Gungner Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 And just like that, Lee Camp has been struck with injury. I have no confidence in Benji Büchel, so I've gone ahead and loaned Ben Amos for the season. He can then play second fiddle when Camp comes back in a few months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 Masci, you're welcome. I won't be offended if you choose another team though Gungner, two more good additions. You have some great midfield options there now - and Wilson seems to score plenty, so you should be very strong! Bad luck on the injury to Camp - our fault for discussing him! Dan, good luck with your challenge! I actually thought they looked to be rated pretty well - nothing exceptional but consistently 'decent'. Resources are very limited though, so it will take some skill to repeat your FM14 success. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danm2501 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Cheers. Signed a deal with Leicester to have them as a feeder club, and first bit of business was to get Jack Barmby on loan, which looks to be a great deal. Also managed to sign Mateusz Taudul on a free. He's on a par with my current keeper Roche, but has good potential. Won our first league game 2-1 away Dag & Red, which was a solid result, not the best performance, but 3 points will do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 Nice start, Barmby is a good player for L2 and should really help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masci0 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I've gone with Preston. Local(ish) team, great history too! Will update you all as I go Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 Nice choice. I had a great time with them on FM14 - make Preston proud (again). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 A very bland start to manager life in Bournemouth. Started off by beating Huddersfield 4-1, then Portsmouth 5-0 in the COC... Then a late goal in injury time earned Brentford a draw of 2-2, and the team then crashed completely when Forest came to town and took us apart with a 3-0 win. I'm not happy, but I suppose I should be, since half my team is out injured. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danm2501 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Good start for me as Morecambe. 8 games played, 5 wins, 2 draws and a defeat. The highlight of the campaign so far has definitely been the 6-0 thrashing of Cheltenham. Annoyingly, it was followed up by a 2-1 loss to Plymouth, where we hit the post twice, but we were back on form in the following game winning 3-1 against Wimbledon. Andy Fleming has been excellent in midfield, scoring 3 times in 8 appearances, with an average rating of 7.62. Ryan Williams has also contributed in a big way from midfield, with 5 goals to his name and a similar average rating of 7.5. Going well so far, hopefully it'll continue! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelBrown Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 In Barnsley itself mate, unfortunately Used to be a top night out back when I was 17/18 (four years ago). Obviously it can't compete against Sheffield and Leeds now.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Started up a new game upon coming across this thread taking the reigns at Shrewsbury Town. To be fair this team don't really need much to rock and roll in league two. The years ahead will be alot more defining. Signings wise its been a bit hit and miss - Benjamin Siegrist can hardly call himself Town's No 1 after some ropey performances whilst Alexander N'Doumbou has literally been outstanding - Way too much swag for this league Pretty Happy with the first half of the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Welcome to the thread Kaiserwatman. As you say, they are one of the better L2 outfits, but that's still a very good start. Good luck and keep us updated as you progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Well, after a bland start with Bournemouth, we headed to Blackburn in a match where we were total underdogs. But being 4-1 up at halftime, I was a happy manager. They did manage to score twice in the second half, but we held on and won 4-3. Next up was Charlton in the COC, where the reserves got some playing time to rest my first team members for the league clash with Norwich. But even my reserves were to strong for Charlton, and they had to travel home with a 0-3 defeat. All in all, a good start to life in Bournemouth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danm2501 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Into January now, and despite losing our last game, we're still top of the league, joint on 50 points with Southend, but 7 points clear of the first playoff position. Going very well, and starting very much like my Fleetwood save did, which is nice. Just hope I can keep Jack Barmby for another season if I get promoted, he's been awesome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Very good starts Gungner and danm2501. It usually takes me some time to get my team playing well, so things are looking good for both of you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stfc mason Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Got FM15 for Christmas so will be continuing my Swindon save that I had on the demo then i will start a new Swindon one but with a larger database. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masci0 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Finding this Preston save a lot tougher than I thought I would haha. My slow defenders can't handle a pacey striker at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Fancying a League Two game. At the minute i'm between Hartlepool and Portsmouth. I'm leaning towards Hartlepool as Portsmouth isn't as much of a challenge. I wish i'd not lost interest in my Bournemouth save. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
champ 01/02 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Champ, good to see you still going with York. Attendances of 4000 are incredibly low - best of luck.Gungner, good luck with Bournemouth. Two very good signings there to boost what is already a very good squad. Jac, welcome back. The youngsters at Colchester seem reasonably well rated this year (to me, at least). What is the rage-quit record to beat?!? Masci, welcome to the thread. I'd suggest one of the four following teams for you in L1 with good attacking talent. Bristol City have some very good attacking midfielders, one good forward (Agard) and about £400k to spend if you want another good striker. The rest of the squad is strong too. Swindon seem to perform very well in the game with Williams, Obika and Smith regular scorers. Preston have one of the best strikers (Garner) but the others are questionable. Peterborough have a reputation for finding young strikers that they turn in to gems, but it might take a while before they perform in game. However, they do also have £1.4m to spend (more than three times higher than any other team in the league) if you want to bring your own in. You could have a look at the excellent club thread for them created by Maxey if they interest you. Good luck whoever you pick, whether one of them or somebody else. Thanks yeah need to expand the stadium but we have no money to expand according to the board. Am happy but dissapointed with the progress in cups, lost to blackburn in league cup and lost in an FA cup replay to newcastle on penalties who are currently 6th in the prem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsene20 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I'd say this is a good first three years for the Posh! Lots of credit to Zero Sea and the Athena tactic they came up with. Things a monster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I don't want to sound like that guy and you can play however you like obviously but I personally wouldn't find that as fun as making a tactic myself and tweaking it as I go. It's almost like you're just buying players and pressing continue. Also i'd go as far as to say those tactics them guys are making might exploit the match engine in some way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danm2501 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Agreed. Winning 2 divisions that easily, winning the FA Cup and then coming 4th in the Premier League and winning a European competition, in 3 seasons with Peterborough can't be that fun surely? Much more enjoyable creating a tactic, building a squad, and having the struggle before ultimately making it. My Fleetwood team got back to back promotions, but moving up so quickly hurt us when we got to the championship, and we scraped to 19th. That's how it should be. You shouldn't be able to get promoted to the Championship in 1 to 2 seasons, and then walk it first season with 100+ points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danm2501 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 First season done, and Morecambe are League 2 champions. Finished 11 points clear of Portsmouth with 91 points from 46 games with 27 wins, 10 draws and 9 losses. Jack Barmby finished top of the average ratings, Jack Redshaw came 2nd on the Top Goalscorer list, and 1st on the assist table, and Barmby also topped the MOTM award list. Very happy with my first season in charge. Now it's time to get the side ready for League 1. Have quite a few guys leaving on a free at the end of the season, so that should give me some flexibility with the wage budget, but I desperately need to sure up the defence. Conceded 62 goals in the league, which is far too many, but the potent attacking threat of Barmby, Devitt and Redshaw allowed us to outscore most opponents. The defence won't be good enough for League 1 though. I'm also incredibly keen to hold on to Jack Barmby, and will be trying desperately to extend his loan for another season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityAndColour Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I don't want to sound like that guy and you can play however you like obviously but I personally wouldn't find that as fun as making a tactic myself and tweaking it as I go. It's almost like you're just buying players and pressing continue. Also i'd go as far as to say those tactics them guys are making might exploit the match engine in some way. I cringed when I saw those screenshots tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Each to their own, but I would quickly lose interest if things came along that easily too. I like realistic saves and when it doesn't work out that way, I tend to finish it. That's probably why I also stop if I do manage to take a team to the PL - I'd rather start over again at L1/L2 or non-league level. Anyway, everybody has different ways of having fun so good luck to arsene20. @masci0 - how are you getting on at Preston now? @danm - nice work with Morecambe. Good luck in L1. Stfc mason & lewis - keep us updated as you go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelBrown Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Yeah I agree to be honest, people can play their game however they like (just like IRL, people can live however they like) but that must be one boring, boring game. Plus, the fun is creating a tactic and messing around with it. Update to come either today or tomorrow. CBA doing screenshots for this season as the only one I liked was a 17yo who was a monster for me. Then he broke his leg. I think it's realistic to move up the lower divisions continually (depending on team, I've done the same with Yeovil and P'Boro are a good side), but to win a cup and then succeed in Europe is ridiculous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 After some mixed results with Bournemouth, we hammered Charlton 6-0 at home, followed by a 4-2 win over Wigan. A few more wins has seen us taking 2nd place in the table by November. Can the indian summer continue? Man Utd decided to recall Ben Amos as he wasn't getting enough 1st team games, so I'm back to Benji Büchel as 2nd keeper... I really hope Lee Camp doesn't get injured. My two top performers has been loanees Jack Grealish and Ryan Mason. Both are playing outstandingly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masci0 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 @masci0 - how are you getting on at Preston now? Oh this is the most nerve racking, annoying, soul destroying... fantastic save i've ever had. Finished 4th, but was so close to automatic promotion. We really crumbled in the run in. Lost so many leads in the dying moments of the game. Play-offs are looking like this - I've been unable to beat all of these guys in the 2nd half of the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Gungner - Being 2nd in November is good going and it looks like you will be right up there by May. I'm sure a loan keeper can be found if Camp gets injured, but hopefully it won't come to that. masci0 - that was a very close finish, and obviously a bit disappointing, but great to see you're enjoying it so much. Good luck in the play-offs! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stfc mason Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Continuing my Swindon save that I had on the demo for now. Very good start to the season we are currently top (table will be posted later) my main strikers have been scoring quite frequently and also Williams has got 8. Midfield is excellent and defence has been very solid. Campbell is excellent and I would recommend him to all league 1 clubs (Khul as well). Jack Stephen's loan deal expires in January but you can extend that to the end of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Well that's the easy part done as Shrewsbury bounce back as expected . Striker James Collins won the League Top Scorer award notching 28 and joins captain Liam Lawrence as Shrewsbury's two representatives in League Two Team of the Year. Portsmouth clinched the final promotion spot after victory over Hartlepool United. Shrewsbury have yet to confirm any signings for the upcoming season but a couple of new players are expected in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 League One shows no mercy on newly promoted Shrewsbury Town. A lack of pace moans the manager as he battles to meet board expectations. On the plus side Yeovil Town look to be on course to be relegated before Easter so that's one relegation spot filled. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 Kaiserwatman, well done on the promotion from L2. I guess a season of consolidation would be acceptable to the board and to yourself? It's early days yet, plenty of time for improvement and a top half finish or even play-off push. I managed Shrewsbury in my first save of FM14 and the first season was truly awful, we only just avoided the drop from L1. I think you probably have a better (and bigger) squad now - from memory we only had about 15 players when I started out. Stfc mason, the Robins are bobbing along very well there. I'm kind of surprised you felt an additional striker was needed on top of Williams, Smith and Obika - especially as they're all doing well in real life for you. I totally agree about Kuhl, a season 1 must-have for any L1/L2 team that can get him on loan (and even good enough at Championship level). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Kaiserwatman, well done on the promotion from L2. I guess a season of consolidation would be acceptable to the board and to yourself? It's early days yet, plenty of time for improvement and a top half finish or even play-off push. I managed Shrewsbury in my first save of FM14 and the first season was truly awful, we only just avoided the drop from L1. I think you probably have a better (and bigger) squad now - from memory we only had about 15 players when I started out. Consolidation of course would be acceptable , keeping the board believing this is a "five year plan" , a slow and meticulous venture could well be another issue. Currently have 24 Senior players ,19 of which are signed up for next season and one loanee who i have agreed a fee with the parent club if i so wish (not likely at this moment) . A Freight Train slowly gaining momentum Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 I like the kind of saves where it takes time to get where you want. A squad size of 24 is just about right, not too many, not too few. I'm sure you'll keep on track Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Was hoping to start a save where I only use current players and guys we produce through the academy. Can anybody suggest a good option apart from Crewe (too obvious) and MK Dons (I want a club, not a franchise)? Obviously good facilities off the bat would be good but I know that will be hard to find in Leagues One and Two. Any club with potential will be considered. Many thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnetfan Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Burton Albion have good facilities as they train at the England national team complex, St. George's park. I don't know what they're like at bringing players through though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 After Shipping 81 league goals recruiting some better defenders will be priority number one in what ended up been a pretty successful season following promotion from League Two. Board Expectations were indeed met in what was a solid introduction to League One Football. Victory over Leyton Orient saw Shrews lift the JPT at Wembley James Collins added the League One Top Scorer award to his collection , whilst Alexander N'Doumbou won Player of the Season. They were joined by Benjamin Siegrist and Chris Lester in The League One Team of the Year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelBrown Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 70 goals?!?! That's crazy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Hey all. It sounds like there are some excellent games going on in the lower leagues this year. After reading some of your stories, I was inspired to go back to basics in League 2 and Plymouth Argyle. With no transfer budget and not much in the way of excess wage budget, this could potentially be a bit of a challenge. The squad itself has a pretty strong spine, although there are clearly players which are not cut out to play at this level. Worryingly, a couple of them, Smalley and Morgan, were on pretty high wages. After offering them out to no interest, I chose to terminate their contracts. I am aware of the financial hit this caused, but the players I have brought in with the excess wages budget have more than justified my decision. I've gone for a 4-2-3-1 formation, and here is how my squad is shaping up. With Luke McCormick, Argyle already have one of the best keepers in the league, and I've decided not to bring in anyone else to compete with him. James Bittner isn't good enough for this league, so if the worst happens, I'll be delving into the loan market. At right back, Kelvin Mellor has been brilliant so far this season. I desperately tried to bring in someone else as back up, but that didn't materialise. Thankfully, the on-loan Anthony O'Connor can play there, and has done a good job when he has been used there. Centre back has seen me bring in Valentin Gjokaj, who added to an already quality depth in this position. Curtis Nelson, Carl McHugh and Peter Hartley have made this a strong position for us. To be honest, whoever has played at centre back has been solid so far. At left back, I've made the bold decision to blood Ben Purrington, and have brought Charlie Taylor in on loan from Leeds. He's been useless, so Purrington has played the vast majority of games for us. This is definitely one of the areas of weakness in the squad, and one I'll be looking to strengthen in January. In central midfield, Oliver Norburn and Ross Davidson, who has come in on loan from Kilmarnock, have been competing for one of the slots, whilst the ball-winning position has alternated between Lee Cox and Anthony O'Connor, with Dominic Blizzard occasionally slotting in when required. Overall, the midfield has done a good job, with all four of the main players averaging around the 7.0 mark during the first half of the season. My attacking midfield options have been outstanding so far this season, with Yohan Guichard, Patrick Vaz and Cameron Park joining Tyler Harvey, Lewis Alessandra and Jason Banton. Guichard has been the stand-out performer, who has 7 goals and 5 assists in 15 games. He has firmly established himself as first choice on the right wing, with Banton edging ahead of Vaz on the opposite flank. Up front, Reuben Reid has been phenomenal. 16 goals and 4 assists in 19 games so far. On-loan strikers Joe Pigott and Tom Eaves haven't really had a look in, which is understandable. We have crashed out of both cups, being smashed 4-0 by Leyton Orient in the Capital One Cup, and being beaten by an 89th minute wonder strike away at Coventry in the JPT. The league, however, has been a different story. We currently sit second, a point behind leaders Portsmouth, but 6 clear of Oxford in third. A great start, and one I hope we can build on throughout the rest of the season. A lot of my players are out of contract at the end of this season, so I guess I am going to have a lot of decisions to make in the coming months. Onwards and upwards! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Yohan Guichard . Have you managed to get Quentin Boesso? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I didn't go for Boesso. Guichard has been a favourite of mine for the lower leagues for years, so it felt wrong not bringing him in! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Boesso is just as good, if not better though . I stumbled across Boesso last year and would highly recommend him. Guichard, Thomas Lebon, Patrick Vaz and all the others have been lower league gems for a number of years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamm90 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I finally got round to starting my annual save with Barnsley, and thought I would post my progress in here. 2014/15 The aim for the first season was to achieve a respectable position in League One. Top half sufficient, but top eight preferred. I didn’t make any signings in the first transfer window, and went with the current young squad full of potential, at this level. The season started well, and I was in and around the play-offs up until the midway point in the season when my form took a turn for the worst. After a run of only two wins in fourteen league games, I thought a change in formation was needed. I went for a 4-2-3-1, bringing in Fraser Fyvie on loan, allowing me to push Conor Hourihane into an advanced playmaker role behind Leroy Lita. I also turned Peter Ramage and Joe Dudgeon’s loan deals into permanent ones, for nominal fees. Marcello Trotta never showed any form, so I sent him back to Fulham but extended the loans of Ryan Williams and Devante Cole. The new tactics worked a treat and we quickly found our form again, finishing the season in 4th. I lost in semi-final of the play-offs against Colchester United (they went on to win the final and get promoted). We probably weren’t ready for the step-up anyway, quite a few of the squad (Luke Berry, Conor Hourihane, etc) need more time to develop before playing to a good standard in the Championship. Leroy Lita was on fire, scoring 27 league goals in the season. 2015/16 I was aiming for the play-offs again, as a minimum expectation, but I thought the top two would’ve been achievable with the right additions. The majority of the squad that I kept hold of agreed new deals on reduced wages, allowing me to bring in more players. Devante Cole stayed on a free transfer, along with free agents Andrew Halliday and Tobias Sana. I also bought Conor McLaughlin from Fleetwood Town, and David Davis on loan. Marcello Trotta became available on a free transfer, and despite his average loan spell last season, his stats looked too good to ignore. I gave him another chance and released Jean-Yves M’voto and Kane Hemmings, and also managed to get somebody to take the injury-prone Keith Treacy away from us. I carried on the same 4-2-3-1, high-tempo, pressing formation and spent the bulk of the season in the top three/four. In January I re-signed David Davis on a permanent deal and brought in Curtis Good, on loan, to cover for a defensive injury crisis. The second half of the season was a two horse race between us and Brentford. We went into the last game neck-and-neck on 100 points. Luckily, they slipped up at Leyton Orient and we beat Shrewsbury to win the league. We also managed an impressive run in the FA Cup, getting to the semi-finals. We took Man City to extra time and penalties, after a last minute Hourihane equaliser, but we ended up losing. 2016/17 I’ve only made a brief start to pre-season, but I’ve made a few changes. I don’t want to overhaul the squad too much as a lot of the players are starting to develop well, along with a couple of impressive young players that need some game time. I’ve released Reece Brown, James Bailey, Adam Davies, Reuben Noble-Lazarus and the majority of the young fringe players. Leroy Lita bagged 27 league goals for the second season in a row, but his stats were in decline. I offered him a deal but he wouldn’t stay without doubling his money, so he’s now gone. After reading through this thread (Bournemouth saves in particular) I had a look at their squad and Callum Wilson was transfer-listed after they were relegated from the Premier League. I’ve managed to sign him for a tidy £300k, and also Filip Kiss and Adrian Ortola on free transfers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Unfortunately, my Bournemouth save was deleted. So I decided to start with my english heart-club, Portsmouth in League Two. Sure, it might be an easy ride the first few seasons, but there are not much to spend. I've brought in Curtis Obeng and Benjamin Siegrist on season long loans, and I'm looking to sign Guyon Fernandez and Alexander N'Doumbou. Get up Pompey! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgoodsell Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Hey all Time has come for me to try getting MK Dons into the Premier League. I plan to build my team round Deli Alli if I can, while building on my 4-1-2-2-1 Tactic. Will keep you updated! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Nice to see your updates guys - a belated Happy New Year to you all now that I have returned from camping in the bush. @King Costly - Colchester seem to have some good youngsters, minimal expectations, a new(ish) all-seater stadium, and perhaps might give you the chance to bring youngsters through. I'm not sure what other L1/L2 clubs have great youth training/facilities, but there are quite a few who start with good youngsters (Bristol City, Swindon being two of the obviously stronger examples). Portsmouth/Plymouth could be worth considering at L2 level. Above them, and if you need a slightly easier challenge, Reading have an excellent Academy system and lots of talented youngsters on the fringe of the first team squad and in U21/U18 squads. Obviously most of the clubs at L2 level are operating with no/minimal transfer budget so you have to make the most of what you have and/or get coming through. @Kaiserwatman - a very respectable season in the end. I noticed that some of the top six conceded plenty of goals too, so you weren't alone. Superb return from James Collins though. @numero uno gunner - welcome along and a nice update. I fancied managing Plymouth myself (never have) but what stopped me was that so many of the squad have a real lack of pace in their attribute ratings. That aspect really goes against what I want in a team unfortunately. The pros are that they have a good fan base, better than average (size) stadium for L2, some good young players at the club, and an ability to bring through youth prospects. @Adamm90 - nice updates and congrats on the second season promotion. Hourihane developed really well under AI management in my Bristol City game, and was valued way over my transfer budget. Picking up Callum Wilson for £300k should be the bargain of the century as he seems to be an absolute monster - goals and assist should follow by the bucketload! @Gungner - good luck with Pompey. Obviously they have all the essentials in place to earn back-to-back promotions, and some potentially valuable young players there - especially Jed Wallace. I would say they're probably lacking a real quality striker so if you get the right man, you should go well. @cjgoodsell - MK Dons do seem to have a strong starting squad, and you have stadium there that can cope with promotion. Obviously some find it hard to manage them, but if you're not bothered about the 'franchise' tag, you definitely have the raw materials to do good things with them. Alli should be an outstanding asset, if you can keep hold of him. I think that's everybody...apologies if I missed anyone out! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danm2501 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 8 games in to my League 1 campaign as Morecambe, and it's going very well indeed. Sitting in 2nd place, just 1 point off league leaders Peterborough. I spent well in the summer, bringing in 9 players for just £75k, whilst making £22k in sales, with 8 players leaving the club. I brought in the following: Jason McCarthy from Southampton - Free - Young defender picked up from Southampton. Currently plying his trade in the Under-21s, but with decent pace and acceleration, as well as marking, tackling and heading, he should be a useful asset once he's developed a little bit. Liam Grimshaw - Free - Another young defender. The defence was a tad old in League 2, so I looked to improve that for my League 1 campaign. Shane Griffin from Reading - Loan - Good solid young left back who's incredibly fit and has good technical, mental and physical attribute. With a 7.28 average rating in 8 games so far, he's been very impressive. Billy O'Brien - Free - Young welsh goalkeeper that will play back-up Taudul this season, and hopefully, if my scouts are to be believed should develop into a good Championship goalkeeper. Paul Robinson - Free - First team centre defender, the former Millwall man will provide a bit of experience, and despite being 33, is yet to start declining in physical attributes, so should do well for at least this season Kamil Zayatte - Free - Another defender for the first team. The former Hull defender looks to be an excellent defender for League 1. His £2,800 wages are a tad steep, but he adds some much needed quality to the defence. Yanic Wildschut from Middlesborough - £75k - Supremely talented 23-year old winger. We were lacking in depth in the winger position, so broke the Morecambe transfer record to bring in Wildschut. Yet to make a big impact, but is the ideal player to have warming the bench. Ryan Williams from Fulham - Loan - Possibly the best buy of the season so far, the young Australian has made an immediate impact. In his 5 starts, he has 3 goals an assist and a 7.26 average rating. A very promising start indeed. Bastien Héry from Rochdale - Loan - Filling a gap in the midfield, Héry offers some much needed midfield depth. An injury has already meant he's become a key first team player, and has already contributed a goal from the advanced playmaker position. A very promising start. So, with those transfers made, my strongest XI is: ----------------------Taudul--------------------- --Beeley----Robinson------Edwards----Griffin--- --------Williams-----Wright------Fleming-------- ---Williams----------------------------Barmby---- ----------------------Redshaw--------------------- Very pleased with that starting XI. Redshaw has made the transition superbly, and already has 6 goals in 8 League 1 games. We have much more strength in depth than last season, and although the team features a number of loanees, I'm confident that we have the squad to gain back-to-back promotions, and then survive the first season in the Championship. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev10 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 So I decided to start a game with Peterborough, I've got a 5 year plan to be playing in Europe. First Season Review.... I cleared majority of the staff and brought in my own team... Decided on my tactic for the season... I wanted to play a possession based attacking game, while remaining solid at the back. So the next task was to bring in some of my own players, The majority of the team was fine for League 1 so only a few were required... I can't fault any of these signings they all played amazing over the course of the season, the 2 stand outs being Stefan Maierhofer & Adam Campbell I went on a crazy cup run getting all the way to FA Cup Final with Chelsea beating me 3-2 Sourhampton, Arsenal & Liverpool all fielded weakened teams as they thought they would probably have steam rolled us, I'm actually glad I never won it but the unfortunate thing is now I'm in Europe I pretty much cruised the league rarely getting out of 2nd gear at time.... Was a little bit boring but I know the bigger challenge is to come... Looking forward to next season in the championship, need to replace all the loanees hopefully I can agree a price but with a 2million budget I'm doubting it. Ive signed Danny Wilson from Hearts so far... Anyone got any suggestions for players in the 2nd season.... Looking for another striker, Left Mid, Left Back and a Defensive Midfielder that can play a pass... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean0987654321 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Getting a bit easy I think. I won the League 1 with Coventry and now I'm one place away from auto promotion. With a team with 60M debt, promotion will surely help. Also had a takeover and surivived it. Than god for those Zeo Athena tactics Season 1 Ins Mason loan Tom Thorpe loan Will Keane loan Espen Ruud free from OB Jamie O'Hara free David James free and as a reserves coach Chris Eagles free Outs Lots of loans and loans expirings Season 2 Mason loan renewed Will Keane free Tom Thorpe free Pat McNair free Andreas Pereira free Sean Goss 425k Dag Olsen 120k Filip Westgaard 500k Martin Dubravka 650k Harry Kane loan Hervin Ongenda loan Melkamu Teufer loan Pavel Savitskiy loan Hacim Mastour loan Bertrand Traore loan Outs Simeon Jackson 1.1M Jordan Clarke 220k Read Johnson 600k Shaun Miller free Adam Barton free Lee Burge 80k + clauses Jack Finch loan Danny Swanson loan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamm90 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I've added a few more signings since my update. Young right-back from Benfica, Joao Cancelo, for £50k. Ed Upson on a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent deal, from Sunderland. And finally Mathias Bossaerts on a free transfer from Manchester City. Has anybody had any joy signing Massimo Luongo from Swindon? I need another midfielder in his mould, but Swindon wanted a hell of a lot of money after my first enquiry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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