FM15 - The Sky Bet Football League thread

[Gunner 101]

A great month there Gunner! Couldn't ask for anything more!

Unlucky with Joe Mattock, I've found that's just the way the world works too - just as everything's going great, something happens to put a spanner in the works. But that's all part and parcel of being a manager I suppose, and that's why we all love the challenge

Add to that Scott Tanser is also out for 7 weeks now.. Sigh.

[Gunner 101]

Saturday 5th December 2015

Ian Henderson agreed a new contract with the club. The new deal will keep him at the club until 2017 with the option of a further year. The winger had been attracting interest from Championship sides Bolton and Charlton.

Rotherham United 0-2 Rochdale - FA Cup Second Round

MOTM: Reece Burke (Rochdale)

The better quality of our finishing ensured we progressed into the third round of the FA Cup. Captain Stephen Dawson gave us a 14th minute lead, firing home from distance. Ian Henderson kept his cool from the spot to double the advantage after 18 minutes.

Wednesday 9th December 2015

Accrington Stanley 0-1 Rochdale - JPT North Semi Final

MOTM: Keith Keane (Rochdale)

We was relieved to come away from this game with the victory as League Two Accrington pushed us all the way. Central defender Reece Burke headed home from Daryl Horgan’s free kick on 20 minutes to ensure that we progressed to the northern area final.

Saturday 12th December 2015

Gillingham 3-2 Rochdale

MOTM: Jerome Sinclair (Rochdale)

We finally fell to defeat in this game against Gillingham. Things didn’t get off to the best start as Elliot Hewitt gave Gillingham the lead inside 8 minutes. the lead was doubled just after half time from a free kick. Jerome Sinclair replied within a minute of the second Gillingham goal to give us hope. It was Sinclair again who grabbed the equaliser heading home. When we thought we had fought back to grab a point, Luke Norris scored from close range to give the home side the points.

Rueben Noble-Lazarus and Jerome Sinclair were selected in the League One Team of the Week.

Saturday 19th December 2015

Rochdale 1-2 AFC Wimbledon

MOTM: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (AFC Wimbledon)

One of the leagues worse defences put in an improved performance to see us lose back to back league games. Adil Nabi gave us the lead after 57 minutes with an accurate finish. Ebanks-Blake powered home the equaliser after 79 minutes. Simon Church seized on an error from Sean Long to win the game for AFC Wimbledon.

Saturday 26th December 2015

Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Rochdale

MOTM: Ian Henderson (Rochdale)

We ended up with a lucky draw against Doncaster. Ian Henderson gave us an early lead, smashing home from just outside the box on 2 minutes. Doncaster’s equaliser came through a freak goal as Jack McKay blocked an attempted clearance which bounced into the net.

Monday 28th December 2015

Rochdale 0-2 Millwall

MOTM: Lee Martin (Millwall)

A poor performance saw Millwall come away with an easy victory. Experienced striker Jonathan Walters got Millwall off to the perfect start, netting after just 6 minutes. We had to make do with 10 men as Keith Keane picked up two yellow cards after 51 minutes. Winger Lee Martin completed the scoring on 57 minutes.

Ian Henderson was selected in the League One Team of the Week.

Thursday 31st December 2015

Jamie Allen, Stephen Dawson, Keith Keane, Joe Bunney, Joe Rafferty and Bastian Hery have all had options on their contracts triggered.

Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup

Adil Nabi - 12/3

Ian Henderson - 7/2

Jerome Sinclair - 2/2

Febian Brandy - 2/1

Scott Tanser - 2/0

Stephen Dawson - 1/1

Reece Burke - 0/2

Ashley Eastham - 1/0

Jamie Allen - 1/0

Reuben Noble-Lazarus - 0/1

Sky Bet League One - 3rd (1st-24th)

Capital One Cup - Lost in Second Round (v West Ham United)

FA Cup - Third Round (v Mansfield Town)

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy - North Final (v Crewe Alexandra)

[sammo10]

Good luck sammo, hopefully it works out well for you. What are your expectations for the season? I like the look of the Harris signing - never managed him but was very keen on getting him at Exeter (I did have Rowe there for a year or two and he was very useful). I never had experience of Cole (never been on my radar) but I guess the returns of Fosu/Green are the most pleasing bits of business? Hopefully Reid will adapt well to a higher level, so far so good!

Thanks. I will be honest. Surviving is my main priority. I'd hope to get a mid table/ top half finish if possible but as long as I'm still in the league next season, I wont be disappointed. Hopefully Rowe can be as useful for me, Harris has looked good so far ... But you are right, Green and Fosu were the most important bits of business.

Gunner - A great November for you. Tough December though, I have had some very bad experiences of December. It always seems to be tough. Terrible news about Mattock and Tanser. Will you be looking to replace temporarily in the window ?

[Jogo Bonito]

Nice one sammo, I'm sure you're capable of surviving - and maybe you will surprise yourself! I'll be following the progress of Harris.

That looks like 'a month of two halves' there Gunner! Still, 3rd at the turn of the year isn't bad at all. Well done on the contract extensions, it's good to keep a core and be loyal to your original players. Terrible bad luck on Mattock and Tanser, but hope you found a decent short-term solution?

[Gunner 101]

Nice one sammo, I'm sure you're capable of surviving - and maybe you will surprise yourself! I'll be following the progress of Harris.

That looks like 'a month of two halves' there Gunner! Still, 3rd at the turn of the year isn't bad at all. Well done on the contract extensions, it's good to keep a core and be loyal to your original players. Terrible bad luck on Mattock and Tanser, but hope you found a decent short-term solution?

Yeah, good in the cups and not so in the league! I've still got Michael Rose and Tom Kennedy, both are transfer listed but whilst they're still here I may as well use them!

[Jogo Bonito]

Yeah, good in the cups and not so in the league! I've still got Michael Rose and Tom Kennedy, both are transfer listed but whilst they're still here I may as well use them!

I was thinking more of it being a good start, and a poor finish - but I guess you're right too. Rose and Kennedy are probably alright by L1 standards, and they will at least save you having to make a move in the market.

[GG17]

Promotion! After scraping into a play off place on the last day of the season, thanks mainly to 20 goal a season striker Kyle Dempsey returning from injury, we dispatched 3rd place Burton with two 1-0 victories and then beat Coventry at Wembley 5-3 in a thrilling game to clinch a place in league one next season. I might be able to do a bit more in depth update on Sunday but had to to quickly post this up tonight!

[marceluselane@gmail.com]

Boa noite, me ajudem nao consigo abrir meu FM15, da erro e cria uma pasta crach drump, alguem pode me ajudar a resolver esse problema

[Jogo Bonito]

I've finally finished season 2 with Carlisle United, and I'm pleased to say we found some consistent form during the month of April. We opened up with a total demolition of Bury, and the 5-0 victory over a side chasing a play-off spot at the time was by far our best league win of the season. We dropped a couple of points against AFC Wimbledon, but then performed very resolutely to come away from promotion rivals Shrewsbury with a gritty 0-0 in the bag.

That point convinced me that we really were good enough to claim an automatic promotion spot, and we followed it up with a performance the fans enjoyed - a solid 2-0 home win against Hartlepool, with two ex-Poolies getting the goals. Another tricky test was up next, and I was delighted to leave 5th-placed Chesterfield with another maximum haul, courtesy of a professional 2-0 win.

Our penultimate league match saw us hosting MK Dons, a club boasting riches and a squad that put them on a different level to us. They were right on our heels in the promotion race, but we edged a tight game 1-0 to seal our top three spot at their expense amidst serious tension. By then we were 2nd, and travelled to mid-table Mansfield with an outside shot of the title, having to hope Accrington crumbled.

As it turns out, we snatched yet another narrow 1-0 victory, but our friends from Accrington also did their job - a final day win deservedly giving them the title ahead of us. Shrewsbury came 3rd (on merit), whilst MK Dons eventually secured the promotion that they should have wrapped up months ago by winning in extra time over both Oxford in their play-off semi final, and Burton (at Wembley).

I was delighted with the way we finished the season. We hadn't been prolific at any stage of the season (with only Bury taking a real hiding), but our defence got better as went on, and only 10 goals conceded at home in the league was an amazing achievement. I can't quite believe that we managed 14 clean sheets out of our last 16 league matches (especially with the pressure of a tense run-in), but we did, and that was undoubtedly the reason for our success.

Here are the player stats for the season, showing who made the best contributions. Personally, I was most pleased with Mark Gillespie, Josh Lelan, Gabriel Almeida, Mark Beck and Charlie Wyke - but there were quite a few unsung heroes, and it was definitely a success derived from a team effort, rather than any individual stars. This was illustrated by the fact that none of our players were named in the League 2 select team, and only one (Gillespie) featured in the 'top performers' of the key categories. Having seen his 24 clean sheets in the league, I'm as disappointed as Gillespie that Jayson Leutwiler (Shrewsbury) earned that nomination ahead of him.

Looking ahead to next season, I don't think League 1 will be easy. Having said that, I feel we can attain a respectable finish if we can extend a few of the loans and get the team ethic working like it has before. The board haven't really given me much ammunition again - in fact the new transfer and wage budgets are not much more than last time (when it was £110k for transfers and wage allowance of £29k p/w). Most of the players have 30% pay increases for promotion, so it's going to be close to that new limit by the time the dust settles. Therefore my dealings will need to be shrewd, and I'm also looking to free up some more wages by releasing captain Danny Grainger, plus Danny Kearns, Antony Sweeney and a couple of reserves like Jack Laird and Josh Todd, who haven't convinced me they will be good enough in a higher league.

The first move I have made is actually away from the pitch, as former Middlesbrough favourite (and briefly Hartlepool manager) Colin Cooper has agreed to join the staff in a coaching capacity. I'll look to see whether we can add a few more good men with 'area connections' ahead of the new campaign too, but all other staff will be remaining unless my one and only scout, Dennis Booth, decides it's finally time to retire.

[Jogo Bonito]

Boa noite, me ajudem nao consigo abrir meu FM15, da erro e cria uma pasta crach drump, alguem pode me ajudar a resolver esse problema

Oi. Penso aqui posivel resolver esse problema (por favor escreva em ingles, obg)....

http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php/443-Football-Manager-2015-Crashes-Technical-Game-Launch-and-Workshop-Issues

* @GashGuff17: Congrats - it looks like we both had similar second seasons (after similar first seasons). Well done on taking Carlisle up to League 1, and I will be very interested to read the story behind it.

[Gunner 101]

Congratulations Jogo! Some top work being done there to get that Carlisle side sorted out and back into League One. Looking forward to seeing what business you do over the summer.

[Jogo Bonito]

Congratulations Jogo! Some top work being done there to get that Carlisle side sorted out and back into League One. Looking forward to seeing what business you do over the summer.

Cheers mate, I'm delighted to do it in two seasons (matches what I did with Exeter). I think this club has more potential to grow in the future, but the losses each month are a bit worrying. We only make a small profit just by competition/prize/TV money at the start and end of the season, but every normal month during the season sees a fairly big loss. Business will be limited - hopefully a few of the loans can be extended, and probably a couple of free transfers may come in. In any case, continuity is my preferred method, giving these youngsters a chance.

As I'm not the only one to manage it with Carlisle in season 2, I can't take all the headlines anyway

[Gunner 101]

Saturday 2nd January 2016

Mansfield Town 3-4 Rochdale - FA Cup Third Round

MOTM: Alex Samuel (Mansfield)

We came out on the right side of this 7 goal thriller. David Ball gave Mansfield the lead on 21 minutes. Lloyd Jones equalised on 35 minutes with a close range finish. Alex Samuel then put Mansfield back in front after 42 minutes. Adil Nabi got us back on level terms just after the second half. Nabi grabbed his second to put us into the lead and Joe Bunney put us further in-front on 76 minutes. Alex Samuel got a goal back for Mansfield but it was too little, too late as we progressed.

Sunday 3rd January 2016

Andy Cannon agreed a new contract with the club. The 19 year old midfielder has signed a new deal until 2017 with the option of a further year. Cannon has the potential to develop into a good Championship central midfielder and may well break through to the first team soon.

Monday 4th January 2016

Peter Vincenti agreed a new contract with the club. The 29 year old midfielder has signed a new deal until 2017 with the option of a further year. Despite not always seeing eye to eye, Vincenti is still an important part of the team and is a very good player when he’s on his game.

Rhys Bennett agreed a new contract with the club. The 24 year old defender has signed a new deal until 2017 with the option of a further year. Bennett has the potential to develop into a good Championship player although he is currently out injured.

Rueben Noble-Lazarus agreed a new contract with the club. The 29 year old midfielder has signed a new deal until 2017 with the option of a further year. Noble-Lazarus has the potential to develop into a good Championship player and has made 6 appearances so far this season.

Tuesday 5th January 2016

Rochdale 3-0 Barnsley

MOTM: Tom Kennedy (Rochdale)

Quality finishing meant we came away with the win. David Mooney placed home the opener on 21 minutes. Tom Kennedy doubled the advantage, despatching a 24 yard free kick. Adil Nabi completed the scoring in stoppage time, heading into an empty net after Kennedy had struck the bar from another free kick.

Saturday 9th January 2016

Blackpool 1-2 Rochdale

MOTM: Adil Nabi (Rochdale)

An Adil Nabi brace helped us secure the three points away to Blackpool. Blackpool captain Darren O’Dea gave Blackpool a 14th minute lead. Nabi grabbed an equaliser on 28 minutes. Nabi got the winner on the 53rd minute with a well executed finish.

Tuesday 12th January 2016

Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Rochdale - JPT North Final 1st Leg

MOTM: Toby Mullarkey (Crewe)

Crewe took the lead following a controversial penalty decision. Joe Bunney was on hand to ensure that the tie remained firmly in the balance going into the second leg.

Saturday 16th January 2016

Sheffield United 2-0 Rochdale

MOTM: Jamie Murphy (Sheffield United)

The game was dominated by Sheffield United as we came away from Bramall Lane empty handed. Jamie Murphy gave the blades a 20th minute lead. A controversial penalty decision right on half time saw us go into the break 2-0 down. Any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Stephen Dawson picked up his second yellow card on 70 minutes.

Tuesday 19th January 2016

Rochdale 0-3 Peterborough United

MOTM: Luke James (Peterborough)

Top of the league Peterborough came to Spotland and took home all three points. A Luke James hat-trick the difference between the two sides.

Sunday 24th January 2016

Rochdale 3-1 Watford - FA Cup Fourth Round

MOTM: Jerome Sinclair (Rochdale)

We welcomed Championship side Watford to Spotland for this FA Cup tie. Watford start quick and took the lead after only 5 minutes. As the game went on we started to grow into the game and Ian Henderson grabbed the equaliser on 32 minutes with a good finish from close range. Jerome Sinclair then put us in front with a long range strike on 79 minutes. Watford thought they had equalised only for it to be disallowed and following a Watford corner, Adil Nabi went on a solo run from the half way line, beating one defender before placing his shot beyond the keeper.

Saturday 30th January 2016

Rotherham United 1-1 Rochdale

MOTM: Danny Ward (Rotherham)

A tough away trip to in-form Rotherham saw us come away with a point. Rotherham took the lead through man of the match Danny Ward on 58 minutes. Ian Henderson was in the right place at the right time to equalise from inside the area on 83 minutes.

Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup

Adil Nabi - 15/6

Ian Henderson - 8/3

Jerome Sinclair - 2/3

Febian Brandy - 2/1

Scott Tanser - 2/0

Stephen Dawson - 1/1

Reece Burke - 0/2

Joe Bunney - 0/2

Ashley Eastham - 1/0

Jamie Allen - 1/0

Reuben Noble-Lazarus - 0/1

Lloyd Jones - 0/1

David Mooney - 1/0

Tom Kennedy - 1/0

Transfers In:

Elsad Zverotic - Free Agent - 01/01/2016

Zverotic, a 29 year old Montenegro international joined the club following his release from Fulham. Brought in to increase competition in the defensive midfield role he is a determined, team player with plenty of experience.

Transfers Out:

Tom Kennedy - Newport County - Free - 16/01/2016

Tom Kennedy left the club on a free transfer to League Two Newport. Kennedy fell behind Mattock and Tanser in the pecking order and following complaints over a lack of first team football, I was happy to let him go. His contract was up in the summer so getting any sort of fee for him would have been difficult, but it’s an extra £825 a week back into the wage budget.

Sky Bet League One - 4th (1st-24th)

Capital One Cup - Lost in Second Round (v West Ham United)

FA Cup - Fifth Round (v Hull City)

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy - North Final (v Crewe Alexandra)

[Jogo Bonito]

Decent progress Gunner, sitting nicely in the league and going 'great guns' in the FA Cup and JPT. Good to see you beating Blackpool too! How does Joe Rafferty do for you? I have a chance to sign him on a free for a modest wage with no bonus or agent fee.

I use wing-backs (352/532) and whilst Symington is decent going forward and from free kicks, he's not the best defensively. I have a couple of other players who can play there - Young is decent defensively but not great going forward (he covers there and centre-back), and Potts is a very good all-rounder but usually takes my central midfield role as a ball winner, and we might miss that bite if I take him out. Rafferty looks like he could be a handy option as a right wing-back, and is a very cheap deal - ideal credentials for improving squad depth on a limited budget. I'm also poised to 'confirm' deals for former Sunderland centre-back John Egan, who has been released by Gillingham, and midfielder Ollie Banks, who has been released by Chesterfield. The one I'm not so sure about is Banks, as he won't be likely to start too often - but he's a more traditional player for those central midfield roles than the likes of Gillies, Rivers and Rigg - and so could be useful from the bench and when others are missing.

[Gunner 101]

Rafferty doesn't do great for me to be honest but then he doesn't play a massive amount due to Sean Long. He's played 9 times this season and contributed 1 assist with an average rating of 6.50. He's got the potential to improve though but he's 22 now so not sure how much more he will improve whilst his playing time is limited. I'm guessing if you was looking to play him more often then he would be better than just a bit part player for my team.

[Jogo Bonito]

Thanks mate, I'll take a decision on that shortly. I have enough to cover the role, but I'm not sure whether to rely on that or have the security of a bit more 'specialist' choice. Good luck with your coming months

[GG17]

Congratulations Jogo! Very impressive stuff, especially going up automatically. Interested to see how good you were defensively. That's an area I need to improve on to stand any chance next season.

The last time I update was around January. The transfer window was pretty quiet, all we did was let Brough go for a small fee and bring in Niall Keown on loan from Reading. He turned out to be a very consistent right back for us. We picked up a fair few injuries in the second half of the season, Betra really struggled to get regular football which was a blow and he only ended up with 3 goals to his name all season. The other big injury was Kyle Dempsey who we lost for about 6/7 weeks. We struggled in those weeks (a truly awful February) and found ourselves fighting for the final play off place rather than comfortably getting into the play offs like I think we should have.

However March came around and Beck started to perform when needed most. He'd been poor all season but his goals helped us to only one defeat in March and then we won all of our games in April which fired us into the play off place. Dempsey also came back in April and carried on where he left of. The play offs were going to be tough. We'd finished 7th but 8 points behind 6th placed Coventry and 12 behind Burton in 4th. Despite that though we had good records against both of them, and carried that form into the games themselves and dispatched Burton with two 1-0 victories and then played Coventry in a thrilling final.

We took a 2-0 lead into half time thanks to Beck and Dempsey goals but were levl by the 50th minute in a horrible start to the second half. The game remained tight until Beck smashed one in on the 75th and Dempsey again raced clear on the 83rd minute to add the fourth. Coventry though went straight up the other end and got themselves a 3rd but thankfully we held on and Kyle Da Silva even managed to strike a 5th in injury time and confirm our place in League One.

A fantastic team effort from the guys but stand out performers are of course Dempsey with 22 goals and 11 assists, Taylor with 12 goals and 13 assists, Beck who managed to get 11 goals of which 10 were in the last 3 months of the season and Danny Grainger who was superb at left back and actually got a higher average rating than Dempsey with 7.10 and got 10 assists and 9 goals (mostly pens).

71 goals scored. 58 conceded so we need to get better there next season. Like you Jogo, I have not been given much of a budget for next season so loans and free transfers will have to be good. I'm really interested to see how you approach the season, I haven't had the time to judge what we are going to do yet but we'll definitley need some reinforcements and will have to get rid of some more dead wood. Quite a few contracts are up so I'm having to decide on the likes of Archibald-Henville who was pretty solid for us and will do a job I'm sure but is he really good enough? The same with Grainger, who I see you are letting go but he's been great for me and I don't think it would be right to not renew at this point.

[sammo10]

Congrats on promotion Jogo and good luck in League One ! Gunner, nice month ... How far off the automatic places are you ?

[fyrefuze]

couldn't complain much after how the season has unfolded in later half.

Finished 4th pretty much unchallenged for almost 3 months. Sad not able to overtake Liverpool after they went off pedestal in the last 8 games (dropping from leaders to 3rd - look at my previous post). Guess what could be the reason of Liverpools dip in form?

From expected not able to make out of the group stages to EURO Cup Winners!!

And what has made me proud is the demolition on the way we did. I changed my tactics a bit and the results have been marvelous. look at the Liverpool and Barcelona games below. More satisfying was the fact that I got a job offer from both those clubs at end of the season.

Britt Assombalonga has never made me miss Berisha, in fact has been a revelation in DLF role playing with Avdijaj as SS.

[Gunner 101]

Congrats on promotion Jogo and good luck in League One ! Gunner, nice month ... How far off the automatic places are you ?

Currently 5 points off with 14 games to go. Obviously the cup runs have been good, especially the FA Cup for generating extra income but he's had a negative affect on the league form.

Congratulations on the Euro success FF! Champions League next season yeah?

[Kamakazeee]

I just want to start of by saying this is great thread and kudos to the creator and amount of effort gone into the opening posts

I haven't played in the championship this year, so I have eventually got round to starting a game, I did toy with the idea of taking over Middlesbrough, but I figured there squad is primed for promotion in the first season, so I decided against this and went with Wolves as I wanted a team I could build with. I have also disabled transfers for the first window to keep things realistic, but actually to be able to give the squad a chance rather than gutting it. I aim to be established in the premier league within in 5 seasons, which means to me 2 consecutive mid-table finishes. I hope to have won at least one cup in this time, all whilst using financial prudent model. I also want to be able to make a turnover on transfers of £50m profit every 3 seasons. Amongst a few other things I'm mulling over but i will include in my next update.

One concern I do have at the moment is the contract of Sako, as he won't resign within the wage structure, so I may look to cash in on him in January as there is a few clubs sniffing around at the moment, Fulham and Cardiff being the main ones and surprisingly Liverpool

I'm employing a pretty standard 4-3-3 with wingers. With the aim of getting the best out of the better players in the squad, particularly Sako, Dicko and Jacobs, who have formed a deadly attacking trio. So yeah not much to through at the moment, just completed pre-season which I'm not going to go on about too much as it was basically about raising fitness and morale. I shall update soon on the how I am progressing.

[fyrefuze]

For all those with limited scouting network it is a good idea to subscribe to Porto, SLB and Sporting. Have helped me a lot in initial stages finding some real bargains. Forgot to mention it earlier.

[Jogo Bonito]

@sammo: Thanks mate, looking forward to the challenge of staying in League 1!

@fyrefuze: What an amazing season, you really couldn't have expected so much. It's funny you just mentioned Portuguese teams. Found them really useful when managing Grasshoppers, and actually went back over there to bring a very cheap left-back (wing-back) to Carlisle several days ago.

@Gunner: Good luck with that last run of games at Rochdale.

@Kamakazee: Welcome to the thread and many thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate that. I like your approach (trying it with the original squad) and Wolves undoubtedly have the potential to establish themselves back in the top flight. The power and pace of your attacking players like Sacko, Dicko and Afobe should make it exciting - if you decide to hang on to Sako. As you're using 433 with Jacobs as a winger, I guess Afobe will only be on the bench, but great cover to have. When I managed Wolves in FM14, I think we only signed a left-back and a striker on loan in the first season, so it's a fairly similar method you've taken. Good luck with that.

@GashGuff: I really enjoyed your update on Carlisle. It's interesting to see how you approach it too, and get different results from certain players (although our overall path for the club has gone very similarly). I'm surprised about Grainger, he was poor for me early on at LB and only managed to secure a place when he became less of a liability as the left-sided central defender when I switched to 352/532. By the end of the season, I decided he was too slow and old to warrant a new contract, and I have a better option there now (although only on loan at the moment). Dempsey looks to have good qualities for a box-to-box central midfielder in my three, but doesn't really make much of an impact. I think I'm sacrificing some of his potential playing him deeper than you, and he'll always be in my team or on the bench even though he's not been one of the key players yet. You did well to recover from your blip and gain promotion via the play-offs, hopefully you can assemble a squad you feel will adapt to life in League 1.

* I've not had a chance to play any games since before Easter, but had completed my pre-season schedule and squad-building by then. Will post up a summer update shortly to show what I did on that side of things.

[fyrefuze]

@fyrefuze: What an amazing season, you really couldn't have expected so much. It's funny you just mentioned Portuguese teams. Found them really useful when managing Grasshoppers, and actually went back over there to bring a very cheap left-back (wing-back) to Carlisle several days ago.

correct, we have always had a fair bit of luck on our side when we faced Liverpool in Domestic Cups. But this time had very little hopes going into the second leg of Euro Cup especially since we already lost at home. Going through the replays suggested gaps between their midfield and defence. Just placed Avdijaj there as SS and brought down Assombalonga to DLF seemed to do the magic. Rodgers was tactically defeated and shown the door.

Could have added Roma, Dortmund and Schalke but they all won the respective transfer battles and surprisingly Portuguese Clubs are first to uncover south american talents.

[Gaz1808]

Thought i'd join in the fun here.

Started as unemployed with the first transfer window disabled. I've done this previously and took the Stalybridge Celtic when they were in the Vanarama North but i thought i'd aim higher this time. Anyway, with 5 games to go of the regular season I was offered the Carlisle job. They were 23rd but only in the relegation spots on GD and we ended up finishing 20th with 7 points from our last 15 which wasn't a bad return considering 3 of the games we finished with 10 men.

Since then we've had a bit of a rebuild. Used up all of the loan spaces with some help from Newcastle (got Mbabu & Curtis Good) and also brought in Tom Eaves in up front who has started reasonably well.

Six games into the season and we've taken 12 points with 4 wins and 2 defeats. Got narrowly in beaten in both the League Cup and the JPT but that was to be expected.

Made some decent signings in pre season including Charlie Colkett who was released by Chelsea however he hasn't played yet due to injury! Hoping to finish around mid table and then make a go of promotion next season.

[Jogo Bonito]

Thought i'd join in the fun here.

Started as unemployed with the first transfer window disabled. I've done this previously and took the Stalybridge Celtic when they were in the Vanarama North but i thought i'd aim higher this time. Anyway, with 5 games to go of the regular season I was offered the Carlisle job. They were 23rd but only in the relegation spots on GD and we ended up finishing 20th with 7 points from our last 15 which wasn't a bad return considering 3 of the games we finished with 10 men.

Since then we've had a bit of a rebuild. Used up all of the loan spaces with some help from Newcastle (got Mbabu & Curtis Good) and also brought in Tom Eaves in up front who has started reasonably well.

Six games into the season and we've taken 12 points with 4 wins and 2 defeats. Got narrowly in beaten in both the League Cup and the JPT but that was to be expected.

Made some decent signings in pre season including Charlie Colkett who was released by Chelsea however he hasn't played yet due to injury! Hoping to finish around mid table and then make a go of promotion next season.

Welcome to the Carlisle United thread - it's about time we take some of the glory away from all those Sheffield United and Plymouth managers

[fyrefuze]

Welcome to the Carlisle United thread - it's about time we take some of the glory away from all those Sheffield United and Plymouth managers

Changing colors mate.. btw SUFC has lost the shine lately.

[Jogo Bonito]

Haha. I'm still keen managing SUFC myself, but probably more of a short blast for 1-3 seasons. I still have so many clubs to fit in on FM15, and not enough time to do it.

[GG17]

Welcome Gaz1808! Great to see another one taking on the Carlisle challenge.

Jogo, I had the same problem with Dempsey in that I tried playing him as a midfielder but he just didn't have an impact, then the same as a winger. I just stumbled upon his success as a defensive forward and he's riding on a wave of confidence.

Anyway, I've ballsed up big time. Again I'll do a bigger update at some point but to cut a long story short I forgot about my pre season and forgot to arrange friendlies. I hastily managed to arrange two but that's nowhere near enough, my players are struggling for fitness in their first two games and have conceded last minute goals that have cost us wins.

FML.

[sammo10]

Plymouth Argyle mid season 2015/16

Fixtures

We have picked up some very good wins so far. The highlight are definitely beating relegated Rotherham 4-0 and Swindon 5-0. Reuben Reid has been in superb form once again, 24 goals by February. I expect him to comfortably reach 30. Games such as the 3-0 loss at Bradford have been low points in an other wise strong start to the season. We had a nice run into the fourth round of the FA Cup, and despite a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal, we put up a good show and did not disgrace ourselves.

Table

I am pleased with where we are in the league. Only a couple of points off of the play offs and 7 off the automatic places. We must be safe which was my main goal at the beginning of the season, but hopefully we can finish the season strong and push for a play off spot. Fair play to Shrewsbury who could be making back to back promotions.

Transfers

A couple of changes coming in. Jordan Graham has come in a one month loan. We lost Harris and Fosu at the same time to injury, so he has just come in to fill the void until they return. Elliot Johnson has come in from Barnet for a small fee, he has a lot of potential and can hopefully develop better than Hoganson has. Hoganson has struggled and if he does not do much out on loan will probably be sold.

[fyrefuze]

Great going sammo, you pretty much are in the shout for back to back promotions again. I think Pilgrims have a great squad for L2 and lot of potential which can push you through L1 as well but Championship is a tough stage. Good Luck.

[Jogo Bonito]

A great start there sammo, particularly from Reuben Reid (again). A top-half finish would be a fantastic season for you, good luck with that.

I'm sure there's plenty of time to turn that around GashGuff, even if it was probably an avoidable situation. You'll see below why I can't afford to try Demspey out in a striking role - over-stocked probably doesn't fully describe my attacking options ahead of the third season...

Carlisle United 2016/2017 Season preview

Pre-Season Story

I'm proud of our young average age, but think the media are going to be highly disappointed if they're expecting us to be 'exciting and entertaining'. They obviously didn't study our League 2 form very carefully! Our pre-season results weren't the best, with the loss at home to Hartlepool particularly disappointing. The first three friendlies saw us concede a penalty in each game, which explains the close encounters. The final outing saw a much better display, holding Newcastle to a good draw at Brunton Park - with a very decent attendance there to witness it.

Transfers

The summer recruitment was a case of being sensible with limited resources - all the way until I smashed the club transfer record when long-time target Jack Redshaw (top scorer in League 2 last season) became available! By then I felt the rest of the squad looked sorted, and with our low tally of goals from last season in mind, I was prepared to put massive faith in him as a forward with alternative skills (pace and clinical finishing) to those I possess. It also gave me the opportunity to finally say farewell to David Amoo, as he headed the other way in a part exchange deal.

Our summer business had started much earlier, with former Sunderland defender John Egan the first new arrival. He was available on a free transfer from Gillingham, and the signing was an absolute no-brainer for me. He will be a regular in my back three, and also takes on VC duties after I gave the armband to Brad Potts upon Danny Grainger's release.

A fee of £60k then secured the signature of Joris Kayembe, a promising young player who can perform anywhere on the left side. He's eligible for Belgium and DR Congo, and he had done well for me when taking him to Grasshoppers on a previous occasion. He was actually my third choice, as initially I had wanted Leeds defender Charlie Taylor on loan again. Both clubs agreed to renew that deal for another year - but my board cancelled the transfer as he was still injured from his time with us last season. My second choice was Josh Morris, who has been a free agent for more than a year after being released by Blackburn - but he still won't enter talks and obviously prefers to sit doing nothing rather than re-launching his career.

Talented young forward Tyler Walker (son of former Forest & England legend Des) was actually a mistake, despite being on my radar for a year and scoring well on loan at AFC Wimbledon last season. I often have deals agreed just so that I can see who will sign and for what terms, and end up cancelling as I decide on other targets. This had been my plan for Tyler after his release from Forest, but unfortunately due to his age, my HOYD completed the signing on my behalf. He will go in to my U21 squad and possibly he will link well with Lewis Walters, who I have demoted to that squad for the start of this season.

The reason for that is because we also picked up another striker for first team duties when Michael Smith became available after his release from Swindon. The former Wallsend Boys Club product hasn't quite reached the heights of some developed there (Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley included), but I identified him as being a like-for-like replacement should either Mark Beck or Charlie Wyke get injured or lose form. We often end up switching to 'route one' tactics, and so we needed another player of his ilk at the club. When Scott Fenwick returns from injury, we'll now have five strikers in the first team squad (plus Walker and Walters), so hopefully our scoring record will be less of a concern this time around.

Also members of the squad for the coming campaign are several players whose loans we have extended again. Central defenders Josh Lelan (winner of our Player of the Year award in both seasons so far) and Matthew Clarke (who impressed in a 12-game spell at the end of last season) stay on with the blessing of Derby and Ipswich respectively, central midfielder Chris Dawson (Leeds) remains on loan for a third season, and Bryn Morris (Middlesbrough) has a second year with us as cover in defensive midfield and central defence.

Leaving the club were a number of original players who weren't part of my future plans (and in some cases hadn't played a part in two seasons). I've also released Josh Todd and Jack Laird, who had both been signed by me on free transfers but failed to show anything special in my U21 squad. Additionally, Steven Rigg - who had only been a bit-part player - was sold for a small fee, as I didn't think he could impress at League 1 level. Three loan deals were granted to players that might have made the squad on occasions this season, but wanted some regular first team football. I'll see how they perform at our affiliate clubs but they need to work hard to have any hope of a bright future at the club.

I've also strengthened the backroom team, with former Hearts & Dundee man Tom Ritchie (Fitness Coach), ex-Tottenham & QPR striker Clive Allen (Attacking Coach), ex-Ipswich & Leeds player Richard Naylor (Defensive Coach) and ex-Derby & Leeds forward Bobby Davison (U21 Manager) being added to my staff. Hopefully this will allow us to maximise performances.

[sammo10]

Thanks Fuze, fantastic achievement winning the Europa League. Assombalonga had a great time in that tournament!

Jogo - Great update. Great stuff on the loan renewals as they are clearly big players for you. Excited to see how Redshaw does for you. Good luck in League One.

[fyrefuze]

Haha. I'm still keen managing SUFC myself, but probably more of a short blast for 1-3 seasons. I still have so many clubs to fit in on FM15, and not enough time to do it.

Well I think this may entice you a bit. SUFC is surely a save for this FM where you are handsomely rewarded if you do good.

Also add David Pavelka's transfer money to it, sold him to MCFC for 30M (20M+10M over 12 months). I doubt even Manchester clubs can match that.

This and a temptation to build new empire has made me reject the Barcelona's offer.

Although the future may not be as rewarding.

[Jogo Bonito]

Well I think this may entice you a bit. SUFC is surely a save for this FM where you are handsomely rewarded if you do good.

That's crazy money! I was working in Saudi for a year from 2012-2013 so the backing of the Saudi Royal family makes it another attractive personal reason for managing them. I'm not used to managing teams with good budgets, but spending some of the Al Saud family fortune might give me some satisfaction

@sammo: Thanks. I had no plans to be spending that kind of cash on Redshaw (was trying for part exchange deals in first two seasons), so he's going to have to work seriously hard to pay back that fee. My main concern will be over how to rotate and keep all these strikers happy - and how to fit them in to a natural partnership.

[sammo10]

Plymouth Argyle Season Review 2015/16

Fixtures

We had a very strong end to the season. Only 3 defeats since the last update and some very solid wins. This put us into a very strong position in the league and made promotion a very realistic possibility. The highlights were beating Blackpool 4-0, getting a big away point at champions Sheffield United, scoring 5 at Barnsley and finally turning the game around to beat Bradford.

Table

We managed to finish in a very pleasing 3rd place.Automatic promotion was a very realistic possibility by the end of the season. Going into the final day there was only one point between us and Leyton Orient. Unfortunately though we lost and they won. Blackpool managed back to back relegations. An achievement you do not want, they are definitely a club in crisis. Early season favourites for the title Birmingham also came close to going down.

The Play offs

The first leg of our play off semi final saw us take on Barnsley at Oakwell. Unfortunately we were 2nd best and an excellent display from former Pilgrim Connor Hourihane saw him get a hat trick and us go down 4-2. We did go ahead through Larnell Cole early on, but went 3-1 down. Reuben Reid pulled a goal back before Hourihane got his hat trick.

We managed to win the second leg 1-0, however this was not enough. A heartbreaking end to what was a great season. Reuben Reid again with a goal.

Squad performance

Goalkeepers

Artur Krysiak 53 apps, 14 clean sheets, AVG rating 6.80 - Artur did okay for us. I think I was let down by my scouts when signing him. He was not as good as they suggested but he did a job for us. I will look to improve on him if I can.

Defenders

Kelvin Mellor 16 apps, 0 goals, AVG Rating 6.76 - Injuries and JonJoe Kenny restricted Mellors game time, but he was solid when called upon. Will likely get a lot more game time next season.

JonJoe Kenny 38 apps, 0 goals, AVG Rating 6.67 - Ended up being first choice due to Mellors injuries. He had a much better first half of the season. He did play a lot of games for club and country so I feel fatigue may have played a big part in his dip in form.

Curtis Nelson 54 apps, 1 goal AVG Rating 7.08 - Did not miss a game all season. There a reason for that, simply he was our best defender. Is getting better as time goes on. I'm sure he will be even better next season. Hopefully he will be a Plymouth legend by the time I am done with this save.

Peter Hartley 33 apps, 4 goals AVG Rating 7.03 - A very solid season from Hartley. Made the step up with ease and even popped up with 4 goals. Normally 1st choice however rested at times for McHugh

Carl McHugh 21 apps, 2 goals AVG Rating 7.01 - Moaned at times for not getting game time. I don't blame him as he is good enough. Unfortunately he is competing with two other very good centre backs. Did deserve to play more. Even considered going with 3 at the back sometimes to give him more time on the pitch.

Ben Purrington 44 apps, 0 goals, AVG Rating 6.79 - Like this guy a lot. Approaching 100 appearances already and he is only 19. Still has a lot to improve on but will become a very good left back and developed nicely this season

Elliot Johnson 7 apps, 0 goals, AVG Rating 6.90 - Made the step from the Conference nicely. Slowly introduced him, but he has looked good when played and I feel have two very good Left backs for the future.

Centre Midfielders

Anthony O'Connor 39 apps, 2 goals AVG Rating 6.97 - Just like last season, made the holding role his own. Does his job superbly. Mops up infront of the defence and passes it on to the more creative players.

Lee Cox 20 apps, 0 goals, 6.81 - Was good again when called upon. Contract is up at the end of the season, debating whether to keep him or not.

Anthony Grant 45 apps, 5 goals, AVG Rating 7.09 - A massive player for us. His energy in midfield was vital, and he chipped in with some goals. His small fee last season is looking like a massive bargain.

George Green 24 apps, 7 goals, AVG Rating 7.12 - We lost Green for 4 months, and I really believe we could have made automatic promotion had he been available. I think he may be playing at a higher level next season.

Larnell Cole 31 apps, 6 goals, AVG Rating - 7.30 - A great first season for Cole. Has developed brilliantly and is a key player in the side. Dribbling through the centre is his biggest attribute. Lots of goals came from him running at teams.

Wingers

Kadeem Harris 34 apps, 12 goals, AVG Rating 7.18 - A great season. I will be looking to get him in permanently. A real attacking threat down the wing and scored and assisted many of my goals.

Tariqe Fosu 30 apps, 5 goals, AVG Rating 7.04 - Season was interrupted by various injuries, but when avialable he stood out. I will make a bid to sign him, but I am not sure Reading will be keen on that.

Jason Banton 18 apps, 5 goals, AVG Rating 7.09 - Played 2nd fiddle, but was a great player to have on your bench. A real impact player.

Omar Rowe 23 apps, 0 goals, AVG Rating 6.79 - A bit underwhelmed by him. Never seems to be much end product, but there is enough there to work with and I hope he an improve.

Strikers

Reuben Reid 46 apps, 33 goals, AVG Rating 7.32 - This man is brilliant. Without him we are a mid table side. his goals are vital and he dragged us few plenty of games. Has that something extra that is needed

Kane Hemmings 7 apps, 4 goals, AVG Rating 7.11 - was never getting in the side over Reid but did score when he played. Happy with what he did for us.

Tyler Harvey 12 apps, 1 goals, AVG Rating 6.79 - Struggling to find a position for him in my formation. Did okay in varoius positions

[Gaz1808]

@Sammo10 Excellent season considering your aim was to stay up. After seeing the exploits of Reuben Reid i now have an eye on him. He got 23 on my save last season and has not done so well this one but his contract his up at the end of the season so hopefully i can get him cheaply or even on a free! Will be difficult though.

Promotion the aim for next season i imagine?

Half Season Update

After losing two of my opening three games I went eighteen unbeaten in the league before a convincing 3-0 defeat away at Bury. I can’t really complain although I haven’t won in 4 now so hopefully this isn’t the start of some poor form.

My best performer has been Patrick Brough on the left wing. In 21 starts he’s contributed 8 goals and 12 assists and he was only in my starting XI to begin with due to injuries.

Tom Eaves is my top scorer with 10 in 17 but he’s since got injured and my only other striker was Mark Beck who’s got 3 in 9. Danny Grainger is actually my next top scorer with 6 goals (5 from penalties).

Disappointments so far have been Mendez Laing who’s only made 4 starts due to injury but is yet to contribute. A long term injury to Eaves left me short up front and to make it worse Liam Kelly on loan from Reading got a long term injury in the same game.

The other disappointment is the amount of cards I get. 9 reds in the league so far, the next closest is 5! As for Yellows I’m on 57, the next, 35….

So after 21 games I’m top with 50 points. Morecambe are second on 46 who I haven’t played yet. Here is the current league table

http://gyazo.com/6e8aaf5b08a772eb8ff2fb7bc5125178

I’ve agreed to sign three players next summer when their contracts expire, all from Livingston. Declan Gallagher a Centre Half, Ibra Sekajja a striker and Kyle Jacobs who can play Central midfield or Right Wing. Only paying wages for all three of them, no bonuses, signing on fees or agent fees so I couldn’t say no.

[Gizmo7]

Good season sammo - unlucky in the play-offs.

How have you been playing O'Connor? I have him at Notts County but haven't found where he's best yet, he's my utility player so play him at centre-back, defensive-mid and as a box-to-box midfielder too.

[Jogo Bonito]

A very, very good effort sammo. Despite the disappointment of losing the play-off semi final, there are so many good signs there. Hopefully you will go one better next season - and with Reid performing like that, there's every chance you will. Good to read your player analysis again, it gives depth to your story.

@Gaz1808: That's a really good start too. I found Grainger a card magnate and a bit of a liability as a left-back, and had actually dropped him in my first season until settling on my 532 and using him as the left of the three central defenders. His leadership and penalties were good, but him (and Potts) were always at risk of a card. Good to see Brough performing well, I'm assuming you're using 442? Hopefully you continue to enjoy your time with Carlisle.

[sammo10]

Gaz - thanks. Reid is well worth getting if you can. I will definitely be hoping for promotion next season. Your save looks like it's going very well. Bullying your way to the title are we ? All those cards

Gizmo - Cheers. I always play him in the holding role of a 3 man midfield.

Jogo - thanks mate. Hopefully we can push on next season. I thin the biggest part of the summer will be renewing my loans if possible or replacing them

[Gizmo7]

Just a quick update on life at Notts County

Haven't had too much time to play over the past couple of weeks, but managed to squeeze in a few games here and there.

Things are going generally well, just entering February and we're 13th in our first season in the Championship. Just had to let Marcello Trotta leave on deadline day though, as he's wanted to move all season, and is out of contract in the summer, so when Brighton came in with a £500k bid for him I had to accept it really. It's a shame as he was doing well for us this season, scoring 11 and assisting 10, but if I hadn't have accepted he'd have kicked off plus he was off in the summer anyway for nothing, so it's £500k profit from him.

I quickly tried to look for any bargains to replace him and no-one stood out, so I signed Craig Tanner for £8k from Reading and Jordan White from Hibs for £90k. They look like decent players for this level. Not as good as Trotta, but still should do okay.

Standout players for us so far include Luke Garbutt and Tyias Browning (both on season-long loans from Everton), Ryan Williams and Leigh Griffiths. Aiming for a comfortable mid-table finish, but with play-offs only 3 points away, you never know...

[Jogo Bonito]

Not doing badly at all there Gizmo. The purchase of Tanner for £8k should be a good deal, and it's a very fair fee you received for Trotta too. Good luck in your play-off chase.

I've reached November 2016 with Carlisle. It's been a bit up-and-down since our promotion to League 1, but overall I've got to be very happy with our position in the table. The graph shows we've dipped a few times, but haven't been too bad at overcoming setbacks.

The striker partnerships haven't really gelled yet, but Smith was injured within 39 minutes on his much-delayed debut (having scored) and only made his way back to the bench in our last outing. Beck and Redshaw have scored a few and started most games out of our attackers, but we still need to score more. Of the other forwards, Wyke has been mainly on the bench, I've let Fenwick go to Newport on loan for a month to get match fit, and Walters and Walker are in the U21 squad. Walker has excelled there, so may be promoted at some point. The other new signings - Egan and Kayembe - have both settled in pretty well, and defensively we look sound and solid with our usual 532-WB formation.

MK Dons spent another £5m in the summer (that's £10m spent in the last year) and are looking for successive promotions. We, on the other hand, are going to have to find a way of halting the monthly losses. We cannot keep losing over £100k per month, and I may have to consider some player sales if any interest is registered on our players. Having said that, I've already renewed most player contracts, with the core tied down until at least 2018.

[sammo10]

You are sitting in a very nice position there Jogo. From the results it looks like Redshaw may just be coming in to some good form.

Good stuff Gizmo. I like Craig Tanner and hope he does well for you.

[Gizmo7]

So after 1 point in our last 6 games (and since selling Trotta... ) I have decided that a big change is needed.

I'm going to try something a little different, and similar to that of Jogo's formation - I'm going 3-5-2 with wing-backs. We're just conceding too many goals in our 4-4-2 formation, and I hate playing with just the 1 striker up-top, so I'm going to give this a little try. It's a very risky move changing formation so drasically in the middle of a season, but I feel it could pay off, and something needs to change for us.

Play-off hopes are a distant memory. We're scrapping for our lives now. With 12 games to go, we're on 40 points in 20th position - 7 points clear of Charlton in 22nd on 33 points, but 10 points off the "magic 50" that's required for safety.

Come on you Magpies!

[Mr.Delph]

Started a new game last week and I started unemployed with l1 rep and took over Preston after they sacked Grayson after 10 games sitting in 10th position. We stole 2nd place from Leyton Orient on the last day of the season with them 1 point ahead of me but they lost 4-1 and my team let a 2-0 lead slip to Colchester which finished 2-2! So we're up but the board is extremely tight leaving me with no transfer budget but £170k in wages.

Fulham finished in 8th position and have just sacked manager Kit Symons and I'm debating whether to throw my hat into the ring.. managing Ross & Smith appeals to me

/edit

I'm now at Fulham and I forgot to mention that I actually sold Tom Clarke to them on deadline day for £2.5m. Only got £250k of that at Preston which I had to convert to wages to sign Bartley as his replacement on loan!

[smplfc123]

Hey guys, mind if I join?

I started a save with Aston Villa as a manager with no playing experience as a challenge.

I felt I was doing well after 16 games, sitting on 20 points in 10th position and only 9 points off top. I was giving youth a chance and playing some decent stuff.

However, after a takeover of the club by a Ukrainian consortium, i was soon out of a job.

After months of applying, i decided to skip to the end of the season and see what I could get.

I've now managed to land the Charlton Athletic job. They just survived last season and with little money I feel this will be a good test.

And I now qualify to post in this group again

I plan to give youth a chance again, whist my aim is to stay up and earn myself an extension on my 1 year deal, where I can then build a squad and the club.

[Jogo Bonito]

Good luck Gizmo. Sorry to hear of your dip in form, but it should be an exciting end to the season. Interested to see if wing-backs solves your problem!

Welcome back Mr.Delph. After good work with Preston, hopefully Fulham will be a doddle. How much has the squad changed?

Feel free smp, nice to have you back. Very harsh at Villa, and definitely a challenge to make Charlton more of a force again. You've been away too long, got you confused with Gunner for a minute - apologies :o

[Mr.Delph]

Squad is intact pretty much bar a few signings no out goings. I always start with first transfer window off and they spent around 5m in January on Skuse, Clarke and another which I can't think of right now. I've been given 7m transfer budget and that's with the Greek striker returning who is valued at 13m. This will be easy... Might just carry on with preston and see how well I do with no signings lol

[Jogo Bonito]

Good luck whichever one you stick with. I'll say 'Come on the Whites' anyway

[smplfc123]

Good luck Gizmo. Sorry to hear of your dip in form, but it should be an exciting end to the season. Interested to see if wing-backs solves your problem!

Welcome back Mr.Delph. After good work with Preston, hopefully Fulham will be a doddle. How much has the squad changed?

Feel free smp, nice to have you back. Very harsh at Villa, and definitely a challenge to make Charlton more of a force again. You've been away too long, got you confused with Gunner for a minute - apologies :o

Haha! Well I'm pleased to be back.

How is your save coming along?

I've just noticed you're managing Carlisle now and not Exeter! I have been away for a while. What happened?