FM14: West Bromwich Albion - Boinging into Europe!!

[robwesty85]

INTRODUCTION

This is my first ever attempt at a team guide, so I hope it ticks all the right boxes for what people are looking for. Been a long term player since CM97/98 and a regular browser of these forums and think this is the best way to get more involved with the community.

WHY WEST BROMWICH ALBION?

The Baggies are a very attractive proposition as a Managerial adventure. The financial structure at the club is extremely solid. As much as us Baggies fans like to moan at times about Jeremy Peace he has ran a very financially sound football club and in the last 3 years his vision of how to run a football club has come to fruition. But still don't expect to get millions every transfer window to invest. Just like in real life the Transfer and Wage Budgets aren't massive. But I also think this could make a takeover of the club extremely possible as there is no debt hanging over the club. As the title of my thread states getting this club into Europe should be the very short term goal. I see no reason why in the first season a Europa League finish is not possible. After that with correct management who knows how far this club can go.

Facilities aren't too shabby either. Potential for some good youth players to come through. Stadium in real life still has some expansion possible

BOARDS EXPECTATIONS

Even though I think Europa is possible I still go with Mid - Table as its less pressure and the finances for higher positions aren't exactly exciting figures anyway

FINANCES

As already mentioned the club is ran extremely well on the financial side of things. Whilst Mr Peace is still at the helm the club it will never go in the red and you will get modest transfer money to spend. But like I have already mentioned this may make a takeover very appealing to an investor. There is only really Anelka on big wages. But I would expect the likes of Yacob and Mulumbu who you need to tie down to fend off interest to want big bucks for a new contract.

[robwesty85]

THE SQUAD

Here is your dream team! The squad in general I think is quite good. Alot better than what we had last season although we are missing that one key ingredient Lukaku.

GOALKEEPERS

No need to worry about replacing Ben Foster for the foreseeable future. Even if you break into the Top 4 the guy will be your No. 1 even then. Backup wise Myhill and for the short term Camp are exactly that Backup and only really to be used if you have no choice. So maybe a young replacement who you see as a long term successor to Foster could be a worthwhile target. Who that is though I dont know myself yet.

KEY GOALKEEPER - BEN FOSTER

FULLBACKS

I would say the weakest area in this current squad. Billy Jones I have grown to like over the last season IRL and looks like he will be a decent full back on FM14. Depending on your feelings towards Billy in the game you may want to strengthen at Right Back. For me replacing Reid as backup is more important. Again maybe look at a young RB to replace Reid. Left backs I would terminate Popovs loan deal to save the wages and look at getting in a replacement for Ridgewell. Liam could be a good squad player though with his versatility. Left back target someone like Bertrand. Biggest problem is with your budgets your not gonna be able to get the correct replacements in in this first window. So it might be a case of needs must and sticking with Ridgewell until you can open up Jeremys wallet!

No real Key Player of not for me.

CENTREBACKS

A very strong area for Albion. McAuley and Olsson are two towering mountains at the back and Jonas has something about him with the ball at his feet. Can pick a pass out well at times but I still wouldnt play him as a ball playing defender. Lugano is very good back up for these two and the young and ever improving Craig Dawson could easily replace Jonas or Gareth within a season. Pace at the back is one thing the squad is lacking but for me Centreback signings will be one thing you wont have to worry about for a while. Also get rid of Tamas who is in the reserves I can see you getting £1million for him easily, gets him off the wage bill and a few more pound notes for the transfer budget.

KEY CENTREBACK - JONAS OLSSON

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS

Yacob and Mulumbu will dominate the majority of Premier League teams for you. Yacob will get stuck in and keep it simple, Mulumbu is quite similar can win you the ball back easy but he has a bit more about him when he has the ball. Can strike the ball well and will chip in with goals. Getting these two to sign new deals is imperative. You also have a good young DM in George Thorne. With the right coaching he could be capable of replacing your two star men.

KEY DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER - YOUSSOUF MULUMBU

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Probably the strongest area of this squad. Your problem is how do you fit as much of the quality in as you can with the likes of Sessegnon, Amalfitano, Morrison, Brunt and Sinclair. You also have Anelka who can play in behind the striker and Berahino who can play on any wing or up front. I would consider selling Brunt and Dorrans to free up some case to improve that left back spot. I think the key with the Attacking Midfield positions will be to get the best out of Sessegnon, the guy is so classy and skilful and will chip in with goals and assists all season.

KEY ATTACKING MIDFIELDER - SESSEGNON

STRIKERS

Kind of a weak area for scoring goals I would say. Long and Anelka arent prolific. Berahino you may want to send out on loan for a season. Vydra is an unknown in the Premier League. Get rid of Rosenberg to free up more wages but I doubt a big transfer figure would come your way for him. If you could sign someone like Mitrovic by wheeling and dealing he would be a potent weapon infront of Sessegnon, Anelka etc

KEY STRIKER - NICOLAS ANELKA

He could be a massive player for you or could be just as big of a flop

POSSIBLE STAR OF THE FUTURE - SAIDO BERAHINO

With the right coaching and development this boy could turn into a world beater. Id like to see in the future of this thread how good some of you make Saido

TACTICS

I am a massive lover of the sliders being gone. It is something I have asked to be wiped from the game for easily the last 5 years. Playing about with the new tactics I came up with this for pre season. Looks awfully strange but results wise its been good. A 6-1 win and a 5-0 win against lower rep opposition but its working as I want it too. Good ball retention and playing to our strengths. Only problem at the minute is we keep the ball too much in the oppos box and instead of going for a shot when were in the 18 yard box were still looking to pass, so gonna use pre season to iron that out

One last note. Dean Kiely is the only member of the backroom staff worth keeping.

Hope you have all enjoyed my first ever venture into a team guide. Didnt realise how much work went into one and mine isnt anywhere near like some of the great ones I have read on here. Good luck if you decide to take on the challenge of the mighty Baggies and get Boinging into Europe!! BOING BOING!!

[Fubz]

Was waiting for some one to start a Baggies thread!

Would suggest to any one that starts a save with West Brom to tie down Yacob & Mulumbu, also, Berahino looks a very good prospect on FM this year (as well as IRL).

Will defo keep my eye on this thread and will be over here once I get bored with my Shakthar save!

[MichaelBrown]

Can't wait to see the finished piece!

[robwesty85]

Was waiting for some one to start a Baggies thread!

Would suggest to any one that starts a save with West Brom to tie down Yacob & Mulumbu, also, Berahino looks a very good prospect on FM this year (as well as IRL).

Will defo keep my eye on this thread and will be over here once I get bored with my Shakthar save!

Totally agree mate, Yacob and Mulumbu need tying down. They both attract interest from Liverpool and Benfica at the start. Berahino looks like he could be a star. Im looking at using him in pre season and then loaning him out to the championship for a season but to one that is looking like top of the table challengers. Hope you come and give the Baggies ago real soon. Take it your fan as your local as well. BOING BOING!

[robwesty85]

Can't wait to see the finished piece!

All finished now mate. Hope its good and hope you like it, like I said in the OPs this is my first ever go at anything like this. The career threads is my next aim in a way as its some of the posts on there that reignited my love for FM.

[Fubz]

Totally agree mate, Yacob and Mulumbu need tying down. They both attract interest from Liverpool and Benfica at the start. Berahino looks like he could be a star. Im looking at using him in pre season and then loaning him out to the championship for a season but to one that is looking like top of the table challengers. Hope you come and give the Baggies ago real soon. Take it your fan as your local as well. BOING BOING!

Yup, season ticket holder mate!

Thread looks good as well, nice work!

[robwesty85]

Nearly through pre season because I had to restart my original save! Really enjoying it this year more than any other year of managing the Baggies. Sometimes find it difficult to manage my own team for some bizarre reason. Couple more snip bits. Popov can definitely go and I would say let Vydras loan be terminated too. Too many strikers at the club when playing 1 up front is the realistic way forward but I have had a nice result in pre season with a 4-1-2-1-2 (havent used that formation since CM01/02!). Also another midfielder in the style of Yacob and Mulumbu is a must because if one gets injured then it will cause problems. Ideally you always want those two together because of your strength in the AM positions. Let your 3 Ams do what they need to and allow Yacob and Mulumbu to clear up for them! Will post an update when I finish pre season. Come on people come and start a Baggies save.

[Fubz]

If you're looking for another midfield battler like Yacob & Mulumbu i'd go for Franco Zuculini, on a free at the start & looks a pretty decent player on FM this year. Could also go for Honda as a more rounded playmaker type CM, also on a free (would arrive in Jan) or just pay around 1.5m to get him from the off!

Would also recommend looking for a new LB & CB (rotation to start, possible replacement for G Mac). George Thorne looks pretty good this year as well, my scout at Shakhtar rates him as 4* PA (18/18) so defo worth giving him game time. Donervan Daniels always turns out as a decent backup CB as well, so worth keeping around, just get either Olsson or G Mac to tutor him.

From the few seasons I managed on the beta Shane Long was insane upfront for me, finished the 1st season top scorer in the league with 24, wish he was that prolific IRL!

[Jamo456]

Just starting a save with West Brom, really like the look of certain parts of the squad and they are a club with a lot of potential in my eyes.

Some players I'll be looking at getting rid of as soon as I can though. Sessegnon doesn't really fit into the type of player I'm looking for and there are a couple of other high earners that I don't really want in Lugano and Anelka. Will be utilising all three first season though in all likelihood.

In the long term, I'll be aiming to develop a young, home grown core to the side with Dawson, Thorne and Berahino, as well as any others that come through, or I sign.

Has anybody else gone about restructuring the staff at the club, thinking of doing so but staff members aren't something I have a massive knowledge of?

[robwesty85]

If you're looking for another midfield battler like Yacob & Mulumbu i'd go for Franco Zuculini, on a free at the start & looks a pretty decent player on FM this year. Could also go for Honda as a more rounded playmaker type CM, also on a free (would arrive in Jan) or just pay around 1.5m to get him from the off!

Would also recommend looking for a new LB & CB (rotation to start, possible replacement for G Mac). George Thorne looks pretty good this year as well, my scout at Shakhtar rates him as 4* PA (18/18) so defo worth giving him game time. Donervan Daniels always turns out as a decent backup CB as well, so worth keeping around, just get either Olsson or G Mac to tutor him.

From the few seasons I managed on the beta Shane Long was insane upfront for me, finished the 1st season top scorer in the league with 24, wish he was that prolific IRL!

I did fancy the look of Honda but still feel we need someone more defensive minded. Big fan of Geoge Thorne but because he starts off injured I was considering a quick loan spell out until Jan. Also I want to sell one of Dorrans or Brunt just to be able to get in a left back (Signed a mediocre one on a free after terminating Popovs loan) but I cant sell either, in pre season they have played to well. So I might just have to see how they pan out up until Jan and pretty much stick with what I have. Long has played great for me, got the only goal in our 1-0 win against West Ham in the first game of the season. Agree with you on Daniels on FM13 at least he broke into my first team. So just monitoring him on this game to see how he progresses, again a loan spell might be the answer here.

[robwesty85]

Just starting a save with West Brom, really like the look of certain parts of the squad and they are a club with a lot of potential in my eyes.

Some players I'll be looking at getting rid of as soon as I can though. Sessegnon doesn't really fit into the type of player I'm looking for and there are a couple of other high earners that I don't really want in Lugano and Anelka. Will be utilising all three first season though in all likelihood.

In the long term, I'll be aiming to develop a young, home grown core to the side with Dawson, Thorne and Berahino, as well as any others that come through, or I sign.

Has anybody else gone about restructuring the staff at the club, thinking of doing so but staff members aren't something I have a massive knowledge of?

I am very disappointed in Sessegnon so far. Looking at him I thought he was gonna be ideal as one of my three behind long but he has been very poor in pre season and one league game. May have to assess his credentials in due time, fingers crossed he will come good. Anelka is surprisingly good I play him behind Long as a Shadow Striker and he has been fantastic. Lugano I would just keep as back up, but Dawson is the man who is always on the bench for me to replace G Mac or Olsson.

Like I said in my OP I only kept Dean Kiely on as GK Coach as he is very good, I always look to him when Im at other clubs on previous FMs. All the other coaching staff are quite poor. I replaced Kevin Keen with Henk ten Cate too and all the other staff I just searched for better staff for each area of training. So I would definitely recommend looking at the backroom staff, I also had to ask Peace for an extra few coaches spots which he agreed to.

[robwesty85]

Pre season went very well for me. I never bother about results just about liking what I see on the screen in play and we played well and its now being transferred into the start of the season. Got one more game before transfer window shuts so will post an update then.

[robwesty85]

Poor transfer window in all honesty. But I couldnt decide who to sell as Dorrans has now kicked Sessegnon out the team and Brunt has been an important squad player so far and I would only sell Mulumbu or Yacob for £20mil plus. dos Santos I bought in on loan as I am intrigued by two new roles this season (Enganche and Regista) dos Santos is defo potentially a great Regista. Berahino I have given a new contract to and I cant loan him out as he has been impressive in the league off the bench and got a hat trick in the league cup in his first start just like IRL. All I want to do know is have a good season and realistically I need to wait til next summer to have money to spend, fingers crossed

Been a nice solid start to the season. West Ham at home could have gone either way but we scored nice and early and just played a good game with West Ham out for the three points. Fulham was a nice away point. Early on in the season when im still working on fitness I will take an away point against anyone.

Colchester in the League Cup was a completely new 11 to see what everyone else can do. Berahino hat trick and 3 assists for Dorrans was a nice little reminder to me.

Spurs at home. It was never a 1-3 game. We should have gone at least 2-0 up. But they only got their equaliser in the 70th minute and then got another one straight away to take the lead. The third was just because I was pushing for a point we so richly deserved.

Now the season starts proper for me after the International break and training has been turned more into League mode is where I look to start my season. Just wish it wasnt Man U away next! Wish me luck!

[robwesty85]

Off topic obviously but why are my screenshots such poor quality!?! Can hardly read the text on the fixtures

[Jamo456]

I am very disappointed in Sessegnon so far. Looking at him I thought he was gonna be ideal as one of my three behind long but he has been very poor in pre season and one league game. May have to assess his credentials in due time, fingers crossed he will come good. Anelka is surprisingly good I play him behind Long as a Shadow Striker and he has been fantastic. Lugano I would just keep as back up, but Dawson is the man who is always on the bench for me to replace G Mac or Olsson.

Like I said in my OP I only kept Dean Kiely on as GK Coach as he is very good, I always look to him when Im at other clubs on previous FMs. All the other coaching staff are quite poor. I replaced Kevin Keen with Henk ten Cate too and all the other staff I just searched for better staff for each area of training. So I would definitely recommend looking at the backroom staff, I also had to ask Peace for an extra few coaches spots which he agreed to.

Cheers for the advice mate, will bear all that in mind. It is my intention to keep Anelka for a season but after that I want to focus on developing Berahino and Vydra who I hope to sign permanently.

I think with the staff, I'll look to develop my backroom slowly rather than overhauling it straight off.

[Seahawks]

I am very disappointed in Sessegnon so far. Looking at him I thought he was gonna be ideal as one of my three behind long but he has been very poor in pre season and one league game. May have to assess his credentials in due time, fingers crossed he will come good. Anelka is surprisingly good I play him behind Long as a Shadow Striker and he has been fantastic. Lugano I would just keep as back up, but Dawson is the man who is always on the bench for me to replace G Mac or Olsson.

Like I said in my OP I only kept Dean Kiely on as GK Coach as he is very good, I always look to him when Im at other clubs on previous FMs. All the other coaching staff are quite poor. I replaced Kevin Keen with Henk ten Cate too and all the other staff I just searched for better staff for each area of training. So I would definitely recommend looking at the backroom staff, I also had to ask Peace for an extra few coaches spots which he agreed to.

Sessy has been good for me so far, playing him as a winger, he just does his skills flies past them and crosses it in.

[robwesty85]

Sessy has been good for me so far, playing him as a winger, he just does his skills flies past them and crosses it in.

Which side doe you play him as a Winger mate? In my last game against Everton I bought him on after half hour as Anelka was frustrating me and I played Sessy on the left wing as an Advanced Playmaker and he played really quite well. Much better than when he was central

[robwesty85]

Cheers for the advice mate, will bear all that in mind. It is my intention to keep Anelka for a season but after that I want to focus on developing Berahino and Vydra who I hope to sign permanently.

I think with the staff, I'll look to develop my backroom slowly rather than overhauling it straight off.

Im beginning to lose patience with Nic, wise I had kept Vydra now even though he played poor for me in pre season I think I jumped the gun to quick. Berahino is fantastic and I do really wanna loan him out still but I cant afford to lose him as I have Long (playing good), Anichebe (no appearances yet) and Anelka (I might get banned for what I want to say!). I would love to send Berahino out to a top Championship club and let him loose.

[Seahawks]

Right winger attack He has 11 assist out of 10 games

[Fubz]

Cheers for the advice mate, will bear all that in mind. It is my intention to keep Anelka for a season but after that I want to focus on developing Berahino and Vydra who I hope to sign permanently.

I think with the staff, I'll look to develop my backroom slowly rather than overhauling it straight off.

Keep an eye out for Goofy, Pluto, Donald & Daffy for your backroom staff mate (if you're a Baggies fan you'll get the inside joke!).

In the beta I played Sess as a Treq with dribble more as a player instruction, was my best player along side Long in the 1st season.

Will probably start my Baggies save in the next week or 2, can't wait as we have a very good squad this year on FM!

[robwesty85]

Keep an eye out for Goofy, Pluto, Donald & Daffy for your backroom staff mate (if you're a Baggies fan you'll get the inside joke!).

In the beta I played Sess as a Treq with dribble more as a player instruction, was my best player along side Long in the 1st season.

Will probably start my Baggies save in the next week or 2, can't wait as we have a very good squad this year on FM!

Haha that made me chuckle. I love Jose aswell but he has really p***ed me off with that comment. Just our luck to have a Villa fan reffing our game!

Gonna try and get Sess clicking now. Lazy git for me at the minute!

[robwesty85]

Finally starting to get a bit more fluidity about our formation and the results are showing. My 3 behind the striker has changed again and these boys are starting to play well, even Sess.

Long (AF)

Sinclair (Wa) Morrison (APs) Sessegnon (Wa)

My last result last night was a 4-0 thrashing of the Vile away from home with a Long hat trick and before that a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich at home.

Anelka I am giving up on, hes just a bench player now but sometimes not even that. In Jan I would love to get rid of him to free up the wages and get another stirker in allowing me to send Saido out on loan as he is showing glimpses but I cant afford to have him just be an unused sub week in week out.

[robwesty85]

Been a while since I have been back on. But managed to finish my first season last night. A good solid 10th Place finish. Could have been so much better though. Will post some screenies when I get back from work. At one point with 10 games to go we could have gone 1 point behind 7th place but a stupid game at home to the Vile saw us draw 2-2 with 9 men after taking the lead twice!! Berahino has come on well this season and so as George Thorne. Dorrans has been a surprise package and Long has been a surprise package but not in a good way. Anichebe has been miles better than him. Big clear out in the summer now, always love the second pre season its when I can truly stamp my style on the squad. Myhill, Reid, Mozza, Brunt, Sess and Long will all be gone. If I can sign Mitrovic I would be delighted but Anderlecht at the minute want stupid money. Like I say I will post some proper stuff up later but I just wanted to put this on to let you all know how I finished our first season.

[TH-786]

Nice to see a a good west brom forum, last years wasn't that great. Third year running I am taking the reigns of the Baggies even though I do not support them. Had a clearout in the FIRST pre season that was off the richter scale. Brought in much less, so CM/LW/LB depth is an issue ATM. Heres a SS.

Currently 12th after 9 games, with an impressive back to back win vs Chelsea in the Prem and League Cup. Tried to incorporate a Dortmund "counterpressing" style which is working to some degree so added a more defensive touch from the Sacchi Era as the defense isn't that great for speed and a super high line.

Key Player for me is no doubt Scott Sinclair, LW inside forward and penalty specialist.

[robwesty85]

Some nice incomings there TH. Wish I had bought Honda in. I had a chance to but cancelled the deal for some stupid reason. Really wanted Balanta but just couldnt get the funds together. Thankfully because of the FB ratings bug. Ridgewell was second best player in the league Av. Rating wise behind Rat for West Ham! I couldnt get a tune out of Sinclair, tried him as an Inside Forward aswell but to no avail so hell be going back to Man City in the summer. I cant wait to get back on my game, I was hoping to update my thread on here more this weekend but I got dragged into DIY by the wife so had no free time this weekend and Im at the match tonight so I wont be getting back to my home computer til tomorrow after work!! COYB!! Lets thrash the Vile!! BOING BOING.

[Fubz]

Poor performance from us last night, Clarke has no tactical sense at all & Lambert/Villa deserved a point for being brave! Just hope we don't renew Clarke's contract in Jan, 6m for Anichebe who is injury prone & can't score & keeps our best prospect in 30 odd years on the bench! Joke!!

Any ways, starting my Baggies save this week, time to shift the deadwood!

[robwesty85]

Dont get me started on the game Monday night mate. Wish I had stayed in The Vine and watched it on the tele! Poor Long was shattered after 70 mins would have been perfect time to put Berahino on to cause their defence problems. In the end a draw was the right result, both teams as poor as each other! At least I met Paul Scharner though so that was a plus point of the night lol.

Look forward to seeing how your Albion save goes mate. I will definitely at some point tonight post some more on here, just got completely dragged away from FM for the last week with one thing or another. COYB!!!!

[robwesty85]

Thats how the table ended up for me in the first season. Like I said before could have been so much better. Something I am aiming to do for sure next season is push for Europa League without doubt. Like I said previously the second pre season is when I make more of a clearout of players. Brunt, Long, Sess and Morrison will all be off. I bought in Daehli in January and he is the guy my midfield will be built around with Yacob and Mulumbu. Just hope Peace gives me some dollar for the summer

[robwesty85]

Right then first dilemma of the summer. Letting Long go because I took the option out on his contract for an extra year but that will only take him up to the end of the second season and his wage demands are ridiculous. As you can see from my table Fulham have been relegated and I can get Berbatov for peanuts, wages are a little more excessive but he could be that little spark upfront we need to add a bit of class, I have Anichebe and Berahino who are excellent at what they do, but Berbatov could just add that touch of flair to push us into Europe. So what do you all reckon to getting Dimi in? Have already signed Munoz for £3mil in the summer and I could see him and Dawson replacing Jonas and G Mac very soon. Also got to get a left winger and a right winger in so if anyone has any recommendations for that would be much appreciated.

[Fubz]

Have a look at Augstin Allione for your right side mate, got him on my Shakhtar save & the lad is quality! Also, Remy Cabella is a pretty decent LM/AML, think his contract runs out in 2015/16 so maybe able to get him cheap.

As for Berba, not a big fan, I prefer my strikers to have a bit of work rate about them, all depends on whether he'll suit you tactically!

[robwesty85]

I totally get what your on about with Berba but I have Victor and Saido who are great at their job up front. Got a couple of 15 year old strikers I have bought in for the future and want to bring a poacher type striker in over the summer too, but Berba would just be that different option to have maybe. Really dont know what to do. Might get the main players I want in first like a poacher and 2 wingers and then assess Berba then.

Will check out Cabella, Allione I had at my PSV side on FM13 and he was awesome, so think I will defo check him out on FM14.

[TH-786]

Right then first dilemma of the summer. Letting Long go because I took the option out on his contract for an extra year but that will only take him up to the end of the second season and his wage demands are ridiculous. As you can see from my table Fulham have been relegated and I can get Berbatov for peanuts, wages are a little more excessive but he could be that little spark upfront we need to add a bit of class, I have Anichebe and Berahino who are excellent at what they do, but Berbatov could just add that touch of flair to push us into Europe. So what do you all reckon to getting Dimi in? Have already signed Munoz for £3mil in the summer and I could see him and Dawson replacing Jonas and G Mac very soon. Also got to get a left winger and a right winger in so if anyone has any recommendations for that would be much appreciated.

A LW is Vtinho from CSKA, you can approach him free transfer in the first season, and will transfer in July 2014, other than than Bakkali from PSV a good IF and Memphis Depay, all three are potential world class players. On RW Rodrigo Gomez from Argentinos relatively cheap and potential is really good.

[TH-786]

END OF SEASON REPORT(WILL post SS's later):

So I finish 7th, decent I guess after I was battling for Champ League places after a poor start, but injuries and long runs in cups ultimately took its toll on a paper thin squad squad with players who are injury prone too (Anelka!).

Top scorer of the EPL was Shane long, 26 gls in 32 apps, 6 ahead of rival Aguero!!. Also got into PFA first 11 and won the European Golden Shoe, so not bad. Value went from 2m to 12.75 in next season.

End of Season Key and Poor Player Review:

Key and Standout players:

Shane Long, as previously said, top scorer in EPL, nothing here to say.

Anelka, yes Anelka, who scored a hattrick vs Arsenal, 8 goal in 15 apps isn't bad. Injury prone though.

Morrrison and Reveileirre - Very reliable, until Morrison got injured and had mixed perfomances but still above 7 avg ratings.

"How the hell did he get here" players - Lee Camp - Definitely have him for Cups, he was top, 7.14 avg rating and 1 MoM. Surprising inclusion . Lugano - Great, great backup, above 7 ratings, solid enough for a season.

Youth - George Thorne and Craig Dawson: Definitely give these two game time, will develop and grow rapidly

Loanees - Popov's loan was terminated, regret in retrospect after having a fullback crisis after Jones and Ridgy went off. Vydra was a beast in reserves, 24 gls in 24 apps, not so much competitively, with 5 in 21 apps, more of a late game impact player as very pacey. Amalfitano star loanee, play him RW very consistent and will assist regularly. Sinclair, 12 goals in 35 appearances, also a star loanee in LW.

Poor players - Surprisingly, Yacob and Mulumbu could have done much, much better to be honest. Thorne was better, Honda not that better.

Alvarez Balanta - Great potential, but very, very, very poorly played campaign. Consistent mistakes leading to goals, could be 1st season jitters.

[robwesty85]

Ended up getting Zaha on loan, played very well but got injured in first game of season!! Tom Ince from relegated Palace, he has been stunning aswell. Other Wingers, got Cuenca in on loan Paul-Georges Ntep who could develop nicely. Biggest signing but a massive gamble was one Fernando Torres on loan, 20% of his wages and £300k a month!!!! Fingers crossed this works as I only have Berahino, Anichebe and Cabot upfront. But I have bought in a few regens up top who I have high hopes for. 3 games into the second season, 1 win (Derby), 1 loss (Stoke) and 1 draw (Swansea). Really sorry for not posting on here as often as I have wanted too just haven't been able to fit in any FM time in the last week.

[TH-786]

Due to recent inactivity in this forum, I thought I'd revive this thread with occasional updates

Season 2014/15

Finishing 7th last was a good finish, but this season was a great success, coming 3rd.

Transfer dealings

Well this was a very, very busy window, with definitely the pick of the bunch being Will Hughes in January for 17.5m, phenomenal in the CAM role, winning individual honours and more. Had to do two screenshots for this. Kakuta is recommended too, becomes a free agent after the first season.

Wanted Berahino to get more experience to fit in my squad soon, so he went out on loan. Yacob wanted a wage hike, too much for me after my signings and was duly sold. Throne replacing him, not bad.

Three signings, Depay, Murray, Murru, automatically went on season long loans back to their clubs (Bug maybe?) so I could have done better in the season. That's why I had to get Jonas Gutierrez for peanuts.

Awards

Shane Long had a brilliant season again, form dipped near the end which could have won him the golden boot. Will Hughes win young player of the year with only half a season spent in the Premier League. Both where in team of the year.

[robwesty85]

Looking very good TH. I have only just picked up playing FM again this week. Had loads of stuff going on that has got in the way of my FM time!! But I should be able to finish my second season come the weekend. My second season started off really bad. But then changed my tactics slightly and were pushing for Europe!! Torres looks great for me at times but just when he gets a run of games he picks up a niggling injury! Berahino has gone totally off the boil for me. Just nothing like he was last season and his stats are improving all the time through training. Yacob had a poor first season and is doing poor in the first half of this. I might just cash in as Thorne is keeping him out the side with Mulumbu taking over Yacobs holding role and I have a young german DM who I want to replace Yacob eventually. Like you said TH Thorne is quite decent, well for me he has been better than decent in all honesty. Ill post a more in depth review of my game hopefully tonight.

I am so jealous that you got Will Hughes aswell mate. He is such a great player on FM14. But if I do ever manage to sign him hell have to battle with Daehli for my AM slot. Daehli is an absolute worldy of a player. 10 assists in 18 PL games this season.

Keep up the good work TH, get my beloved Baggies top of the league!!

[TH-786]

Thanks Rob, I did attempt to go for Daelhi but was prized away to a bigger club (rejected my contract).

So as you can see from my SS's, I completed my third season, being in classic mode the game goes pretty quick you see.

Season 2015/16

So now that I am in the champions league, I should win the league right or at least challenge after finishing a distant third from MUFC? Think again.

I don't know if this was due to the new update (11.1.4) but this season was a real disaster, domestically at least. I looked around on the net and there were hints of this update being 'cracked' or something, with a tactic without a DM probably faring poorly. (Yes, my tactic was a 4231 with two cm's) Excuses aside, it was still poor.

Transfer dealings

Much less busy than before, more people leaving than coming in, could have had a bad effect on the team maybe. Two SS's required here again, Kakuta left due to high demands (I only offered him a 6 month deal originally, rather than a long term one which meant he wanted high wages. Come the end of season when he played really well, offering a new contract meant even high wages, so I had to regretfully let him go. Thorne again went out on loan to Forest, he was rated very highly the season before (4 stars) so regular game time was needed, he moved on loan in January. Wanted Murray to get more experience, so went out on loan to rivals Villa, and Nabi went out on loan (looking for a Berahino & Nabi parternship in the future to have a west brom academy core alongside Throne). Lugano left, did very well whenever he played but had no future and wages were high. Vydra was supposed to be Shane Long's successor, but the season wasn't that great and he left, though he is rated very highly.

Coming in, Ross Barkley came in for 6 months, good addition but just didn't become a regular for me, in January Chelsea weren't allowing him to leave on loan so that's that. Lennon was on the transfer list, and with his pace, was just what I needed with Morrison leaving I needed a RW. Gutierrez left after a short time, he just didn't fit in (the supporter spokesman wasn't a big fan). Sergi Roberto and Rafinha were absolutely steals, steals, but heh, the season wasn't that great for Rafinha.

Denswil with great potential was a long term replacement for Olsson, a great steal too. O'brien, have never heard of him but I needed a CB and he was rated highly but after getting Denswil he went out on loan ASAP. Sturridge and Flamini did decent, but not much of an impact to be signed permanently. Wesley Said, a long term signing, went out on loan (paid too much in retrospect, he wasn't good enough for the team at the time).

Europe

For some reason, this went reaaaallly well! I was baffled how I was great in Europe but poor in England. Unbeaten in group stages was a sign for things to come.

In the first knockout round, OM was a good draw, and won this tie.

Then comes the mighty MUFC, scraped this win, by its teeth, the second leg at Old Trafford was hard to watch, dominating me all over the place. Could this be my year? Chelsea came sixth and won this title, so you never know...

Hey, what do you know, Chelsea up next. I had a mixed record with Chelsea, sometimes winning and sometimes getting thumped, but a 2-0 aggregate win was enough for a park the bus performance at Stamford bridge to get me to the final!!! And who do I get, Bayern Munchen....not looking good.

Final time. 0-0 first 90 minutes, very nervy, but the next 20 minutes was stuff of legends, winning 2-1 AET.

Awards

Retaining Berahino and letting Vydra leave was a superb decision, he became my main striker and Shane Long fell into the darkness at times with injuries (maybe why I finished poorly in the league). Berahino was top scorer in the tournament, and was in the dream team with Long and the main man, Jonas Olsson (top goalscorer for me in the league with 7 strikes - headers more like - and this shows why I was poor in the leage). So do get him game time as much as possible, if not loan him to a club where he will play regularly.

Note: I think if I didn't win the champo league I would've been sacked, confidence in the boardroom was low, I played poorly on all fronts at domestic level, and was in relegation scrap till form went up near the end. The high expectations I set was regretted, so do keep expectations low for the first few seasons to avoid such a situation.

[robwesty85]

WOW! Absolutely WOW! I have got so much motivation from seeing this update mate. I would take that poor domestic season to win the Champions League. Congratulations on that mate. Have you had much more money since being in the Champions League?

[john1]

Wow! Congrats on winning the Champions League

I do have soft spot for West Brom as my other half family supports West Brom

[TH-786]

WOW! Absolutely WOW! I have got so much motivation from seeing this update mate. I would take that poor domestic season to win the Champions League. Congratulations on that mate. Have you had much more money since being in the Champions League?

Yeah the revenues received increased (you get money each time you play, more if you win the match) increased, and coupled with a improvement in club stature, more players were willing to sign for me when previously they would have not given me a look. My budget for the 2016/17 season was 28 million roughly.

[TH-786]

Thanks John

Bit late, but I didn't know Jeremy Peace was a guy to be sacking Steve Clarke, he did a good job IMO by giving me a good squad for FM 2014:p.

[Fubz]

Thanks John

Bit late, but I didn't know Jeremy Peace was a guy to be sacking Steve Clarke, he did a good job IMO by giving me a good squad for FM 2014:p.

Most people think we are crazy to sack the guy, but, having watched 80% of the games he had in charge I can safely say it was the right decision (infact should have come sooner imho!). Unless you actually know the in's and out's of the reason behind his sacking you won't understand. Every one is saying '4 defeats and the guy gets sacked' yet refuse to actually look at the whole of 2013's results! Let me just say this, would any one of you back your clubs manager if he had a 20% win record in all comps in 2013?! I highly doubt you would!

Any ways, can (hopefully) finally start my West Brom save, as I feel the ME won't actually punish me for the way I like to play any more, lol.

[robwesty85]

Sorry for not posting on here much lately guys. I have really struggled with FM14 for some consistency so I have gone off and done what I have usually done in the past and gone and started a game as a great team in Chelsea and tryinig to learn more things about the game. I will probably start a new Albion game some point when the January Transfer updates have been applied and try again. I had moderate success with Albion before giving up but I want to be able to finally do something great with my beloved Baggies so Im gonna come back better than ever to take Albion to the top. Would still love to hear how all your games are going out there especially TH-786 save. Bet you have won the league by now!!

[mathial]

Anyone knows what skin TH-786 is using? It looks brilliant!

[robwesty85]

Anyone knows what skin TH-786 is using? It looks brilliant!

Its the FM Classic skin. Its what you get when you play the game in Classic mode. Im sure someone has modded the skin to be worked in the full version but don't hold me to that

[mathial]

Its the FM Classic skin. Its what you get when you play the game in Classic mode. Im sure someone has modded the skin to be worked in the full version but don't hold me to that

Thanks, mate!

[Dean Gripton]

Sorry to interrupt, but the Baggies researcher for FM has today emailed to say he is not going to provide any research for the forthcoming data update. This leaves us in a mess with the Albion team and staff needing to be assessed for their performances in 2013/14 so far. if anyone is interested, please email me (dean at sigames dot com). Thank you.

robwesty - I have sent you a Private Message here about this and hope you are interested.

[benchester]

Started a WBA save last night. It's going ok, seeing it as a long term save to try and get into Europe and build the academy.

Straight away got rid of Sinclair and Amatefilo (I know that's not his name but that's the best I can do off the top of my head), that saves £91k per week in wages alone, gives you a bit more cash to try and rebuild.

Only signed 5 players:

John Souttar

Tom Ince

Anthony Annan

Yossi Benayoun

Alex Buttner (loan to cover big injury problems)

Sitting 12th after 9 games, won 3 drew 3 lost 3, would be happy if I finished there come the end of the season.

[css_matt]

Started a West Brom game with a friend online.

Hoping to play some attractive Brenden Rogers'esc football, eventually.

Set up with a very defensive 4-2-2wide-1-1 but quickly realized that this gave us very little chance of coming away with anything, the opponents just had to much of the ball. Finally decided to go for typical 4-2DM-3-1 and encourage us to take everyone head on.

Currently sitting 8th after 12 games, had a very strong start but have really struggled against the top sides.

Transfers In 5.75m

Angel Correa

Guiseppe Bellusci

Giovanni Moreno

Correa is the only one of the above who is remotely fighting for a place in the first team. I sold Dorrans and McAuley whilst more recently cancelling Amalfitano's loan and paying off Anelka's contract.

The squad is very lightweight at the moment and needs lots of changes to get what I want from it.

Sinclair - Great form on the right with 8 goals from 12 games but I dont see that as his future. If I decide to buy him, it will be primarily as a striker.

Thievy - Very similar to Sinclair but with the potential to grow. At half the cost of Sinclair he could be the one I decide to keep on. p13 s3 a3

With Norwich doing so poorly I will be looking to take advantage of the non-starting Gary Hooper situation. Talented player who is not getting the game time he deserves. He would offer much more than my other alternatives which are mainly pace.