[FM18] Uncle Jimbo's Icelandic Sound Explosion, (featuring other Countries, hopefully, if I get lucky, maybe). (You know, if there is an award for the longest thread title I have a sneaking suspicion that I might just be in with a chance of a nomination).

[Jimbokav1971]

Chairmen of the Board. Chelsea Aug 2034.

This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's actually huge. The % they were given me before was just 20% and it's pretty hard to try and generate a transfer kitty of any size like that. 

This is why they have had a change of heart. 

I've stopped the rott off the pitch, but now I have to provide stability on the pitch and then somehow bring in players who will keep is at this sort of middling Premier League level, while also allowing us to sell them on and generate a significant cash pot with which to try and re-lauch the club back to a position of it's former glories. It all sounds great, but the reality is that I'm still not sure if it's realistic that we will finish in the top half this season. If we do, then I would suggest that we should be ok going forward, because a fan owned club isn't going to be too demanding at board level are they? 

[Jimbokav1971]

 

Little bit of Heaven Tactics. Chelsea. Sep 2034.

Tactics. I want to play with a 3 up front, but I want to mix and match the roles withe players existing players strengths so that (A) I get the best out of the players and play to their strengths, but also, so that when a sub is made, he asks the opposition different questions than might have been asked previously. I've worked out that the way I play, (with the IR button), gives my Ass Man and the players, the best opportunity to get something out of the game. 

This is what I played in the last Premier League game, (a 1-0 loss against Liverpool), but it didn't work at all as we didn't have a single shot on target all game. I'm trying to avoid a flat 3 line of similar players up front and want someone dropping back on some sort of link-up role. Ideally this would be a TM played wide, (not a WIde TM), a central finisher and then a more workmanlike left sided attacker. 

The problem is that I have a real paucity of attacking talent up front at Chelsea. I have the number, but nowhere near the desired quality as I will show you. 

This is every striker at the club and it doesn't make good viewing at all.

The 1st thing to mention is that the best SC at the club is only a 2.5 in terms of CA, which is REALLY poor. That being said, I'm pretty sure that with the correct attribute balance and used in the right way, even players of this ability can do a job at even the top level. Patmore (F.Det) HG is decent and can improve, but he's not going to score 30 goals a season, (or even 20 goals a season for that matter). He scored 7 goals in 18(10) appearances in the Premier League last season, and I will need him to get closer to 15 this season. He is a product of our Academy, (as the HG suggests), and will be a big player for us over the next few years. Adams (Res) is a player that I have signed on a free to add some much needed depth and my plan is probably to look to play him enough to generate some interest in him so that I can sell him at the end of the season and get some of that £18.25M valuation into the bank to spend on someone else. He's not a product of our Academy, (he came through at Man City in 2018/19), and has spent the last 10 years playing in the Premier League for Leeds, only scoring double-figure goals on 3 out of 10 seasons. He isn't a long-term fix, but he was just about the best I could find who was free and who didn't want sill wages, (I'm only paying him £97k per week).

The 2nd thing I need to point out is that while lowly CA might be a problem right now, there isn't a huge amount of PA here either so things aren't going to improve rapidly within this group of players. Certainly Danny Webb (Res) HG is the best of these options in terms of PA, but at just 17 and without a senior goal to his name, I can't really be relying on him right now. (To give you an idea of where he is at, 1.5 CA stars is only currently deemed good enough for the Conference). While he might have a PA of 4.0 stars, he might equally only have 3.0 PA, (which is still better than what we have available right now it should be said).

While a lack of CA and PA are significant obstacles to overcome, they are not actually the biggest hurdles in this area. No, the biggest issue at the moment is trying to find 3 players who can play in roles that compliment eachother. 

2 wingers, 3 midfielders and a Complete Forward who isn't specialised, (or good enough), to play that role in my opinion and it limits my options from 17 bodies at the club to just 11. Remember that I start with 3 strikers, have 3 more on the bench, and that we run Senior, U23 and U18 squads. Even if we ignore injury, International call-ups, suspensions, form and rotation, that's still 15 players. To put it plainly, we are short in this area.

The Complete Forward is Patmore (F.Det) HG and I'm going to be hugely reliant on him. The 21yo is going to play every Premier League game he is fit for this season. Who partners him up front is the question. I look at the list of roles above and it's the DLF and the TM that are of most interest to me. 

Nicholls (Res) HG is the TM and although he is HG, (so a product of our Academy), he wasn't at the club when I joined and in fact I spent £150,000 to bring him back "home" from Championship side Bristol City, (where he played 0 League games and 2 Cup games in 3 seasons). He was prolific at League 2 level for Orient, but..... well...... we aren't playing in League 2. I'll be honest with you and say I think he looks a dam sight better than his valuation or price suggest and I'm hoping that playing as a TM he might cause problems for opposition defences that his colleagues might be able to exploit. An added bonus is that he is a "lefty" and this ties in with me being keen to play a TM in a wide position, (but not a Wide TM). Equally though, the fact that he is only 22 and isn't going to get any better is a big concern for me. Playing a relatively youngster at this level should be considered and investment in time and resources and if he isn't going to improve then might I be better served giving the opportunity to someone else? The answer to that is really that I need him to perform just to get us a top half finish this year and then we can look longer-term. There is still a significant opportunity for failure at Chelsea. If and whn we get deeper into the save as Chelsea manager, the risk will be significantly lessened as we gradually strengthen our position. 

Franks (F.Pro) is not a product of our Academy, (he came through at Leeds), although he did play for us on loan in the 2022/23 season when he scored 18 goals in 42(3) appearances. The worrying stat is that he has been relegated 5 times in his career. (4 times in the Premier League for Leeds, Palace, Swansea and Brighton, although he did get promoted again with Brighton). He prefers the AF role, but I like him for the DLF role. I think this will offer the more to the team from the right hand side. 

So this is what I will be trying for the next couple of months. 

If it doesn't work then I am going to look at this, but It's not going to change much from this unless I have a spate of injuries. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Thirty Three. Chelsea. Sep 2034.

You wouldn't expect Chelsea, (and then Arsenal), to be at the top of this list in real life, but they are in the game, (albeit in 2034).

I actually think that the results of this have been skewed in our favour because I I have signed, (and played), players who were products of our Academy, but who probably aren't up to Premier League stanfdard and weren't offered deals at other Premier league clubs. 

Here are some of the players listed as HG at club in the game. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Exceptional. Chelsea. Oct 2034.

[Jimbokav1971]

October. Chelsea. November 2034.

1st and 2nd in Young Player of the Month for October 2034.

Patmore (F.Det) HG is a home-grown 21yo striker who is developing nicely.

Fonseca (URU) (F.Loyal) is a 21yo Uruguayan MC who I signed in July for £1.9M. 3 months later he is valued at £14.75M. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Better Late than Never. Chelsea. Dec 2034.

I think that this is the sort of decision-making that got them in trouble in the 1st place. Either way, I'm not about to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

I'm sure I will be spending the money, but I will be investing it rather than spending it on ageing players. I might even try and sign young players who I will use to play instead of these players. 

29yo Iribarren (ESP) (Res) is valued at £52M and although he is a Worldclass midfielder, he is a playmaker rather than the destructive player that I need. I would gladly swap him for a proper physical beast of a ball-winning midfielder

30yo WBL RvB (NED) (F.Det) is great, but he's not getting any younger and we need to sell him and re-invest the money. This is his 5th season at the club after a £57M transfer and his will be big boots to fiill. 

Flávio. (BRA) (L-Hearted) is a 31yo midfielder and again he is more of a player than a destroyer for my liking. When he returns to fitness I will be trying to sell him for whatever I can. 

These 3 players are valued at £115M and if I could get maybe £70M-£80M for them I would be happy. They are not young, 1 of them has been injured and I'm not expecting to get full value for them. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Pay Attention. Chelsea. Jan 2035.

The first thing I knew about any of this happening was when I saw this message. 

I had obviously missed this a few days before. 

RvB (NED) (F.Det) is one of my best players and is valued at £28M despite the fact that he has just 6 months left on his contract and is 30 years old. What a schoolboy error. 

I obviously tried to resolve the situation and tried to strike a deal with PSG to let them have him immediately, in return for approx. £14M, but they were having none of it and were willing to let me have just £3M to do the deal now. For that paltry fee I would rather keep him for the rest of the season and let him go for nothing. Frustratingly, he was valued at £35.5M just a month or so ago and I didn't notice that his contract was expiring. 

I obviously need a left back urgently now as my next best WBL is Niall (CHI) (F.Det) and my staff suggest that he is well suited to playing in the Championship. 

While I wasn't aware that my best WBL was soon to be out of contract, I was aware that the same situation existed with my best WBR. Nwankwo (NGA) (F.Det) HG is refusing to even enter into negotiations about a new deal so I have been forced to accept a deal in the region of £15M for his services from Watford. I just can't afford to let another player leave on a free. 

[Jimbokav1971]

She's Strange. Chelsea. Jan 2035.

I'm a bit of a believer that we all play FM differently and some people are good at certain aspects of the game, and others have other contrasting strengths. Lots of people get over-focused on tactics, (in my opinion), but I think there are other significant areas of the game. Obviously one of these areas is Youth development, and I would like to think that I'm quite good in this area. As good as I am in this area however, I have just realised that I am equally poor at another significantly important part of the game. Scouting and signing players. 

Because I concentrate so much on Youth development, I have put little or no effort into the scouting and signing of players since about FM14. I don't think I have played a save since then that has see me look to actively buy players from outside the club, (although from time to time I have made purchases of players that I have stumbled across. 

What has happened in this save is that I have had a Hard Brexit, and the implications of this is that it is much harder to sign players from abroad. They need to either be outstanding youngsters who will get a WP on appeal, or they need to be a regular International. It means that players are at a Premium, (at least players who would get a WP to play in England, or who don't need a WP to play in England). 

It's strange. 

Premier League Table. Jan 2035.

Now that I think about it, it's probably the reason that the top of the Premier league looks pretty much like the top of the Premier League today, with nobody really breaking into the group of top clubs, and the only club who have dropped away are Chelsea, who have dropped away initially because of the absence of Roman's millions, and then because of the absence of European football because of a failure to adhere to financial regulations. The 2 combined have created the really challenging, (and attractive), situation that I find myself in, and I wonder if my save is unique in this respect? It's certainly not something I have seen or heard of before. 

There doesn't seem to be an option to tell my scouts to look for players who either would not require a WP, or who need a WP but who would either be granted one or who might be likely to have it granted on appeal. In that respect scouting seems strange. I'm spending a lot of money on scouting, but we were obviously seriously in debt when I took over so what is the point in scouting players abroad when the only players that I will be able to sign is ageing players in poor to middling National Teams. These players will demand high wages and huge signing on fees and are unlikely to provide me with a return on my investment. The opposite end of the spectrum to that is young English players at other clubs. (Obviously I would much prefer to be playing my own Youth products, but if I haven;t got any in that position or they just aren't good enough then I have to find other targets). That's easier said than done too because the big boys just seem to want to hoard their players and when they do sell them seem to want to ask hugely inflated prices for them.

It's a challenge and I'm enjoying it, but..... it's strange. 

[Edit]

What I forgot to say is that the obvious way to counter this predicament is to invest in your Youth system and just keep and develop your own Youth and keep a steady production-line of players coming through. The problem that I have in this particular save is that I am starting from scratch and there are very few youngsters coming through who will make an impact, (simply because they have been released or sold for a pittance). The short-term is going to be hard, but once I start creating decent youth players I think it will just run and run to such an extent that in 10-15 years time I expect to be almost completely self-sufficient with regards to player and maybe just the odd marquee signing coming in from abroad. 

[Edit2]

I think there is a serious chance of me getting sacked this season. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

I love my Boss. Chelsea. Jan 2035.

Who the hell is this bloke and why is the DoF fannying about making bids for useless players who I have no interest in? 

Oh, he's a full-back and I'm actually looking for both a WBL and a WBR. 

Maybe he's worth a look and a bot of a scout. 

He might have a rubbish name, (I will soon change that to an equally rubbish new one via a nickname), but what does he look like. He's valued at £2.2M so he can't be that good, and he's probably Austrian, and God only knows how much we have offered for him...

Oh wow. 

He's 21 years old and he's (F.Pro) and he looks good. He looks to be just what I am looking for. Obviously there is a little question mark over how good his dribbling and crossing is, but so what, I really like this bloke. 

I bet my idiot boss has paid like £20M or something for him!!!

As an indication of how much Chelsea's stock has fallen, the above player opted to sign for Watford instead of us. 

[Edit]

The bid from both ourselves and Watford was £4.6M. He is immediately worth £18.5M after the deal goes through. 

In other news, thank you very much to whoever did this out-going deal before I arrived. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Crash and Burn. Chelsea. Jan 2035. 

It's not been a great few days. 

We crashed out in the FA Cup to local rivals Fulham who are close to bottom in the Championship. (This actually is a big deal because the board care about the FA Cup). 

Our U23's lost on pens to League 1 side Boston Utd. 

Unsurprisingly, our U23's also crashed out of this International Cup thingy, (not entirely sure what it is), but when you lose at home to Stoke you are probably not going to beat Barca. (Even Barca B). The only real surprise here is that we somehow beat Bordeaux.

Oh the shame! (I'm really not sure where to start with this one, but in our defence, our better youngsters are playing in the senior squad, who are also losing). 

[Edit]

Just for the record, I know that the Checkapants Trophy is worthless and I don't even know what the U23 Int Cup thingy is and the U18's Cup is completely meaningless but..... I love them all and make absolutely no apologies for it. Had I been running Chelsea for the last 10 years then we would be winning or almost winning all of these little Cups and while I might not go so far as to actually manage the teams in these games, (remember, I don't even do that for Premier League games), I would at the very least be selecting the match squad for each. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Save Dat Money. Chelsea. Apr 2035.

These players will be leaving in the close-season. Even though we aren't getting a fee for any of them, we will be saving over £500,000 per week after this trio leave.

I'm still looking to off-load 2 other players with a value of £70M, but just as significantly, their exit will save us another £550,000 in saved wages every single week. 

These 5 players not being at the club will save us over £52M next season! 

Edited April 11, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

How Lowe can you go? Chelsea. Youth Intake. Mar 2035.

I will keep saying it, (because it never gets old), but any intake with a 5.0 PA player is a good intake. That being said, this was not the type of intake I was looking for. Rather than a single really bright prospect, (like (35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) *), was I was really hoping for is a more general spread of talent. Instead, as good as this might be in other respects, we have a single superstar on our hands, (I think). 

(35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) * is obviously the star of the show, but we also have 3 other players who have 3.5 PA and actually that's not to be sniffed at. While (35b) Jarvis (F.Amb) is another striker, it's important that his best role is not the same as that of (35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) * and DF contrasts nicely with AF.

(35c) Oasis (Bal) is actually called Liam Gallagher, (hence the nickname), but Oasis struck a chord with me so he got a new name.

(35d) Ball (Bal) is a winger, (and of course we don't use wingers), but he's good enough that he warrants.... something. He can't play at WB, he can't play at MC and he can't play at SC, so I have opted to keep training him as an AMR and then flog him to someone and try and raise a few quid. 

The best player from the last intake, (34a) Matty (Pro) (2034) *, is already valued at £7.25M at the age of 17, so I think that there is something to be said for looking after these guys. I'm not sure exactly how good they are likely to be, but they are looking good so far. 

"Kriss" (35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) *.

False Nine? No thanks. Defensive Forward? Yes please. He's already valued at £1.7M approx 1 month after he came through the Academy., having made 3 Premier League appearances without finding the net. 

 

[MarchColorDrink]

What does the BER stand for? Previously you've denoted nationalites in capitals and I thought you'd encountered a bermudain world beater. Very disappointing to see st Georges cross in the screenshot. 

[Jimbokav1971]

25 minutes ago, MarchColorDrink said:

What does the BER stand for? Previously you've denoted nationalites in capitals and I thought you'd encountered a bermudain world beater. Very disappointing to see st Georges cross in the screenshot. 

Good spot. 

He has Bermudan as a 2nd Nationality and I use 2nd Nationalities too just to give the players a little more character.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Going Down. Chelsea. Apr 2035.

As much as the Senior Squad has been decimated by players leaving and us being unable to replace them, the situation has been even more pronounced in the U23 and U18 squads which have been weakened still further by me raiding these aged group squads and promoting their brightest stars to the Sneior squad. 

Relegation is never a good thing, but at U23 level it should make things a little easier for our threadbare squad in the short-term. 

Division 1.

Boro have obviously been really strong this season and West Ham the next best as defending Champions. Interestingly, Spurs, who are not only defending their Premier League title but also running away with it again to retain the title and will make it 1st, 2nd, 1st and 1st in recent Premier League seasons. They are certainly the dominant force at premier League level, but maybe more focus required at U23 level as they look the next most likely to be relegated with us.

Division 2.

It's surprising to see both Liverpool and Southampton in the 2nd tier at U23 level, but as you would expect they sit atop the pile. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Young and Beautiful. Chelsea. Apr 2035. 

It should be added, that he scored not once but twice against Arsenal, (who are 2nd in the League).

He's left-footed and plays on the left of a 3 up front usually, and you can see that he started this game. When he starts in that position I have his personalised role set as a DF(s), but you can see that he played in this game as a TM. I think this is down to the fact that our central striker of the 3, Patmore (F.Loyal) HG, got injured after 2 minutes and was replaced by another left-sided player. I wonder if my Ass Man made the tactical change in order to play the more experienced position out on the left. Either way, whatever he did worked and I was delighted with the 3 points. and the 2 goals for my youngster. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Money Money Money. Chelsea. Jun 2035.

Surely to God we can start turning a decent profit AND challenge for European competition on the back of this? 

[Jimbokav1971]

No Expectations. Chelsea. Jun 2035.

[Jimbokav1971]

New Takeover. Chelsea. Jun 2035.

[Edit]

Edited April 16, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

 

In and Out of Love. Chelsea. Jul 2035. 

I can't afford to wait and let the finances improve themselves slowly over time. I have to be pro-active and improve them myself. Part of this is by control of wages, (which are an enormous expense), but I also want to re-invest some of the fees received for ageing players in a younger generation of signings that we might then sell on for a larger fee somewhere further down the line. The only issue with this is that obviously with the hard Brext that the game has given me, I am a little limited in respect of who I can sign from abroad. 

Ben Jenas (Bal) is a decent young centre-half who will give us more depth in that area and who will hopefully go on to be a future valuable asset in terms of the transfer fee that we will receive for him. He's capped at U20 level, is only 20 years old now and is immediately worth £5.25M after his transfer. I have signed him on a 5+3 year deal.

Koç (TUR) (F.Pro) is a good young central midfielder, (playmaker), who will impact on the Senior Squad immediately. While he's not exactly what I was looking for in terms of a central player, he is only 23 years old and despite us paying just £3.3M for him, he is already worth £13.25M. He has been signed on a 4+3 year deal. 

Mputu (COD) (F.Pro) is my old friend from Stade Rennais and I'm sure anyone who is paying attention will recognise the name. I signed him on a free, (wages are only £110k per week which sounds a lot but isn't in the grand scheme of things), and he is immediately worth £17.5M. I have signed him to a 2 year deal. If he wasn't a player I had a relationship with I would be considering letting him start, letting him score, generate interest in him and then just flog him, but I do have a personal relationship with him so I'm not sure what the future holds for him. 

Alício (BRA) (F.Det) (50) was signed for 2 reasons. Initially he is a 1st "proper" BWM, (I have had to make do with various levels of Playmaker so far), but he's a destroyer first and foremost and I think that will improve us significantly. He's not as young as I would like, (he's 28), by I have only paid an initial £19M for him and he is immediately worth £35.5M. There is a clause whereby I have to pay Everton a further £6M after 50 league appearances and £3m after just 8 International appearances, (my DoF did the deal so moan at him and not me), but in any case I will be selling him before he makes 50 league appearances. (In fact I have just edited his nickname to ensure I don't forget this).

Dmitriev (RUS) (Res) is a little disappointing if I'm honest. I signed the 23 year old striker for £10M on the basis that he had 4.5 PA and the general consensus is that he's not going to improve much from here on. Gutted. That being said, he's already worth £12.25M so I should be able to make a tidy profit on him after ha bangs in a few goals. We were the 6th top scorers in the league last season despite finishing 13th, so that speaks volumes about where the strength of my current tactic lies. Yes, a proper DM and better depth at centre-back will help address that, but we are still not going to struggle to score goals. 

Pantelic (SRB) (F.Det) is my final signing in this window, (I think), and he has been signed as a direct and much-needed replacement for the out-going RvB (NED) (F.Det) SELL who left on a free before I was able to secure a fee for him. He's 29 which is not ideal at all, but we paid less than £10M for him and he is already worth £28M. In a perfect World I would keep him for 1 season and then sell him for a tidy profit while replacing him with a better and younger model. 

RvB (NED) (F.Det) SELL was lost on a free to PSG after I snoozed and lost track of when his contract was due to expire. The 30 year old who was our 1st choice left back, is now worth £48.5M. Gutted is not the word. 

Flávio. (BRA) (L-Hearted) SELL is 32 and his best years are behind him. I was happy to get anything significant at all for him even though he is now valued at £12M. I'm happy with this deal. 

Iribarren (ESP) (Res) SELL is a Worldclass midfielder but he's 30. Despite him being labelled as "Worldclass", what he isn't is a BWM or a BBM. He's very much a playmaker and that's not what I want my central players to do. I got less than £20M for him and he is immediately worth £34M at West Ham, but I am again happy with the deal. he wasn't what I wanted and I got almost £20M for him to invest in other players. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Pulling the Plug on the Party. Chelsea. Aug 2035. 

I predict he will be back before too long. We are ripe for the picking. Let's hope the fans/owners hold out.

[Jimbokav1971]

I'm Struggling Man. Chelsea. Oct 2035.

Last season was fine and we were always around mid-table. The start of the 2035/36 season has been an absolute disaster. 

I played a weakened team against City in the Water Buffalo Cup so we can largely ignore that hammering, but even then it doesn't make pretty viewing. We have been leaking goals at the back, and not quite scoring with the care-free abandon of last season. 

We have been playing an  5-3-2-WB formation, but it's just not working and I have been forced into a change. The last match against Stoke saw me drop one of the strikers to play a 3 in the middle of the pitch. It worked in some respects in that not only did we keep a clean sheet, but we actually didn't defend a shot on goal in the whole match. The downside is that we looked pretty toothless ourselves. I'm going to stick with it though because a point away from home is a positive result just so long as we can start picking up 3 points at home. 

I'm not asking for the World at this stage. Mid-table boredom would honestly do me fine right now. We are just nearing the stage where my ability to do the job is going to start being questioned. and a Chelsea fan owned team who have fallen on hard times and with the added bonus of a Hard Brexit make this a very attractive proposition. Hard, yes, but also very attractive.

[Jimbokav1971]

Don't take the money. Chelsea. Oct 2035.

[Jimbokav1971]

Overdue. Chelsea. Oct 2035.

We might have conceded twice, but a win's a win's a win as they say, especially when you have gone 10 games without a win. Mputu (COD) (F.Pro) scored a hat-trick to make it 6 goals in 7 appearances.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Ice & Money. Chelsea. Nov 2035.

That's a lot of Icelandic money. 

[Deisler26]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Ice Cube. Get Money, Spend Money, No Money. Chelsea. Dec 2035. 

The big thing here isn't the £34.6M that has been invested, but the fact that the wage budget has risen from about £3.5M per week to £5.5M per week. If I can hang onto my job in the shore-term, we might just have an exciting future. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Get a Job. Chelsea. Dec 2035. 

The old board were sticking with me and the new board seem to be too.

I've still got 2 and a half years on my contract and I would guess that this was a reason for faith from the old board, but with the amount of investment provided by the board, (£52M in terms of increased wage budget for half the season), I wonder if this might put me as increased risk.

Swansea are an attractive proposition because of their Welsh'ness in the English league, and I did well in France so Lens might be worth a look too. Norwich look set to drop down to League 1 and that would make them attractive. Barnet are my team, (both in game and in real life), and they are 7th in League 2 so might have something to build on. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Deisler26]

Go for Barnet

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Deisler26 said:

Go for Barnet

I'm pretty sure that I used that at the very start of the thread. Tune though! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Future. Chelsea. Dec 2035.

8 points in 5 games seems pretty reasonable. The only problem is we are really not in good form. 

I'm tempted to jump ship, but I'm also tempted to hang on and see if I can ride the storm.

[Jimbokav1971]

SouthHamptons. Chelsea. Dec 2035.

We have them next so I don't think this is a good thing or a bad thing. We need 3 points here. 

[Deisler26]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Live to Fight Another Day. Chelsea. Jan 2036.

Southampton were bottom when we played them and had just sacked their Manager. They got the bounce they were looking for from the sacking and to be honest I thought I was a gonner. West Hare are a good team now and are 2nd in the League and certainly considered one of the big boys behind Spurs. Brentford are a good team now, (and I find them interesting in that they have no Youth Intake or Youth Team, and instead operate a B-Team. West Brom are in  8th and we were away so that was probably the biggest surprise. We were just really good in this game. We needed a penalty to squeeze past Swansea, (who are bottom now), in the Cup, and then played REALLY well to beat Arsenal after we both had a player sent off. I honestly thought I was a gonner after the Southampton game and I was half-hoping that they were going to count the Swansea game even though I knew deep down that it wasn't going to happen. 

You might notice that has scored 6 goals in the above period and there is no doubt that he will go on to be a HUGE player for Chelsea whether I am here or not. Is this a player produced by my club who will go on to win everything? 

I don't know where Chelsea would be without him, bit I would be out of a job. I know that for sure. 

[Mbasnett6]

That Teamwork and Workrate (Plus Determination via tutoring?) on a 16 year old is obscene - he should be immense.

[Jimbokav1971]

Yep. I'm certainly hoping so. I am going to go and buy a (M.Pro) striker for the sole reason of tutoring him in the Summer, (if I'still here). 

The only real negative of leaving Chelsea if I get sacked, is that I won't be able to control his development. 

[Deisler26]

2 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Yep. I'm certainly hoping so. I am going to go and buy a (M.Pro) striker for the sole reason of tutoring him in the Summer, (if I'still here). 

The only real negative of leaving Chelsea if I get sacked, is that I won't be able to control his development. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Home away from Home. Chelsea. Jan 2036.

I know that I am still Chelsea Manager, (at least for now), but by recent dalliance with the exit door has had me looking about and in particular looking at how my old clubs have been doing. Here are the players classed as HG at club by HK in Iceland where I started this adventure. 

Of course there are names that I recognise from my time there, but there are also names that came through after I left. I left them in a good position and after some initial struggles they kicked on again more recently. 

[Edit]

I should also show the players that Stade Rennais have produced. 

(30a) Ray (Pro) (FRA) (2030) * looks phenomenal and I am beginning too think I made a mistake in leaving and that he should be scoring goals for me still. 

He's still only 20 years old and has already made his 1st appearance for the senior French National side. He has scored 15 goals in 20 league games this season and another 7 goals in 5 Europa League games. to make it 22 goals in 26 appearances. He's a wonderkid, (obviously), but is already valued at £63M which is quite astonishing actually. Chelsea are interested in him and if I could scrape together £100M for him I would I would snap him up without a seconds thought. 

[Edit]

[Edit2]

 

Edited April 21, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Atmosphere. Chelsea. Feb 2036.

First they want me out because we aren't performing well enough so I improve our results and now they want me out because the players are unhappy. I should have jumped ship a few months ago when there were a few different options available. 

I think it's safe to say that the end is nigh.

[Jimbokav1971]

Tune. If you have never heard of them, give them a listen. (A little like the Stereophonics of old in my opinion).

Land of the Giants. Beat the Drop. Chelsea. Mar 2036. Youth Intake Day. 

You might notice that I have included both the band/artist name and the title of the song in the title of the post for the fist time in this thread. This is not an accident and there is a double-meaning for this track. 

1. One of the players who has come through this intake is enormous! (Hence the Giants bit).

2. This is a good intake. I think this is a REALLY good intake. What with these players and the ones that have already come before them, I now REALLy don't want to leave. I'm just not sure it is within my power to stay any longer. 

This is a bit of as strange one and I'm a little confused. It's a "generational talent" message, but the player in question is only the 3rd best rated player in the intake by PA. That either means that he's not a generational talent, it could also mean though that this lot are indeed another "golden generation", but what it just might might might mean is that we have multiple "generational talents". (I can but dream). 

A few things jump out at me initially from this page. 

• We have 2 5.0 PA players and as you probably know by now, any intake with even 1 5.0 player is a good intake. 
• The generational talent is only the 3rd player on the list. 
• The best player (36a) Miller (Bal) (2036) * is a centre-half who is only 5'9". It's not a disaster, but it's certainly not good. 
• The generational talent is 6'6" at the age of 15....
• We have 6 different primary Nationalities represented and a further 2 more secondary Nationalities. 
• The word winger appears no less than 5 times.
• We have 2 players with 1 for Determination, (albeit that the overall Det levels are decent).

(36a) Miller (Bal) (2036) *.

He looks decent. he actually looks better than decent and I need to try and get over his lack of height. Fabio Cannavaro did ok and he was only ab out 5'9" I think. This bloke is likely to grow to at least 5'10" and maybe even 5'11". He will never be a 6-footer though. Despite that, (and with the vision of Cannavaro in my head), I actually really like him now. 

(36b) Nichols (EDiscouraged) *.

I have mentioned that I don't use wingers currently and this leaves me in a little bit of a quandary as to what to do with him and how to use him. He could play up front in a slightly deeper, ball-carrying role, or perhaps a more workmanlike role, but I also wonder about squeezing him in as a WBL. His marking isn't great and neither is his positioning, Then again, he is only 15. If I can't get these attributes to double-figures at least then I need to take a look at myself. Yes he could certainly do a job up front, but I have other better options ahead of him in the pecking order. WBL it is I think.I will obviously have to sort the personality, (and with it his determination level), but that should be a formality.

"Big" (36c) Bjartur (ISL) (F.Pro).

This bloke is the "Land of the Giants" link. He's a big bloke already. 6'6" at 15, but in case some of you are unaware, I did an experiment a few years ago with regards to starting height of Newgens and growth, and one of the results that the bigger the player is on intake, the smaller his growth will be. I suppose this is realistic in that it is replicating kids who have already had their growth-spurt, but I also think it limits them too much. Something that I like here that I have never seen before is that his media description is "Rangy striker". Like that a lot. He was highlighted as a "generational talent" by my HoYD, (despite only being 3rd best by PA according to my Ass Man). Either way, I like him already and the question surely isn't "if" he will play, but in what "role". His preferred role at the moment is AF(a) and there is no doubting that he is more than just a TM, but at the same time he is simply crying out to be a TM and if some of his other impressive attributes can be developed then we might also have a 2nd role we can use him in. One of his PPM's fits in nicely with him playing as a TM. The other, not so much. The other thing to consider is that my Nationality in game is Icelandic, (with Irish as a secondary). I would certainly be interested in managing the (ISL) National Team with this guy leading the line. Why oh why oh why can't this bloke have been my son? 

I have explained the "Land of the Giants" link, and "The Drop" link is that recent Chelsea intakes have really made me want to stay at Chelsea. I regret leaving Stade Rennais now I see how some of their players are progressing, (particularly (30a) Ray (Pro) (FRA) (2030) *), and if I do get the push from Chelsea, (keep reading), than I am absolutely not ruling out a return to Stade Rennais if they get rid of Christian Benteke. 

The media predicted that we would finish 9th and the board want a top half finish which is 10th. We are currently in 16th, 7 points adrift of 10th, but a couple of wins on the bounce would shoot us up the table so I haven't given up hope. We performed when the pressure was on and we seem to do well against good teams, (possibly who under-estimate us), but we often fall short against the poor teams. I'm desperate to do everything I can to stay here. (By the way, I am not a Chelsea fan AT ALL).

Edited April 22, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Crash. Chelsea. Mar 2036. 

My AdBlock programme crashed and casused my laptop to reboot. I have lost the above intake and about 2 months of games. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Missing. Chelsea. Jan 2036.

When I re-loaded again we had 1 more game remaining of our 5 game run to save my job and we had to play Arsenal and win again to stay at at the club. Win we did, (2-0 in a good performance), with (35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) * on the score-sheet, and he was again on the score-sheet when we dispatched Bristol City my the same score-line only 3 days later. It gives us our most impressive run of form under my tenure, (we either drew or lost the Bristol City game last time around), but it came at a price. 

16 year old (35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) * has been in good goal-scoring form, and has probably saved my job, notching in 6 consecutive games.

We will have to do it without him now though, (and I'm not confidant).

On a positive note, (I'm scratching here), 3 consecutive wins in the league, (and 4 in 5 games), have fired us to a season-high position of 13th in the Premier League. 

[ToMexico!!]

Unlucky with the crash a potential job at Saint Etienne could have been good as they were in Ligue 2. But great form since the restart, hope you can get another decent intake. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, ToMexico!! said:

Unlucky with the crash a potential job at Saint Etienne could have been good as they were in Ligue 2. But great form since the restart, hope you can get another decent intake. 

Parallel Universe. Chelsea. Jan 2036. 

I will be honest here and admit I have absolutely no idea what I am doing now that I wasn't doing before, (or was doing before but am not doing now), but all I know is that after 5 game period ended against Arsenal with a win and I kept my job, we went on a run of very poor form and Were just outside the relegation zone, (by 1 point I think), on 1st March when we had the Youth intake day. 

We are now up to the heady heights of 11th, (absolute madness from where we were), and as well as winning 5 games on the bounce for the 1st time with Chelsea, (it's 6 if you count the FA Cup match), we haven't conceded a goal in these 5 games either. (We previously had the 2nd worst defensive record in the league). 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

For those who don't know, the nickname of James May of Top Gear fame is Captain Slow. 

Captain Slow. Chelsea. Mar 2036. Youth Intake. 

We've got 1 5.0 player in (36a) James May (F.Pro)(2036)* but the intake is nowhere near as good as the brilliant intake we got lost time around. That's just the way it goes I suppose and the flip-side of this our performances over the same period have been much improved. 

In any case, I'm not very trusting of these "Day 1" reports as I call them. I think there is a significant amount of innaccuracy involved, particularly where PA is concerned. If I was to pick players who I expect to have better PA than currently shown, then I would look to (36d) Phil Greene (F.Pro) and (36e) Ethan McKay (Bal).

"Kriss" (36a) James May (F.Pro)(2036)*.

Of course he doesn't look as good as the 3 potential stars that we lost with the crash, but he doesn't look rubbish either. 

Edited April 23, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Deisler26]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

 

Hahaha. 

I'm looking at the name, and then at my post, and then back at the name of the band and the song and then back at my players and my post and nope..... can't see the link. 

Then I pressed play. For the 1st 8 seconds I was thinking to myself, what the hell is @Deisler26on? Then..... whammo. 

[Jimbokav1971]

On 01/04/2018 at 18:03, Jimbokav1971 said:

Superstar. Chelsea. Mar 2034.

I know I've just gone to the effort of playing down the potential of (34a) Matty (Pro) (2034) * and suggesting that all this "Generational Talent" guff might me nothing more than that but....

£1.9M for a 16 year old on a Youth contract is mighty impressive. 

 

On 11/04/2018 at 13:49, Jimbokav1971 said:

The best player from the last intake, (34a) Matty (Pro) (2034) *, is already valued at £7.25M at the age of 17, so I think that there is something to be said for looking after these guys. I'm not sure exactly how good they are likely to be, but they are looking good so far. 

"Kriss" (35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) *.

False Nine? No thanks. Defensive Forward? Yes please. He's already valued at £1.7M approx 1 month after he came through the Academy., having made 3 Premier League appearances without finding the net. 

 

I know the title of this track is actually "Groovy Train", but in my head the song will always be called "You're so special!" Either way, I love the tune. 

You're so Special. Chelsea. Mar 2036.

(34a) Matty (Res (2034) * is an 18 year old Wonderkid valued at £11M. He has made 47 appearances and 52 appearances in total, scoring 1 goal and 6 assists. 

(35a) Lowe (BER) (Spirit) * is a 16 year old Enthusiastic striker valued at £3.5M. He has made 23 league appearances and 27 appearances in total, scoring 13 goals and 1 assist.

(36a) James May (F.Pro)(2036)* is a 15 year old Promising striker valued at £275,000. He has just signed his Youth contract and hasn't made his senior debut yet.

Edited April 25, 2018 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Eight. Chelsea. Apr 2036.

After relegation last season in the..... oh..... that's strange..... 

I reported last season that we had been relegated from the U23 Premier Division 1, (because we finished bottom and had an R next our name as shown here). 

That seems pretty conclusive, (or so you would think), because although Spurs have been relegated, (yes, I know they finished above us), we are still competing in U23 Premier Division 1 and here is the current league table to prove it.

U23 Premier Division 1 League rules. 

It clearly says that the bottom 2 teams are relegated. We finished bottom. But we haven't been relegated. It doesn't make sense. 

There was no Playoff with Spurs and there is no mention of an average number of points over a certain number of years being used, (as is the case in some leagues). 

In 2033/34 Boro 11th and Watford 12th, finished at the bottom, and although Watford were relegates, Borough were actually Champions the following year in the same league they should have been relegated from. 

In 2032/33 Southampton 11th and Man City 12th, finished bottom, and both were relegated. 

In 2031/32 Man City 11th and Wolves 12th, finished bottom, and although Wolves were relegated, Man City finished bottom the following season too.

If I look at English U23 Premier Division 2 this season, Liverpool are the reigning champions, yet are still playing there again this season.

I'm really not sure what is going on here. Answers on a postcard please to me....

 

[Deisler26]

On 4/26/2018 at 15:26, Jimbokav1971 said:

U23 Premier Division 1 League rules. 

It clearly says that the bottom 2 teams are relegated. We finished bottom. But we haven't been relegated. It doesn't make sense. 

There was no Playoff with Spurs and there is no mention of an average number of points over a certain number of years being used, (as is the case in some leagues). 

In 2033/34 Boro 11th and Watford 12th, finished at the bottom, and although Watford were relegates, Borough were actually Champions the following year in the same league they should have been relegated from. 

In 2032/33 Southampton 11th and Man City 12th, finished bottom, and both were relegated. 

In 2031/32 Man City 11th and Wolves 12th, finished bottom, and although Wolves were relegated, Man City finished bottom the following season too.

If I look at English U23 Premier Division 2 this season, Liverpool are the reigning champions, yet are still playing there again this season.

I'm really not sure what is going on here. Answers on a postcard please to me....