Create-a-Club Challenge for FM18

[GreyedOutMan]

I've started again, but I have a bit of a problem. There's no way to see what the wage budget is when selecting the squad, so my default squad is a little expensive in terms of upkeep. I chose players that fit the budget in the original screen, though - and it's hard to know how else I'd do it. I would just get the Clyde squad but I decided I wanted a squad that roughly fit the shape I intend to play...

Any thoughts on how to deal with this? Just gonna be a case of selling off the highest paid if possible?

[SoSolidSnake]

Not sure there's much you can do outside of waiting it out, and eventually bigger clubs are probably going to steal your highest earners assuming they do well. I was lucky in that my chairman got fed up with the massive losses that he sold to a new owner and the new owner took out a loan for us and increased our wage budget! Basically when it comes to having to sell players, just try and get the most you can for them. 

[GreyedOutMan]

2 hours ago, SoSolidSnake said:

Not sure there's much you can do outside of waiting it out, and eventually bigger clubs are probably going to steal your highest earners assuming they do well. I was lucky in that my chairman got fed up with the massive losses that he sold to a new owner and the new owner took out a loan for us and increased our wage budget! Basically when it comes to having to sell players, just try and get the most you can for them. 

I can't sell any of them anyway!

[GreyedOutMan]

I've started this on FM17 because I am finding FM18 just a bit too tough!

[SoSolidSnake]

Sounds good! Let us know how it goes once you're under way!

[GreyedOutMan]

1 hour ago, SoSolidSnake said:

Sounds good! Let us know how it goes once you're under way!

So far so good:

The embryonic table
My Squad

I created Henry Lane (no prizes for guessing who he is modelled on) - amazingly I got Chris Kane and Lee Hain too! Maybe I should get Al-Ain as my affiliate?

[SoSolidSnake]

4 hours ago, GreyedOutMan said:

So far so good:

The embryonic table
My Squad

Looks like a good start! FM18 must just be more difficult, or perhaps just unsuited to your chosen tactic.

 

4 hours ago, GreyedOutMan said:

Maybe I should get Al-Ain as my affiliate?

Haha! Although maybe R-ain-gers would be more realistic  

[GreyedOutMan]

17 hours ago, SoSolidSnake said:

Looks like a good start! FM18 must just be more difficult, or perhaps just unsuited to your chosen tactic.

 

Haha! Although maybe R-ain-gers would be more realistic  

I tried more than one tactic on 18 - I do think it's really tough. But I also have problems with its speed and general interface. It just annoys me.

[GreyedOutMan]

One of the most frustrating draws I can remember!

[GreyedOutMan]

So, it looks like one of the holy trinity (Hane, Lane, Kane) will be off soon - agitating for a move to Rangers. Nothing much I can do but hold out for a big price. It will clear the huge debt I'm in and then some. Might even allow for some sort of facilities upgrade. Will keep you updated!

[GreyedOutMan]

Should have seen that coming. Hain wants to go, I reluctantly agree to look to sell, and Lane follows suit :-(

[SoSolidSnake]

It's unfortunate, but it was always going to happen eventually! Players with great potential aren't going to want to stay at a 4th division club unfortunately, not when a big club comes looking for them! Just try to get the best price you can, and maybe tie on a 50% of next sale clause!

[GreyedOutMan]

I got £400k for Hain but didn't think to get a sell on. Durr!

[GreyedOutMan]

This is now getting silly. I had Hain, Lane and Kane. I've now got Paul Slane!!!

[GreyedOutMan]

So I have sold Lane. But I've been clever with him. Got £200k for him, but also 40% of his entire next fee, a £500k buy back clause and I have him back on loan until the end of the second season! I'm pretty pleased with that. If things go well, I may even be able to buy him back before he leaves!

[GreyedOutMan]

Just experienced one of those great moments in FM. I'm chasing a title, one win away, and suddenly what comes up on the SSN videprinter? Chris Kane, my midfielder, has just scored IRL for East Fife! Wonderful!

[GreyedOutMan]

End of Season 1: Paisley Splang

1. Basic season update.

A very satisfactory first season, with the title won with quite a few games to go. My two stars, Henry Lane and Lee Hain, were constant sources of speculation and in January, I had little choice but to sell them. I got £400k straight up for Lee Hain which instantly cleared my debts, although I should have got a sell on which was dumb. My business with Lane was probably a fair bit better, especially given that I didn't need the money as badly by then. I only got £200k for him, but I got him back on loan until the end of season TWO, so he should be able to get us a fair bit of the way up the table in League One - and then, if there's enough money, I have a buy-back for just £500k. Whether I'll be able to afford that right away, I doubt, but there's every chance I could get him back at some point, and I get a 40% sell on clause too, so in reality, he will cost me just £300k when I buy him back!

I didn't lose a single game until 14th January, after which I did have a bit of a wobble, losing twice to Hibs in the cup (no disgrace, but I would like to have made a cup final) and eventually losing three league games.

2. Useful screenshots (league table, squad overview with stats, history pages etc).

League Table
Squad Overview
Records - obviously all this season, and it's good that Lane will have another season to extend his record at least.
Finances - much helped by two of the "ane" men!

3. A list of records broken (this will happen a lot, and is part of the fun of this save).

All of them obviously - but the ones that I think might be significant are Jordan Miller's 18 clean sheets and 26 games without losing, as well as 12 games won in a row.

4. A list of key players with profiles and info.

Henry Lane - the standout player by a mile. I guess I was never going to keep hold of him!
Ross Barbour - really impressed by this guy, doesn't look special but was ultra consistent at inverted wing back. Given Fan's Player of the Season for Splang and their Young Player too.
Darren Petrie - not sure I've ever had both full backs/wing backs standing out before!
Lewis Milne - his average rating doesn't really do him justice: 25 goals in which he either scored or assisted, and more than twice as many key passes as anyone else!

5. The same with any youth prospects.

Shaun Moore is the standout from this generation of youth products
Yves Vladislav was a signing but I have very high hopes, and the fans voted him the signing of the season.

6. A nation update with info on any progress in coefficients, national team etc.

National team moved up a little in the rankings
The coefficient for Scotland took a big boost this season - Celtic got to the CL group stage, and indeed won their first game, against PSV, but then managed only two further points. Unfortunately, no other teams even made the Europa League playoff round, so beyond Celtic, there's really not a lot happening. That said, Rangers finished second in the league only on goal difference to Celtic - so hopefully they'll soon be challenging in Europe too.

[SoSolidSnake]

Nice! Glad to see you finally managed to have a great season! Being financially solvent is always helpful  I find full-backs/wing-backs always seem to have good ratings in FM17, I'm not sure how it's calculated... But yeah, great work mate! I hope the next season goes just as well!

At some point I'll actually get around to finishing a second season on my save 

[potbellypigs]

So we create a club and put whatever players we want in it at the start?

[potbellypigs]

Double post

[GreyedOutMan]

8 hours ago, potbellypigs said:

So we create a club and put whatever players we want in it at the start?

yeah but you have a budget - it's a game mode. No editing needed.

[GreyedOutMan]

End of Season 2: Paisley Splang

1. Basic season update.

For the first time in my FM career, I've secured BACK TO BACK PROMOTIONS! Remarkably straightforward, actually, winning the league by 15 points despite losing two of my last four games. The bad news is that Henry Lane's career with the Sparks is over for the time being. I have the cash to pay his £500k buy back clause but he doesn't want to play in the Championship it seems, so I've already pounced for a decent replacement but I will find the Championship harder without Lane. I retain the 500k buy back so in a year or two, I might still be able to get him back on board. I doubt it'll be three consecutive promotions but I should have enough in the squad to survive without him.

2. Useful screenshots (league table, squad overview with stats, history pages etc).

League Table
Squad Overview
Records
Finances - problematic, clearly - I doubt I'll get a huge kitty for Championship improvements.

3. A list of records broken (this will happen a lot, and is part of the fun of this save).

Lane sets a decent mark of 53 league goals, but Petrie is a full back who continues to impress so should extend his appearance record. Millar had a terrific season in a higher league with 19 clean sheets. 

4. A list of key players with profiles and info.

Henry Lane - should jump up two leagues this year and play for Celtic. If he isn't getting games there, who knows? I might be able to pinch him next year.
Matthew McInally - did well to keep the impressive Barbour out of the side - but at 20, he is a good prospect.
Serge Atakayi - I wasn't 100% convinced by him but I was wrong - he is a great player. Might try to get him on a permanent deal.
Lewis Milne - involved in fewer goals this year but his averate rating shows he was involved in a lot that was good; more key passes than anyone else.
Darren Petrie - Mr Consistent. Love this guy.

5. The same with any youth prospects.

Stephen Jackson has already scored a couple of goals albeit in a team that had already won the league!
Brian McIntyre and Tristian O'Toole could also be good prospects.

6. A nation update with info on any progress in coefficients, national team etc.

National team going well now, although some of their top players are ageing.
Another boost to the national co-efficient this season - could be just a couple of seasons from a second CL place. Odd since neither Celtic nor Rangers progressed from their European groups.

[GreyedOutMan]

I've tried to get him back without success - but the 40% sell-on fee means this might end up being even better!

[SoSolidSnake]

Well done on a second league win!! And yes that deal looks like it could be very good for your finances, especially if it makes it to that £5 million future fee!

I promise I will eventually get back to my save, but I have an exam next week, so studying for that is taking up most of my time right now. 

[GreyedOutMan]

He has moved on to arsenal for just 2.5m sadly. Not as much as I hoped.

im moving currently so have no internet (doing this on my iPhone) but I have to report my first non promotion season albeit without screenshots. Without Lane, we struggled for goals. I only conceded 32 - the lowest in the league - but 40 goals wasn’t enough for the playoffs as we missed out by 3 points. 

Still, it’s good to be pushing for playoff spots in the first season still. I need to find a striker to replace lane’s goals and whilst there are some promising ones in the club I’m not convinced yet. We shall see. 

Vladislav continues to impress as does Petrie. 

[GreyedOutMan]

Sorry - I've been moving and had no internet connection (and no FM for a few days either although I have played a fair bit...).

So I failed to get promotion from the Championship at the first attempt, finishing just outside the three playoff places by three points (Champions get promoted, then the next three go into a playoff with the second-bottom team from the Premiership). 

However, with a couple of reinforcements, I am now heading for an exciting run-in with promotion looking a real possibility this time around.

[Bayern Bru]

Enjoying tracking your save @GreyedOutMan - especially seen as I am a Glaswegian southsider myself 

Will be getting the game in a few days for Christmas - any tips on set up and picking players? 

[GreyedOutMan]

Just now, KevinJoeGreen said:

Enjoying tracking your save @GreyedOutMan - especially seen as I am a Glaswegian southsider myself 

Will be getting the game in a few days for Christmas - any tips on set up and picking players? 

Remember I'm playing on FM17. I opted for two gems from the two created players you're allowed which ate up a big portion of my budget. I'm not sure whether that was a good idea or not, but one thing I would definitely say is MAKE SURE YOU GET SELL ON FEES. I did for Lane but not for Hain, and his next transfer would have solved all my money worries. 

[Bayern Bru]

1 minute ago, GreyedOutMan said:

Remember I'm playing on FM17. I opted for two gems from the two created players you're allowed which ate up a big portion of my budget. I'm not sure whether that was a good idea or not, but one thing I would definitely say is MAKE SURE YOU GET SELL ON FEES. I did for Lane but not for Hain, and his next transfer would have solved all my money worries. 

Ah so its created players, not real players?

I have only ever done one save on create a club mode, and I just replaced a team but kept all their players. Will need to give it some more thought this time around ...

Thanks

[GreyedOutMan]

1 minute ago, KevinJoeGreen said:

Ah so its created players, not real players?

I have only ever done one save on create a club mode, and I just replaced a team but kept all their players. Will need to give it some more thought this time around ...

Thanks

Yeah largely it is that but it allows you to generate two custom players. You can then pick players yourself but it's time consuming.

[GreyedOutMan]

My first league point against the Old Firm and I'm rather gutted it wasn't three!!!

[TheMagicalÁngel]

I feel like up to this challenge, going to do it on FM17 thou, haven't got and will likely not get FM18

[TheMagicalÁngel]

I'm starting in Austria, it was the only interesting country alongside Denmark(Croatia and Scotland also but I want to do something different).

[SoSolidSnake]

Sounds great, I'd love to hear how it goes!

I'm probably not going to get back to my save for a while, I don't have much interest in playing FM at the moment and I've got a ton of work to do. 

[TheMagicalÁngel]

So as I said I will be starting in Austria with my new team VK Salzburg or Völkerklub Salzburg(roughly translates to peoples club Salzburg).

I've set my self the additional challenge of overthrowing the Red Bull owned RB Salzburg. The badge isnt the finest but I'd already spent too much time on it and didn't want to go through the additional challenge of removing those white borders. The nickname of the club is Die Roten(The Reds) and stadium is Die Festung(The Fortress.

The balance is looking decent:

but the wage and transfer budgets aren't, and have only brought in a couple of coaches.

And to make the things worse the start to the season is absolutely lethal:

The save started on 8th of July(should have probably cheesed it by making the starting date of some other country, but I didnt  look at the starting date when I started).

A gigantic friendly funnily against the team I support in real life and then against a division rival.

I havent even got backroom staff before we're already playing games and only two friendlies is bad for the squad.

I'll update with the tactics and squad after I sort things out.

[TheMagicalÁngel]

In a very unfortunate turn of events my save got erased which is sad since I was getting solid results(top of the table by 4 points). But I've moved on and started again but there is one thing really annoying me.

I handcrafted this player to play the raumdeuter role and his stats are only a tiny bit worse than the best raumdeuters in the game and still he is supposedly way better as a winger even though his crossing and technique are bad. And also dont understand how he is only 2 and a half stars considering he cost me 1,1 million in the squad budget and his CA is like 98.

[TheMagicalÁngel]

Well now I've got the season on it's way and this is how the tactics looking like:

Still got a few issues to iron out like how to make the star striker actually play well, but I'm hopeful I can really go for the promotion.

[CarltonCole]

Is this still going?

[CarltonCole]

I'm not sure if this is still running but I found the idea really interesting and thought I'd give it a shot. So I present to you...

Fotballklubb Bergen Seier

Based in Norway's second most populated city, Bergen, FK Bergen Seier is a newly founded club set to start their first season in group 1 of Norway's Second Division (technically the third their of Norwegian football). Playing at the Vinnerestadion, which boasts an impressive capacity of approximately twelve and a half thousand fans, FKBS have made a shock appointment of an unknown manager to lead their charge in the 2018/19 season.

Due to the timing of the Norwegian league, starting in the pre-season time for the English divisions actually places me 12 games into the season. As a result, I've fast-forwarded until the start of the 2018/19 season, beginning in April 2018.

The Squad 

With a squad budget of a little over £550,000, it was difficult to fit many star players in. As a result, the squad features a few more over 30's than I would have liked and several free agents. At the same time, there are a few standout players among the group. The squad has an average age of 25, and an average height of 6'0", so it's a very rounded bunch. One thing I didn't anticipate, however, was the club's small wage bill. At the start of the season, after converting my entire transfer budget and as much of the scouting budget as I can to wages, I'm still £5.2k short. Thankfully, the club's season tickets and large fan base mean we're losing less than £500 a month, and with a balance of £614,150, we shouldn't be in trouble any time soon.

Key Players

Mathias Blårud - Club captain for the 18/19 season, Blårud is an outstanding player to lead this team forward. Boasting an incredible set of high mental stats, including determination, leadership, teamwork, concentration and decisions, the 22-year old Norwegian central midfielder couples these qualities with well rounded technical stats that make him a solid all-rounder, perfect to sit in the middle of the park and control the game in both directions.

Rasmus Martinsen - The 21-year old Norwegian bruiser is vice-captain for the season. A defensive-midfielder by trade, Martinsen is remarkably versatile, able to play anywhere along the back four as well as on both wings and in the middle of the field. His excellent tackling, marking and anticipation stats make him ideal for protecting the back four, and his solid passing and composure allow him to calmly bring the ball out of defence and distribute reliably to the more creative players on the team.

Mathusan Sandrakumar - A young starlet right-back, at 20 years of age is one of the best players in the side despite his young years. He is both a threat going forward an immense obstacle at the back and still has both time and potential to grow. 

Erik Brenden - Right winger Erik Brenden, 24, has had an exceptional pre-season. Despite being one of my fringe picks when building the squad, he has managed 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 pre-season appearances, asserting himself as one of the squad's most formidable attacking threats amid competition from a plethora of wide options.

Valmir Berisha - The 21-year old Swedish target man will be leading the line for FK Bergen Seier this season. While he struggled for goals in pre-season, a lack of quality depth up front means that he'll have to adapt quickly. He showed his goal scoring ability with a  hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Lindome GIF, but didn't manage a goal in any of his 5 other appearances. Unlocking his ability will be key to our success this season.

Pre-Season and Tactics

Pre-season was strong, as we managed to record a single loss, two draws and four wins in seven friendly matches. After tinkering with a plethora of tactics including 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1 and eventually 4-1-2-3, I've decided that 4-1-2-3 is the strongest tactic going forward as this is what we used to record wins in the 3 most recent games, while the others saw us struggle for goals.

The starting line-up and tactics for the season ahead are as follows:

We'll be favouring a fairly direct attacking style of play, using the deep-sitting midfield and back four to press and dispossess the opposition before playing quickly forward to the wingers and target man; the three points of our attacking trident.

I'll be back with another update at the mid-point of the season, or if anything else significant happens.

 

[SoSolidSnake]

On 17/04/2018 at 14:34, CarltonCole said:

Is this still going?

It's still running as long as people are posting! (Not sure I'm ever going to get back to my save though...)

Looks like a good start! Look forward to seeing how it continues!

[CarltonCole]

Fotballklubb Bergen Seier

Where do I begin? It's been a season of extremes for new boys at FK Bergen Seier. Bittersweet in many ways, the 18/19 season saw an exceptional season on the pitch almost ruined at the death as a seemingly mentally fragile team let one last minute defeat see them lose a seven point lead with four games to go, leaving us needing 3 points on the final day to clinch the title. Thankfully, we did just that, beating 4th place Honefoss 3-1 away form home. However, the season wasn't without its low points. A shock 5-0 home defeat to Alta, who also beat us way 1-0 to give us our only 2 losses of the season, saw a red card, 3 penalties against us and 2 shocking mistakes that plunged the dressing room into chaos. It took a few games for the team to recover, and I probably didn't help maters by both privately and publicly lashing out in frustration at the loss. Nevertheless, the first season can definitely be classed as a resounding success.

On The Pitch

It's difficult to complain with any season where you finish top of the table. After a somewhat uninspiring start, and barring the aforementioned dip in form about midway through the season, we controlled our place at the top of the table for the entire second half of the season. However, 5 games before the end with a seven point lead, we lost 1-0 away to Alta, and followed it up with two 1-1 draws, reducing the gap between us and Asker to just 2 points with 2 games to go. We snatched a 1-0 win in the 90th minute in the second last game, and after a team meeting where I applied a lot of pressure to perform, we walked out comfortable 3-1 victors and Second Division Group 1 champions.

Our success was bought about by tactical changes. We started the season with our main left back injured, and following the injuries of our second left back and our starting right back we were forced to play a few weeks using a 3-5-1-1 formation, to limited success. Eventually however, we settled on a simple 4-4-2, which yielded impressive results. This has however caused issues due to our lack of depth at striker; only 3 players were capable of this role as I'd always planned to play 1 up front, so when Niklas Castro fractured his back, keeping him side-lined for 4 months, young winger-come-striker Ole Erik Midtskogen stepped up. And boy did he impress, netting 11 times and assisting 5 more, including the winning goal in the final game of the season, in 15 starts and 8 substitute appearances.

The undoubted star of the season, however, was young Swedish hitman Valmir Berisha. His performances were so consistent and impressive that Premier Division teams are circling like sharks to snatch the 22-year old, who led for both goals and assists with 25 and 13 this season respectively in 26 appearances, a performance that saw him come runner up in the race for the golden boot to Asker's Papa Sow (34). Other noteworthy mentions include makeshift central midfielder Jørgen Kolstad, who comfortably controlled play from a deep-lying playmaker position and even grabbed 3 goals and 4 assists for himself, and captain Mathias Blårud, who partnered with Kolstad and led our team from its heart. Erik Brenden also had an impressive season on the right, scoring 8 times and assisting 9 to finish as the clubs second highest assister.

Off The Pitch

Despite the resounding success on the pitch, the private side of the club has witnessed some ugly scenes in the past year. Several players are set to leave the club;  31-year old Czech midfielder Jan Kralik is on the transfer list after an early injury kept him from the side too long for him to stake a late claim, and the subsequent decline in his ability has left him far below the standard required for our season in the Norwegian First Division. Midfielder Kevin Mankowitz will also depart the club in search of first team football after making just 9 appearances for the club this season, managing an average rating of 6.7 and his only memorable moment being his sending off in the 5-0 home defeat to Alta. 33-year old goalkeeper Olav Dalen is looking for a loan to get more playing time, and 30 year old defender Lars Emil Flakk will likely be replaced if a strong alternative can be found.

The main drama however came from Lars-Kristian Eriksen. The veteran 35 year old asserted himself early as a highly influential squad member, and despite his obvious quality his older legs got him into trouble consistently, leading to him failing to start more than 10 league matches. His lack of football caused a rift in the dressing room as the starting 11 sided against his inclusion and fringe players pushed for it, leading to a few heated meetings, public outbursts and constant media speculation. It's safe to say his contract at FKBS will not be renewed.

Another area of concern has been the club finances. Despite good control of the wage budget, we've plummeted into a deficit of around £350,000. This means we'll likely have to make a few sales to try and balance the books. Nevertheless, I've been given a wage budget of over £30k for the coming season and a transfer budget of £611,000, with which I'll be looking to add depth and replace departing players with younger prospects.

Looking Back

It's been a successful season. A title win and the consolidation of the club's finances for the next season are both in line with the initial aims I set myself, if not an improvement upon them. There were unsavoury scenes in the dressing room but nothing that can't be resolved and the bulk of the team are still behind me, with the squad hierarchy slowly taking shape. Looking back, I'd have liked to keep Mankowitz for the depth he offered in midfield, but I'm not too heartbroken as at 26 he is already playing at his full potential and is nothing more than a 'decent' option. I feel things would have been easier had Niklas Castro stayed fit, but that was out of my control. Overall, there's little I would have done differently and I'm excited for the season ahead.

Looking Forward

The next update will be at the end of the 19/20 pre-season. In that time, it's incredibly likely that several things will happen. Overall, the targets and priorities for the next season are:

• To assert ourselves a First Division side with a strong mid table finish (8th-12th out of 16).
• To reach the third round of the Norwegian Cup.
• To ensure the departure of Jan Kralik, Kevin Mankowitz and Lars-Kristian Eriksen on a permanent basis and the departure of Olav Dalen on a temporary one.
• To sign at least one young player with four and a half star potential or higher, as well as a backup left back, right midfielder and left midfielder.
• To keep a hold of Valmir Berisha if at all possible.
• To sign a manager at last for our second team (FKBS2).

 

  

[mylescattle]

I present to you…

Offaly

 

 

 

 

For this challenge I’ve decided to stay local and create a club for my home County Offaly in the Irish midlands. 

Starting the save on the 8th of January 2018, my Manager will compete in the second tier of Irish football, in the 1st Division.

 

 

 

 

 

The expectations from the board for the season ahead is the not very ambitious target of finishing bottom of the league, and when you know teams cannot be relegated from this division, it seems I’ve landed myself in a no-lose situation.

Keeping in mind that the clubs nickname is the Faithful, I’ll be looking to hire loyal staff as part of the club’s recruitment policy going forward.

After assembling a professional squad of 27 players for the value of 110k, one of the first problems I notice is the wage budget is 4,330 per week overbudget.

 And with only 829 euro to spare in the transfer budget, I know managing the finances and attemptting to trim that wage bill will be my first task.

A scouting budget of 1.3k only allows me to look within the Irish 1st division for potential new players. Hopefully I can improve this as time goes on.

As I chose to release all backroom staff in the set up of the club, new additions in that area should be made over the course of the pre-season.

In terms of facilities, it’s basic in both youth and training and the club will play its home games at Ely O’ Carroll Park in Birr town, a ground with a 5 thousand total capacity and a 2 thousand seater stand.

Naturally, Offaly has a rivalry with the only other Midlands team in the top two tiers of Irish football, Longford Town. Two city clubs, Cork and Bohemians of Phibsborough in Dublin are also included as rivals.

A look ahead to pre-season and the early fixtures of the season show 3 scheduled friendlies and a Leinster Senior Cup match against Cherry Orchard as warm up for the season opener at home against Drogheda United.

A squad overview, key player profiles, tactics, and friendly results will be included in the next post.

Spoiler