FM18: The English Football League Thread - EFL in FM18

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

it looks like Villa need more luck than you

I'm up to October and they've already sacked Steve Bruce (not that it made any difference - they've climbed above Burton but no higher).

I can see the temptation of Wigan - and the option to play alternative realities is always a good one, especially as you chose the hard road with FGR.

[Gunner 101]

Good start there @warlock I'm pretty confident you can gain promotion, the real challenge will start next season. 

I'd definitely be tempted to switch to Wigan @Jogo Bonito. Like yourself I don't normally jump between teams during a save but it does sound interesting! 

[warlock]

9 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said:

Good start there @warlock I'm pretty confident you can gain promotion, the real challenge will start next season. 

Yes, promotion will be the start of the big challenge. Finances are already looking shaky; not sure how much I'll be able to strengthen the squad for the Premiership. But let's not prematurely cross those bridges, eh? 

[Gunner 101]

Guys my game has been wiped from my computer. I'm going to start again but I'm absolutely devastated, was going so well. 

[warlock]

5 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said:

Guys my game has been wiped from my computer

Well, that sucks. I have mine set up for rolling saves every fortnight - doesn't waste too much time, but means I've never lost more than four or five matches. Hope you get off to a good start!

[Gunner 101]

47 minutes ago, warlock said:

Well, that sucks. I have mine set up for rolling saves every fortnight - doesn't waste too much time, but means I've never lost more than four or five matches. Hope you get off to a good start!

I never set up rolling saves stupidly, but considering my computer was wiped that wouldn't have helped anyway. But yeah, fingers crossed I can pick up where I left off! 

[Jogo Bonito]

@Gunner 101 Very disappointed to hear that, was it an act of sabotage by the Oyston family? Such a shame after a really great start, but hopefully you can use the same ideas and repeat it next time. Good luck mate.

[Gunner 101]

6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Gunner 101 Very disappointed to hear that, was it an act of sabotage by the Oyston family? Such a shame after a really great start, but hopefully you can use the same ideas and repeat it next time. Good luck mate.

Cheers mate! I'll update once I progress a bit. Hopefully, like you said, I'll be able to repeat the last save.

[Jogo Bonito]

Forest Green Rovers - Season 3

After our promotion and a decent pre-season, I was interested to see if my team would be good enough in League 1

Despite being tipped for relegation, I was really surprised with the start we made and the 451 seemed to be doing alright

But as autumn came, it became apparent that whilst goals were flowing, the defence was leaking like a sieve

I considered taking a job at Wigan in October, as they were struggling in 22nd, and I felt like I had lost my touch here

After a few games fiddling about with formations, I temporarily found a solution - an unusual 4231 system with two defensive midfielders

Ahead of them, I put a flat three in the regular midfield slots (an advanced playmaker and two wingers), and a lone striker

But this also forced me in to benching one of my main assets, and I needed strikers Humphrys & Eisa on the pitch together 

By the time Wycombe came to town, I went back to an orthodox 442, pairing both of my main strikers in attack

 I gave up on my BWM (D) and converted Hyam to CM (D), playing Winchester next to him in a flat line as AP (S)

This reduced Hyam's red and yellow card madness, and allowed Winchester the room to build on an impressive run of form

Grubb, who has always done well on the right of midfield, was too good to leave out, and Dennis came in on the left flank

Dunk was dropped back to left back as Habergham and Lee Brown (deadline day free transfer) had been truly awful there

 I bombed those two in to the reserves, and started to play Harding at right back, with both Bennett and Emmanuel struggling

This also gave me the chance to plump for a consistent centre back pairing of Ihekwie and Nugent

And look at the difference it made from the Wycombe game onwards

The strikers kept scoring for fun (we have the top two scorers in League 1 this season) but the rest of the team suddenly raised their games

 

This is the tactic and fairly settled starting line up that has taken us on an amazing run of good form recently

And you have to love a form graph like that, don't you?

Here is the league table as we hit the January transfer window

Wigan and Charlton (who we have thrashed nine goals against in December) are surprising strugglers

Those two might see me taking on a different challenge at some point in the future

But right now, I have to say I'm rejuvenated by recent events at The New Lawn

[Gunner 101]

Great work @Jogo Bonito and well done on managing to find a tactic that brought the most out of your squad. Must be a real moment of satisfaction for you that? I’m not one to download tactics etc from online as doing it yourself really means something if it works out. 

[Jogo Bonito]

@Gunner 101 Thanks very much, yes I must admit I am feeling really satisfied with finding the solution. I've never used a downloaded tactic and don't ever go to that part of the site, I like to manage my own challenges too much! Of course, this isn't going to last, it would be crazy to expect that. Anything above the drop zone would be a massive achievement, and even I don't think we can plummet that far!

[Gunner 101]

You’re not far off safety, I think mid-table is the furthest you’ll fall but knowing you and knowing what you’ve done in the past you’ll end up in the playoffs which would be a massive success. 

[warlock]

36 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said:

Great work @Jogo Bonito and well done on managing to find a tactic that brought the most out of your squad.

Agreed! Perseverance pays off, and interesting to see a counter-tactic with that kind of attacking bite.

I've had my own tactical woes. After our brilliant start the goals dried up and then, even worse, we started leaking at the back. So after some to and fro I switched to a back three, which seems to have steadied the ship. Currently just into February - I'll post another update when we get to the business end of the season.

KUTGW guys!

[Jogo Bonito]

@Gunner 101 Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm far from being good at FM - real football and people management is way easier!

@warlock Thanks, it's probably contradictory, lucky, and lots more beside. But it's (currently) working a treat so I'll just claim to be a (temporary) FM genius!

I guess we all have those woes at certain points of the season, but maybe after steadying the ship, you'll also find the right way forward. Best of luck for those last few months.

I forgot to add, I still have my second-chance youngster (now 20) making my bench every week rather than relying on just six substitutes. I give him some minutes from time to time, and he is improving (actually performs better than you would expect with his attributes) but Jordan is far from being our own wonder kid...

 

[warlock]

27 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Jordan is far from being our own wonder kid...

Um... yeah, I can see that . He seems to be developing though. And thanks for mentioning that... if we don't get promotion this year we'll have that home-grown issue next season. Fortunately, I do have a couple of candidates including Jamie Hanson, who I rate rather higher than my coaching staff. I'm giving him a few games as a playmaker in the DM position and - even though he doesn't really have the attributes for it - he's doing very well.

[Jogo Bonito]

Hanson looks fairly decent to me, but I guess a team like yours would be looking for better if you're playing PL football next season! Can I interest you in a swap deal for Morris? I'll be expecting to exchange the HG status too of course...

[warlock]

I guess down at D2 level Jamie would be a superstar. It's fascinating to me how the ability of players varies through the pyramid. It's one reason why I struggle to manage clubs down at League Two level. In the top two divisions you know pretty much what you're looking for, and down at the Vanarama level you're happy for any bit of ability you can find, but I have no natural sense of what makes a decent player in between. So when I'm looking for a new save and I look at players in Divisions One and Two I tend to think, 'Jeez, these guys suck!' You look at the squads and the average value is around £50k and then you see divisional rivals with players valued in the £100K-£1m bracket and I wonder how I'm supposed to compete.

It's one of the reasons I love this game - endlessly fascinating, involving, challenging.

[Jogo Bonito]

24 minutes ago, warlock said:

So when I'm looking for a new save and I look at players in Divisions One and Two I tend to think, 'Jeez, these guys suck!'

Exactly what I encountered when taking the Forest Green job, I think they were five points adrift at the foot of League 2! Spot on summary

[warlock]

The cup thing is interesting. We made it to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup where we lost to Stoke but in the quarters, despite Pep saying he wouldn't underestimate us, he put out a junior Man City team and ultimately lost. Just played an FA Cup fifth round tie away at Arsenal and, again, they played a junior team and we nicked a 92nd minute equaliser to take them back to Pride Park. Unfortunately, the rewards are fleeting - if we beat Arsenal we get Chelsea away!

[robterrace]

8 hours ago, warlock said:

The cup thing is interesting. We made it to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup where we lost to Stoke but in the quarters, despite Pep saying he wouldn't underestimate us, he put out a junior Man City team and ultimately lost. Just played an FA Cup fifth round tie away at Arsenal and, again, they played a junior team and we nicked a 92nd minute equaliser to take them back to Pride Park. Unfortunately, the rewards are fleeting - if we beat Arsenal we get Chelsea away!

Stuff like that makes the game more infuriating and entertaining at the same time

[smplfc123]

@Jogo Bonito Great update again mate. Do you think you'll have a save in which you don't buy Eisa?

I've come to the end of my Rangers adventure so it's time for me to get a save going in the EFL. Will be looking for a team this weekend to crack on with and finally have a decent update in this thread.

[robterrace]

Well, given I've just been signed off work for another 3 weeks, I'm going to give an EFL save a proper go. :P

[robterrace]

This first post will detail the initial setup of the saved game, as well as going to the first club.

Initial setup sees the following leagues loaded, as well as players from Scandinavia, Europe and the UK and Ireland.

 

 

The intention is to take advantage of the late start date in Ireland, and start the game from the 8th January (due to the way in which the Irish season is setup), and therefore, the squads at every club will be as they were at the start of the season.

Club One

Using the setup mentioned above, I looked through the divisions, and decided to start in League One, at Doncaster Rovers.

 

Doncaster is the town I live in. I'm familiar with a lot of things there, and they also have a player whom I greatly admire, in James Coppinger.

They currently, in game, find themselves 21st in League One, a couple of points adrift of safety. From my initial look, they seem to have issues at both ends of the pitch, finding themselves the joint 4th lowest goalscorers in the division, and having an equally poor defensive effort. This is backed up by the Team Report given by my Assistant Manager.

A quick look at the team shows that James Coppinger is leading the team on assists, as well as chipping in with 5 league goals, with Andrew Williams and John Marquis leading the line, and scoring the heavy majority of the goals. In fact, with the exception of Alex Kiwomya, and Manchester City loanee Rodney Kongolo, there have been no other goalscorers in the Doncaster Rovers side this season. There are 4 loanees, Andy Boyle and Tom Atkinson from Preston and Burnley respectively, and Jordan Houghton from Chelsea, as well as the previously mentioned Kongolo.

The first match comes on quickly, with a local derby against Scunthorpe United (5th in League One). I'll get that out of the way, then get on to the task at hand of rebuilding the side, for not a great deal of money.

[robterrace]

So...

The first few weeks at Doncaster, and everything isn't going as planned. We still aren't scoring a great deal of goals, haven't won yet, and having had to recruit a full recruitment team, I've only managed to get a few players in, and not in the area I wanted.

As you can see from the screenshots, we've dropped a place in the table, and having had a heavy defeat to Shrewsbury, morale is at a low.

Kris Commons was recommended to me by Alan Thompson, who has come in as my assistant manager.

I'm working on a couple of separate formations, trying to make the most of what I've got, but, that'll come shortly. First thing was a month of fitness work to try and get the squad to a decent level, combined with tactics and defensive positioning so that we can hopefully get a start on sealing up the leaks at the back.

[Jogo Bonito]

@robterrace Good luck with that! You've taken on a challenge similar to mine at Forest Green. Hopefully you stumble across something that hauls you to safety - still plenty of time, and that first win might just trigger something.

@smplfc123 I enjoyed your Rangers updates, but of course it will be good to see you have another crack here at some time. Your comment about Eisa is valid, but he scored the goal that kept Fulham in the PL and he is hotter than the ever-burning Will Grigg for me at Forest Green. He is of course much more suited to L2 and L1 than Fulham in the first or second tier, so am enjoying the chance to manage him at this lower level. Now if only my club would actually wake up and sign him in real life...  

[robterrace]

3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@robterrace Good luck with that! You've taken on a challenge similar to mine at Forest Green. Hopefully you stumble across something to hauls you to safety, plenty of time and that first win might just trigger something.

@smplfc123 I enjoyed your Rangers updates, but of course it will be good to see you have another crack here at some time. Your comment about Eisa is valid, but he scored the goal that kept Fulham in the PL and he is hotter than the ever-burning Will Grigg for me at Forest Green. He is of course much more suited to L2 and L1 than Fulham in the first or second tier, so am enjoying the chance to manage him at this lower level. Now if only my club would actually wake up and sign him in real life...  

Thanks, doesn't get any easier, as my next 4 matches are against the teams, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 4th...

[Dong21]

Fulham - Season 2020-2021 - Part 1

Now deep into my fourth year with Fulham and after two solid mid-table seasons the aim for this campaign was to try and achieve European qualification.

I was handed a decent transfer budget of around £50m after carefully managing the finances last season. I identified four positions I wanted to strengthen: CB, RB, CM and ST. Tim Ream had been a great servant for the club but had come back a poorer player after a long-term injury, therefore I decided to move him on. Leicester had been relegated so I spotted a great opportunity to bring in Maguire, at a relatively cheap price for an England international. I was delighted to find Grujic on the transfer list, after a previous successful loan spell I had no hesitation to bring him in. He replaced McDonald whose contract had expired earlier in the summer. I decided to sell Fredericks mainly because he gave away quite a few penalties the season before! His replacement was Aurier. I had to stretch the wage budget to recruit him, however I decided it would be worth it for the spike in quality. Finally, after exploring many striking options, I moved for RB Salzburg striker Dwamena as he has great physical and finishing stats. I did think my business was done however I spotted a bargain release clause for Atlanta's Almiron and so moved for the talented midfielder, sending Gustafson out on loan to make room in the squad.

After a successful pre-season, albeit with a poor performance against Monaco, I went into the season feeling positive. We beat Watford comfortably on the opening day of the season to add to my confidence, however what followed was an extremely frustrating poor period in which we lost 5 out of 6 games. We lost to Chelsea, United and Everton as they were better sides than us. The main frustration was created by the losses to Leeds (in which we conceded two late goals) and Reading in which both games we created many more chances than our opponents. This spell of form found us in the relegation zone, leaving me somewhat nervous.

We have begun to turn around our season, with a draw against Arsenal being a catalyst for change. The highlight of the first half of the season was a 2-0 win away at Spurs - Periera scored a brace playing behind the striker, in a new 4-2-3-1 system that I have been using fairly frequently.

At the halfway point we see ourselves in 11th position, equidistant from the relegation zone and from the European qualification positions. I am still hoping to try and push for Europe, however I think it will likely be a step too far once again.

The major positive thus far has been the form of new striker Dwamena who has scored 11 goals and got 7 assists so far. The other strongest performers have been Grujic and Periera.

[Jogo Bonito]

@Dong21 Great update. Smart move signing Maguire, I hope he does well for you. I've tried signing Dwamena on a few games (including Young Boys in Switzerland), but could never get it done. Ironically, last weekend I was playing around with my Fulham save, and went through pre-season ahead of a third year (spent £50m trying to get a competitive PL team assembled). At the end of the window, I nearly signed him for a pittance until he asked for £76k per week in wages (my ceiling remains £50k). Really pleased to see you get him and to learn that he is delivering goals for you. When my time at Rovers comes to an end or a pause, you might yet see me back at The Cottage.

[Dong21]

@Jogo Bonito Cheers mate! Admittedly I have to pay Dwamena £92k per week, but he seems to be worth it so far. I shall keep you updated on how he fares. 

[robterrace]

So..

The End of the Season has come. After the last update, we were struggling, looking for some consistency, and quite literally, fighting to turn a sinking ship.

The turnaround didn't come straight away, with defeats to Portsmouth and Charlton, before the visit of 5th placed Fleetwood Town proved to be the first spark of a revival.

Kris Commons scored after 30 seconds, and had completed a hat trick within the first half hour, in a man of the match performance which saw us run out 6-2 victors. 

This set the tone for the rest of the season, when we were good, we were very good, and when we were poor, we were bad. The true Jekyll and Hyde team. So, an Easter Monday visit from AFC Wimbledon, quite literally, proved to be our resurrection, and sent us on a 5 match undefeated run, securing our safety with a 1-0 victory over Oldham in the 2nd last game of the season. The most impressive thing about the undefeated run, was only conceding 2 goals during that time, with 4 clean sheets, something which was quite unexpected at the start of my term.

James Coppinger picked up the Player of the Season award, and Kris Commons the signing of the season, after his 6 goals (2 separate hat tricks) were among the catalysts of our success.

Work is also continuing towards making signings for the coming season, including a young Portuguese player from Sporting, who was flagged up by my analyst as one to look at. Turns out his contract is coming to an end, so, an offer was tendered, which he accepted, and he will arrive in July on a free transfer.

Its this sort of player that I want at any club I manage, hes technically sound for the level we're at, and although hes not physically big, having someone alongside him to do his legwork for him will be an option.

---

Elsewhere domestically, Manchester United secured a Domestic Double, winning the Premier League and FA Cup. Cross city rivals City finished 5th in the League and secured the Carabao Cup with an extra time victory against Manchester United.

West Brom were relegated on the final day after a defeat at home to Everton, with Newcastle securing their safety with a 1-0 win at West Ham.

Ipswich were promoted from the Championship with 93 points, Bristol City runners up 6 points behind them, Leeds were promoted after beating Cardiff in the Playoffs. Bolton, Barnsley and Burton dropped down to League One.

In League One, Blackburn were promoted as Champions, leaving Charlton to pick up 2nd. MK Dons sealed promotion at Wembley, defeating Fleetwood 6-1. Southend, Oldham, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth fell through the trapdoor downwards.

Luton won promotion from League Two, and were joined by Coventry and Lincoln. Yeovil were taken to penalties as they showed they were the best of the rest, backing up their 4th placed finish with a Playoff victory. At the other end, Forest Green and Accrington drop through the trapdoor, being replaced by Eastleigh and Leyton Orient.

---

In Europe, a 95th minute equaliser from Hatem Ben Arfa took the Champions League final between Barcelona and PSG to Extra Time, with Edinson Cavani winning it for the French side in extra time.

Ajax secured the Europa League in similarly dramatic fashion, a 94th minute winner from Justin Kluivert sending Bayern Munich back to Germany empty handed.

---

Lastly.. This...

[Dong21]

@robterrace Well done on your survival. Look forward to seeing how you do next season after a summer of signings!

[robterrace]

Thanks @Dong21 trying to get everything through the door before the potential takeover.. Its going to be tight.

[Gunner 101]

@robterrace Congratulations on your survival. Forest fans still like Commons I take it? Looking forward to seeing how you build over the summer, hopefully the takeover doesn't impact you too much!

@Dong21 Nice update! Unlucky with the poor start but glad to see you have turned it around now. Hopefully you can kick on and try and make the European spots. Looking forward to seeing how you get on!

 

[robterrace]

Not Commons biggest fan, but, at League One level, he can definitely still rock it. 

[Gunner 101]

Monday 26th June 2017

Timson Takes Charge at Blackpool

Blackpool have announced that rookie Thomas Timson will replace Gary Bowyer for the 2017/2018 season. This is Timson’s first job in management and it is highly likely Blackpool supporters will be upset that a completely unproven manager has been placed in charge.

“We Can Finish Mid-Table”

Blackpool manager Thomas Timson has spoken for the first time and has informed his players that a mid-table finish is what he is looking for from the new season. The squad are in agreement with the new manager and it will be interesting to see if the newly promoted side can achieve the expectations set out.

Lumley and Agyei Deals Cut Short

Joe Lumley and Daniel Agyei have had their loans terminated at Blackpool by new manager Thomas Timson. Lumley (of QPR) and Agyei (of Burnley) will now return to their parent clubs. When asked about the decision Timson had this to say “The two lads are taking up a chunk of the wage bill and we have more than enough cover for the positions I would be looking to use them in.”

Blackpool Announce Pre-Season Program

Blackpool have announced their pre-season fixtures; East Kilbride, Merthyr, Bath, Alfreton, Hitchin, Barrow and Ramsbottom will be the Seasiders opposition. All matches will take place away from Bloomfield Road. Blackpool players will also be put through their paces in a Training Camp from the 18/07/2017 – 28/07/2017 in Manchester, England.

Wednesday 28th June 2017

Hunt Completes Blackpool Move

Blackpool have announced that 41 year old Kevin Hunt has been appointed to the role of Chief Scout. Hunt has signed a 12 month contract with the Seasiders.

Richards & Roache on the Move

Blackpool youngsters Caleb Richards and Rowan Roache have left the club on season long loans to Tranmere Rovers and Chester respectively. The two youngsters are hot prospects at the club and hopefully these loan spells will help develop their skills further.

Saturday 1st July 2017

East Kilbride 0 – 2 Blackpool (Pre-Season Friendly)

Blackpool’s first pre-season fixture ended in a routine victory against Lowland League side East Kilbride. Callum Cooke grabbed both goals in the second half.

Wednesday 5th July 2017

Merthry Town 0 – 2 Blackpool (Pre-Season Friendly)

A comfortable pre-season fixture saw Blackpool run out 2-0 winners. Wingers Dolly Menga and Viv Solomon-Otabor grabbing the goals in the second half. Clark Robertson unfortunately suffered a groin strain and will be missing for 5 – 6 weeks.

Sunday 9th July 2017

Bath City 0 – 4 Blackpool (Pre-Season Friendly)

Blackpool strolled to a 4 goal victory over Vanarama National League South side Bath City. Longstaff and Tilt set each other up for goals to give the Seasiders a 2 goal advantage. Cooke scored his third of pre-season before Colin Daniel added a 4th from the penalty spot.

Saturday 15th July 2017

Alfreton Town 0 – 6 Blackpool (Pre-Season Friendly)

Pre-season continued with a steady result against Alfreton of the Vanarama National League North. Mark Cullen put in a five star performance. Unfortunately Andy Taylor suffered a fractured jaw and is set to miss 4 – 5 weeks and Will Aimson a bruised head and will be out for between 8 – 11 days. Injuries are starting to clock up with 4 (including 3 first teamers) now out injured.

Monday 17th July 2017

Hitchin Town 2 – 2 Blackpool (Pre-Season Friendly)

Two games in two days proved too much as we could only muster a draw against Hitchin. Delfouneso gave us an early lead before we fell behind. A late goal from Menga meant we drew and didn’t lose.

Blackpool vs Ramsbottom Called Off

Blackpool’s game with Ramsbottom has been called off. The decision was taken as injuries have started to build up during pre-season and manager Thomas Timson feels it would be best to cancel this fixture. Blackpool will soon be off on a training camp in Manchester before their pre-season campaign ends at Barrow.

Sunday 23rd July 2017

Boney Secures Maidstone Loan

Blackpool’s young goalkeeper has today joined Vanarama National side Maidstone United on a deal till the end of the season. Boney, third choice at the club has been allowed to leave to gain first team football. He joins Richards and Roache in the National League for the season where his progressed will be followed closely by manager Thomas Timson.

Wednesday 26th July 2017

Blackpool Snap up Free Agent O’Brien

Blackpool have signed 21 year old Billy O’Brien on a free transfer. O’Brien was available after his contract with Macclesfield expired. The former Man City and Wales Under 21 player is seen to be one for the future by Blackpool manager Thomas Timson. O’Brien has agreed a 12 month deal with the club worth £400 p/w.

Friday 28th July 2017

Barrow 1 – 1 Blackpool (Pre-Season Friendly)

Blackpool’s final pre-season game ended with a draw at Vanarama National League side Barrow. Mark Cullen smashed home from the edge of the box before a late Luke James goal for Barrow meant it ended in a draw. Blackpool manager Thomas Timson had this to say “Overall pre-season has been a mixed bag. A few injuries to first team players has been frustrating but we’ve come through undefeated and excited for the season start.”

Monday 31st July 2017

Blackpool Secure Choudhury Loan

Blackpool have signed Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury on a season long loan deal. Choudhury has experience of League One via a previous loan spell at Burton Albion as well as experience of the Championship with the same club. Chowdhury will add to the numbers capable of playing within defensive midfield and will provide competition to both Jimmy Ryan and Jay Spearing.

[Dong21]

Good update @Gunner 101 - Sounds like you are set up nicely for a good season. Hope this save survives any technical difficulties!

[Gunner 101]

16 minutes ago, Dong21 said:

Good update @Gunner 101 - Sounds like you are set up nicely for a good season. Hope this save survives any technical difficulties!

Cheers Dong! I hope so. I've set up rolling auto saves on this one and I've got a back up on a USB just incase! 

[robterrace]

So..

The takeover went through, no tycoon or any extra money, just a 'continue as before' from the new owners.

 

At the end of last season, we'd confirmed the signing of Miguel Luis from Sporting. As things go, that was a painless exercise, and one that was surprising in how quick and easy it went. However, with a takeover looming, it was a priority to get the proverbial net thrown out and strengthen areas which I felt we had been lacking last season.

 

One of those was our attacking presence. Whilst Liam Mandeville had been on loan at League Two Colchester, John Marquis, Alfie May and Andrew Williams were holding the line up front.

 

Williams had contributed 7 goals in 30 appearances, of which, 11 of those had been off the bench, which, I felt, for a loan striker, wasn't really what I wanted. His contract expired at the end of the season, and, he was allowed to leave, freeing up a bit of money to spend on strengthening the front line.

 

Marquis chipped in with 10 goals from 38, again, slightly down on what I feel a striker should contribute, however, he has 2 years remaining on a rather hefty contract (£3k per week until 2020), so, I'll be looking to move him on if a replacement became available.

 

Alfie May, the 3rd choice contributed 5 goals from 32 appearances (24 from the subs bench), but, he had been playing on the wing for a proportion of those appearances, especially when I first arrived as manager. His contract has a year to run, and a lot depends on how he performs this season, as to whether he gets his extension.

 

In terms of replacements, we didn't have a transfer budget, so, with free transfers and loans available, a move was made to secure Spurs youngster Kazaiah Sterling on loan for the season. He'd scored 6 goals in 14 for a Plymouth side that got relegated from League One last season, so, hopefully, he could recreate that sort of scoring rate with us.

 

Also coming in was Adam Davie, on a free from Derby. At 18 years old, he is definitely one for the future, and scouting reports suggested that he would be the best striker at the club a few years along. Along with Davie, Sameron Dool, a former West Brom trainee signed (at the end of the previous season), again, as a development project with the intention of giving him some match time later in the season.

 

Moving back into midfield, the decision was made to release Tommy Rowe. Again, he was on a large wage, and sacrifices have to be made, and whilst his versatility and leadership will be missed, I could spend his wages on a couple of other players.

 

Once more, my data analyst came up trumps, providing information on a 24 year old Burkinabe/French midfielder, Abdoul Kaboré who could play the defensive midfield role, his contract was expiring, and once again, discussions proved fruitful, and he signed, initially on a 1 year deal.

 

Also available was the Bolton midfielder Jeff King. He'd popped up on scout reports as one to watch, and once it was noticed that he wasn't going to be kept on at Bolton, an offer was made, and he joined on a free.

 

With the signings in the centre of midfield completed, another name that popped up on the released lists from Premier League clubs, was Belgian winger Indy Boonen, He'd come through the academy at Manchester United, and didn't want massive wages, so he was picked up. He can play either side, preferring the left wing, so, will provide an option throughout the season.

 

Defence wise, Matheiu Baudry was allowed to leave, mainly for the same reasons as Williams and Rowe, and his departure would allow a little bit of leeway to improve.

 

Luke McCullough had returned from a cruciate knee ligament injury at the end of the season, and was being nursed through preseason to prevent a recurrence, so he would be first choice when available.

 

Miles Addison had joined on a free transfer post transfer window, and would provide a decent option from the bench, alongside Andy Butler, who is coming to the end of his playing career. This meant that I had to find a centre half, so, once again, throwing the net wide, 22 year old Sid Nelson was picked up on a free from Millwall. He'd come through the youth setup at The New Den, and played games in the Championship and League One for them, however, he'd spent 18 months out on loan in League Two, at Newport and Chesterfield.

Whilst the level he played at wasn't at the same as our club, the statistics showed that he was the best option for the price to pay, and, once again, we moved for him.

 

Another defensive player to come in was Sam Wardrop, a 20 year old Scottish full back/centre back, who had come through the Celtic setup. He was scouted several times, and once again, was picked up on a fairly cheap contract.

Lastly, in goal, Ian Lawlor and Marko Marosi had done well last season, especially when the defence had gone missing, however, I wanted a goalkeeper comfortable at starting attacking moves, and operating as a sweeper keeper. The reports indicated that Lukas Raeder, a German keeper at Bradford was a decent option, and again, available on a free transfer, so, he was acquired.

 

All in all, 8 signings have been made so far, and 1 loan.

 

[robterrace]

We've reached the end of Preseason in the 2018/19 season, with 4 wins in the friendlies we had, and improvements in team morale.

 

Wigan are our first opponents, coming to the Keepmoat to open our season, and hopefully, we do better than our last meeting, where they ran out winners in the last game of last season.

 

Since the last update, 4 more players have come to the club, 2 on loan, two youngsters signing on free transfers.

 

Firstly, the loan signings -

 

Marcelo Djaló, a 24 year old Spanish centre half on a season long loan from Fulham.

 

He is well rounded, and adds a lot to the side, he fell out of favour at Craven Cottage, and I managed to scout him several times, with the intention of looking to move for him in 12 months. However, his agent approached, and I was able to secure a loan deal.

 

The other loan signing is Juan Castillo, an 18 year old Dutch left sided player from Chelsea. I intend to use him at left back, hes not great defensively, but offers something going forward.

 

The youngsters, Harry Hamblin, a defensive minded midfielder, signed from Southampton, and versatile defender Luca Ercolani, who was released by Manchester United.

 

They both come in to play for the Under 23s this season, and, depending on their development, may see some match time later on in the season.

[QuassoRP]

Hi all

Spent a good while reading all your posts and it really made me want to start my own and very first LLM save with how well you've all done and how much fun it sounds!

I started with Wigan as they are one of the closest sides to me and I don't enjoy playing as the team I support, Tranmere Rovers, so decided on a league club. 

I wanted to get the first season all finished ASAP to make headway into recruiting for the championship and really flew through the first season winning the league but not without a struggle at first. Found deciding on a formation to really fit my team and my style of play quite hard but I finally got there with a sort of asymmetric 4-5-1. The only permanent signing I made was Francisco Trincao for £500k.

Looking forward to this first transfer window in the championship but I think it might  e a bit of a struggle. Will post screenshots etc when the window is closed

Good luck all!

[Jogo Bonito]

Great updates @robterrace and @Gunner 101.

I hope your squad rebuilding works out well for you Rob, I enjoyed managing Donny in FM17 and love the presence of the moat at the stadium! Sid Nelson is a good pick up on a free transfer, he was very highly rated when breaking through at Millwall, but his career hasn't really kicked on. Maybe you'll be the one to change all that. King and Sterling should also be decent at your level, the others are less of a known quantity so could go either way!

Good to see the return of your famous diary entries Gunner, I find these really enjoyable. Best of luck with the Tangerines and I look forward to hearing about your progress in future diary segments. Good pick up with Hamza from Leicester.

Welcome @QuassoRP and well done on a rapid promotion with Wigan. Best of luck consolidating at the next level.

[robterrace]

Thanks @Jogo Bonito - Nelson was, as you say, very highly rated, he just seems to have stuck since then. Still, I hope I can kick his career on.

[Gunner 101]

Welcome @QuassoRP Good luck with Wigan and well done on promotion to the Championship at the first attempt! 

Good work @robterrace Hopefully you’ll be higher up the league this season now you’ve had more time to make the squad your own.

@Jogo Bonito Hope you know the diary only made a return for you! It’s easier for me to do it that way as I can type it whilst I play the game so I don’t forget anything I guess. 

[Jogo Bonito]

Forest Green Rovers - Season 3

So, after stumbling across a tactic that seemed to tighten us up (generally), it was time to see what the New Year would bring

There were no incoming players in the window, although Jamal Lowe (£30k) and Callum Elder (free) had agreed to join

The latter was cancelled as I was unable to shift underperforming left-backs Lee Brown or Sam Habergham

I also couldn't terminate the loan of right-back Joshua Emmanuel, who was now third choice for that role

Jordan Tillson was finally sold to Lincoln for £8k after being frozen out all season, and Isaiah Osbourne was granted his wish to join Boston on loan

Despite one or two hiccups early in January, we rallied after a brave defeat to Everton in FA Cup Round 4

That game at Goodison Park also did wonders for the bank balance, but it was the league form really picking up again that made me most pleased

The Luton game showed our ability to score goals, with three after the 90 minute mark giving a slightly flattering score line

Equally, I was delighted with Doidge earning us a late point at home against table-topping Birmingham 

Humphrys and Eisa now have 34 goals each for the season, with both of them hitting 30 in League 1 already

That is serious fire power, isn't it?

And here is the table as we prepare for the final six games of the season

Did I mention fire power? OK, defensively it's pretty average - but that's 87 goals scored in the league so far

Better than a Birmingham side with Ryan Sessegnon, Jota, Niko Vlasic, Aaron Lennon, Mason Mount, Che Adams and 35-goal Albian Ajeti in it's ranks

[Dong21]

Fulham - Season 2020-2021 - Part 2

The January transfer window opened and immediately clubs tried to unsettle my key players, with Andreas Pereira in particular being targeted. This season I had been playing him centrally behind the striker, rather than as an inside forward. After rejecting several derisory bids from the likes of Tottenham and BMG, the player handed in a transfer request to look to force a move. With the prospect of an unhappy player on my hands I decided I would accept an offer if I could get the right finances for it. In the end the negotiations stretched until transfer deadline day, agreeing a fee that will rise to £42m with add-ons. There was limited time to find a replacement, so I looked to the loan market and moved for Ross Barkley. The fee was hefty at £4m for the rest of the season, however he was the only option with proven quality available.

I managed to resist the interest in my other key players fortunately. The other noteworthy outgoings were the loans of highly talented young players O'Riley and Zulu to Championship teams. Both have provided me with strength in depth over the last 18 months, however I took the gamble of having a smaller squad for the second half of the season in order to aide their development. Both loans proved beneficial. O'Riley played a crucial role as Bristol City went on to win the Play-Offs and reach the FA Cup Final. They played him as playmaker and he contributed 5 goals and 6 assists. Likewise Zulu was in terrific form scoring 11 goals in 18 games for Brighton. They will both return to the club better players than when they left.

January was an interesting period as we took on the majority of the top six. I decided to play a defensive variation of my formation and was pleased with the outcome of this decision. We drew with Everton, United, City and Arsenal and although some wins would have been more enjoyable I was pleased to pick up points from games many of my mid-table rivals would likely have lost. I also thought that the lack of any thumpings would help our goal difference come the end of the season. We then went on to win 6 of our next 8 games, which saw us climb the Premier League table.

Our positive form in the second half of the season was even more pleasing considering that during this period we went on our worst run of injuries since I've managed Fulham. Players such as Johansen (3 months), Propper (2 months), Aurier (6 weeks), Sessegnon (6 weeks), Almiron (6 weeks), Pritchard (5 weeks) and Dwamena (5 weeks) all spent notable spells out of the team. Add these injuries to the players I had loaned out and I was left most of the time with 18 players to use, sometimes with the bench topped up with prospects from the youth setup.

Going into the final few games of the season we were in 7th position, with a chance of securing Europa League football if the cup competitions were won by the top 6, however Spurs were breathing down our necks. We were beating Spurs 1-0 and about to create a gap between us and them in the table, until they got a 90th minute equaliser to keep things interesting. We proceeded to lose to Newcastle and went into the final game of the season on the same points as Spurs, but with better goal difference keeping us ahead. We had to better their result against Bournemouth.

The final game was a nervy affair against Wolves, in which we conceded two penalties which were both saved by a heroic Bettinelli. We went 2-1 down, but then rallied to come back and win 3-2! Spurs drew 1-1 and we finished 7th in the league.

Man United beat Bristol City in the FA Cup Final (rumours of O'Riley throwing the game for us are unconfirmed!), meaning that we qualified for the Europa League!

It was a very satisfying league campaign in which we scored more goals and collected more points than in the previous two seasons.

As you can see from the above, this season we employed a 4-2-3-1 most frequently, after 3 seasons of using a 4-1-2-2-1. As the quality of our squad has gradually improved over time I have looked to become more adventurous and provide greater support to the forward. Dwamena led the line well, finishing the season with 16 goals and 9 assists. I believe he would have finished with more if it wasn't for a period of injury. Ladupula deputised well for Dwamena during his absence scoring 6 goals and getting 4 assists, including important goals against City (twice) and Arsenal. Barkley played well, replacing Periera, and I will now be considering whether to make his loan permanent (it will likely be decided by Chelsea's asking price).

The most consistent performer all season was Grujic, closely followed by Aurier, who both integrated into the club quickly. No players played more frequently than Bettinelli, Tarkowski and Maguire. In a passing of the gaurd, former stalwarts Cairney and Kalas only started 2 and 5 matches respectively.

I am looking forward to testing my side against European opposition next season. I am also aware of the challenges that the additional fixtures will pose on our league performance. An interesting fifth season awaits!

[Dong21]

Great work @Jogo Bonito and good luck for the final spell of the season!

Incredible form from Humprhys and Eisa!

How has Sessegnon been getting on at Birmingham?

[Jogo Bonito]

Great stuff @Dong21, you deserve that. I was pleased to see your slowly improved progress each season and it must have made this finish very satisfying for you. I'm happy to hear Bettinelli playing a crucial role in gaining your Europa League qualification, he's a Fulham fan and it would have been easy to sign a bigger name to replace him. Is his dad still on your staff too? Also pleased for Dwamena, slightly less so for Cairney of course.

Ryan Sessegnon has played 42 times for Birmingham, scoring 11, and assisting 14 (average rating 7.23). Looking at the gap to 7th, we should finish in the top six, which is amazing really.

 

[Dong21]

Thanks @Jogo Bonito - yes really feel like we've fought to earn European football! Let's hope into doesn't end with a wimper by being eliminated in the knockout rounds (like West Ham in recent years!)

I must admit, when we got promoted I envisaged that I would likely replace Bettinelli after a while as we looked to grow however he has been terrific for me and has rightfully kept his place. Sadly Vic was snapped up by Watford at the end of the first season to be their first team goalkeeping coach so he wasn't able to savour the moment with his son!

From the original squad, Christie and Johansen are still both involved, and of course Sessegnon.

[Jogo Bonito]

Yes, you've worked hard for that success! Shame about Vic, I still have him around. I'll post my season 3 squad up sometime (12 out of the 24 are players that played for the club in the 17/18 season).

[warlock]

I'm just back from a long weekend in Scotland, so it's great to see so much activity - and newcomer action - in this thread. No FM for me since Thursday, but I'm currently up to March 2018 so should be able to finish the first season tomorrow with a bit of luck.

It's all very tight at the top in my game, with Birmingham, Norwich and Derby duking it out for the automatic promotion spots. As always I'm eager to avoid the playoffs - always feels like a crushing disappointment after competing at the top most of the season. In other news, we managed to see off Arsenal in the FA Cup 5th round replay (despite them fielding a full team) so we have the away tie at Chelsea coming up in the next two weeks. And things are complicated by star 'keeper Scott Carson suffering his second broken arm of the season! Stay tuned... .