[FM16] Enemy Harriers Incoming!

[smp20]

Just caught up here, that was so unlucky  so close to clinching promotion, but a collapse in the play-offs. That title will be yours next season surely.

[oriole01]

UEFA EURO 2016

Group Stage

 

Knockout Stages

Recap

Wow. I was expecting to see this sort of thing about 10-20 years into the game, not at the first time of asking! In truly remarkable fashion, Serbia ran the table and defeated the odds to win EURO 2016.  Finishing above Spain in their group, the Serbs looked a decent side but nowhere near the caliber of a deep run team.  They elevated their game in the knockout stages, knocking off powerful sides like Italy, Croatia, and eventually the world champions Germany in the final. Germany had slipped by all of their opponents by a one-goal margin in all of their matches, but when they reached the final, their luck had run out. A tense match that saw several dangerous chances for both sides go by the wayside, the eventual knockout blow was landed by none other than 19-year-old Andrija Zivkovic, who celebrated his 20th birthday a day early with a championship-winning headed goal off his teammate's missed chance in the late goings. This, coupled with a free transfer move to Real Madrid from Partizan have made July 2016 the best month of the wonderkid's young life so far. The game probably wouldn't have been close if the real German team was activated, because the likes of "Johann Alrich" weren't good enough to win EURO 2016 for the Germans. There were plenty of shocks elsewhere in the tournament, including my beloved non-country Slovenia reaching the quarterfinal after defeating Holland, Croatia to the semifinal after defeating England and Spain, hosts France getting eliminated by Belgium on penalties, and Poland finishing bottom of their group. All the more reason to love this game, eh?

Thanks for reading! This pre-season is going a bit slower than expected, especially since I can't resist the urge to database-surf and do commentaries on Champions/Europa League qualifying games.  I'll get to the new season, eventually... .

[deltablue]

14 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Wow. I was expecting to see this sort of thing about 10-20 years into the game, not at the first time of asking!

 

The two World Cup winners in my save so far are Wales and Ecuador

[oriole01]

8 hours ago, deltablue said:

The two World Cup winners in my save so far are Wales and Ecuador

Like I said, all the more reason to love this game!  That's bonkers.

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

2016-17 Pre-Season Preview

Welcome back to Aggborough! Today I'll give some important build up to the new Kidderminster season, which will begin in just a few in-game days! We had a busy summer in the West Midlands, with new contracts, a new staff member, a couple of new players, and plenty of friendly matches taking place. First, I'll show you the pre-season friendly results:

An over-stuffed, very interesting pre-season! George Taylor scored 10 goals this summer, with 6 of them coming in the 9-1 destruction of Level 8 Larkhall. We followed that up by holding Premier League side Hull City scoreless at home, with about half of their starters playing. We also played well against Carlisle and Bristol City, and nearly had the win against the former. The only bad game was the 0-4 drubbing against Dagenham and Redbridge. Finally, Arthur Gnahoua scored a ridiculous bicycle kick in the Farnborough game, silencing the crowd of the newly-promoted Vanarama South side.

New Harriers in the Roost (or Transfers)
We made two signings this off-season, filling in for an injured Jared Hodgkiss and a departed Elton Ngwatala in RB and LAM positions respectively.

I'm cautiously optimistic about our first signing, Niko Hamalainen. Formerly of QPR, the 19-year-old has the same potential as Ngwatala and is younger. However, his creative ability and passing doesn't match Ellie's, and I'll have to hope he's right for the job.

I couldn't find the news story for the next signing, but here's his profile:

Michael Richens looks like a capable backup for Hodgkiss, and will eventually overtake him in ability. If he's good enough, he could be sharing equal playing time with Jared also.

Since our goalkeeping coach retired, I signed 37-year-old former keeper Stuart Searle to take his place. He has exceptional coaching attributes and could be a valuable member of the team going forward. I also signed another general coach to our team after my DoF who was doubling as one decided to revert back to a singular job. This guy's name is Stuart Housely, so there'll be two Stuarts on the training ground this season. Hope it doesn't get too confusing....

League Odds

The bookies still don't favor us for promotion this season, but I suppose 9th is still an improvement on last year's 21st-place prediction. York and Tranmere appear to be the odds-on favorites, and they've gone gung-ho on Eastleigh again, even though they did end up having a good season last time out. All of the promoted sides except Stockport are projected to struggle, as well as last year's surprise package Welling. York, Tranmere, Crawley, and Wrexham look to be our toughest tests this year, and I'm also a bit worried about Gateshead considering what happened last season. Above us, Morecambe and Woking are predicted to go down, and below us Lincoln, Guiseley, Ebbsfleet, and Bromley are predicted to go up.

So, What's the Verdict, Doc?
(or, what are your expectations?)

Heading into my sophomore year, I'm cautiously optimistic about our chances considering that nearly our entire senior squad is back with the exception of Ngwatala and Jamie Spencer. Elton's position will be a tough gap to fill, but Hamalainen should be a capable replacement for now and the future. Of course, I can't let my hopes get too high because of last season, in which so many good moments were erased by two bad games at the end. While last year was amazing, it taught me a valuable lesson in my first FM season. This year, we're going to need to be consistent, cautious. and ruthless like we were for so much of last year, but this time there can't be any dropoff. I obviously still expect promotion and good cup performances, but I'm not going to live and die by it. Also, I explicitly stated in the OP that my goal was to get promoted in the first two seasons, so this is the make-or-break season. If I can do it, the journey will continue, but if I don't, I'll have to be saying goodbye to the Harriers and FM16. This won't be easy, but I think it can be done. So buckle up, and get ready for another wild Harriers ride!

In terms of updates this season, I'll be doing the first two and the last two matches in full detail, as well as any other high-importance league matches and all cup matches. The rest of the updates will be bi-monthly like I did for the last few months last season. One final note, I've begun an FM17 save with NK Maribor, so expect to see that thread up this week! Hopefully I can still move at a reasonable pace with both saves. Thanks for reading!

Next Match:
8/6 vs. Oxford City (H)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

Kidderminster Harriers vs. Oxford City
Pre-Match Scenarios

Vanarama National League, Matchday 1
Date: August 6, 2016
Venue: Aggborough
Attendance: 2,507
Kidderminster Lineup: Snedker, Richens, Gjokaj, Lowe, Francis-Angol, McQuilkin, Maxwell, Lester, Hamalainen, Goulding, Gnahoua
Used Subs: Dawson, Hancocks, Singh
Out: Hodgkiss (injured), Woodland (injured)

Result

Our new season began at Aggborough with plenty of action, but no result. From the off, we handled Oxford with ease and didn't allow them a shot until late in the first half while playing well on the ball ourselves. However, no goal was forthcoming. In the second, Oxford started to get more of the ball and got some decent chances to score, so the pressure was reversed onto us. As a result of this, Dean Snedker had to step up to make some impressive saves, hence his man of the match award. And still, they were able to hold us off at the other end by blocking most of our shots. So despite a convincing advantage in shots taken and possession, we finished all square, with Oxford obviously being the happier of the two sides. Luke Maxwell started his season with yet another red card, bringing his Harriers total up to 4. Michael Richens had a good debut at right back, and Niko Hamalainen did okay before being subbed off for fatigue. At least we've done better than in last season's opener, in which we lost 3-0 to Grimsby Town at home, so I guess you could say progress has been made.
MotM: Dean Snedker

League Results
Rather than show a table, I'll just put up the first round of league results as showing one after the first game is kind of pointless. I probably won't put up a table until the end of August.

Plenty of excitement around the league. Grimsby get out to another flying start with another 3-0 season-opener win, this time against Gateshead. That will propel them to first for the time being. The other two losing playoff sides from last year, Wrexham and Tranmere, also drew with lesser opposition. The new boys all did decently, with three of them holding draws and only Stortford losing a tight one. On the reverse end, York and Crawley each started out poorly with the latter losing to Eastleigh and the former held to 0-0 by Southport. Elsewhere, there were wins for Macclesfield, Dover, and Chester to kick off their seasons. And as you can see there, we're 13th in the initial standings.

Personal News

I was flattered with St. Pats' interview offer, but as this is obviously a one-club save I had to turn down.

English/World Football Update

English Community Shield:
Manchester City def. Tottenham 2-1
This is City's 5th Community Shield title, and they've now won 4 straight titles in every English competition they've been eligible for (PL, FA Cup, League Cup, Shield) 

Copa Libertadores 2016 Final:
River Plate (Argentina) def. Atletico Mineiro (Brazil) 2-1 on aggregate
This is River Plate's 4th Libertadores title, and their 2nd consecutive. This also means they've won an unprecedented six straight South American trophies (2014 Sudamericana, 2015 Recopa, 2015 Libertadores, 2015 Sudamericana, 2016 Recopa, 2016 Libertadores) The entire club and its support must be the happiest in the world right now, and they'll try to make it 7 when they enter the 2016 Sudamericana next month.

Thanks for reading! I'm still very excited to get this new season rolling. I've decided to postpone any NK Maribor thread until possibly next year, as the lack of a good graphics card is making my FM17 experience untenable, and also because I'm more interested at playing with Kidderminster at the moment, as well as a secret personal project I've been developing that I think you guys will really like. Anyway, enough on that for now.

Next Match:
8/9 vs. Aldershot (A)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

Kidderminster Harriers vs. Aldershot Town
Pre-Game Scenarios

Vanarama National League, Matchday 2
Date: August 9, 2016
Venue: The Recreation Ground
Attendance: 1,733
Kidderminster Lineup: Snedker, Richens, Gjokaj, Lowe, Francis-Angol, McQuilkin, Forsyth (debut), Lester, Hamalainen, Goulding, Gnahoua
Used Subs: Fane, Hancocks, Singh
Out: Hodgkiss (injured), Woodland (injured), Maxwell (suspended)

Result

 

Well, we're right back on track. Aldershot looked the better team for some stretch of the first half, but on only our second shot Jeff Goulding was able to drill in strike partner Arthur Gnahoua's cross on a perfectly-executed volley for the only goal of the game and his -as well as the team's- first of the season. In the second, we were able to win back the possession battle and draw close in shots, but nonetheless one would be enough to see off a team who had gone 13 straight fixtures without losing dating back to last season. 

League Results

Eastleigh defeated incumbent Grimsby to raid the top of the table in the biggest match of the day. York came from behind late to defeat Halifax while Tranmere did the same to earn a draw with Chester. Harrogate beat fellow new boys Stockport County, Oxford City win, and Crawley fail to win again whilst only gaining 1 point to Southport. Bishop's Stortford were blown out by Barrow to continue an unencouraging National League campaign, and elsewhere there were wins for Braintree, Dover, and Forest Green. Lastly, our victory shoots us up to 7th in the early league table.

European Football Update

UEFA Super Cup:
Schalke 04 (Germany) def. Manchester United (England) 2-0 at Trondheim
This is Schalke's first Super Cup title. 
 

Thanks for reading! I'll be switching to bi-monthly updates now, but the next one will cover the rest of August.

Next Match:
8/13 vs. Chester

 

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

Rest of August 2016

Decent results to round out the first month.

The Chester game was a tough fight against a side who had done very well in their first two games; but let the record show that last season they did equally well in the early season and led the league for multiple weeks, then collapsed and only avoided relegation on goal difference. My opponents started out well in the 12th minute, when Jordan Chapell's cross was skillfully flicked in by James Caton at the back post. 11 minutes later, they went one better when De'Jaune Taylor-Crossdale picked out released Everton product Courtney Duffus at the back post for an easy-close range finish. Duffus' white-hot form continued with the goal, netting his third in the first 3 games. Chris Lester responded for us in first-half stoppage time, with Zaine Francis-Angol providing another delightful cross to the attacking midfielder, who was also situated at the back post for the easy finish. Our shots tally rose in the second half, as we were able to control the match against Chester like we did in both games last season, especially in our 5-2 drubbing of them in the last meeting. Lester scored what should have been the equalizer on 81 minutes with a powerful hit into the bottom-left, but it was (correctly) disallowed for offside. All in all, it was disappointing not to at least nick a point from Chester at Aggborough, especially when we had 26 shots to their 12, but there would be plenty more chances ahead to make up for it.
MotM: Courtney Duffus

The Tranmere game was undoubtedly the most exciting of the young season. A team that I spent so much time battling with atop the table and comparing my team to was finally back at our place for another go. Things didn't start out great. After a build-up-heavy first half hour, Daniel Sparkes struck first on 32 with an expert run past the defence that allowed him to blast James Demetriou's throughball past Snedker and into the net. We would hit back just after the break, though, when Arthur Gnahoua took a ball from youngster Reece Hales, kept ahead of three Tranmere defenders, and got the ball past custodian Iain Turner. Nine minutes later, he struck again, this time taking Adam Dawson's low cross and finishing from close range while tightly marked. However, Tranmere would reply instantly when Sparkes scored his second with an absolutely magnificent strike from the edge of the area just over a minute after the restart. With the two sides looking destined for yet another dissatisfying draw, I brought on George Taylor with 15 minutes left in the hope that he'd do something special... and that's exactly what he did! With two minutes remaining, the 17-year-old rose above everyone else for the header off of James McQuilkin's free-kick delivery, and it nestled into the back of the net. His goal finally vanquished Tranmere Rovers, making it the first time we have bested them so far. If there was going to be any indication of a magical season at Aggborough, this was it.
MotM: Daniel Sparkes

A bore draw at Forest Green awaited us next, even though there were two goals scored. Niko Hamalainen did open the scoring early on 10 when he took Dawson's cross at the back post and finished with a defender right on him. An exciting first notch for the Finnish teenager in Harriers colors. There wasn't much excitement until the next goal, though. On 73, Darren McQueen got on a break from a throughball, and blasted the ball past Dean Snedker, who had made an ill-advised run to try (and fail) to cut down the angle. I was just happy to get out of The New Lawn altogether, regardless of the result. But a point can't hurt, can it?
MotM: Darren McQueen

Our final match of the month came at Plainmoor when we visited Torquay. Niko Hamalainen impressed and surprised the manager when on 24 he let go of an off-balance 20-yarder that took multiple deflections before settling in the back of the net. Two goals are twice as nice for his starting prospects. Five minutes later, Torquay equalized. The team got free on the break, and some shoddy marking by Valentin Gjokaj allowed Ashley Harris open space to turn in Shaun Harrad's low cross at the back post for a simple close-range finish. In what became a tense and unexpectedly even match, I brought on the amazing George Taylor late hoping for the best... and my prayers were answered. In a quick move, the ball went from McQuilkin to Goulding to Taylor, who easily broke through a crowded defensive line to score another late winner for the Harriers. If he were just a bit older and had better stamina, he'd unequivocally be a starting striker, but for now I'll be happy to keep an option on the bench that lives and breathes clutch goals when we're down or level . That's really not a bad option at all. With the win, we kept pace with the top of the table.
MotM: Niko Hamalainen

So here's the first league table of the season:

Only out of the playoffs on goal difference, and just three points behind unexpected leaders Dover. Grimsby, Chester, Eastleigh, and Crawley round out an interesting early-season playoff contingent, although I wouldn't be counting on Chester to hold it. Crawley in particular recovered well after losing their first match, and now look poised for a fight to go straight back up to the League. New boys Harrogate and Oxford City are doing remarkably well, both of them unbeaten and along with Wrexham, they sit just a point below me.  Tranmere and Forest Green are a bit lower than predicted at the moment, but more concerning is that last year's 10th and 11th-placed finishers Altrincham and Gateshead now sit in 19th and 20th, respectively. York City is also having a slow start to the season, and sit 5 points off the playoffs through six matches. The biggest strugglers so far are Bishop's Stortford, whose form seems indicative of a nightmare season ahead. Stockport County, Halifax, and Southport round out the relegation zone for the time being.

Squad News
I suppose I've forgotten to introduce two new full-time members of the Harriers senior squad, both of whom are youngsters who have stepped up from the youth teams. 

DL- James Hancocks, 17, English
A lesser-known 17-year-old phenom in the Harriers squad, Hancocks has made 15 senior appearances for us when Francis-Angol is either injured or on international duty with Antigua. He plays further back than Zaine in defence, and has 4-5 star PA to build on his 1.5-star CA. He has been very quiet, yet solid when he's played for us, and to my knowledge he's not made a mistake that's led to a goal yet. Encouraging stuff.

MC/STC- Reece Hales, 21, English
Hales is ultimately the more impressive of the two, in no small part due to his age compared to Hancocks. With both Luke Woodland and Luke Maxwell spending time out with injuries and suspensions, Hales has stepped in on three occasions, two of them off the bench, and put up great ratings at CM (7.07 average). On top of that, he's added an assist, and has 4-star potential, meaning he could become a second or third option when Maxwell inevitably moves back to his parent club Birmingham.

Also, Zaine Francis-Angol finally scored his first goal for Antigua and Barbuda in his 21st cap, albeit against St. Pierre and Miquelon in a friendly. But, he'll be suiting up again when the Caribbean Championship resumes in October. Great to see him working hard on both fronts!

World Football Update

2016 Rio Olympic Games Football Tournament Final:
Portugal def. Colombia 4-1 (AET)
This is Portugal's first Olympic football title.
Recap:
An interesting tournament in Rio, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo lift a trophy with Portugal, albeit not with the senior side. It was pretty silly that every single country involved used their very best players to fill the over-23 spots, as Messi also was there, but it did provide for more interesting football. Ronaldo scored 9 goals in 7 matches, including an extra-time hat trick in the final. It was also a tournament which saw the USA and Denmark reach the semi-finals, Messi's Argentina go crashing out in the group stage, Fiji make an appearance, and Australia put on an impressive showing by getting through their group. Technically Ronaldo's trophy hunt will still continue, but I'm sure it was nice for him.

Thanks for reading! I'll have a summer transfer window update coming soon, with a recap on a massively active market that has created dozens of interesting storylines. Also, there'll be some news on a new member of the Kidderminster squad, or as we like to say around here, a new Harrier in the roost. More on that later.

Next Matches:
9/3 vs. Altrincham (A)
9/6 vs. York City (A)
9/10 vs. Stockport County (H)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

BBC SPORT NEWSDESK
31 August, 21:30

"There's a new Harrier in the roost. An experienced veteran striker has touched down in Kidderminster, and it is...."

Ok, it's not Ronaldinho, but this is a magnificent capture for our club. With the front line underperforming, I went out on deadline day to sign free agent Akpa-Akpro, who was recommended to me by assistant Gareth Spice. This is a proven goalscorer who's played for the likes of Toulouse and was until as recently as last season playing League One football. I see a clearer path to promotion in his arrival, as I'm a bit worried about our typical combo of Goulding and Gnahoua up front this year. He shouldn't any trouble at all at this level, so this is very exciting for me and the football club. 

Attributes:

Those are outstanding for the National League. Excellent physical, good mental, decent in most technical areas.

Transfer window round-up is coming next.

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

Summer Transfer Window Round-Up

Late February-May
Wu Lei, Shanggang to Guangzhou for $14.5 million
Luan, Gremio to Dynamo Kyiv for $9 million
Mohamed Sissoko, Shenhua to Sao Paulo for $1 million
Elano, Santos to Liga de Quito for $15.5 thousand
June
Eric Dier, Tottenham to Manchester City for $40 million
Leo Bonatini, Estoril Praia to Lyon for $16 million
Jay Rodriguez, Southampton to Aston Villa for $13.75 million
Britt Assombalonga, Nottingham Forest to Hull City for $11.5 million
Chancel Mbemba, Newcastle to PSG for $10.5 million
Diafra Sakho, West Ham to Bournemouth for $10 million
Ayoze Perez, Newcastle to Leicester City for $10 million
Remy Cabella, Newcastle to Marseille for $8.5 million
Ben Gibson, Middlesbrough to Bournemouth for $6.5 million
Arber Zeneli, Heerenveen to Ajax for $6.5 million
Emyr Huws, Wigan to Aston Villa for $6.25 million
Brown Ideye, Olympiakos to Marseille for $5.75 million
Victor Moses, Chelsea to Stoke for $5.5 million
Shane Duffy, Blackburn to Stoke for $4.7 million
Grant Hanley, Blackburn to Stoke for $4.5 million
Vurnon Anita, Newcastle to Stoke for $4.5 million
Tomer Hemed, Brighton to Derby County for $4.3 million
Lewis Dunk, Brighton to Hull City for $2 million
Simon Church, MK Dons to Preston for $1.1 million
Siem de Jong, Newcastle to Marseille for $575 thousand
Vagner Love, Monaco to Atletico Mineiro for $575 thousand
Karl Darlow, Newcastle to Southampton for $350 thousand
Sam Clucas, Hull City to Sheffield Wednesday for $350 thousand

July
Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli to Arsenal for $73 million
Andriy Yarmolenko, Dynamo Kyiv to Manchester United for $54 million
Romelu Lukaku, Everton to Chelsea for $54 million
Inaki Williams, Athletic Bilbao to AC Milan for $54 million
Kevin Volland, Hoffenheim to Tottenham for $42 million
Sami Khedira, Juventus to Barcelona for $39 million
Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sevilla to Manchester United for $37 million
Hakan Calhanoglu, Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham for $37 million
Rafinha, Barcelona to Arsenal for $36 million
Carlos Vela, Real Sociedad to Barcelona for $31.5 million
Jeison Murillo, Inter Milan to Manchester United for $25.5 million
John Guidetti, Celta Vigo to Bayern Munich for $22.5 million
Sadio Mane, Southampton to Bayern Munich for $21.5 million
Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace to PSG for $18.75 million
Juan Bernat, Bayern Munich to Manchester City for $18.75 million
Gerson, Fluminense to Roma for $18.25 million
Khouma Babacar, Fiorentina to Bayern Munich for $17.5 million
Lucas Digne, PSG to Roma for $17.25 million
Matia Destro, Bologna to Napoli for $17 mllion
Kenny Tete, Ajax to Borussia Dortmund for $16 million
Breel Embolo, Basel to Tottenham for $16 million
Victor Wanyama, Southampton to AC Milan for $14.75 million
Filip Kostic, Stuttgart to PSG for $14.5 million
Erik Durm, Borussia Dortmund to Atletico Madrid for $14.5 million
Leo Baptistao, Atletico Madrid to Bayer Leverkusen for $13.75 million
Nathan Chalobah, Chelsea to Norwich for $13.75 million
Fabio Coentrao, Real Madrid to Arsenal for $13.25 million
Diego Rolan, Bordeaux to Sevilla for $13 million
Victor Camarasa, Levante to Atletico Madrid for $12.75 million
Demarai Gray, Leicester City to Watford for $12.25 million
Moussa Sissoko, Newcastle to Inter Milan for $12 million
Stephane Ruffier, Saint-Etienne to Athletic Bilbao for $11.75 million
Rodolfo Pizarro, Pachuca to America for $11.75 million
Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Bayer Leverkusen to Manchester United for $11.5 million
Yann M'Vila, Rubin Kazan to Manchester City for $11.5 million
Jonas Hector, Koln to Bayern Munich for $11.25 million
Oguzhan Ozyakup, Besiktas to Atletico Madrid for $11 million
Sead Kolasinac, Schalke to Sevilla for $10.75 million
Recio, Malaga to Everton for $10.75 million
Martin Odegaard, Real Madrid to Sevilla for $10.25 million
Adam Maher, PSV to Watford for $10.25 million
Yunus Malli, Mainz to Everton for $10.25 million
James Ward-Prowse, Southampton to Crystal Palace for $9.5 million
Pione Sisto, Midtjylland to Sevilla for $9.5 million
Nacho Monreal, Arsenal to Athletic Bilbao for $9.5 million
Alex Telles, Galatasaray to Inter Milan for $9 million
Marcel Sabitzer, RB Leipzig to Hull City for $8.5 million
Cristian Tello, Barcelona to Fiorentina for $8.5 million
Jasper Cillessen, Ajax to Roma for $8.25 million
Nicolai Jorgensen, Kobenhavn to Everton for $8 million
Henri Saivet, Newcastle to Schalke for $7.75 million
Arkadiusz Milik, Ajax to Sporting Lisbon for $7.75 million
Ji-Dong Won, Augsburg to Norwich City for $7.5 million
Kostas Mitroglou, Fulham to Benfica for $7.5 million
Victor Ibarbo, Cagliari to Watford for $7.25 million
Patrick van Aanholt, Sunderland to Aston Villa for $7.25 million
Jordan Cousins, Charlton to Stoke for $7.25 million
Ki Sung-Yeung, Bayern Munich to Swansea City for $6.25 million
Yuya Osako, Koln to Hull City for $6.6 million
Erik Sviatchenko, Celtic to Aston Villa for $6.25 million
Papy Djilobodji, Chelsea to Leicester City for $6.25 million
Todd Kane, Chelsea to Norwich for $6 million
Marc Muniesa, Stoke to Swansea City for $6 million
Sebastien Haller, Utrecht to Stoke City for $5.75 million
Jeroen Zoet, PSV to Watford for $5.5 million
Erik Pieters, Stoke City to Bournemouth for $5.5 million
Andy King, Leicester City to Southampton for $5.25 million
Eran Zahavi, Maccabi Tel-Aviv to Marseille for $4.8 million
Mauricio Cuero, Levante to Leicester City for $4.2 million
Atsuto Uchida, Schalke to Everton for $4.2 million
Martin Hinteregger, RB Salzburg to Wolfsburg for $3.8 million
Nabil Dirar, Monaco to Fiorentina for $3.6 million
Dennis Praet, Anderlecht to Sevilla for $3.6 million
Oriol Romeu, Southampton to Swansea City for $3.3 million
Jordy Clasie, Southapton to Sevilla for $3.2 million
Park Joo-Ho, Borussia Dortmund to Watford for $3.1 million
Alexandre Pato, Corinthians to Benfica for $3 million
Cheikhou Kouyate, West Ham to Shakhtar Donetsk for $2.7 million
Patrick Bamford, Chelsea to Nottingham Forest for $2.5 million
Nick Viergever, Bournemouth to Hull City for $2.5 million
Bryan Oviedo, Everton to Marseille for $2.5 million
Moussa Marega, Porto to Aston Villa for $2.5 million
Thomas Delaney, Kobenhavn to Watford for $2.2 million
Alberto Aquilani, Sporting Lisbon to Everton for $1.9 million
Kristoffer Ajer, Start to Chelsea for $1.8 million
Gabriele Angella, Watford to Hellas Verona for $1.8 million
Martin Kelly, Crystal Palace to Bournemouth for $1.8 million
Pape Souare, Crystal Palace to Mainz for $1.7 million
Filip Djuricic, Benfica to Bordeaux for $1.6 million
Robbie Kruse, Bayer Leverkusen to Stuttgart for $1.5 million
Arnor Ingvi Traustason, Norrkoping to Norwich City for $1.2 million
Simon Francis, Bournemouth to Swansea for $975 thousand
Brad Smith, Liverpool to Middlesbrough for $475 thousand
Graeme Shinnie, Aberdeen to West Brom for $875 thousand
Will Keane, Manchester United to Fulham for $800 thousand
Raul Meireles, Fenerbahce to Saint Etienne for $675 thousand
Jack Colback, Newcastle to Southampton for $675 thousand
David Nugent, Middlesbrough to Brentford for $575 thousand
Jose Fonte, Southampton to Sampdoria for $575 thousand
Michael Krohn-Dehli, Sevilla to Levante for $500 thousand
Eunan O'Kane, Bournemouth to Reading for $450 thousand
Stephen Ireland, Stoke City to Leeds United for $450 thousand
Cristian Gamboa, West BRom to Sassuolo for $325 thousand
Tomas Hubschmann, Jablonec to Torino for $250 thousand
Adlene Guediora, Watford to Hellas Verona for $245 thousand
Philippe Mexes, AC Milan to Stade Rennais for free
Cristian Zapata, AC Milan to Fiorentina for free
Ron Vlaar, AZ to Sampdoria for free
Alou Diarra, Charlton to Bordeaux for free
Caner Erkin, Fenerbahce to Crystal Palace for free
Joel Matip, Schalke to Liverpool for free
Valentin Vada, Bordeaux to Arsenal for free
Johan Djorou, Hamburg to Crystal Palace for free
Ahmed Elmohamady, Hull City to Galatasaray for free
Patrice Evra, Juventus to Marseille for free
William Yarbrough, Leon to Benfcia for free
Andrija Zivkovic, Partizan to Real Madrid for free
Geronimo Rulli, Real Sociedad to Sevilla for free
Leonel Vangioni, River Plate to Gremio for free
Andre Carillo, Sporting Lisbon to Benfica for free
Andre Martins, Sporting Lisbon to Galatasaray for free
Peter Odemwingie, Stoke City to Lille for free
Nicklas "Lord" Bendtner, Wolfsburg to Marseille for free
August
Nabil Fekir, Lyon to Juventus for $39.5 million
Danilo Pereira, Porto to Manchester City for $36 milllion
Douglas Costa, Bayern Munich to Barcelona for $31.5 million
Simone Zaza, Juventus to Chelsea for $25 million
Julian Weigl, Borussia Dortmund to Atletico Madrid for $24 million
Baba Rahman, Chelsea to Real Madrid for $22.5 million
Yoshinori Muto, Mainz to Schalke for $21 million
Kevin Kampl, Bayer Leverkusen to Borussia Dortmund for $21 million
Saido Berahino, West Brom to Manchester City for $20.5 million
Divock Origi, Liverpool to Juventis for $19.5 million
Fredric Guilbert, Bordeaux to PSG for $19.25 million
Jonny, Celta Vigo to Chelsea for $18.5 million
Andrej Kramaric, Leicester City to Udinese for $18.25 million
Jose Callejon, Napoli to AC Milan for $18 million
Gregory van der Wiel, PSG to Manchester United for $16.5 million
Daniel Didavi, Stuttgart to Bayern Munich for $15.5 million
Virgil van Dijk, Southampton to AC Milan for $15.25 million
Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastle to Inter Milan for $14.5 million
Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich to PSG for $13.5 million
Cedric, Southamton to Schalke for $11.75 million
Olivier Giroud, Arsenal to Lyon for $11.75 million
Andres Cubas, Boca Juniors to Real Sociedad for $11.5 million
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Schalke to Palermo for $11.25 million 
Gary Hooper, Sheffield Wednesday to Southampton for $10.75 million
Lewis Cook, Leeds United to Southampton for $10.5 million
Fabio Borini, Sunderland to Lyon for $10.25 million
Giovani dos Santos, LA Galaxy to Chelsea for $9.25 million
Marko Arnautovic, Stoke City to Inter Milan for $9 million
Jesus Navas, Manchester City to Shakhtar Donetsk for $9 million
Cauley Woodrow, Fulham to Southampton for $8.75 million
Ryan Bertrand, Southampton to Everton for $8.25 million
Daryl Janmaat, Newcastle to Liverpool for $8 million
Nelson Semedo, Barcelona to Porto for $7.75 million
Wahbi Khazri, Sunderland to Watford for $7.5 million
Wellington Nem, Shakhtar Donetsk to Udinese for $7.5 million
Josuha Guilavogui, Atletico Madrid to Everton for $7 million
Joel Campbell, Arsenal to Lazio for $7 million
Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro, Toulouse to Borussia Monchengladbach for $7 million
Genki Hariguchi, Hertha Berlin to Everton for $6.5 million
Sergio Araujo, Las Palmas to West Brom for $6.25 million
Borja Baston, Atletico Madrid to Everton for $6.25 million
Anthony Knockaert, Brighton to Sassuolo for $6.25 million
Jens Toornstra, Shakhtar Donetsk to Crystal Palace for $6 milllion
John Obi Mikel, Chelsea to Atletico Madrid for $5.5 million
Ryan Fredericks, Fulham to Southampton for $5.25 million
Ravel Morrison, Lazio to Brentford for $5 million
Lucas Orban, Valencia to Leicester City for $5 million
Chris Gunter, Reading to Aston Vila for $4.6 million
Beram Kayal, Brighton to Palermo for $4.5 million
Kieran Trippier, Tottenham to Brentford for $4.4 million
George Friend, Middlesbrough to Southampton for $4.3 million
Denis Cheryshev, Real Madrid to Zenit for $3.9 million
Valentin Eysseric, Nice to Norwich City for $3.8 million
Mauricio Isla, Juventus to Sampdoria for $3.5 million
Baye Oumar Niasse, Everton to Wolfsburg for $3.5 million
Alfred Finnbogason, Real Sociedad to Crytal Palace for $3.2 million
Mehdi Carcela, Benfica to Stoke for $3.1 million
Steven Davis, Southampton to Leicester City for $3 million
Sam Vokes, Burnley to Leeds United for $2.5 million
Ola John, Benfica to West Brom for $2.4 million
Bruno Zuculini, Manchester City to Brentford for $2.3 million
Billy Jones, Sunderland to Crystal Palace for $1.8 million
Ben Mee, Burnley to Southampton for $1.7 million
Almen Abdi, Watford to Rayo Vallecano for $1.4 million
Diogo Jota, Pacos Ferreira to Genk for $1.1 million
Leonardo Ulloa, Leicester City to Real Betis for $1 million
Jose Holebas, Watford to Hellas Verona for $925 thousand
Danny Ward, Liverpool to West Ham for $875 thousand
Bakary Sako, Crystal Palace to Newcastle for $650 thousand
Graziano Pelle, Southampton to Sunderland for $625 thousand
Vito Mannone, Sunderland to Sampdoria for $500 thousand
Junior Stanislas, Bournemouth to Nottingham Forest for $475 thousand
Costel Pantilimon, Watford to Genoa for $475 thousand
Daniel Pudil, Watford to Nantes for $375 thousand
Kwesi Appiah, Crystal Palace to Karlsruhe for $350 thousand
Darren Randolph, West Ham to Swansea for $325 thousand
Cameron Jerome, Norwich City to Brighton for $210 thousand
Heurelho Gomes, Watford to Modena for $115 thousand
Released Players
Christian Abbiati, AC Milan (now retired as player, unemployed GK coach)
Fernando Torres, AC Milan (now at Villarreal)
Tomas Rosicky, Arsenal (now retired as player, assistant reserves manager at Nantes)
Mathieu Flamini, Arsenal (now at Bordeaux)
Wellington Silva, Arsenal (now at Augsburg)
Ricardo Carvalho, Monaco (now retired as player, assistant reserves manager at Stade de Reims)
Delvin Ndinga, Monaco (now unattached)
Kieran Richardson, Aston Villa (now at Wolves)
Charles N'Zogbia, Aston Villa (now unattached)
Nathan Delfouneso, Blackburn (now at Portsmouth)
Claudio Pizarro, Werden Bremen (now retired as player, unemployed assistant)
Reza Ghoochannejhad, Charlton (now at Portsmouth)
Alex Kiwomya, Chelsea (now at Rotherham)
Brede Hangeland, Crystal Palace (now at Real Betis)
Marouane Chamakh, Crystal Palace (now at West Brom)
Darron Gibson, Everton (now at Sheffield Wednesday)
Tim Cahill, Hangzhou (now unattached)
Marcin Wasilewski, Leicester City (now retired as a player, unemployed manager)
Dean Hammond, Leicester City (now unattached)
Jose Enrique, Liverpool (now at West Ham)
Jerome Sinclair, Liverpol (now at Norwich City)
Mbark Boussoufa, Lokomotiv Moscow (now at Brentford)
Michael Carrick, Manchester United (now retired as a player, under-18s coach at Hull City)
Rob Elliot, Newcastle (now at Bolton)
Steven Taylor, Newcastle (now at Burnley)
Sammy Ameobi, Newcastle (now at Reading)
Michael Turner, Norwich (now at Middlesbrough)
Steven Whittaker, Norwich (now at Blackburn)
Hatem Ben Arfa, Nice (now at Valencia)
Armand Traore, QPR (now at Murcia)
Junior Hoilett, QPR (now at Sunderland)
Samba Diakite, QPR (now at San Jose Earthquakes)
Francesco Totti, Roma (now retired as player, unemployed DoF)
Matt Derbyshire, Rotherham (now at Chesterfield)
Leon Best, Rotherham (now at Port Vale)
Andy Wilkinson, Stoke City (now retired as a player due to career-ending injury, unemployed assistant)
Danny Graham, Sunderland (now at Wolves)
Raheem Hanley, Swansea City (now at Chesterfield)
Luca Toni, Hellas Verona (now retired as a player, under-18s coach at Chievo)
Emmanuel Eboue, Watford (now at Cesena)
Essaid Belkalem, Watford (now at Burnley)
Stephane Sessegnon, West Brom (now at Montpellier)
Victor Anichebe, West Brom (now at Tenerife)
Vyacheslav Malafeev, Zenit (now retired from football)
Andrey Arshavin, Zenit (now retired from football)
Alexandr Kerzhakov, Zenit (now retired as a player, unemployed assistant)
Alessandro Matri, AC Milan (now at Norwich City)
Mark Bunn, Aston Villa (now at Rangers)
Rafael van der Vaart, Real Betis (now unattached)
Nikola Zigic, Vojvodina (now unattached)
New Managers
Club
Manchester City:
Pep Guardiola in, Manuel Pellegrini out
Manchester United:
Jose Mourinho in, Louis van Gaal out (realism ftw)
Stoke City:
Brendan Rodgers in, Mark Hughes out
West Ham:
Fernando Hierro in, Slaven Bilic out
Arsenal:
Rafa Benitez in, Arsene Wenger out (retired!)
Chelsea:
Diego Simeone in, Guus Hiddink out
Derby County:
Michael Laudrup in, Tim Sherwood out (new job)
Tim Sherwood in, Darren Wassall out
Everton:
Tim Sherwood in, Roberto Martinez out (new job)
Leicester City:
David Moyes in, Claudio Ranieri out (retired)
Newcastle United:
Mark Hughes in, Garry Monk out
Garry Monk in, Steve McClaren out
Southampton:
Nigel Pearson in, Rudi Garcia out
Rudi Garcia in, Ronald Koeman out
Sunderland:
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in, Sam Allardyce out
Barcelona:
Vicente del Bosque in, Luis Enrique out (job swap)
Atletico Madrid:
Marcelo Bielsa in, Diego Simeone out (took Chelsea job)
Juventus:
Antonio Conte in, Massimiliano Allegri out (job swap)
Bayern Munich:
Carlo Ancelotti in, Pep Guardiola out (took Man City job)
Zenit:
Jurgen Klinsmann in, Andre Villas-Boas out
Shakhtar:
Andriy Shevchenko in, Mircea Lucescu out (retired)
Dnipro:
Sergey Borovskiy in, Miron Markevych out (retired)
Galatasaray:
Rudi Garcia in, Mustafa Denizli out (retired)

International

England:
Roberto Martinez in, Roy Hodgson out
France:
Philippe Montanier in, Didier Deschamps out
Greece:
Zdenek Zeman in, Michael Skibbe out
Netherlands:
Fred Rutten in, Jan Jansen out
Ireland:
Mick McCarthy in, Martin O'Neill out (retired)
Israel:
Giora Spiegel in, Dick Advocaat out (retired)
Italy:
Massimiliano Allegri in, Antonio Conte out (job swap)
Poland:
Jan Urban in, Adam Nawalka out
Russia:
Yury Semin in, Leonid Slutskiy out
Spain:
Luis Enrique in, Vicente del Bosque out (job swap)
Ukraine:
Leonid Buryak in, Mykhaylo Fomenko out (retired)
South Africa:
Gordon Igesund in, Shakes Masahava out (retired)
USA:
Patrick Vieira in, Jurgen Klinsmann out
Brazil:
Milton Mendes in, Dunga out
Colombia:
Luis Fernando Suarez in, Jose Pekerman out
Ecuador:
Claudio Borghi in, Gustavo Quinteros out
Uruguay:
Martin Lasarte in, Oscar Tabarez out (retired)

Phew, I just typed way too much. Too exhausted to do commentary on these transfers, I'll probably edit it later.
 

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

September 2016- Part 1

Blech, some very dissatisfying results to begin the month.

Altrincham opened their scoring on 62 when Josh Stachini's wayward shot ended up at the feet of Omari Sterling-James, who was able to pop in the goal from a tight angle. We would fire right back, however, with Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro scoring on his debut off Luke Woodland's cross. With a draw looking done and dusted, it was Sterling-James who scored in stoppage time with a flying finish in open space off George Bowerman's cross. Delight for the home fans, disappointment for our side.
MotM: Omari Sterling-James

York City was our first chance to gain a win against a newly-relegated side, but we only came away with one. Vadaine Oliver opened the scoring early for the home side with an easy close-range finish. On 49, Valentin Gjokaj equalized after McQuilkin's free kick was blocked by the wall, allowing him enough space to curl the ball in from the edge of the area. Just the second Harriers goal for the Albanian since coming in last season. Dean Snedker had to make a few good stops in this one, so we were still the happier of the two sides leaving Bootham Crescent.
MotM: Valentin Gjokaj

The lowest point of our season so far had to be at home against Stockport, a struggling bottom-feeder side. The definition of a bore draw with almost no highlights, this one is best left forgotten. Sure, we didn't lose, but this kind of performance almost feels worse.
MotM: Keith Lowe

Our magical turnaround last season began in the 10th game, so I was really hoping for a signature win in this year's installment against Crawley. No such luck. Shamir Fenelon opened the scoring early on 4 minutes with an aerial effort not long after a corner. Once again, I had to play from behind. On 27, a quick passage of play resulted in Jeff Goulding slotting his second goal of the year from deep in the box, restoring parity and giving me hope that the turnaround was coming. Indeed, we came very close to scoring multiple times, such as when Akpa-Akpro had two close-range shots saved by Callum Preston, and a long-range volley from Luke Woodland nearly hitting the target. I could feel the winning goal coming, but it never materialized, even after miracle worker George Taylor was brought on. Not disastrous, especially against a good side, but I just hope mid-table obscurity is not in our future here.
MotM: Simon Walton

League Table

Surprise leaders Dover keep on chugging, and even more surprising chasers Harrogate are on fire almost completely because of goal machine Dayle Southwell, the newly-signed striker slotting 11 goals in 10 apps. Chester, Eastleigh, and Tranmere round out the playoff places through ten games, with pretty much the entire league still in chase. We sink down to 10th after the spotty form, but remain well in contention. The bottom four are all struggling mightily, and Southport is still without a win through ten. I'm looking forward to playing Bishop's Stortford, but considering my result against Stockport, even that may not be a shoe-in.  It's a new world folks.

Thanks for reading! Sorry I've been taking so long between posts, I suppose motivation to do these updates has shrunk a bit. However, my new graphics card and power supply make FM16 and 17 look amazing, so there's some more excitement to play now.

Next Matches:
9/20 vs. Grimsby Town (A)
9/24 vs. Dover (H)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

September 2016- Part 2

One disappointing result and one very good one to finish out the second month.

Grimsby have never been an easy side to beat, but I came into Blundell Park in hopes of firing my guys up enough to get a win. Sadly, it turned into another poor game. In the middle of the first half, we had two good chances to score, with Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro and Chris Lester both requiring their shots to be saved at full stretch by Grimsby keeper Lewis Ward. Those would end up being our only two shots on target in the match. With half-time near, Nathan Arnold's low cross found Jonathyn Quinn in the center, who blasted one into the roof of the net. The second half was a real snooze, much like the Stockport game, but this time there were no points to be found at all. After the match, I felt unusually wary of the board encroaching on me, waiting for my next slip-up.
MotM: Lewis Ward

Our biggest chance to turn things around momentum-wise and league-wise was when leaders Dover came to Aggborough, us Harriers hungry to knock them off their perch. I had finally accepted the fact that a tactical change was required before this one, and switched on a new formation that I hoped would reverse our fortunes. Yet still,  I began fearing the worst and cursing the stars very early on, when last season's runner-up goalscorer Stefan Payne came from nowhere to reach Ben Davies' cross and fire in an aerial volley. But this time, there would be no lagging behind from the Harriers. On 14, non-league wonderkid George Taylor fired in an absolute bullet from Adam Dawson's delivery, sending the supporters into raptures. On 30 minutes, Niko Hamalainen's accidental shot required a big save from Andy Rafferty, allowing Adam Dawson to score on an empty net from the rebound. With both me and the fans alike not yet convinced, Taylor scored again shortly after the second half began, his first shot saved by Rafferty but the instant follow-up going into the roof of the net. We had plenty of chances to score more, but with the win we restored our confidence to normal and shook up the league in the process.
MotM: George Taylor

League Table

No net change since last update, but we are now within a win of the playoff places. Harrogate now lead the league on goal difference, with Dayle Southwell claiming another hat-trick since last update. Oxford move into the zone, York take a big leap up, and Crawley take a big leap down. Wrexham are seriously underperforming, and with their first win, Southport manage to move out of the bottom four.

Tactics
 

So I had to make some tactical changes to keep my job, the new one that I beat Dover with is on the left, the old one that I used all of last season is on the right. Which one looks better? Let me know.

Thanks for reading! Next month sees the schedule cool down a bit, 6 league matches with an FA Cup tie in the middle. 

Next Matches:
10/1 vs. Welling (A)
10/4 vs. Barrow (H)
10/8 vs. Wrexham (A)

[coachb05]

Speaking as a guy who is playing Wrexham on FM16 (17/18 season, only a quarter of the way in but 21st in L1), I like the 4-1-2-3 Wide quite a bit.  In my experience as a newbie, I tend to get more build-up play, but the through balls and crosses were effective because of lots of speed/acceleration from my front 3.  It also seems pretty sound defensively - I scored 61 goals (not great), but I was 4th best by only allowing 51 goals the entire 16/17 season in League 2.

On a side note, if they are available I highly recommend Jordan Evans (AML, should be a FA, played for Torquay in 15/16) and Paul Corry (DM, Model Professional, Captain, played for Northampton in 15/16).  Both of them are L1 quality according to my best scout, and their performances have been solid so far in League 1.  Sam Hoskins (ST) isn't bad either, though he is mostly speed and his AF is 2 bars shy of perfect.  He bagged me 16 goals/5 assists in 33 league games, and another 3 goals/1 assist in 3 cup games.

[oriole01]

11 hours ago, coachb05 said:

Speaking as a guy who is playing Wrexham on FM16 (17/18 season, only a quarter of the way in but 21st in L1), I like the 4-1-2-3 Wide quite a bit.  In my experience as a newbie, I tend to get more build-up play, but the through balls and crosses were effective because of lots of speed/acceleration from my front 3.  It also seems pretty sound defensively - I scored 61 goals (not great), but I was 4th best by only allowing 51 goals the entire 16/17 season in League 2.

On a side note, if they are available I highly recommend Jordan Evans (AML, should be a FA, played for Torquay in 15/16) and Paul Corry (DM, Model Professional, Captain, played for Northampton in 15/16).  Both of them are L1 quality according to my best scout, and their performances have been solid so far in League 1.  Sam Hoskins (ST) isn't bad either, though he is mostly speed and his AF is 2 bars shy of perfect.  He bagged me 16 goals/5 assists in 33 league games, and another 3 goals/1 assist in 3 cup games.

Thanks for the insight coach, I'll give those guys a scout, however I've already got my eye on someone at AML who (spoiler alert) is familiar with this club. Since I'm also new to the game as well I haven't been one for tactics, I just found one last season that worked and stuck with it. Now that it's no longer producing results I've been forced into something new. I suppose that's quite true to real football. Hopefully my new set of tactics (I've got another new one built up), I can finish off this league. Thanks for the follow as well, if you haven't already you should read the first season, think you'd enjoy it .

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

(Sort of) New Harrier in the Roost

He's back! It took a lot of money to lure him back to Kidderminster, but I've re-signed Elton Ngwatala 3 months late. Just as interest from other clubs was finally beginning to rise, I've snatched him back for another 3 seasons. Excellent news, as now  our squad is basically just a better version of last year's. Hamalainen will start the next game over him since he's nowhere near match-fit, but I'm relieved and excited for the rest of this season!

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

October 2016- Part 1

That sucked. Three losses in the month, all of them in extremely frustrating circumstances. I at least led the Barrow game 1-0 until Troy Hewitt equalized. I was holding out for a draw at home, but with 30 seconds left, David Symington launched a 30-yarder well past Dean Snedker. Just to clarify, that Wrexham scoreline is 1-3.

This also sucks.

And this really, really sucks. If there was one thing I was expecting before this season, a relegation fight definitely wasn't it. I seriously don't know what I can do to help this club. I've toyed with multiple tactics, formations, and instructions, brought back our best player from last season, and even given multiple pep talks to try and lift us above this poor form. It's still not working ffs.

Next Matches:
10/15 vs. Macclesfield Town (H)
10/18 vs. Bishop's Stortford (A)
10/29 vs. Braintree Town (H)

 

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

October 2016- Part 2

Now that's more like it! I have to credit this to the return of Elton Ngwatala.

It didn't start off well, though. The Macclesfield game was another dud. We let up two goals early to Jack Sampson and Theo Bailey-Jones, and then wrote off any chances of coming back by conceding a penalty in the 85th which was fired in by Paul Turnbull. Arthur Gnahoua grabbed a late consolation from a cheap rebound, but the damage was done long before.
MotM: Theo Bailey-Jones

I made an agreement with myself that if I lost to Bishop's Stortford, I would resign from Kidderminster and quit the save immediately . At the bottom of the table with only one win in 18 matches, there would simply be no excuse for failing to beat them. Things were quiet throughout the first half, until George Taylor opened the scoring from close range coming off Elton Ngwatala's diving header assist. Adam Dawson would add another before the half, scoring on a close-range volley from another Ngwatala assist. Right on the other side of the break, Dawson would get his second and the club's third with another close-range finish.... off yet another Ngwatala assist. A cracking day for everyone on the team, and a huge sigh of relief went through the locker room afterwards.
MotM: Adam Dawson

I was drawn against Vanarama South side Chorley in my first FA Cup tie, and we started the campaign with a nice victory away from home. It took a long time to break Chorley down, and they came the closest to scoring before our first goal, with prolific striker Darren Stephenson hitting the bar from long range. However, the tide turned when they conceded a penalty for a poor tackle on Ngwatala, and Jeff Goulding slotted away the spot kick with ease. Two minutes later, George Taylor doubled the advantage from close range, Ngwatala providing his 5th assist in two games. That would be enough to solidify victory and send us through to the First Round proper for the second consecutive year. I thought Chorley looked good enough for a draw, but they couldn't create enough chances for themselves today.
MotM: Elton Ngwatala

In the final match of the month, we got an overachieving Braintree Town at Aggborough, and proceeded to put them back in their place. A very chippy match that didn't see a goal until the 61st minute, when Zaine Francis-Angol played an excellent long delivery to George Taylor, who finished from close-range and claimed his 8th goal of the season. Dean Snedker made some really excellent saves to keep Braintree off the scoreboard, and claimed his third consecutive clean sheet. It seems weird that the entire attacking force of this team rests on a 17-year-old's shoulders, but if he keeps producing, he'll be staying in the starting XI.
MotM: Zaine Francis-Angol
 

 League Table

 
15th may look bad, but it's four spots up from last time, and we're now just 5 points off the playoff. I'm really hoping I'm beginning the big turnaround here.

FA Cup Draw

In the First Round we'll be going up against recently-relegated Bromley, who I beat twice last year. This gives me a good chance to move on to the Second Round, where bigger sides will be waiting....

Thanks for reading!  I'm going to once-a-month updates, and scrapping full-detail updates for cup matches. 
 

November Matches:
11/1 vs. Gateshead (A)
11/5 vs. Bromley (H)
11/12 vs. Eastleigh (H)
11/15 vs. Southport (A)
11/19 vs. Halifax (H)
11/26 vs. Harrogate (A)
11/29 vs. Oxford City (A)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

November 2016

Yeah, this really is getting tough for me. Only one league victory against fellow strugglers Halifax, and a couple more unconvincing draws against Southport and Oxford City. The Harrogate loss was a total disaster, which I hoped would motivate the squad to do better, but we still appear to be playing uninspired football week in and week out. We are, however, through to the Second Round of the FA Cup after a convincing 4-0 over last year's dropouts Bromley, where we will face:

Wigan is a tougher draw than Bradford last year, but since it's a round later I was more than likely going to get a League side anyway. Maybe if we can park and pray we'll become the next Lincoln City (who were relegated on here ).

League Table

Still in a dangerous position, only a loss and a Halifax win away from the relegation zone. I'm pretty sure we won't be relegated, but we haven't found consistent form to get out of the bottom half, and my name is being floated around in the "sack race". I'm sincerely hoping that the board won't "pull a Ranieri" on me and not give me a chance to turn things around.

Thanks for reading. Sorry that I've been horribly inconsistent in updating this thread, it's just that I'm not finding the time to play FM and my personal editor project takes up most of the time I do have. If I do get the sack, I think you'll be seeing a much more inspired thread for FM17.

December Matches:
12/3 vs. Wigan (A)
12/6 vs. Aldershot (H)
12/13 vs. Chester (A)
12/26 vs. Forest Green (H)
12/28 vs. Torquay (H)
12/31 vs. Tranmere (A)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

December 2016

Finally, we seem to be settling back into last year's form as we break into 2017 at Aggborough.
As expected, we went out of the FA Cup to Wigan, and our performance was worse than against Bradford last year, only firing two shots with neither on target. At least we made it a round further!
The Aldershot loss was disappointing, as we had gained a late equalizer through Ngwatala in the 87th minute but then gave up a winner to Luke Fisher in added time, completing his hat trick for Aldershot.
We then demolished real-life FA Cup quarter-finalists Sutton United in the Trophy, the 5-1 win featuring spectacular long-range goals from Luke Woodland, hat trick man George Taylor, and Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro who returned from a long injury layoff.
Chester was a match that we completely controlled from start to finish, yet missed every single chance to go ahead, including some absolute sitters. It wasn't until I brought on a transfer-listed Gurjit Singh that we were able to make the breakthrough four minutes from time and take the points.
The win against Forest Green was possibly our best league triumph of the season, as we comprehensively battered the relegation candidates 3-0 behind goals from Akpa-Akpro, Taylor, and McQuilkin who scored his first of the season from the spot.
I was disappointed not to beat Torquay at home, as we had beat them in three consecutive matches dating back to last season. Even worse, their goal was a total fluke as Michael Richens' attempted clearance bounced off a lucky Charlie Sheringham and in. Taylor equalized with a beautiful curler just before halftime to balance it out though.
Tranmere was a predictably even match once again, as we have drawn them three out of four times over the past two seasons. Despite playing highly defensive, we managed to outpossess them and had the best chance of the game when Chris Lester hit the post. I'll take the 0-0 away from home against the league leaders, which ensures that we have still not ever lost to our most competitive rivals.
The scoreline was the only thing close in our match against 7th-placed Altrincham, as we blitzed them 17-2 on shots and won the possession battle. The only goal was from Adam Dawson on 23, who pounced on a low cross from Niko Hamalainen to give us the win.

League Table

We've gained some spots since last time, but are still just as far from the playoffs (8 points away). The top of the table has changed quite a bit, with Braintree surprising everyone in 2nd and York and Wrexham moving into the zone. Barrow and Forest Green have been thrust into the relegation scrap at the other end. As one of the hottest teams in the division, we should be taking steps back towards the top soon.

Notes

• CM Luke Woodland finally scored his first two goals for the Harriers after failing to score in his first 14 months at the club. Yet he's got the best average rating at the club with an excellent 7.28.
• ST Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro returned from injury and also scored two goals in the month. He has now scored 4 goals in 14 appearances for the Harriers.
• I have extended CM/ST Reece Hales' loan at fellow Aggborough tenants Worcester City until the end of the season, even though he's pretty close to first-team quality right now. He's been doing well in the Vanarama North with 9 goals so far in 19 apps.

Thanks for reading! We've been drawn against Bromley again in the FA Trophy 2nd Round, looking forward to more carnage .

January Matches:
1/10 vs. Crawley Town (A)
1/14 vs. Bromley (H)
1/17 vs. Stockport County (A)
1/21 vs. York City (H)
1/28 vs. Grimsby Town (H)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

January 2017

Of course, our natural response to last month's form was to go winless in the league.
Our comeback draw against Crawley was quite an achievement. We went 3-0 down, conceding first to Ashley Hunter and then twice to Shamir Fenelon. However, we bull-rushed them in the final fifteen minutes, scoring first from a James McQuilkin penalty, then a Luke Woodland free header, and then finally from a cool Arthur Gnahoua finish in the 89th. We actually had a chance to score a fourth in added time, but the draw was more than satisfying.
Bromley gave us a bit more trouble in the FA Trophy than in the FA Cup. There was some concern when they went ahead first through Moses Emmanuel, but we equalized and then took the lead through a pair of George Taylor goals. Gurjit Singh added the third goal on 71 minutes, and that would end up being important as Emmanuel struck back a minute later for Bromley. We held them off in the final fifteen though and secured our place in the Third Round against York City.
Our loss against Stockport was really poor, especially considering that we had the same number of shots as them. They scored their three in rapid fire through Kristian Dennis, Abdulai Bell-Baggie and Tom Smith. Elton Ngwatala hit one back on the volley late on, and when we scored again in stoppage time, I thought we might have had another Crawley on our hands. However, the goal was disallowed for offside and the result stayed at 1-3.
York's win over us was totally undeserved in my opinion, as we should have been worthy of at least a point at home. New signing Marc Richards scored their first goal after a fluke cross from Alex Brister had to be saved by our keeper, allowing him an easy rebound. Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro responded in the 41st minute for us, but it was cancelled out just after the break by another Richards goal, this time a deserved one. However, if we hadn't conceded the first we would've had a draw.
One team I haven't been able to establish precedence against over the two seasons is Grimsby, but we did nothing to make a statement against them at Aggborough. We closed them down really well and had twice as many shots, but once again comprehensively failed to score as our striking unit has been far too inconsistent this season. A 0-0 draw isn't awful, but in terms of our hopes of moving up the table it really hurts.

League Table

Aaaand we've moved down again! We're 10 points adrift of the playoffs and more urgently, one clear of the relegation zone. There's been quite a bit of movement in mid-table. Chester and Stockport have moved up and Eastleigh, Harrogate, and Oxford have moved down. Forest Green are in deep relegation trouble and Aldershot are now in the zone also. Barrow are the only team to move away from the zone since hiring a new manager.

Transfers

One striker in, one striker out. Gurjit Singh was simply not going to be getting games with our abundance of strikers, and I couldn't see him being a consistent performer this year, even though all of our forwards except Taylor haven't either. He's off to Welling, where he'll actually have a shot at promotion . I'd like to thank Singh for his contributions to the club, including a few game-winners and a hat trick against Chester last year. 
To try and find said consistent performer, I turned to the loan market. Reading's Rowan Liburd has 4-star CA and 5-star PA, so I'll give him a chance to break our goalscoring duck alongside Taylor and/or Akpa-Akpro.

Thanks for reading! Next month we must win both of our league games.
February Matches:
2/4 vs. York City (H)
2/11 vs. Dover (A)
2/18 vs. Welling (H)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

February 2017

An unbeaten month, but to be honest I wanted to see the green circles in the league matches rather than the FA Trophy.

York City were undoubtedly our toughest opponent yet in the FA Trophy, and losing to them two games before didn't help our confidence. Yet we took the game to them in normal time, getting better chances and equal possession. But no goal was forthcoming, so for the first time on this save, Kidderminster Harriers went to extra time! Throughout the half hour I was expecting it to go down to penalties, but 114 minutes on Chris Lester fired in a rebound after George Taylor had his shot saved to send us through to the quarters. Couldn't help but smile a little after that.
Our visit to Dover should have ended in a win, but our plans were halted by Calvin Zola. We took the early lead through an excellent Ngwatala header, but Dover hit us on the break on 56, giving Zola a volleyed goal. We thought we had scored the winner on 80 after James McQuilkin whipped in a goal from the edge of the area, but Zola came to Dover's rescue eight minutes later, the defense somehow allowing him through to meet Richard Orlu's ball, smack it home, and deny us all three points. Bollocks.
Welling cranked in two early goals at Aggborough, which should have shredded our confidence, but we came back to earn the draw. Reading loanee Rowan Liburd scored his first for the club from Ngwatala's cross, and Elton would be involved in the second goal as well. His first close-range shot was saved by Conor Hudnott, his second was somehow saved again and nestled against the post, but when Hudnott went to pick it up, he brought it across the line! Possibly the weirdest goal we've ever scored. We tried to push for the win against Welling after that, but we fell short yet again. 
In the FA Trophy 4th Round, we faced Harrogate, who had beaten us 5-0 in the league earlier on. That was enough warning to be cautious. However, my decision to go counter in this match was possibly one of the best I've ever made, because the counterattack was where we destroyed them. All three goals came within four minutes of each other on either side of the half, Gnahoua with the first and third and Ngwatala with the second. There wasn't much more urgency after that. We neutralized Dayle Southwell and the rest of the Harrogate attack, allowing us to stroll to a really satisfying victory that has sent us through to the FA Trophy semis against Eastleigh.

League Table

Of course, we're still struggling to break free of the bottom half. Even though our form over the past two months has actually improved, we're still unable to move up in the table. Still not safe from relegation, yet somehow still with a remote playoff chance if we turn it around. I'm getting seriously afraid of the sack though, as the board have set a points aim in my next few matches that I'm probably not going to meet. I'm praying that they'll at least give me until the end of the season, as we have the opportunity to go to Wembley and lift the FA Trophy if we beat Eastleigh over two legs. Regardless though, I'll be enjoying the ride.

Thanks for reading! This second season has taken longer for me to get through than it should have, but if anyone's still following, thanks very much. I feel we'll be at the end of this save soon anyway.
March Matches:
3/4 vs. Barrow (A)
3/11, 3/18 vs. Eastleigh
3/14 vs. Wrexham (H)
3/21 vs. Macclesfield (A)
3/25 vs. Braintree (A)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

March 2017

There's some very exciting news this month, but we're still not finding the right form in the league.

We absolutely battered Barrow, yet still could not come out with a win. Doubling their shots total and winning possession, I thought this to be a 3-0 or 4-0 victory. Instead, it finished 1-1. We got the goal through George Taylor after their keeper missed Niko Hamalainen's low cross, but they equalized with a cheap goal from Alfie Pavey two minutes later. It just seems that once we leave Aggborough, our luck goes down to 0.
The first leg against Eastleigh was a joy to watch. Everything was clicking for us offensively, and we held them at the back despite them having only one less shot than us. Ngwatala got the first on an open net, Gnahoua slid in the second from a good delivery, and Taylor finished it with an easy close-ranger. We walked away from Aggborough with our heads held higher than ever before.
We didn't deserve a win against Wrexham, but that's what happened. They went 2-0 up in the first half with goals from Alex Henshall and Ben Thompson, but just like in the Crawley game, things turned on after 70 minutes. I made all of my substitutions around that time, as the attacking unit was playing poorly. We then proceeded to get one back from an Akpa-Akpro header, equalize from a poor Wrexham own goal, and get the winner from an excellent Rowan Liburd header. Awesome stuff!
I brought out a weakened side for the second leg against Eastleigh, needing to rest some guys for the league. It didn't really hurt us. They got their goal through James Roberts, but there was no way we were going to allow anything else. We comfortably held on to the lead from the first leg, and we are now off to Wembley!
Even though all of these wonderful things are happening in the FA Trophy, it just will not lead to consistent success in the National League. I was furious to not score against Macclesfield, as George Taylor blew numerous one-on-ones against their keeper Shwan Jalal to keep us off the board.

League Table

So yes, we have moved up, but I still feel like we're stagnating. With only seven games left, I'll probably have to win them all to stand any sort of chance of the playoffs. One more win and we should be safe from relegation. At the top, Harrogate have moved back into the playoff zone and Tranmere will have to work hard to make sure that they don't bottle their chance at automatic promotion again. Lastly, Gateshead have made a remarkable run in the month, rising from 19th to 11th, so there's evidence that I still have a chance to make it work.

Yay.

Thanks for reading! Of course, there will be one more game in March, and it's the big one at Wembley. Expect to see a full-detail post on that one later today. Wish the Harriers luck!

 

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

FA Trophy Final

Really disappointed after losing this final. It appears as if my chances of a trophy on this save are now gone. We were put on the back foot early when regen striker Rowan Presland scored from a header right off a corner. For the rest of the match, we kept trying and failing to get a ball into their area, their defense cutting out nearly all of our sloppy passes and misguided attempts. I was constantly tinkering, trying to find something that worked, but it really just was not our day. Our best chance to draw level actually came from a botched James Hancocks cross that required one of their defenders to desperately clear the ball off the line. After that, there wasn't much to write home about. Wrexham didn't do very well either, but they finished us off on 85 with a well-taken Jack Marriott goal. Wrexham win their second FA Trophy title, us Harriers finish runners-up for the fourth time in our last four final appearances.

Thanks for reading! All we have left is 7 league games, all in the month of April. I may or may not split this last month in two, depending on results.
April Matches:
4/1 vs. Bishop's Stortford (H)
4/4 vs. Braintree Town (A)
4/8 vs. Gateshead (H)
4/15 vs. Eastleigh (A)
4/17 vs. Halifax Town (A)
4/22 vs. Southport (H)
4/29 vs. Harrogate Town (H)

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

April 2017

We didn't deserve the wins we got, but the teams we played didn't deserve their wins or draws either. Quite simply, the game either hated us or loved us in the late goings, as every single match featured a winner or equalizer in the 80th minute or later. Yet of course, this went against us more often than for us. Akpa-Akpro and Liburd really turned it on this month, scoring most of the goals and Jean-Louis getting a hat trick against Halifax. We also had quite a few injuries too, which hurt our ability to pick up more points. As you can see, I have one game left, it'll be a game at home against Harrogate, who are looking to reach the playoffs with a win. I think it would be a perfect end to our season to spoil theirs, fitting of this entire save.

League Table

Tranmere are trying their hardest to bottle promotion again, giving up a solid lead to York. Braintree are surprise playoff entrants, with Harrogate, Altrincham, Wrexham, Oxford, and Stockport looking to get in on the last day. Stortford and Aldershot are relegated, with Torquay and Halifax slated to be next if they can't get the results. It should be a pretty interesting final day, but if one's thing for certain, Kidderminster won't be going anywhere!

 

[oriole01]

Kidderminster Harriers

The Last Game?

Actually, this is more descriptive of our season than any match previous. We got the early lead when Elton snuck in a goal in a crowded box. Taylor Tombides would equalize ten minutes later and set the tone for late drama. We were awarded a controversial penalty on 83, and George Taylor slotted it for his 19th of the year. I thought that would be enough to end Harrogate's season on a sour note, but somehow, they scored twice in stoppage time through Martin Riley and Lassana Sidibe. A horrific postscript to a horrific season.  We would finish 17th in the league after the late winner, and the board threatened the sack for about the fourth time this season afterwards.

League Table

As I mentioned, 17th place. That was eight places below the media's pre-season prediction, and millions of places below mine. Tranmere recovered on the last day, claiming a victory and securing the title. They really do deserve it based on their performance over the last two seasons. As you can also see, Braintree and Harrogate made the playoffs, but have been eliminated, leaving the two relegated League teams from last season to do battle for promotion at Wembley. Halifax and Torquay were indeed relegated, with Aldershot climbing above them. 

So, I'd like to thank everyone who has read this thread over the past 10 months. I know that's waaaaay too long to go through just two seasons, but it's my first ever FM save and the way I wanted to play it interfered with playing for speed. I don't know if this is the end for certain, but I am going to be putting this thread and the save file as a whole on the shelf. I bought FM17 when it was released, and I need to make something of it to get my money's worth. Of course, this save has become tiring and frustrating, and I need something fresh in my life right now. Once I build some experience in different pastures, hopefully I'll be able to guide Kidderminster to better things than I have so far. I'll be wrapping up with a season review soon, but it'll just be for Kidderminster and not go in detail about the rest of the world. Cheers guys !

-oriole