML.

Ethan Blunt (YP4) - Decent season, certainly less of a liability. I normally play him on the right of defence now, but he's been excellent in the centre.

Daniel Hopper (YP7) - Didn't play, will leave this summer on a free.

Will Hughes (YP22) - Didn't play, got very upset, another that will be leaving.

Ged Scott (YP24) - Much better this year, with a goal every 3 games. A reliable partner for Piper.

Spencer Paul (YP25) - Didn't play, another to leave.

Lyndon Browne (YP27) - As always, did fine, no complaints at all.

Chris Piper (YP28) - Even better season, 35 goals in 43 appearances. Particularly the 14 in 7 games in the cup were terrific.

Neal Carter-Harris (YP29) - Again, another really poor year. No sign of anyone challenging him imminently.

Robert Symes (YP30) - A bit better, he's certainly adequate - a long way from being standout though.

Ross Jordan (YP31) - Still slowly improving, but far from controlling the play from midfield.

Hasmet Aktürk (YP32) - Still really disappointing, and I can't for the life of me figure out why.

Jason Stephens (YP33) - Still not breaking any records in terms of performances, but he's clearly a phenomenal prospect.

Aaran Cook (YP34) - Decent, but no more. Not sure whether he'll stay beyond next season.

Stuart Hawkins (YP35) - Starting to grow into a very capable player.

Caijah Sylvester (YP36) - Still very much in Hawkins and Jordan's shadow, but nonetheless a decent deputy. Still lots of room to improve.

Daniel Nicholas (YP37) - Another rubbish season from a very capable player. He's certainly young for a centre-back, but I expect better.

Former Players

Nathan Haley (YP1) - Doesn't look good. He was released, but nobody picked him up. Sad end for a good player.

Greg Williams (YP17) - Another decent season in the BSS, glad he's forged a new career for himself.

Owen Bartlett (YP21) - Really struggling in League 1 for Brighton.

Morton Tarr (YP26) - Now at Swindon after leaving AFC Wimbledon, but not doing well.

Retired Former Players

Tadhg McCormack (YP2) - 223 league appearances for the club and was valuable if not impressive. No real career after leaving.

Mike Greenwood (YP3) - Made 381 league appearances, mainly at RB, and was a vital part of our journey up the leagues, but the Premiership was a step too far.

Kenneth Adu (YP5) - Played 204 games but couldn't make the step up in league football and, failing to find a new club, retired at 22.

Junior Cochrane (YP6) - Failed to hold down a first team place, and couldn't hack it after he left either.

Harold Radcliffe (YP8) - 342 appearances, primarily on the left wing. He was a terrific player when on form, but couldn't keep pace with our rise up the leagues. Never re-established himself after leaving.

Harry Bryan (YP9) - Radcliffe (YP8) retrained to ML very successfully and rendered him pointless - so pointless that FM didn't save his details.

Ricky Benson (YP10) - Looked to be first choice early on, but almost instantly played out of the team. Only 49 appearances before retiring.

Thomas Pryce (YP11) - Like Benson, he looked like he'd be first choice, but never really got much of a chance and retired after leaving.

John Carey (YP12) - Spent a long time as our first-choice keeper, but lost his place to Lyndon Browne (YP27). Never established himself after leaving.

Geoff Western (YP13) - Was a very useful striker for a long time, and almost moved to CM, but others overtook him and he never caught up.

Jermaine Frear (YP14) - Scored a goal every 4 games, but he was always a backup and was quickly overtaken by new youths.

Carmine Tubbs (YP15) - Was important for a while at MR, but quickly dropped off under the challenge of Charnley and retired after leaving.

Ross Burnell (YP16) - Was a useful DR/MR utility player, but couldn't keep pace with the Championship.

Marcus Hopkinson (YP18) - Struggling to play, I let him go on a free transfer, and he quickly decided he wouldn't play elsewhere and retired at 25.

Callum Fleming (YP19) - Looked to be a valuable CM and ML backup, but quickly dropped off and never made it at Forest.

Neil Charnley (YP20) - Was a useful MR and MC for years, but couldn't make the step up to the Premiership.

Nicolas Ashton (YP23) - Didn't play, and he retired almost as soon as I let him go.

[snootyjim]

England U21 - 2033 U21 Championship

We played some brilliant football early on, taking every single point available in the qualifying group. We relied heavily on top players like our Chris Piper (YP28) and Norwich's Carl Howells, but by the time the competition proper came around, that generation had all become too old to compete, and we were left with a far less talented group of players. We earned a good win against Sweden, and were unbelievably unlucky to be defeated by both Italy and Germany, with late goals sealing both wins, but you've got to perform against top teams like these.

Decent set of results though, and fingers crossed a tick in a box somewhere for when the England job comes up.

[snootyjim]

The first club legend to retire:

[deltablue]

They grow up so fast.

[snootyjim]

Admittedly, it doesn't look great, but looks can be deceiving. We weren't at the races in the first game against Villa, but otherwise our only league losses were to Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City. We shouldn't have lost to Wolves, but youngster Ross Browne got himself sent off after just 23 minutes, which caused us major problems. We took the lead on three occasions, but each time Wolves equalised, and they then hit the winner in the 112th minute. Mind you, it's only the league cup.

On the plus side, Leon Monks, Ben Abreu, Matteo Vinciguerra and Bradley Westley have all had terrific starts to the season, which bodes extremely well for the future. We're looking much stronger in the centre of defence and up front already.

[snootyjim]

Mixed month, with the expected losses against Liverpool and Man Utd, but great result against Boro. In all honesty we're following a pretty predictable path of mediocrity, but the squad as a whole is really going places at the moment.

I'm trying where possible to bleed in new talent, and there's no doubt it's costing us games. We've had 5 red cards already this season, mostly from really stupid tackles that flew in from frustrated youngsters - and this team with 10 men isn't beating many opponents. Having said that, I think it's the right path to take, just might take some time.

[snootyjim]

Really pleasing month. The loss against Blackpool was very frustrating, given that it would have propelled us into 10th place, but I can't really complain. As always, Piper (YP28) has been hugely influential, but Stephens, Scott, Akturk and Hawkins have all been very good as well. I'm particularly pleased for Scott and Akturk, who have been poor so far this season - would be great to have them back on form.