Bradley's Babes.

[Jimbokav1971]

 Bradley's Babes.

Anyone who reads any of my threads will be aware that the main focus of any of my saves is Youth Development and as a result, very much centered around Youth Intake Day every season. I like doing something a little different with my threads and I want this to be completely focused around Youth Intake Day with very little attention paid to whether we win, lose or draw matches, (yes, I know, I'm weird). I'm actually running this alongside my career that I'm updating in my "Music" thread, but I don't envisage there being any crossover at all of players between the 2 clubs. Stade Rennais are battling at the top of the French League and I really have no reason to even look at a club who were mid-table in League 2 when I took over. If the Sunderland experiment goes well then the Stade Manager in me might want to sign some of the hot Sunderland prospects, but the Sunderland manager will be none to keen to let them go. I really don't think there is going to be any cross-over between the 2 at all. 

I am really enjoying my time in France, but unfortunately it is not the ideal structure for a Youth Save. For a start you can only loan out 7 players in 1 season to other French clubs. (Well that's no good. I want loan out 57 never mind about 7). The fact that players come through the Academies so young there, (14/15), is good, but it can be frustrating having to wait 2 years to give a starlet his debut. 

My plan for this thread is to not really bother with updates about how the club is doing, and instead concentrate on individual players. I might even do no updates at all other than Youth Intakes and comparisons to see how players have progressed. 

Brexit. 

I can't remember exactly what the deal was with Brexit, but I know I got a harsh one. I wasn't managing in England so I didn't really pay too much attention to it at the time. What do the League 2 rules say I wonder?

Make of this what you will. I won't be buying players anyway. 

Background. 

Sunderland are languishing in League 2 and it's this that made them an attractive proposition to manage.  I'm not really sure why they are struggling so much. Their squad is a little unbalanced in my opinion, but they certainly have enough quality to be doing better and financially the club seem to be on a sound footing, presumably because the Sunderland fans are still turning up in large numbers. 

Facilities. 

The Stadium of Light might have very well seen better days, but the fact still remains that if we can give them something worth watching, it's possible to cram 48,707 paying bums onto seats. Our average attendance in League 2 this season has been a quite remarkable 23,549, with a whopping 27,056 punters turning up to watch us draw 0-0 to Carlisle early in the season. 

The facilities that really matter are the Youth based one's and these are decent.

Finances. 

Surprisingly, (at least to me), we are doing ok money-wise, and I would guess this is as a result of such phenomenal support in League 2.

Bright prospects. 

I wouldn't have say that we have any Superstars hidden in the ranks, but we certainly have a reasonable amount of quality. We are after all playing in League 2, so they don't have to be amazing to look good.  I haven't checked yet, (I am about to), but I suspect that we have produced better players via the academy in recent years, but anyone with any real quality would have been snapped up pretty quickly. 

Stewart (NIR)  (Bal) HG is a player I really like. He featured only fleetingly under the previous Manager, but has already become an important part of the team under me. I have obviously extended his contract immediately. 

Tinnion (Perfect) HG is another who has been offered and accepted a contract extension. Actually he's quite an interesting player for me because I am not sure that I have any experience at all with Perfectionist personality. He's a very good player for League 2 and should be with us for a good few years.

Perfectionist Pro 18-20, Det 18-20, Amb 18-20, Tem 1-9 (Remember that these templates I'm quoting are the old one's from Cleon's Ajax thread and some are now out of date. I don't know if anyone has created new one's for FM18 yet).

Ed (Bal), Gough (Res) , Rock (F.Loyal) and Martin (IRL) (Jovial) are all decent players, but they are not products of our Academy so I'm not going to bother talking about them. They will be replaced as soon as I can.

Dowson (Bal) HG hasn't made his debut yet, but I will soon start rotating him with Gough (Res) until such time as I can cash in on him and then Dowson (Bal) HG will be 1st choice. He's just a little on the slow side, bujt otherwise looks decent. 

Bell (F.Pro) HG is a winger and I just don't plan on using them. When we have a good player like this, I will probably look to loan them out somewhere right from the off just to give them games. 

Karl (F.Pro) HG is probably my favourite player at the club. I just love the fact that he is a natural BWM. I've been trying and failing to shoe-horn players into a BWM role in my Strade Rennais save for a few years now and this bloke is just perfect for what I want. 

I like him, but he's not worth £800,000. Is he? Either way, hands off. He's got a 2 year contract with an option for 3 more. 

Before my arrival.

Things were not going well, (hence the sacking of the previous Manager). They actually weren't playing badly, they were just drawing too many games. They were languishing in 12th place though and that just wasn't good enough for the Chairman, (and rightly so).

The FA Cup and Carabao Cup didn't bring any respite from the League 2 woes unfortunately. 

The abomination that is the Checkatrade Trophy offered a small amount of light relief, but it was actually, (somewhat surprisingly) the loss to Sheffield Utd on penalties that cost the previous Manager his job.

Since my arrival, (let's be completely straight here and admit that I am not even bothering with the IR button and instead just went straight on holiday), things started off slowly, but our fortunes soon started to improve. After going winless in our opening 4 games, we are now unbeaten in our last 9. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2032 Youth Intake. 

It's not a good intake, but it's hardly a disaster either. 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) looks decent if unspectacular. It remains to be seen whether he is capable of achieving 4.5 stars.

There are 2 things which are a little concerning. The first is that (Unamb) seems to be the default personality for English clubs. The second is that I have no less than 6 players with a very low determination attribute. 

Everyone will be offered a Youth contract, and we will go from there. On a positive note, there are no wingers near the top of the list. 

This shows how their PA will impact on the club as a whole. Just the 3 new players on the top page, but I would expect some on this list to leave the club in the near future. 

There are a number of players who appear to be important players but who are not products of our academy. Ed (Bal), Gough (Res), Rock (F.Loyal), Phillips (F.Amb), Nelson (IRL) (Bal), Parry (Bal), Rivers (F,Pro) and Hill (USA) (Bal) all seem to be important players and it could be some time before they are replaced. Bell (F.Pro) HG and Doran (F.Loyal) are both wingers and are not going to play even if they are here. 

Actually, I have only just realised that (32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) is ranked top of the whole club by PA. That's better than I thought. 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb).

I like (32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) the more I see of him, especially now that I know he is rated the highest PA at the club. He is capable of playing in the 1st team tight now, even if there are better options available. His determination is awful though and I need to get him tutored straight away. Linley (F.Pro) is probably the best option as tutor. His determination is 14, he has a decent level of Pro and he also has some decent PPM's that I wouldn't mind passing over. I just hope that the gulf between the 2 players isn't too big that tutoring is refused.

If only. 

It's also interesting, (at least to me), that  he is still classed as Unambitious rather than a personality which specifically requires Det to be at a low level.

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det).

Another with Low Determination, but this should be easy to fix. Gough (Res) is the perfect tutor here, (at least he will be in August when he turns 24. 

(32c) Tom Bell (Unamb).

We are desperate for centre-backs and this bloke is the only centre-half on the PA list above. It means I am going to have to ignore the fact that he's 5'10" and just get on with it. I have a feeling I'm going to need a new HoYD. 

(32d) Ross Cook (Unamb).

3 full backs out of 5 is not ideal, but then again we play 2 full backs in every game and they play important roles. We only play with 1 GK and we don't play with any wingers or AMC's, so it could be worse. 

(32e) Joe (IRL) (Unamb).

Originally I wan't going to show you this guy because I didn't think he was good enough, but I had a look at his PA of 3.0 and looked at one of our back-up GK's Izaac (WAL) (Res), (see below). Joe has the PA to reach the CA of Izaac, and that would seem plenty good of me at this stage. 

Izaac (WAL) (Res), (just as a comparison for what 2.0 CA gets you in a GK.

[Jimbokav1971]

Sunderland Academy History. 

While names such as Michael Gray, Jack Colback, Jordan Henderson, Duncan Watmore and Jordan Pickford don't exactly trip easily off the tongue, they are still Premier League players that have been produced by the Sunderland Academy. Obviously we are in 2032 now in-game, so I wonder who else they have managed to produce since the game started. 

Roy Tate (IRL) (F.Sport) HG might be battling to overcome a broken leg, but he has had a fine career and was a regular starter, (and scorer), for Portsmouth in the Championship before his injury.

O'Leary (F.Amb) HG was a steal at £275,000 for Blackburn, and is now still with them almost 5 years later valued at almost £10M.

Ross (F.Det) HG was sold for a tidy sum of £800,000 while Sunderland were in the Championship, and although he is worth more now, it was probably decent business at the time. 

Curtis (AIA) (F.Amb) HG might be valued at £12.75M, but he was signed by Premier League Huddersfield earlier this season for just £4.8M suggesting that his price is still rising. He went to Everton for £4.1M without ever having made a League appearance for Sunderland.

Simpson (F.Pro) HG is a 2nd Academy product now playing his trade at Portsmouth in the Championship. He was probably sold to cheap by Sunderland initially as he was a youngster with almost 70 Championship appearances under his belt. 

Jibodu (F.Det) HG was somehow let go on a free to Liverpool after cementing his place as a 1st team Championship player, (which seems criminal), and he has remained a regular performer in the Championship throughout his career. 

McGrath (IRL) (F.Pro) HG is another player was was released on a free, (albeit this time without making much of an impact in the North East. He's now a regular starting in the Premier League for Hull who are rock-bottom of the table and certainties to be relegated. 

Alabi (IRL) (Res) was snapped up by Spurs for £1.9M as a teenager before kicking a ball in anger for Sunderland. He never made a league appearance in N.London though and Spurs sold him on for a decent profit. Capped at U20 level for (ENG), has has given up any opportunity to play for (IRL).

Anferenee (DOM) (F.Pro) HG was thrown straight into a first team relegation battle after being promoted from the academy aged 15/16 and this early blooding led to (ENG) U19 Caps.

Wright (F.Pro) HG went for a paltry £245,000 after just 2 league games for Sunderland. He scored in the Premier League for Leicester before moving to Championship side Brighton for £4M earlier this season. If he can become a regular starter for promotion-chasing Brighton, I wonder if he might go on to be the best product yet. 

[Jimbokav1971]

The one that got away? Jun 2032.

Towards the end of the 2031/32 season, Man City, (and another Premier League club that I can't remember(, expressed an interest in a young winger that I had already earmarked for release. I was sure that nothing would come of it, right up to the point that they agreed to sign him on a free at the end of his contract. 

He's really not very good at all. 

Don't get me wrong, he's not rubbish, and if I was using wingers, or wasn't worried about money, then I would keep him. 

What do they see in him? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Tutoring Player 1.

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) was the best player in our 2032 intake, but he doesn't have a good personality so I needed to tutor him with someone. 

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20 

In addition to a very low Amb attribute, he also has a Det attribute of only 3, (which is possibly more concerning). The player I chose to tutor him is Linley (F.Pro) who has a Det attribute of 14. 

Fairly Professional Pro 15-20, Det 1-14

So what am I hoping to get out if this tutoring arrangement exactly?

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) obviously has an Unamb personality, so am I trying to make him more Ambitious? No, I'm not actually because I don't really care about Ambition. If I look after the Pro levels and the Determination levels, then everything will be ok. So if I'm not looking to improve his Amb what am I looking to improve. Well as just mentioned, it's really down to just Pro and Det. Nothing else matters to me. The student has a Det level of 3 and an unknown Pro level. The Tutor has a Det level of 14 and a Pro level of 15-20. What I want is a Det level in double figures and a Pro level of 15-20. Once that is achieved I will be happy with whatever the personality is labelled as. 

So how did it work? Well it didn't really. 

The personality has indeed changed, (from Unamb to Low Determination), but what does that mean? I can tell at a glance that the Det level has stayed exactly the same which wasn't the plan at all. So if the Det attribute has stayed at 3, what has changed to see a move from an Unamb personality to a Low Det personality?  

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Without using the editor, (or spending lots of time translating the media guide which I am just too lazy to do), what do I know has changed? Well not a lot actually. The player Amb attribute was 1-5 before tutoring and we now know it's 1-9, so it's quite possible that it's still 1-5, (but I like to be positive and assume that it has at least moved from 1-5 to 6-9. Do I know this? No. I just "think" it. There is a difference. The other thing that I like to "think" in a situation like this, is that the Pro level was 1-4 before tutoring and now it's 5-20. I find it's best to think like this quite simply because we are working with so many unknowns. The other thing to remember here is that there is no such thing as a Low Pro personality. I mean there is, but they are called something else,

So what's the next step now? Well we need to try again with a 2nd round of tutoring. Even if we assume that the Pro levels have risen from 1-4 to 5-20, the Pro levels still need to be improved further and the Det levels are still really low. We need to now get the Det levels up, and also . 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) now has a new ending to his name to indicate his new personality. He is injured right now so I am going to have to move on a few days before attempting to start a 2nd period of tutoring, (with a different Tutor because Linley (F.Pro) is going to be in a down period and will be unavailable to tutor). 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) will be tutored by Bobby (Res) HG for the 2nd session of tutoring. 

Resolute is a great personality for me because it includes good levels of both Pro and Det. 

Resolute Pro 15-20, Det 15-20, Pre 1-16 Spo 5-20

The determination level of Bobby (Res) HG is 15 and his Pro level is also at least 15. This should give (32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) a boost if it is even a little successful.

Tutoring Player 2.

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det) was the 2nd best player, (rated by PA remember), to come through the 2032 Youth Intake, but again he had a poor personality and needed tutoring. 

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

I didn't have a good tutor available, but to be honest I don't need a good tutor because I just want to get his Det up initially and I will worry about the Pro levels later on. In any case, I tutored him with Osei-Tutu (GHA) (Bal) despite the fact that that (Bal) is not a good personality. 

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

It's probably worth mentioning that while I know that I will be improving the Det level, and it's likely that I will also be improving the Amb level, it's equally possible that the Pro levels of Osei-Tutu (GHA) (Bal) will be lower than that of  (32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det), so his Pro levels might actually drop. I can't worry about what I don't know though, (and as already mentioned I'm too lazy to use the Media Handling Guide which is going to be out of date now anyway), so what I will do is concentrate on what I can see and what I know, and worry about everything else at a later date. 

So this worked much better than the Tutoring 1 example given above, (at least according to my Ass Man), but let's delve a little deeper and see exactly what it is that has improved.

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det) is now called (32b) Naielle (DMA)  (Bal) and that tells it's own story. (Please don't assume in any way that I am suggesting that (Bal) is a good or even average personality by the way, because it's not. 

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

His Det level has risen from 5 to 8. It's not a huge success but it's a step in the right direction. I'm not leaving it as is, but I could at least live with a Det level of 8. I couldn't have lived with a Det level of 5.

That's not the full story though. I didn't just want to tutor his Det and his hidden attributes in this instance, I was looking for something else to be passed on too. 

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det) just had 1 PPM as follows.

Osei-Tutu (GHA) (Bal) just had 1 PPM too, but it was a PPM that I was happy and even keen to be passed on during the tutoring process. 

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (Bal) now has 2 PPM's as follows.

I play with WB's so runs with ball down right is something that I'm happy to encourage my WBR to do. The tutoring for (32b) Naielle (DMA)  (Bal) isn't over, but this has been a decent 1st step.

[ToMexico!!]

I'm always at how thorough your in-depth analysis and mind-set of playing FM is. Something I wish I could emulate but don't have the patience for. Something I probably need to look at with my current save in Moldova, as intakes have been quite poor despite the facilities I have at my disposal. Maybe trying to work with what I have rather than speeding through to the next intake time and time again.

[Jimbokav1971]

13 minutes ago, ToMexico!! said:

I'm always at how thorough your in-depth analysis and mind-set of playing FM is. Something I wish I could emulate but don't have the patience for. Something I probably need to look at with my current save in Moldova, as intakes have been quite poor despite the facilities I have at my disposal. Maybe trying to work with what I have rather than speeding through to the next intake time and time again.

You use the word "thorough" but exactly how thorough is it when I use an IR button and don't even play the games most of the time? 

I delegate all training apart from individual training.

I don't deal with the press unless I am in a funny mood. 

I generally don't bother too much about player happiness. (Winning makes players happy). 

I don't do Team Talks or OI's even on the rare occasion that I do play a game. 

I delegate the signing of players to my DoF, (and he also deals with the hiring and firing of staff most of the time), and my Chairman deals with the hiring and firing of the DoF. The only real staff role I get involved with is my HoYD and even then only if he keeps giving me rubbish intakes. 

I'm not thorough at all. I'm just thorough at certain little bits of the game that most people can't be bothered with because they spend their time doing stuff that I can't be bothered with. 

[ToMexico!!]

I take it all back then

I use the IR button and similarly to you I leave pretty much everything except signing players to my staff. I mean like all the tutoring, determination; willingness to want to improve the players you have coming through your intakes. Like you say mainly the things you enjoy from the game no one else does.

[Jimbokav1971]

There are some clubs that REALLY don't like Youth Development. 

I was having a little look at some of the Premier League Facilities in my game and was surprised to see Brentford in the Premier League. It made me look at their facilities and I was surprised at what I found there. 

They have a new stadium, (built in 2020), but what really stands out is that they have absolutely No youth recruitment, absolutely No junior coaching and their Youth Level is 0.  Now I know that some clubs have recently closed their Academies in real life, (I believe Peterborough announced it recently), I didn't realise it was replicated in the game. 

Actually, I've just checked and it wasn't Peterborough who announced the closure of their academy recently but Brentford themselves. Also, I mentioned in another thread that Tranmere became the latest to announce their Academy closure and I have just read about Huddersfield closing their Academy too. There is some interesting reading on the subject. 

Why Brentford scapped their Academy and embraced B-Team football. 

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/football-indepth/brentford-academy-closed-scouts/

Football Talent Spotting. Ace clubs getting it wrong with kids? 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35054310

Tranmere Rovers close Academy to protect the club. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43342943

Huddersfield prove Academy system is broken. 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/huddersfield-prove-academy-system-broken-11143685

Why Brentford ditched their Academy in favour of developing Premier League outcasts. 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/05/brentford-ditched-their-academy-premier-league-outcasts

There is some really good reading on the subject above and some stats that you might find absolutely astonishing, such as In 2016, 45% of those in Premier League Academies, were born in September, October and November. That's astonishing, (as a May baby who was quite small/slight even when I started to play men's rugby).

So how does that impact on the game I hear you ask? Well i didn't think it did if I'm honest. Well, saying that, I knew that there was a Youth Level in England and I expected the club to take a hit on the standard of players promoted from the Academy, but where the Academy does not exist, I still expected a Youth Intake to happen. That's not actually the case. I've just had a look at Brentford and there is absolutely no players from a Youth Intake any year since the game began. It's empty. This is awful for me personally, (must make a mental note never to manage Brentford who are a team I quite like), but as usual I absolutely love the fact that SI have implemented something that reflects reality. 

Tranmere announced the closure of their Academy only last month, so it was too late to be in FM18, unless it's something that has been updated in the last patch. 

Huddersfield actually seem to be doing it in stages, (they have downgraded from Level 2 to Level 4), but in any case I wouldn't see these changes in my game, (even if SI implemented them), unless I was to start a new game.

I find the concept really interesting because it's unusual. It's something different to the norm. Immediately I start thinking, well can I ran a Youth development programme at a club like Brentford without actually getting a Youth Intake? Of course I could. I remember back in the day trawling through the U18 sides of Liverpool and Man Utd, (Ryan Shawcross was a DM back in the day at Man Utd that was a star for me before he ever moved to Stoke for 1st team Football).

As a Barnet fan in real life, I love the fact that our Chairman sees great importance in our Academy, but it isn't lost on me at all that a lot of these players were someone else's Youth players in their Academy in most cases. We have 2 brothers in our 1st Team this season who are products of our Academy, (Harry and Jack Taylor. Jack especially is going to play at a higher level than League 2, but until Martin Allen left, Jack had been loaned out down the pyramid because Martin Allen preferred players of a certain build), but they are also products of the Chelsea Academy who have been discarded. I know players in the game who are coaches at big London clubs, (ex Barnet players), and neither of them ever made a single appearance for the big London Club who's Academy they came through, (although 1 won the FA Youth Cup). It surprises me that they want to go back and coach others at clubs where they were never given a chance, (albeit correctly even in their opinions). I haven'y yet had the opportunity to ask them their opinion on Academies being scrapped. 

What I'm wondering though is, can a Chairman have a change of mind with regards to not having an Academy, or what about when a new board or owner takes over? Can the situation at Brentford change in the game? Has anyone managed Brentford in the game? What were your experiences and has anyone seen them change their no Academy stance?

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Category Levels. 

I'm not really sure what the significance of the Youth Category Levels are. It's something that has always confused me in game. If Stade Rennais in France doesn't have a Youth rating at all, then it can't have an impact on the quality of players produced. We know what Youth Recruitment, Junior Coaching and Youth Facilities do, but if they do what we know they do, then what does Youth Category Level do other than determine how much compensation is paid when a player is sold?

This is the History - Landmarks page for Sunderland, but while the Youth Category goes up and down over the years, the Facilities themselves seem to remain stable. 

This is the same page for French side Stade Rennais in the game. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Recruitment. Jul 2032.

We've got £2M in the bank so I thought I would ask for a cheeky upgrade. The Chairman so no the 1st time round but I manged to persuade him. 

Hang on. It was at average when I started! That means it has either been dropped without me noticing or I have just been swindled by the Chairman.

(Average is level 9-11 by the way so it's possible that it was at average, has been improved and is still at average). 

[Jimbokav1971]

The Antithesis of Youth Only, (sort of).

A couple of posts above, I talked about Brentford, Huddersfield and Tranmere closing down their Academies and Brentford having absolutely no Youth Intake as a result of having a 0 Youth Level, (to replicate that they had completely scrapped their Academy. 

I was also advised via Twitter by @FMRamdeuter that Wycombe have also gone down this route, (they were the 1st as far as I know), and again, this is replicated in the game by giving them a 0 Youth Level which stops the generation of Youth Players via an intake. What @FMramdeuter was able to shed a light on is whether or not you can change your mind with regards to this decision, (He is managing Brentford). He confirmed that while he didn't get a Youth Intake at all at 1st, he now is and this is because he asked his Chairman to upgrade the Youth Facilities, (which the Chairman could have refused). Not only did the Chairman agree, but he also then decided to initiate subsequent Youth Facility expansions off his own back without the Manager requesting it. 

With that in mind, In would suggest that if you are Managing the likes of Brentford and Wycombe, and you have a change at board level, then if the new Chaiman has a certain type of "Managerial PPM", (sorry, but I just don't know what to call it but you know what I mean....).

Then this Chairman/manager/Whoever is likely to ask for the Academy system to be introduced. 

The only problem I have with this is that if we know how it works in England is the allocation of a Youth Level 0, then how does it work outside England where clubs don't have Youth levels? 

Does anyone know of any non-English clubs that don't have Academies or the equivalent?

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Levels. Oct 2032.

I will be completely honest here and admit that I don't know how the Youth Levels work in the game in English football. Italian, Serbian, Gibraltarian or Iceland clubs do not have Youth levels, so what do they actually do? 

It's ok having the raw ingredients and the facilities, but we also need the coaches to turn potential into ability. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Excellent. Jan 2033.

Excellent covers level 17-19 and we are already at excellent and after this it will still be excellent, (so we are at 17-18 and moving to 18-19).

[Jimbokav1971]

Comparison. Jan 2033.

The 1st picture here is a copy of the top bit of the squad from the day I took over, (Feb 2032), and is posted in the 1st page of this thread, (where I have copied it from).

We don't have any 5.0 PA players, but 18yo Stewart (NIR) (Bal) is a 4.5 PA player. Incidentally, the fact that he has (Bal) after his name but is actually classed as a (F.Pro) personality means that I must have tutored him before this and reminds me that I actually started managing Sunderland on, [goes to check], 12th Dec 2031, (so I have already been managing them for just over a year). 

What I want to now is take another screenshot of the players at the club, (sorted by PA), and then  compare them to the above list. I cut the 1st screenshot off at players who had 4.0 PA, so i will do the same here again. 

• We have less players on the list, (rated at least 4.0 PA), but as this rating is using the best player at the club, (rated by CA), as a target to rate against, I would suggest that it's reasonable that we might have fallen away in terms of quantity, because the best player at the club would have improved. (Quality over quantity).
• The best player, (rated by CA), on the 1st list, is Rock (F.Loyal) and he was rated at 3.5CA, (with PA of 4.0), and he is still rated at 3.5 CA with 4.0.PA now.
• The best player by PA has not changed, but his PA has. Stewart (NIR) (Bal) was a 4.5 PA player back in Feb 2032. Stewart (NIR) (F.Pro) HG is now a 5.0 PA player. 
• (32b) Naielle (DMA) (Bal) is a product of our 1st Youth Intake. He has risen above the most highly rated player of his year, (by PA), in terms of PA, despite the fact that he has been offered fewer First Team opportunities. 
• (32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) was the top product of our 1st intake, but despite being offered much First Team exposure with 23(2) appearances, he has fallen behind (32b) Naielle (DMA) (Bal) in terms of PA rating. There is no absolute way to prove why this has happened, however I find it not even a little surprising that he has such a poor personality. 

Stewart (NIR) (F.Pro) HG *.

He had featured only fleetingly under the previous manager, but my faith has seen him go from strength to strength and while still only a teenager has forced himself into the N.Irish senior set-up. Tutoring to a more professional personality has helped, however his coach reports still hints at poor levels of consistency. 

Then. 

Now. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

£1.4M for a home-grown teenager in League 2.

[Jimbokav1971]

2033 Youth Intake. 

I have a saying "any intake with a 5.0 PA player isn't a bad intake", but this intake has no such 5.0 PA player. The best player is only a 4.5 PA player, and he is a winger. (My current tactic doesn't use wingers). There is much here for discussion though and some stuff that should be of particular interest in this thread. 

1. The HoYD has had "a notable influence" in bringing through many of the players including (33b) Martyn Ainslie (L.Det) and (33m) Bill Daniels (Temp). The thing that strikes me initially about these 2 players is their poor personalities, but what exactly is the "notable influence" and how does it impact on the players in general and these 2 players in particular? The wording actually says "with my coaching style" at the end, so let's have a look at our HoYD and see what he looks like. (Please remember that at this stage I have not had any dealings with staff appointments and I have completely left it to my DoF to hire and fire staff. 

Blake (Bal)JPA11 JPP17 WWY16.

Let's look at the nuts and bolts of what makes him tick as a HoYD. 

You can see by his name what I think is important. 

Personality = Balanced. Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

JPA = 11

JPP = 16

WWY = 16

JPA and JPP. Now some people will tell you that a HoYD has absolutely no influence on the ability of players coming through the intake, but I'm not so sure. When you think about it, we know that Junior Coaching influences the CA of players in the intake, and we know that Youth Recruitment influences the PA of players in the intake, but what we don't know is if they are the ONLY influences. I would suggest, (* and remember when I said earlier in the thread that there is a difference between fact and opinion, well this is just opinion), that they are not the only influences. I think that to some degree, certainly a players JPA and JPP influence the CA and PA of players, but how much it influences them is the question. 

Personality. There is a common misconception that what happens with a HoYD personality is that it will be used as an influence on players within the intake. Many people think that how it works is that a Balanced HoYD will produce more Balanced players and a Model Pro HoYD will produce more Model Pro players, but I don't agree. I think of it as a sort of "modifier", and think it acts in exactly the same way as tutoring does. A HoYD who has a Model Pro personality will not produce lots of Model Pro players, but I do think that his Model Pro personality will act as a Modifier on players in the intake. 

Model Professional Pro 20, Tem 10-20

By that, what I mean is that if we assume the HoYD has a Pro attribute of 20 and a Temp attribute of 20, then players in the intake that are influenced by him, have their hidden attributes, (and determination for that matter), modified as if he had tutored them. Remember, this doesn't mean that just his Pro and Temp attributes act as an influence, but ALL his hidden attributes & determination. 

Preferred Formation.

This bloke has a preferred formation of 433 Narrow and a 2nd preferred formation of 442. It's a common misconception, (in my opinion), that a HoYD will bring through an increased number of players that fit into his preferred formation. I don't believe this to be the case. If we look at what we have seen come through the intake and then compare it with his 2 favoured personalities, then we need to look at the positions players can play in to an accomplished level. 

For a start we have a player at the bottom, (33p) Ant Hackett (LCI) (Bal) who can play as a SW Neither of the HoYD favoured formations feature a SW, and in fact (33o) Gord Collett (Unamb) can only play as an AMC and this position isn't in either of the favoured formations either. I had a SW through the 2032 intake and I have I have had another SW come through in 2033. What is the influence that is causing that?

Coaching style. Does anyone know what this means? I know what I think it means. I think it's an indication as to where a staff members relative strength may lie. If we look at Blake in particular, let's look at his individual attributes. 

Attacking 9.
Defending 8.
Fitness 1.
Mental 6.
Tactical 4.
Technical 10.

Blakes highest attribute in these areas is Technical and funnily enough, that's what his coaching style is.  I think*  that this area of relative strength for Blake means that he influences Intake players positively in these areas. I'm not saying that all the players he brings in will have good or even reasonable technical attributes. I am saying that a HoYD who's strength is "Technical" will bring through players with better technique than he might have done had he had the same overall ability as a HoYD, but his areas of relative strength was in an area other than "Technical". 

I'm going to group Playing Mentality, Pressing Style and Marking Style together here because the truth is I don't really know what the hell is going on here. If I was to hazard a guess as to what I would want them to influence if I was making the game, then I suppose I would go with the following. Pressing style could be* an influence on workrate and teamwork. Marking style could be* an influence on marking and positioning. As for Playing mentality..... I just don't know. I admit it. I've got nothing. (If you have opinions about this stuff, feel free to post them in here for discussion. This thread is all about learning for me and anyone that is interested. As most of this stuff is pretty cloudy anyway, there are nor real right or wrong answers and it's always good to see something from another point of view).

Something else I wanted to mention, (I keep forgetting to mention this), is about more than 1 staff member influencing players in the way I have described. If we go back to HoYD Blake again, he mentioned 2 players that he had specifically had an influence over. 

(33b) Martyn Ainslie (L.Det) is the 1st player, but how do we see the impact of this influence?

Well that's interesting. Blake might have had an influence on him as claimed, and is on his favoured personnel list, but so are 2 other staff members. My personal opinion* is that I think that Blake has influenced him, (as if he had tutored him), but I also think that the other 2 staff members have also influenced him in the same way at his creation. 

(33m) Bill Daniels (Temp) is the 2nd player, so let's have a look at who else is on his favoured personnel list?

Again, like the above player, I think that all these staff members have had an influence on the player as he was generated. 

(33a) Lewis Williams (F.Det).

Getting a winger as my best prospect is really frustrating. Of course I could train him up to play elsewhere, (and I will), but it's really not going to be easy. I will probably look to teach him to play WBR and see if I can get something out of him that way. He can't play centrally and he can't play up front so I feel it's WBR almost by default. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. Mar 2033.

This all sounds great, but I now have to get the bank balance up because I think this will clean us out. 

[Jimbokav1971]

On 3/11/2018 at 11:27, Jimbokav1971 said:

Tutoring Player 1.

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) was the best player in our 2032 intake, but he doesn't have a good personality so I needed to tutor him with someone. 

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20 

In addition to a very low Amb attribute, he also has a Det attribute of only 3, (which is possibly more concerning). The player I chose to tutor him is Linley (F.Pro) who has a Det attribute of 14. 

Fairly Professional Pro 15-20, Det 1-14

So what am I hoping to get out if this tutoring arrangement exactly?

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) obviously has an Unamb personality, so am I trying to make him more Ambitious? No, I'm not actually because I don't really care about Ambition. If I look after the Pro levels and the Determination levels, then everything will be ok. So if I'm not looking to improve his Amb what am I looking to improve. Well as just mentioned, it's really down to just Pro and Det. Nothing else matters to me. The student has a Det level of 3 and an unknown Pro level. The Tutor has a Det level of 14 and a Pro level of 15-20. What I want is a Det level in double figures and a Pro level of 15-20. Once that is achieved I will be happy with whatever the personality is labelled as. 

So how did it work? Well it didn't really. 

The personality has indeed changed, (from Unamb to Low Determination), but what does that mean? I can tell at a glance that the Det level has stayed exactly the same which wasn't the plan at all. So if the Det attribute has stayed at 3, what has changed to see a move from an Unamb personality to a Low Det personality?  

 

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Without using the editor, (or spending lots of time translating the media guide which I am just too lazy to do), what do I know has changed? Well not a lot actually. The player Amb attribute was 1-5 before tutoring and we now know it's 1-9, so it's quite possible that it's still 1-5, (but I like to be positive and assume that it has at least moved from 1-5 to 6-9. Do I know this? No. I just "think" it. There is a difference. The other thing that I like to "think" in a situation like this, is that the Pro level was 1-4 before tutoring and now it's 5-20. I find it's best to think like this quite simply because we are working with so many unknowns. The other thing to remember here is that there is no such thing as a Low Pro personality. I mean there is, but they are called something else,

So what's the next step now? Well we need to try again with a 2nd round of tutoring. Even if we assume that the Pro levels have risen from 1-4 to 5-20, the Pro levels still need to be improved further and the Det levels are still really low. We need to now get the Det levels up, and also . 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) now has a new ending to his name to indicate his new personality. He is injured right now so I am going to have to move on a few days before attempting to start a 2nd period of tutoring, (with a different Tutor because Linley (F.Pro) is going to be in a down period and will be unavailable to tutor). 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) will be tutored by Bobby (Res) HG for the 2nd session of tutoring. 

Resolute is a great personality for me because it includes good levels of both Pro and Det. 

Resolute Pro 15-20, Det 15-20, Pre 1-16 Spo 5-20

The determination level of Bobby (Res) HG is 15 and his Pro level is also at least 15. This should give (32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) a boost if it is even a little successful.

Tutoring Player 1. (Part 2). 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det)  started off as an (Unamb) personality, but tutoring him with a (F.Pro) player so not only his (Pro) levels but also his (Det) levels increase, (albeit the (Det) levels only increased from 3 to 5. This increase saw him no longer classed as (Unamb), and instead now classed as (Low.Det).

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

I had planned on using a (Res) tutor on him next, but either I was concerned that the gap between the 2 players in terms of (Det) and (Pro) was too big and might result in a failed tutoring session, (or quite simply I tried and the players said no), but either way the tutoring was instead done by a (Bal) player with a (Det) attribute of 12.

The result was a step in the right direction. 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) has morphed into (32a) Pearson (2032) (Bal)

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

The (Det) attribute is up to a far more manageable lever now but I won't be leaving it at that. He is still being tutored by Ed (Bal), but the tutoring has already been a success. Next up I will be hoping to tutor him for a 3rd time and I have 2 (Res) Tutors to do the job. As you can see he has been getting a significant amount of gametime to aid his development, but the problem with this is that becoming a regular member of the First Team squad makes him ineligible for tutoring, as does exceeding the CA of the tutors concerned. I think I should be ok here even with a lay-off of 3 months after this tutoring finishes, but sometimes you have to be careful because you have the rest of the tutoring session to go and by that time the next tutor is tutoring someone else and then they need a fallow period between tutoring before they are able to tutor again and sometimes the off-season gets in the way, (you can't tutor when a player is on holiday), or either player is injured, and the next thing you know another couple of months has gone by and it's too late. It's ok getting this wrong on a squad player. It's not ok getting this wrong on a potential star. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

League 2 Champions. Apr 2033.

We have won the League 2 title with 4 games remaining. 

Sunderland have quite a Trophy cabinet, but I am quite proud to be able to add something that they have never won before. 

Good news. 

Bad news. 

[Jimbokav1971]

On 3/11/2018 at 11:27, Jimbokav1971 said:

Tutoring Player 2.

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det) was the 2nd best player, (rated by PA remember), to come through the 2032 Youth Intake, but again he had a poor personality and needed tutoring. 

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

I didn't have a good tutor available, but to be honest I don't need a good tutor because I just want to get his Det up initially and I will worry about the Pro levels later on. In any case, I tutored him with Osei-Tutu (GHA) (Bal) despite the fact that that (Bal) is not a good personality. 

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

It's probably worth mentioning that while I know that I will be improving the Det level, and it's likely that I will also be improving the Amb level, it's equally possible that the Pro levels of Osei-Tutu (GHA) (Bal) will be lower than that of  (32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det), so his Pro levels might actually drop. I can't worry about what I don't know though, (and as already mentioned I'm too lazy to use the Media Handling Guide which is going to be out of date now anyway), so what I will do is concentrate on what I can see and what I know, and worry about everything else at a later date. 

So this worked much better than the Tutoring 1 example given above, (at least according to my Ass Man), but let's delve a little deeper and see exactly what it is that has improved.

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det) is now called (32b) Naielle (DMA)  (Bal) and that tells it's own story. (Please don't assume in any way that I am suggesting that (Bal) is a good or even average personality by the way, because it's not. 

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

His Det level has risen from 5 to 8. It's not a huge success but it's a step in the right direction. I'm not leaving it as is, but I could at least live with a Det level of 8. I couldn't have lived with a Det level of 5.

That's not the full story though. I didn't just want to tutor his Det and his hidden attributes in this instance, I was looking for something else to be passed on too. 

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (L.Det) just had 1 PPM as follows.

Osei-Tutu (GHA) (Bal) just had 1 PPM too, but it was a PPM that I was happy and even keen to be passed on during the tutoring process. 

(32b) Naielle (DMA)  (Bal) now has 2 PPM's as follows.

I play with WB's so runs with ball down right is something that I'm happy to encourage my WBR to do. The tutoring for (32b) Naielle (DMA)  (Bal) isn't over, but this has been a decent 1st step.

Tutoring Player 2. (Part 2).

(32b) Naielle (DMA) (Bal) has now been tutored by Bobby (Res) HG, (who has a (Det) attribute of 15.

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

Resolute Pro 15-20, Det 15-20, Pre 1-16 Spo 5-20

(32b) Naielle (DMA) (Bal) has now evolved into (32b) Naielle (DMA) (F.Pro). 

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

Fairly Professional Pro 15-20, Det 1-14

I haven't finished yet though and depending who is available, (Res) is still my best option I think, I will look to keep his (Pro) levels while raising his (Det) level further. 

Resolute Pro 15-20, Det 15-20, Pre 1-16 Spo 5-20

[Jimbokav1971]

Sunderland update. 1st Jul 2033.

So we have been promoted to League 1 and I'm quietly confident that we can survive with what we have, (I'm not buying players and I'm also not letting the DoF buy any players), but at the same time I'm looking to make the most out of what we have. In the long-term that means the Youth Intake and developing from within, but away from that, I have to also open my eyes to the players who are available, who have previously come through our Academy here.

Anferenee (DOM) (F.Pro) HG, Atherton (F.Pro) HG, Kibaki  (F.Pro) HG and Jim Steven  are free agents at the moment .  You can see that there is a fair bit of quality within the players that we have produced historically, (4 players playing in the Premier League and another 10 playing in the Championship).

Anferenee (DOM) (F.Pro) HG is someone I am keen to sign, (even though we have 2 decent right backs), but unfortunately we are under a Transfer embargo because of a takeover and we cannot even get him in on trial.

There are certainly 2 left wingers, (my current tactic doesn't use wingers because I prefer 3 central strikers, but more about that in a minute), but there are certainly 3 central midfielders that I can see with my current scouting package, although they are not overly keen in my advances at the moment. I am considering extending our scouting package to see what other player might be available, but now I think about it, that's a complete waste of money. Using the Transfer - History screen I can go through and check on every player that has come through the Academy since the game started, and if they are still in the game they will be clickable. I am not interested in players who we signed and then developed and who might be classed as "HG at club", without actually coming through the Academy. I just want proper Youth products. 

With regards to not using wingers in my current tactic, that is indeed the case, but let's not beat around the bush here. If the best player coming through the Youth Intake is a winger, then I am going to have to squeeze him in somehow. That might be at WB, but it's actually more than likely that I will find a spot for him in one of the wide attacking positions. I am having a little look at that at the moment, (in advance and inticipation of it possibly happening), and I have some roles/duties in mind. 

[Jimbokav1971]

False 9 = 12. Oct 2033.

Even though I have played in some small Nations such as Gibraltar and Iceland, and played in leagues like Serbia managing Partizan, I think this is my biggest competitive win ever in FM.

Chesterfield are 11th in League 2 and we are on a very good run of form in League 1, but this was still a huge surprise and I was even expecting a negative result after resting our best player Stewart (NIR) (F.Pro) HG *.

6 of the 12 goals were headers, (which is probably worth analysis on it's own), but while it looked like the most influential player was my WBR when I looked at the goals, (remember I don't play the games I just use the IR button), I was astonished when I actually looked at the Review, 

There were 2 hat-tricks from the other starting forwards, and sub forward Batty (Bal) scored his 5th and 6th goals of the season, (all as a sub), but it was the performance of Embleton (Bal) HG who stole the show. He might have scored only 2 goals, but he created 5 (FIVE) assists.

My strategy in terms of mixing and matching striking roles is a little mixed if I'm honest.  I have had success with 2 AF's and  really I'm not overly bothered as long as it gets results. I have had success with 2 TM oin the wider attacking positions, (works very well with a poacher in the middle), but I'm also keen on player fitting in and playing in a role that suits him rather than being hamstrung and forced into my idea of how I want the team to play. Part of the success in Batty (Bal) from the bench for example is that he is most suited to playing as a DF(d), so that's how I play him. It's pretty basic really. I don't have other strikers who play in this role so he offers something from the bench that my starting strikers do not offer. 

In term main strikers, I have 2x Target Men, 2x Poachers, a Deep Lying Forward and a Defensive Forward as my main strikers. 

Last season I often played with 2 TM and a central poacher, but despite Danaher (Amb) HG notching 18 goals last season, he started this season out of favour. Hopkinson (F.Det) has done ok, but I obviously wanted more from him so have recently opted for the top 3 as a trio. 

The problem that gave me was that it involved 2 poachers and although I don't mind doubling up some roles, I haven't worked with 2 poachers with any great success. Instead I opted for the option of Rivers (F.Pro) as a central Poacher, Nelson (IRL) (Bal) as a left sided Target Man, (both of them are lefties by the way), and Embleton (Bal) HG as a right sided something. 

I had decided that I didn't want 2 poachers in tandem either side of a TM, and I had used him as a 2nd TM flanking a central Poacher, but I wanted something different so I thought I would have a little dabble with a False Nine.

You can see in the above picture that neither TM nor P were really working for him, (in a winning team I should add), but when he scored a brace against Villa in his 1st game as a False Nine, I obviously missed the significance and he was played off the bench twice more as a TM with no success. I then restored him to the starting line-up for the last 2 games, (and to the hipster-licious role of F9 ), and he responded with 4 goals and 5 assists. I think when something like that happens you have to sit up and take notice. In my opinion, it's not so much that he is a brilliant F9, or we were brilliant, or he was brilliant, but that F9 bits well in conjunction with the 2 other roles we had playing up top, and importantly in the role of F9, the midfield positions. He was asking the opposition other questions rather than attacking areas that they were already defending. 

A TM offers a focal point of the attack and can link up well with a Poacher, but he's not exactly going to regularly  show short for a ball and the introduction of the F9 role simply over-loaded the opposition in too many areas than they could cope with. A F9 directing operations behind a TM with a P running in behind. It seems to be a match made in heaven.

     

[Jimbokav1971]

On 11/03/2018 at 11:27, Jimbokav1971 said:

Tutoring Player 1.

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) was the best player in our 2032 intake, but he doesn't have a good personality so I needed to tutor him with someone. 

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20 

In addition to a very low Amb attribute, he also has a Det attribute of only 3, (which is possibly more concerning). The player I chose to tutor him is Linley (F.Pro) who has a Det attribute of 14. 

Fairly Professional Pro 15-20, Det 1-14

So what am I hoping to get out if this tutoring arrangement exactly?

(32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) obviously has an Unamb personality, so am I trying to make him more Ambitious? No, I'm not actually because I don't really care about Ambition. If I look after the Pro levels and the Determination levels, then everything will be ok. So if I'm not looking to improve his Amb what am I looking to improve. Well as just mentioned, it's really down to just Pro and Det. Nothing else matters to me. The student has a Det level of 3 and an unknown Pro level. The Tutor has a Det level of 14 and a Pro level of 15-20. What I want is a Det level in double figures and a Pro level of 15-20. Once that is achieved I will be happy with whatever the personality is labelled as. 

So how did it work? Well it didn't really. 

The personality has indeed changed, (from Unamb to Low Determination), but what does that mean? I can tell at a glance that the Det level has stayed exactly the same which wasn't the plan at all. So if the Det attribute has stayed at 3, what has changed to see a move from an Unamb personality to a Low Det personality?  

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Without using the editor, (or spending lots of time translating the media guide which I am just too lazy to do), what do I know has changed? Well not a lot actually. The player Amb attribute was 1-5 before tutoring and we now know it's 1-9, so it's quite possible that it's still 1-5, (but I like to be positive and assume that it has at least moved from 1-5 to 6-9. Do I know this? No. I just "think" it. There is a difference. The other thing that I like to "think" in a situation like this, is that the Pro level was 1-4 before tutoring and now it's 5-20. I find it's best to think like this quite simply because we are working with so many unknowns. The other thing to remember here is that there is no such thing as a Low Pro personality. I mean there is, but they are called something else,

So what's the next step now? Well we need to try again with a 2nd round of tutoring. Even if we assume that the Pro levels have risen from 1-4 to 5-20, the Pro levels still need to be improved further and the Det levels are still really low. We need to now get the Det levels up, and also . 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) now has a new ending to his name to indicate his new personality. He is injured right now so I am going to have to move on a few days before attempting to start a 2nd period of tutoring, (with a different Tutor because Linley (F.Pro) is going to be in a down period and will be unavailable to tutor). 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) will be tutored by Bobby (Res) HG for the 2nd session of tutoring. 

Resolute is a great personality for me because it includes good levels of both Pro and Det. 

Resolute Pro 15-20, Det 15-20, Pre 1-16 Spo 5-20

The determination level of Bobby (Res) HG is 15 and his Pro level is also at least 15. This should give (32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) a boost if it is even a little successful.

 

On 18/03/2018 at 01:46, Jimbokav1971 said:

Tutoring Player 1. (Part 2). 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det)  started off as an (Unamb) personality, but tutoring him with a (F.Pro) player so not only his (Pro) levels but also his (Det) levels increase, (albeit the (Det) levels only increased from 3 to 5. This increase saw him no longer classed as (Unamb), and instead now classed as (Low.Det).

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

I had planned on using a (Res) tutor on him next, but either I was concerned that the gap between the 2 players in terms of (Det) and (Pro) was too big and might result in a failed tutoring session, (or quite simply I tried and the players said no), but either way the tutoring was instead done by a (Bal) player with a (Det) attribute of 12.

The result was a step in the right direction. 

(32a) Pearson (2032) (L.Det) has morphed into (32a) Pearson (2032) (Bal)

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

The (Det) attribute is up to a far more manageable lever now but I won't be leaving it at that. He is still being tutored by Ed (Bal), but the tutoring has already been a success. Next up I will be hoping to tutor him for a 3rd time and I have 2 (Res) Tutors to do the job. As you can see he has been getting a significant amount of gametime to aid his development, but the problem with this is that becoming a regular member of the First Team squad makes him ineligible for tutoring, as does exceeding the CA of the tutors concerned. I think I should be ok here even with a lay-off of 3 months after this tutoring finishes, but sometimes you have to be careful because you have the rest of the tutoring session to go and by that time the next tutor is tutoring someone else and then they need a fallow period between tutoring before they are able to tutor again and sometimes the off-season gets in the way, (you can't tutor when a player is on holiday), or either player is injured, and the next thing you know another couple of months has gone by and it's too late. It's ok getting this wrong on a squad player. It's not ok getting this wrong on a potential star. 

 

Tutoring Player 1. (Part 3). 

I don't think that there is any doubt that tutoring can be a pain. I tutored (32a) Pearson (2032) (Unamb) with a (F.Pro) tutor and that got him to (L.Det) and then I tutored him a 2nd time, this time with a (Bal) player and that got him to (Bal). I have now tutored him for a 3rd time, with a (Res) player and this sees him move on to a (F.Sport) personality. 

Unambitious Amb 1-5, Loy 11-20

Fairly Professional Pro 15-20, Det 1-14

Low Determination Det 2-5, Amb 1-9, Spo 1-17, Pro 5-20

Balanced Pro 1-14, Det 1-14, Amb 1-14, Loy & Spo 1-14

Resolute Pro 15-20, Det 15-20, Pre 1-16 Spo 5-20

Fairly Sporting Spo 15-20, Pro & Det & Amb & Loy all 1-14

Within the multiple changes of personality however, we have also seen his determination rise from a lowly starting point of  3, to 5 and then on to 8 and now to a respectable 11. I'm not finished though. I still want to get him both more determined and more professional. To that end I'm now tutoring him with a 2nd (Res) Tutor, (a different one this time), and I would expect his personality to be either (F.Pro) or (Res) at the end of this next session. The (Pro) level is not a problem. I would hazard a guess that it is already close to 14, but the (Det) level is only 11 right now and it needs to get to 15 to trigger both of the desired personalities. Either way, it's sure to be a step in the right direction. If I have miss-judged the (Pro) levels and he is still short of 15, (it's unlikely that neither (Det) nor (Pro) will "pop" to the next level), then I think he will remain at (F.Sport) and I will have to tutor him again.

While this might seem like an awful lot of effort to go to for just 1 player, (I actually do this for many players), you have to remember that I started in League 2 and my Facilities are of that level and we don't have the spending power to improve them without on-field success, so I really have to make the most out of what I have got. This player in particular was a player who had decent potential, (he was a 4.5 PA player when he came through the intake), and I could see myself being able to give him enough games, early in his career to aid his development. 

Remembering again that I'm  not buying any players, (unless they have previously come through our Academy and then left), we finished in the Playoffs in 2031/32, went up as Champions in 2032/33 and we are now in the automatic Promotion places between Christmas and New Year in 2033/34. All that while not even bothering to play games. I might put extra effort into developing individual players, but I promise that anyone reading this spends longer looking at matches than I do. (I don't even always look at goals after a game).

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal glut. Sunderland. Feb 2034.

We have made it to the Final of the Checkatrade Trophy, (without even really trying if I'm honest), and will play AFC Wimbledon at Wembley in the Final. 

Even before the final, we have already scored 2 more goals than any team has managed in a previous season, (although scoring 12 in a single game obviously helps, although a 6 and three 4's helps too).

It's not all been plain sailing though as we needed penalties to get past both Chester and Spurs, and let me be be completely honest here, I threw the league game 3 days before the Spurs game and played a team of kids just so my 1st choice players would be fit. It incurred the wrath of the FA so they stuck us with a £5k fine, which seems a little ridiculous when you consider that the prize money for winning that game was almost £50k. Shouldn't the fine stop teams from doing it? Anyway, I was glad that I did as we were 4-1 down after half an hour and I'm sure that our superior fitness played a part in the come-back.

[Jimbokav1971]

Tight at the top. Sunderland. Feb 2034.

I think it's fair to say that it's tight at the top of League 1, (with 13 games remaining). The Cup Final will act as a slight distraction, (but a welcome one I think), as we look for a 2nd successive promotion.

[Jimbokav1971]

Annoying Takeover. Feb 2034.

I find takeovers really annoying. Even if we ignore the fact that they might sack you despite all the great work you have done, (I refer you to the @dafuge debacle at Staines in the dim and distant past), It annoys the hell out of me that I can work hard to set up a set of philosophies that I want to help me take the cluf forward and then they come in and just ignore them every single time. I wouldn't mind if they chose to some in and take an alternative route and changed them as a result of that, (that's realistic), but the way the game is now seems to almost have a "re-set" and when a new board when they come in. 

That being said, nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. 

Not too shabby at all a week or so before the Youth Intake is due to arrive, (not that I am waiting with keen anticipation at all of course). 

And actually, let's forget all this nonsense about disliking new Chairmen coming in and ripping up old philosophies. Who needs philosophies? 

Do I push for a whole Youth Level increase too? Oh what the hell. In for a penny, in for a pound. 

Oh my actual God! I love this new Chairman! 

Junior Coaching to exceptional is maxed out at Level 20 I think. (In League 1).

Youth Recruitment to Well Established is level 17-18 I think.

I will be completely honest with you here and admit that I don't know the impact of Youth Level within the game. (Sorry).

I love this new Chairman! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake Day. Mar 2034.

As I have just mentioned in the music thread, I am always a little wary of paying too much attention to a "generational talent" or "golden generation" or whatever. Yes it is obviously an indication of some quality, but it guarantees absolutely nothing. 

I have previously mentioned that there is no such thing as a bad intake that contains a 5.0 PA player, and this seems an especially "deep" intake in that there is a 5.0, 4.5, 2x 4.0 and 3x 3.0 players. If I look at the 1st team squad sorted by games played, and look at the CA of the players that have played games this season, I can see that Spooner (Bal) HG has made 44 appearances this season and has 2.5 CA, Bobby (Res) HG has made 42 appearances this season and has 2.0 CA, Nelson (IRL) (Bal) has made 23(11) appearances this season and has 2.5 CA and Batty (Bal) has made 13(17) appearances this season and has a CA of just 2.0. There are others who have made fewer appearances, but I have just mentioned 4 players who have played a significant part already this season and we have 7 players who are likely to be better that their current level of ability. In short, what is happening is that we are improving. In a long-term style of save like this, that's all you can ask. Little steps in the right direction.

"Kriss" (34a) Fenney (Unamb) (2034) *.

We didn't need another GK, because Tinnion (Perfect) HG is contracted until 2038, but having said that, (34a) Fenney (Unamb) (2034) * is rated a whole 1.0 more PA than Tinnion (Perfect) HG. Again, it's improvement. Tinnion is 25 now so he is whole 10 years the senior of Fenney, but in 2037 when Tinnion has  12 months left on his contract, Fenney will be 18 and hopefully be in a position to play 1st Team football. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Checkatrade Trophy Champions. Apr 2034.

So that's the Checkatrade Trophy added to the League 2 title. Things are going quite well at the moment and the only player I have bought was a previous product of our Academy, (who I signed on a free by the way). If we can just snooze into the Championship now I will be a very happy man. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mine's a double. May 2034.

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Category Rise. May 2034.

That's a LOT of money. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Facility Improvements. Aug 2034.

I noticed that we had £5M in the bank, so decided to try and spend it. 

We have a transfer kitty of £3.4M but unless I can find someone who has previously come through the Academy and then left, and who wants to return again, then the transfer budget is largely useless. 

Most of the £5M came from season ticket sales, (I think).

I've been having a little think about my plan for this year and while we have just had back to back promotions, I think the time is right for some taking of stock and some building of foundations. With that in mind, rather than trying to play our strongest side and do as well as we can, (the board expect us to fight bravely against relegation, which of course means go down), I think I will be investing significant playing time into young players. 

This is going to be my default squad selection this season and you can see that there are 3 teenagers in the starting XI as well as 2 more on the bench, (none of whom are even 19 yet). Assuming that we are good enough to avoid a relegation fight, (I would like to think we are), then I won't worry too much about the results at all this season and will probably look to prioritise Cups if anything. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sunderland. Jun 2034.

I have no internet for approx 1 week, (while I change suppliers), so I am just going to keep notes and I'm afraid there will be no pictures. 

As we start life in the Championship, we now have a Transfer budget of £3.4M, despite the fact that we have only £366,000 in the bank. Importantly though, our wage budget is £74,874, however we are spending only £46,582 per week. 

Our expectations this season are that we attempt to avoid relegation.

(32a) Pearson (2032) (F.Amb) has finished being tutored by Bobby (Res) HG and is now (32a) Pearson (2032) (F.Pro). If I have someone available I will still look to tutor him once more, improving both his (Pro) and (Det).
 

Sunderland. Jul 2034.

I have signed a new 3 year contract with the club.
 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sunderland. Youth Intake. Mar 2035.

There is something that I find myself repeating again and again in my current 2 threads and it's "Any Youth Intake with a 5.0 PA player is a good intake".

4 players with a 5.0 PA is a bit special by anyone's standards. That being said, we have to remember that these star ratings are based on a comparison with the best players at the club, and the reality is that in this case, (while I am delighted with the intake), it says as much about the low quality of the best players currently at the club, as it does the high PA levels of these players. 

While I can't count this as anything other than a good intake, what's enormously frustrating is that of the 7 best players, (rated by PA), 6 of them play in a position that I don't currently use. That means that I effectively have to alter the tactic that has brought me success, re-train them to play in a position that I do use, or just develop them for sale without playing them, (which is easier said than done).

(35a) Fowler (Bal) (2035) *.

He is listed as a winger above, but thankfully he see,s all striker rather than winger, and indeed his suitability for the DF role rather than a wide position gives me room for optimism. I don't like a pace attribute in single figures, but I'm sure it won't be for very long and I can see this player immediately featuring in the Championship, (albeit not in a team challenging for promotion).

(35b) Heary (IRL) (F.Det) *.

While there doesn't seem to be a huge difference between player (35a) and (35b), I think they will soon diverge as their development takes them in different directions. This fact should allow them to play together at the same time in the same team, (and they have already done so), but don't expect them to be pulling up trees any time soon. Senior performances at this stage should be seen as an investment in the future rather than an expectation of immediate success in terms of senior performances. 

(35c) McGurk (Bal) *.

(35c) is a proper winger, (or at least IF in the W position), but when I look at his attributes I struggle to see how I can make the best out of him. I don't think his attributes suit wingback at all, (which is often my 1st choice when re-training wingers), and I already have 2 strikers ranked ahead of him in just this years intake. Does that mean I have to develop him for sale without ever playing him? It's not ideal, but I may have no option. 

(35d) Edge (F.Pro) *.

(35d) is yet ANOTHER winger?  How's my luck? Meh! I'm really not sure what I am going to do with (35c) and (35d) at all. A 5,0 left AND right winger suggests that perhaps I should develop a tactic that uses wingers. Doesn't it?

[Jimbokav1971]

Youngest Championship goal-scorer. Apr 2035.

[Jimbokav1971]

FA Youth Cup Champions. May 2035.

This is only my 3rd full season at this club, (started in League 2), so to win the FA Youth Cup so quickly from such a lowly starting point is pretty pleasing. All these players are products of the Academy and the only players I have signed at Sunderland have been players who have previously come through our Academy, (and even then only 4 of them). To the best of my knowledge, Sunderland have never won this trophy before and it should said that for forget about winning these games with tactical nous, (I am just pressing the IR button for all games remember), I haven;t even started to pick the squad for U18's yet, (because I wasn't expecting us to be competitive at this level). 

To put this success into perspective, not only are we not in Division 1 of the U18's structure, we didn't even finish in the Top 2, (which qualifies for a Playoff Semi-Final with the other section).It should also not be ignored that of the 4 intakes that I have had while at the club, a number of the best eligible players were not selected because they are currently making an impact in the senior squad. 

(34b) Logan (Unamb) * has made 17 senior appearances this season. 

(33a) Lewis Williams (Res) * has made 11 senior appearances this season.

(34d) Elliott (Bal) has made 7(3) appearances this season.

(34a) Fenney (Unamb) (2034) * has made 5 senior appearances this season.

(35a) Fowler (Bal) (2035) * has made 3(1) senior appearances this season.

(35c) McGurk (Bal) * has made 2 senior appearances this season.

(35d) Edge (F.Pro) * has made 2 senior appearances this season.

(33b) Martyn Ainslie (F.Pro) * has made 2 senior appearances this season.

(35b) Heary (IRL) (F.Det) * has made 1 senior appearance this season.

(33d) Kev Arnison (Bal) has made 1 senior appearance this season.

(32e) Joe (IRL) (Res) has made 1 senior appearance this season.

(33e) Scott Hockton (F.Loyal) has made 0(1) appearances this season.

All the above players were still eligible to play in the FA Youth Cup this season and many didn't.

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. May 2035.

[Jimbokav1971]

Protest. Jun 2035.

I'm a little torn with this offer if I'm honest. I don't want to sell our best players because we can't just go out and buy a replacement, but at the same time we are very much a selling club and this is a lot of money. We are currently £3M in credit at the bank, but if you look at the previous post you will see that our bill for the Academy alone is currently £3.78M per season.

There are 3 years remaining on his contract, so it would seem silly to get rid of him now when we will be seriously weakened by his departure. If we could keep him for just 1 more season, then the youngsters will have another year under their belt and be that much closer to stepping up and filling the void created by his absence. 

The following pictures shows his importance to us. It's sorted by PA, but while top of the pile (33a) Lewis Williams (Res) * is eligible to play in the middle of the park, he is very much a work in progress. (Having said that, he would play much more often if Stewart (NIR) (Bal) HG * left. It should also be said that (33d) Kev Arnison (Bal) is VERY much a striker rather than a midfielder, and I don't expect him ever to feature for us in the middle of the pitch under any circumstances. 

None of the players are the finished article yet. I actually play with a BWM(d) and a BBM(s), so you can see from the "best role's" that there is significant room for improvement here. Even Martin (IRL) (Spirited), (he has "popped" from (Jovial) to (Spirited) but I hadn't edited his nickname, is not at all like a BWM of my choosing. (Far too much technical footballing ability and not enough destruction power). 

I protested the transfer and they weren't having it, so I protested again and it worked at the 2nd attempt. 

He's 22 years old and is willing to sign a new contract, (albeit that we can't come to terms at the moment), and he has 3 years left on his contract anyway. 

We have 9 players at the club who are valued at £1M+ and whom I would be FAR more willing to sell in order to bring in some cash.

Rivers (F.Pro) for example is 30 years old and valued at $4.3M and is 30 years old and NOT a product of our Youth Academy. Yes he has scored 123 goals in 186(17) appearances since we signed him on a free, but he's really not very good and I would much prefer to flog him for less than his asking price than sell a younger player for significantly more. He's just scored 29 League goals in a Championship season where we finished 13th and has 2 years left on his contract. There should be people queuing up to make me an offer for him.

I have lowered my valuation of him to £3M from £5M and I would gladly accept that. I haven't listed him for transfer because I don't want to upset the apple-cart, but plan at this stage of the season is to start him next season and then hopefully list him for transfer as the goals start to fly in. Then, assuming I sell him, I think whoever replaces him will continue to score goals in that position at a similar or even increased rate.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Domestic U21 Player fund. Jun 2035.

The average amount awarded to Championship clubs for use of U21 players last season was £12,500 and that we were awarded only £8,500 suggests some sort of under-achievement on our part. I'm hoping that this will increase in the next few seasons, but I also think that there will be a ceiling of sorts because just because we are focusing on Home Grown players at club, doesn't automatically suggest that these players will be under a certain age. 

[Jimbokav1971]

£3M bid for left-back. Jul 2035.

We've had a bid of £3M for Ed (Bal) from Bolton who finished bottom of the Premier League last season. 

He's valued at £4.1M and has 3 years left on his contract. At 26 years old his value is likely to increase further rather than decline, but at the same time I would rather sell a player who is not a product of our Academy rather than see one of our HG starlets sold from under me. 

The only problem with that is that he is our 1st choice left back right now and we don't have a lot of depth coming through in the WBL position. 

Working from the top down, (32b) Naielle (DMA) (F.Pro) * is a right back, Ed (Bal) is the player in question, (32a) Pearson (2032) (F.Pro) is the 2nd choice WBL, and after that they are either not actually a left back or a left wing-back, or will never be of the required quality. I think I want to keep Ed (Bal) for another season at least in the hope that even if we don't get a good DL/WBL through the intake, we will at least be strengthened in other areas allowing us to possibly carry a weaker player in this position at times. 

[Reggiana]

I'm most curious as to why LA Galaxy were offering £7.25m but still asking you to chip in on the bloke's wages!

What are your finances currently listed as in terms of description? I always find that the board are far less likely to accept bids themselves if finances are listed as secure or better.

[Jimbokav1971]

10 hours ago, Reggiana said:

I'm most curious as to why LA Galaxy were offering £7.25m but still asking you to chip in on the bloke's wages!

What are your finances currently listed as in terms of description? I always find that the board are far less likely to accept bids themselves if finances are listed as secure or better.

You know I hadn't even noticed that. Good spot. 

This is what they are now on 15th Dec 2035, but obviously the above bid was made in Jun 2035. I haven't sold anyone though so I wouldn't have thought there would have been any significant change in our finances other than the usual season-ticket sales, (which are actually significant as you would expect).

It does seem strange now that you have highlighted it. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake. Mar 2036.

I hear and read a lot of FM players saying that they never get good intakes and it's a waste of money investing in Youth and the game has given the opportunity for these players to dispense with Youth Intakes completely, (and Youth Teams in fact), and has replicated the model that Brentford, (and other clubs), use in real life whereby they don't develop their own Youth players at all and instead just snap up players discarded by the big boys and run a B-Team instead. I would have thought that this would have been harder in this save, (Hard Brexit remember), which obviously seriously limits the signing of young players from foreign Countries, but Brentford have been following this model with pretty decent success in this save. (That being said they have won only 3 of their last 22 Premier League games, so they might be back in the Championshiop last year). They are at least a Premier League side now though.

Anyway, the reason for mentioning this alternative method of playing, (instead of developing your own youth), is because people complain about the standard of their intakes again and again and again. I don't seem to have the same problem.

Now before you look at this and get carried away, don't look at the PA stars and think... omfg how does he do this because you have to remember that these stars are based on the best players in my squad currently, so the suggestion is that quite a few of these players have the potential to be better than the best players currently at my club. Well that sounds great doesn't it, but rather than thinking, "Sunderland are 3rd in the Championship in March and might very well be playing in the Premier League next season, think of it instead that these are largely the players that I inherited in league 2 a few years ago. That they have won 2 league titles in a row, won another cup and seem to be on track for a 3rd successive promotion does not make them good players. It just means that there is something in them for me to work with, (although we certainly do have some good players). I am managing this team specifically as a Youth Only club, but you also have to remember that I am also managing another club in this save as my main save. It started off with HK in Iceland and then I moved to Stade Rennais in France and I am currently at Chelsea in England, (although possibly not for much longer). The players that Chelsea have just had through their intake put this bunch to absolute shame. That's the crux of it. The PA rating on these players is relative. Relative to the the best players already at this club. Nothing else matters. I seem to say it at every intake that any intake with 1 5.0 PA player is a good intake. This intake has 1 5.0 PA player and 5 more who are 4.5 PA. The initial signs are that this is a VERY good intake. 

To put things into perspective, the following pic shows all players from all squads at the club and lists them by PA. 

The 1st thing that jumps out at me is that 6 of this years intake are in the top 22 players at the club ranked by PA. There are 5 from the 2035 intake, 4 from the 2034 intake, 1 from the 33 intake, 1 from the 33 intake and 4 players who I inherited at the club. 

The 2nd thing is, if we want to know how good these player might be, well look at the valuations of the players who are ranked below them.  Ed (Bal) is bottom of the list and is valued at £6M, Karl (F.Pro) HG is near the bottom and is valued at £7.75M and Stewart (NIR) (Bal) HG * is valued at £4.5M. Even if we stay in the Championship and don't get promoted, then the suggestion here is that the value of the players ranked above these 3 is likely to be above this £5, £6M or £7M range when they reach their peak. If we can develop them while keeping their initial wage demands down, (a 3+3 year contract takes a player through to 23), then it should be quite easy to sell these players on for a profit if that's what I want to do. Just because they won't make 100's of appearances for the club doesn't mean that they haven't contributed if the proceeds received from their sale contribute to the club longer-term. I don't think that there are any superstars here, but it's Sunderland, what did you expect? What there are however is players who will improve the club in the longer-term. That's all that I want. 

(36a) Lee Jenkins (F.Amb) *.

He's not brilliant, but I am possibly comparing him to my Chelsea intake. He certainly has the potential to be decent. The thing is, he's a winger and I'm just not using wingers at the moment. He's very quick though and looks to have an excellent attribute balance for the winger role. I often try to re-train winger to either striker, central midfielders or especially wing-backs, but I don't think any of those roles are suited to this player and I will look to continue his development as a winger. If I have to loan him out, (and then even sell him), then so be it.

(36b) Danny Dudley (F.Pro).

[Edit]

Cancel the above. 

Game crashed and I lost the intake and about 2 months of games. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake. Mar 2036. (Take II).

This intake is actually better than the 1st one although both of them are "Golden Generations". We had 1x 5.0 PA player in the 1st intake and we have 3x 5.0 PA players in the 2nd intake 

(36a) Lumsdon (F.Sport)(2036)*.

I like the look of him. I prefer an AF to a P but that doesn't look like it's going to be a problem. I'm not completely sure what I think about "Moves into channels" is not really something I want my Poacher's to do. "Places shots" certainly is something I want my Poachers and AF's to do. "Plays no through balls" is neither here nor there. You can't see it, but he also has "does not dive into tackles".

(36b) Baitey (Pro) *.

He's most suited to the roles of Mezzala and CM, but with the PPM of "Gets Forward Wherever Possible" I see him more as a BBM. I don't like his workrate, but I do like his pace, first touch and personality. 

(36c) Bridge (F.Det) *.

We've produced a few good GK's already and this bloke is another to add to the list. His positioning leaves a little to be desired, but I really like the look of him. 

Squad sorted by PA.

It's obvious that we have a fair bit of potential at the club, and when you consider that we are currently top if the Championship and on course for a 3rd consecutive promotion, (only having signed 4 players all who were previously products of our Academy), then it's certainly a suggestion that there is more to come. 

GK Depth by PA. 

27yo Tinnion (Perfect) HG has been 1st choice from the day I arrived and after helping us ride through the Divisions he has now accumulated over 300 appearances. I'm really surprised and even confused that he is only valued at £350,000 and I will be trying to work out why that is. 

DL/WBL Depth by PA.

Ed (Bal) is one of our more valuable players at £4.5M and while (32a) Pearson (2032) (F.Pro) was our best option of replacing him, I have managed to re-train (35c) McGurk (Bal) * as a WBL from  AML and he is now our brightest prospect in this position. It might possibly be a case of an attacking option and a more conservative one with these 2 players. 

DR/WBR Depth by PA.

Gough (Res) has been a key player for us, but even as we chase another promotion, I have been regularly giving (32b) Naielle (DMA) (Res) * game time to drive his development. 

DC Depth by PA. 

This is a real weak area of the squad in my opinion. Anferenee (DOM) (F.Pro) HG is a DR rather than a DC and only (32c) Tom Bell (F.Pro) and now (36f) Bob Brass (F.Pro) have the potential to make an impact here. This is really frustrating as I got 3 centre-backs through the intake before the crash. 

DM/MC Depth by PA.

Stewart (NIR) (Bal) HG * and Karl (F.Pro) HG are our 2 stars in the middle of the pitch and it's brilliant that there are 4 players who have the potential to pass them and another couple who have the potential to reach a similar level. 

SC Depth by PA.

When you consider that Rivers (F.Pro) has scored 112 league goals in 181 league games since I arrived, including 45 in 71 at Championship level while only being a 3.0 CA/PA player. We have 4x 5.0 PA strikers 

[Jimbokav1971]

Progress. May 2036. 

I took over Sunderland on 12.12.2031.

2030/31. 1st part-season. League 2. We did well to finish in the Playoffs in the end but AFC Wimbledon beat us in the Semi-Finals. All that mattered to me was keeping my job and building for the following season.

2031/32. 1st full season. League 2. After last season's relative success I was reluctant to get too carried away and instead just hoped for a top-half comfortable finish. Instead we again made the Playoffs, before Chesterfield beat us both home and away in the Playoff Semi's.

2032/33. 2nd full season. League 2. After 2 seasons in the Playoffs, I was confidant that we would challenge for the title at the 3rd attempt. 2 different runs of 7 successive wins meant that we won the league with ease in the end. 

2033/34. 3rd full season. League 1. My goal this season was simply to avoid being relegated again. I am far more about the long game then any short-term success, so promotion as Champions at the 1st attempt was a big surprise.

As if being promoted as League 1 Champions at the 1st attempt wasn't a big enough surprise we also somehow won the Checkatrade Trophy. In hindsight, I think we won the Cup because where as my usual tactic is to prioritise the league and field a weakened team in the Cups, in this case I actually prioritised the Cups because we were over-achieving so much in the League and we somehow ended up winning both.

2034/35. 4th full season. Championship.

We are now in the Premier League with very limited finances. Despite only having £3.6M in the bank, the board have granted me a transfer budget of £29M which we are obviously unlikely to spend as we will only be signing players who have previously come through our own Academy, (with no exceptions). We have a wage budget of £419k and are spending only £149k of it so I am hopeful that our finances shouldn't be an issue. There is a reasonable to fair chance that we will get relegated again immediately, but as long as I don't get sacked I am ok with that. (Seriously, it's all about the long game). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Bradley would have been 7 today. 

2037 Youth Intake. Mar 2037. 

Golden Generation? 

Golden Generations seem ten-a-penny nowadays so I tend to not pay too much attention to that label. Three 5.0 PA players, two 4.5 PA players and a 4.0 PA player is certainly pleasing though.

(37a) Lynch (Bal).

I don't use wingers at the moment and he looks.... reasonable or even decent at best. Not much more and I'm a little underwhelmed I'm afraid. 

(37b) Green (MSR) (Det).

A striker with finishing of just 4? That will make him a defensive forward then I guess. He looks decent actually. 

(37c) Scott (F.Pro).

Now this is more like it. A BWM who can pass and is (F.Pro) too. 

Squad sorted by PA. 

The top 3 from this years intake go straight to the top of the list by PA and we now have no less than 17 players at the club who are rated 5.0 PA, all of whom are products of our Academy. 

[Jimbokav1971]

U18 Premier Division Cup Champions. Mar 2037.

Despite Newcastle beating us in the Group stage, We became U18 Premier Division Cup Champions at the 1st attempt. 

We didn't fare so well in the FA Youth Cup as we fell to Newcastle again.

Needless to say they have also beaten us once in the league this season, so Newcastle are becoming a bit of a nemesis to us. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Summary. May 2037.

Remember, this thread is about Sunderland rather than my music update Chelsea. This Sunderland squad is 100% Academy based where 

After 3 promotions on my resume, I now also have a relegation.  I think my job is still safe though.

Cups were very much secondary to staying in the League, but it was a fruitless sacrifice as we went down anyway.

At U23 level it was a bit of a mixed bag, but we don't yet have a full U23 squad so it's to be expected.

U19 level was little better, and we managed to collect more silverware at this level in the shape of the U18 Premier Division Cup FInal.. 

Finances are looking pretty decent and we are still going to receive a parachute payment next season.

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

2038 Youth Intake. Mar 2038.

Golden Generations really are ten-a-penny nowadays.

4 x 5.0 players is great. The fact that there is a reasonable amount of CA to go with it is also pleasing.

(38a) McAndrew (Res) (2038) *.

(38b) Hitchcock (F.Pro) *.

(38c) Jones (Res) *.

(38d) Humphreys (WAL) (Unamb)*.

Looking back at some of the better players previously produced.... Those listed below still have a 5.0 PA rating.

(37a) Lynch (Bal) (2037) *.

I'm not using wingers so he isn't going to get much of an opportunity to play. I don't see him being capable of playing at wing-back, centrally but he might be able to do a job up front as a DF so that's what he's being re-trained as. We've got a few brighter prospects ahead of him at the moment so I expect him to be loaned out and then sold once he is 21+.

(37b) Green (MSR) (Det) *.

(37b) shows what (37a) is up against in terms of the DF role. I much prefer (37b), he doesn't need re-training and just looks more suited to the role. 

(37c) Scott (F.Pro) *.

He has been loaned out to League 1 MK Dons in an effort to fast-track his development.

(36a) Lumsdon (F.Sport)(2036)*.

(36a) is a more attacking option up front and despite the fact that he is only 17, he has performed admirably in the Championship this season, scoring 21 goals and creating 16 assists in all competitions. 

(36b) Baitey (Pro) *.

(36b) looks to have a decent attribute balance and a good personality to boot. He's been performing ok in the Championship this season but there is obviously more to come. 

(36c) Bridge (F.Det) *.

(36c) is one of 2 GK's on the 5.0 list. He's actually ahead of (34a) in the pecking order despite being a year younger. He made 5 Premier League appearances last season as we were relegated and has made 10 more in the Championship this season. 

(36d) Pearson (F.Pro) *.

(36d) is finding it hard breaking into the Senior squad at the moment. He's managed to score an FA Cup goal, but no success in the league as yet. He's developing ok, nut probably needs more game-time than he is getting with us at the moment so I will try to get him out on loan.

(36f) Bob Brass (F.Pro) *.

(36f) is the 1st centre-half on the list. I like his attribute balance and his personality. 

(35a) Fowler (Bal) (2035) *.

(35b) Heary (IRL) (F.Det) *.

(35c) McGurk (Bal) *.

(35d) Edge (F.Pro) *.

(35e)  Craig Ainslie (Amb) *.

(34a) Fenney (Unamb) (2034) 

(34b) Logan (F.Pro) *.

(34c) Keighren (Res) *.

(33a) Lewis Williams (Res) *.

[Edit]

This is a screenshot of all the 5.0 PA players at the club, (there are 21 of them). You might be thinking "how the hell has he got so many 5.0 PA players?", but the reality is that because the standard of our best player by CA isn't very high, (it's 4.0), all these youngsters look amazing in comparison. They are going to be good, (I hope they are going to be very good), but the reason that their PA appears quite so high is that they are being compared to players who are not very good. We've just been relegated from the Premier League and are just outside the Playoff positions in the Championship with 11 games to play. If we manage to make the Playoffs and go up then brilliant, but my priority is player development and giving these young players the game-time to aid their development ahead of team performances and results.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Summary. May 2038.

Premier League. 

I have no idea how we got promoted to the Premier League and it would have been a miracle had we avoided the drop last season. We didn't and then over-achieved this season just to make the Playoffs. We lost against Birmingham but this was still better than I expected. 

FA Cup.

We drew with Spurs away and then beat them at our place, but despite that we still lost out in the end. 

Carabao Cup.

Am I meant to care about this? 

U23 Division 3 North.

I actually care more about this than I do the Carabao Cup, but our very 1st intake are now only 22 and with the best players in the Senior Squad, the back-ups aren't good enough to move us on at this level. It will take another couple of seasons to see real progress here I think. 

U18 Division 2 North.

This was better progress. Obviously our better players are in the Senior Squad and that really weakens us at this level. If I have a look at how many senior appearances were made this season by player eligible for this competition, then I think the total comes to something like 203(38) appearances. That's pretty decent, even for me. 

We weren't finished as Runners up though and went on to win the Playoffs and be crowned Champions, (of what I;m not 100% clear). 

FA Youth Cup.

We went out to eventual winners Chelsea, but they are really impressive at this level and we can't complain. We are quite a few years behind them in terms of structure and development.