FM19: The English Football League thread

[Rollin93]

Well after not even a day being Sunderland I have decided to change to Leeds!!! 

No more changing for me!😂

[robterrace]

So..

First bit of business for me at Wigan..

Out goes Leonardo da Silva Lopes to Southampton for £1.1m, and Will Grigg to Palace for £7.5m.

Only get a quarter of all that to spend, so, Will Keane comes in up front, and I'm trying to find other players to play a role elsewhere in the team.

[warlock]

@robterrace Good to have you back in the hunt. Will be following with interest.

@Rollin93 Nothing wrong with dipping a toe in the water, but sooner or later you have to dive in . Good luck with Leeds.

[robterrace]

Thanks @warlock, had a real malaise for playing FM in recent weeks, then got back into it massively a few days back.

[sammo10]

Forest Green - Pre-Season update 2019/2020

 

Transfers out

We let 6 leave. None of them really featured last year. Rueben Reid the most notable, but he was never really close to being League one level considering the limited game time he had last year. We also had 4 loans end that left the team light. 

 

Transfers in

With the squad being very thin and a large squad with a lot more quality needing to be added I was pretty busy in the window with 13 coming in. 

Loans - Harry Souttar was the biggest signing for us in terms of loan deals. He is the one i expect to come in and be a really key player. Should be very comfortable at this level and hopefully will have a very solid partnership with Rawson at the back. Foulds and Osei-Tutu were to cover both sides of Full back. Foulds wasn't as necessary with us already having Mills and Mcginley, unfortunately Mills want to move back to the A-League and could be off for around £115K so I thought I'd bring him in early considering we don't have to pay anything. Garre and Richards are both number tens from City. Garre came in first however I noticed a 'ywp' symbol next to his name. I know it youth work permit, but I have no idea what the rules are on it. Does anyone know ? Looking at it seems he might not be allowed to play competitive games. The two League games I have played so far he's been injured so I haven't been able to test it. This is why Richards also came in. Once I know Garre's situation I will make a decision and send one of them back. 

Free Transfers - Sam Slocombe has come in to be number one goalkeeper. He had a great spell on loan last season in League two, gaining promotion with Lincoln. Hopefully he can prove again that he is a League one goalkeeper, where he has played for most of his career. Max Clayton joins from Blackpool. He can play in all 3 positions behind the striker and also as a striker himself. He could prove invaluable as cover in all these areas. Tyrell Warren is  a player I've got high hopes for. A centre back with pace and has lots of potential to play at a much higher level. Matthew Virtue will primarily be here to play in the centre of midfield. Coming in from Liverpool he's another with plenty of potential. He's also got the ability to play on the wings and at full back, so like Clayton could prove very handy. 

Transfers - Chuks Aneke is the marquee signing. The rest of the doidge money has been spent on him. With MK Dons not going up I gave him the opportunity to step up and I hope delivers as I've invested a lot into him. Ariyibi will give us another option. Hopefully can get him back to playing his best football that got him the move to Forest. Gives us another option on the wing with pace and trickery. Finally Kyle Jacobs arrives to give us some defensive stability in midfield. 

 

Squad

The squad we will be heading into the season with. 

 

@smplfc Nice start to League one with Reading. Looks like a solid overhaul you've had there with some good experience coming in.

@DefinitelyTaylor Thanks! I would definitely recommend it. I'm really enjoying this save and have done for the past 3 versions FM. Sadly Bolton managed to complete the Doidge on my save, so I didn't get the nice surprise of him returning. 

Edited January 12, 2019 by sammo10

[robterrace]

I like signings like this.

[smplfc123]

@sammo10 Thanks mate, very busy window for yourself! Max Clayton looks like he could turn out to be a shrewd signing with the versatility he offers you.

 

@robterrace Good luck with the overhaul mate, i've had a lot of fun with my Reading one so far!

[robterrace]

Wigan 2019/20.

Introducing the squad and signings.

Scouts sent out to all reaches of Europe to find players as, we needed a back 4, and something different up front instead of Grigg and Garner.

The main focus was players under 26/27 years of age, with the aim of building a solid core of players for the future, as well as ones who would have some resale value for the inevitable retooling after a promotion.

Another focus would be versatility, as I didn't want to spend massive amounts on getting out of League One, so players who could fit a couple of positions would be advantageous.

Outgoings.

Mainly a few unhappy players, and released players.

Board accepted the Grigg offer, which allowed us to get a bit of money in, and Kipre put in a transfer request, so went for a bit less than I wanted.

Nice little bit of money incoming, and potential for more, as Morsy and Lee Evans are unhappy and want out, although, that would take out my team leaders.

 

Incomings

A 'feeder' deal was signed with Manchester United, which saw Angel Gomes and Axel Tuanzebe join on loan. James Garner and Tatith Chong are in negotiations, and along with Arsenal youngster Ben Sheaf, will make up the 5 loanees for the season.

With Jan Mucha retiring, and Christian Walton returning to Brighton post loan, there was space for a couple of keepers.

Spurs trainee Alfie Whiteman joined for £275k, alongside Tim Erlandsson, who was released by Nottingham Forest.

The main signing at the back, however, was Marius Muller. The big German joins from RB Leipzig, where he had spent the last season on the bench, and found himself on the transfer list.

-

In defence, we needed an entire back 4.

Tuanzebe and Sheaf add depth at the back, with the young Manchester United centre back likely to play most of the season.

20 year old Swede, Filip Ornblom was identified as a prospect following a quick scout, and matched what we wanted in terms of strength and pace, with work still to do technically and mentally. For £200k, he could be a work in progress for a couple of seasons, and function as a 4th CB when needed.

 

The final CB signing was one who was found on the transfer list in Serie A. 

Czech defender, Stefan Simic was transfer listed at the San Siro having been declared his intention to leave Milan, and a quick scout placed him far in front of anything I had left in the team (they rated him better than Dunkley and Kipre, both of whom were due to depart). The prototypical centre half, good in the air, strong and fairly quick, he'd be first choice.

At full back, Nathan Byrne remained on the right side, although, having declared his unhappiness at the clubs relegation, he wants to leave. 

Ben Sheaf is also capable of playing at full back, and this option may be explored should Byrne leave and not be replaced.

On the other side, two left backs came in.

The first, a 25 year old Swede, Pa Konate, who joined from Spal in Italy for £400k. Pacy, he was happy to join as a backup, and would probably split time with the other full back who came in.

Second signing at left back is Harry Toffolo. The 23 year old joins from League Two Lincoln City, who accepted £325k for him. Again, a very solid left back, providing a dead ball danger as well.

More to come...

 

[smplfc123]

Wow @robterrace that makes my overhaul look like a quiet window! 

[robterrace]

Second Part...

Defensive Midfield wise, we have Sam Morsy and Lee Evans, however, both of them have been making noises about wanting to leave.

Part of the concerted efforts to scout far and wide, saw the Italian/Southern European scout pick out a defensive midfielder who would fit into the style I wanted, decent workrate and fitness were his hallmarks, as well as his tackling, technique and passing, all things that would make him an efficient play breaker and distributor.

He was transfer listed at Venezia after 1 season there, and a £1m fee saw Andrea Schiavone join on a 3 year deal.

Depending on what happens up to the start of the season, may see another permanent signing, but, James Garner, an 18 year old defensive midfielder is set to join on loan.

Next up is the wings.

Again, I want players able to play on both sides, and the first is a free transfer from Manchester City, Brandon Barker.

Also coming in is Yanic Wildschut, the 27 year old Dutchman able to play down both flanks, and having spent 18 months on loan at the DW between 2015 and 2017, he is familiar with the club.

The 3rd winger signed is a bit out of left field, having over 100 appearances in the Spanish Tercera Leagues, Diego Villares appeared as a possible signing for free, and although he wasn't a 100% recommendation, he has some attributes which may make him an interesting project.

 

Manchester United youngster Tatith Chong is also set to come in, and will fill the rotation/3rd winger spot.

The 'Number 10' role is one that will probably change greatly in the coming weeks, with Nick Powell the current first choice there.

He, however, has an active release fee that kicked in after relegation, and won't discuss a new deal.

This, is where the deal with Manchester United has come up trumps, with highly rated youngster, Angel Gomes joining on loan. Not the greatest defensively, I intend to use him as an out and out offensive weapon when given the opportunity, as his range of passing and pace will give him plenty of space to work.

 

Lastly, we have the forwards.with Will Grigg and Leonardo Da Silva Lopes departing, there were a couple of spaces for improvements.

The first, former Manchester United trainee, Will Keane. He had been at Wigan early in his career, and whilst not prolific, he has the right sort of movement and workrate attributes to fit into the tactical plan I want. He came on a free transfer from Hull, so the initial outlay isn't great either.

The next is Frenchman, Thomas Robinet, who had spent all of his career at Sochaux, in his homeland.

Able to play the 4 main roles across attacking midfield and striker, again, his work and movement attributes fit what I want.

A free transfer deal was reached.

Theres another month of the window left, and a couple of weeks to the start of the season.

Still a few holes to fill.

[jonathan44]

2 hours ago, robterrace said:

Second signing at left back is Harry Toffolo. The 23 year old joins from League Two Lincoln City, who accepted £325k for him. Again, a very solid left back, providing a dead ball danger as well.

More to come...

 

I think over the years Harry Toffolo and Chochev have been 2 players I've signed the most, nice to see him again!

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - Season 4 - Part 4

I couldn't have asked for a better end to the season as we only lost once in the final ten games. We picked up draws agianst Tottenham, Arsenal and local rivals Crystal Palace, and secured a number of victories including one against Man City. One disappointment was that Abraham was unable to find the net all season, although this was alleviated by the fact young Markovic continued to score. Chong took a little longer than expected to get match fit, but once he was fit he made a big contribution. I will be hoping to try and renew his loan for next season. 

We finished the season in 9th place, which well exceeded my expectations from before the season had started. We have a young team and will look to try and bring in even more quality, so hopefully this is a great platform to build from.

League success aside, the highlight of the season was that we were able to lift the FA Cup. After exiting the Carabao Cup at the Semi Final stage to Bournemouth, we exacted revenge and beat them at Wembley, in the FA Cup Semi Final. Iuhas, who is just 18 years old, scored an important goal in the game, before Cullen (who has been with us since League One) scored the all important goal in Extra Time. The Final pitted us against Arsenal, who had a strong season which included winning the Europa League after defeating PSG in the Final. We dominated possession and in fact could have even won by a greater margin (although I was more than happy just to win!).

I was delighted to win my first silverware with Charlton and this means we will ourselves compete in the Europa League next season. That will present it's own challenges as we juggle Europe with our domestic commitments, but it is a challenge I am looking forward to taking on.

Bielik was awarded the Fan's Player of the Season award - he featured in more games than any other player (48 times), was consistently resolute and formed a great partnership with Antov, who also had a great debut season in the Premier League. Henderson had a great season, with 18 clean sheets in all competitions - my big worry is that top teams are going to start paying him attention soon. I made Pacheco the club's record signing in the summer (albeit this was trumped by the signing of Tymon in January) and I feel the outlay was justified as he was our most creative player, providing 11 assists and scoring 9 goals

Our top goalscorer was Markovic with 15 goals. A very respectable tally for a young forward, which would likely have been bettered if I had not regretfully dropped him for a period to accommodate new signing Abraham. One of the most satisfying elements of the campaign was the fact that, along with Bielik, players who have been with me since we were in League One - Cullen and Aribo - continued to make important contributions.

Next season will be particularly interesting as the Qatar 2022 World Cup will see the Premier League feature a winter break for the first time - I am intrigued to see how this affects things.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Dong21

[smplfc123]

Congratulations on an excellent season @Dong21, FA Cup success is very impressive. 

[warlock]

Barnsley: Season 2, the Championship

As indicated above, we got off to a very poor start after promotion last time. I knew things would be tougher but I couldn't fathom how we'd gone from so good last year to so bad this. The players were like deer in headlights - utterly paralysed in the first games of the season.

Transfers

By and large, I stuck with the squad that won the L1 title so handsomely. The only player I wanted to move on was Mamadou Thiam, who was a natural AML (which I don't use) and a makeshift CF. He signed for French outfit Stade Lavallois for £180k. Having lost one of my brightest youngsters in January when Southampton swooped for Jordan Williams, I suffered again when Swansea came in for promising midfielder Callum Styles with a guaranteed payment of £1m. Coming the other way, our first signing was Mike-Steven Bahre, a loan signing who had been one of our best players as a WP on the left. He was snapped up for a bargain £300k. At RB, Liverpool youngster Connor Randall was available on a free transfer after making a few cameo appearances on loan, He also joined permanently. To fill a vacant slot upfront, Forest's Jason Cummings was available on loan for what looked like cheap money at £6k a week. Finally, we renewed the loans of LB/CB Galloway from Everton, CM Lewis Wing from 'Boro, and CB Ro-Shaun Williams from Man Utd. On paper, the squad looked at least as good as last year's, and with stronger cover in key areas.

Early Form

As above, we started the season in abysmal fashion with three league defeats and a single draw. A good win against Lincoln in the Carabao Cup gave some hope, albeit against lower league opposition, reinforced by a gritty 1-0 home win against Fulham. But then we were bounced out of the Carabao by L1 Sunderland in a lifeless performance that left me so furious I had to put the save on ice for a week.

After a lot of time looking at the tactic and trying to find obvious weaknesses, I decided there really weren't any. All I really needed was better performances from the players, but I added one tweak, a slightly lower tempo, to help us keep the ball a little better.

Returning to action, we put together back-to-back victories, and two draws including one against league leaders Millwall in which we twice had the lead but couldn't see out the win. Ignoring the defeat to Sunderland, that run of five games without defeat has lifted us to 12th in the table and life suddenly looks a lot better.

But if every silver lining has a cloud, ours is our strikers, whose performances have varied between adequate and appalling. Woodrow is our leading scorer with five, but only two of those have been in league games. Moore also has two, but they both came against Luton - he's done nothing otherwise. Most disappointing is Jason Cummings who in three starts and two sub appearances has done less than Moore - no goals, no assists, and an average rating of 6.3. Given the rave reviews he's had elsewhere this is a massive blow, and I can only hope that he turns things around soon or he'll be shipped back to Nottingham in January. The £6k a week that looked so cheap currently looks horribly expensive.

[smplfc123]

@warlock A solid, if not slightly frustrating start to life in the Championship mate. A shame your strikers haven't started well, but things can change very quickly. James Wilson, who hit the ground running has now started to complain about his game time as other strikers have taken his spot! Hopefully yours will kick on too!

[smplfc123]

Reading Revival 

Mid-Season Update:

So it's the start of February and this is how the table looks:

As you can see the re-build is going rather well. We had a dip in form at the end of September/ start of October, where we lost 3 in 4 games, but since then we have gone 18 games unbeaten, winning the last 10 in a row. Our defence has been solid and really helped put the foundations in place. Apart from a 6-0 hammering of Carlisile, we haven't really handed out many beatings numerically, but we have been in control of so many games and they lads fill me with confidence going in to every game.

CUPS:

The cups haven't gone our way this season. We lost in the 2nd round of the Carabao Cup to Middlesbrough on Pens, went out of the Checkatrade Trophy in the 3rd  round to Arsenal u21's and a complete c**k-up in the FA Cup 3rd round saw us lose 8-0 at Anfield, with that being the score at half time! I overplayed everything in that game, changed the tactics, tried to go overly defensive and started handing out random player instructions out of nowhere, completely lost my nerve and it showed, but a lesson learnt for the future! Luckily that didn't affect my league form though!

SQUAD:

I wouldn't say there's been a stand out player, but more that the whole squad is playing it's part. The changes aren't hurting us, with 10 players in the squad currently averaging a rating over 7 for the season. What's more pleasing that despite our dominance, I've managed to give plenty of game time to some young players. Amian has had 21 starts at RB, Richards 19 at LB and Loader 17 at LM. On the flip side, Leadbitter has been a very shrewd piece of business. Brought in to fill what seemed to be a void in Leadership in the squad, he's gone on to make 17 starts already, really proving to be a good signing. Something i'll look to recreate in the next few windows, bringing in an experienced player in a number of positions.

No transfer activity occurred during January, despite Liam Kelly trying to force a move. Brentford did come in with a deadline day bid, but it wasn't near to what i would accept. Despite his excellent season so far (8 goals and 7 assists in 21 starts) I was happy to let him go if the right bid came in as Marie has also been brilliant in the B2B role, bagging 7 goals and 1 assist in 21 starts. 

As for the strikers, they've taken it in turns. Wilson was quickest out of the blocks, notching up 7 goals in 12 starts in the league. Gary Hooper then came knocking on my door, asking for more chances, so after a good run in the side, Hooper is now on 9 goals in 16 starts in all competitions. After he decided he was happy, i decided it was time to blood Colak in to the position properly, as he was my first choice ST option in the summer after all. He currently sits on 11 goals in 17 starts.

FUTURE:

Similar to as @warlock did with Barnsley, i'm already looking forward to the Championship next season. I'll look to blood some fringe and youth players in to the first team, to see if they have what it takes to stay with the squad beyond the summer. Hopefully it doesn't all go pear-shaped, as the finances could really do with the promotion!

Wish me luck!

Edited January 14, 2019 by smplfc123

[warlock]

2 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

A shame your strikers haven't started well, but things can change very quickly

Well, they didn't change quickly, but they have changed. We went through a pretty solid spell in the run up to Christmas, not winning many but not losing many either. Strikers continued to struggle in the 442, so I decided that having two strikers was a luxury we couldn't afford. Switched to a 4141dm. Like flicking a switch - Woodrow and Cummings, who had been terrible in a front two rotating the AF role ahead of Moore as TM, suddenly flourished in the lone striker role. Don't get me wrong, they're not setting any records but both have upped their contribution by quite a margin. Since making the change we've won 3 of the last 5 with only one defeat.

Looks like your rebuild has done the business - that's an impressive record. Hopefully you can see it through and get back to the glory days of Championship football!

[Jamesbfc1887]

17 hours ago, warlock said:

Barnsley: Season 2, the Championship

As indicated above, we got off to a very poor start after promotion last time. I knew things would be tougher but I couldn't fathom how we'd gone from so good last year to so bad this. The players were like deer in headlights - utterly paralysed in the first games of the season.

Transfers

By and large, I stuck with the squad that won the L1 title so handsomely. The only player I wanted to move on was Mamadou Thiam, who was a natural AML (which I don't use) and a makeshift CF. He signed for French outfit Stade Lavallois for £180k. Having lost one of my brightest youngsters in January when Southampton swooped for Jordan Williams, I suffered again when Swansea came in for promising midfielder Callum Styles with a guaranteed payment of £1m. Coming the other way, our first signing was Mike-Steven Bahre, a loan signing who had been one of our best players as a WP on the left. He was snapped up for a bargain £300k. At RB, Liverpool youngster Connor Randall was available on a free transfer after making a few cameo appearances on loan, He also joined permanently. To fill a vacant slot upfront, Forest's Jason Cummings was available on loan for what looked like cheap money at £6k a week. Finally, we renewed the loans of LB/CB Galloway from Everton, CM Lewis Wing from 'Boro, and CB Ro-Shaun Williams from Man Utd. On paper, the squad looked at least as good as last year's, and with stronger cover in key areas.

Early Form

As above, we started the season in abysmal fashion with three league defeats and a single draw. A good win against Lincoln in the Carabao Cup gave some hope, albeit against lower league opposition, reinforced by a gritty 1-0 home win against Fulham. But then we were bounced out of the Carabao by L1 Sunderland in a lifeless performance that left me so furious I had to put the save on ice for a week.

After a lot of time looking at the tactic and trying to find obvious weaknesses, I decided there really weren't any. All I really needed was better performances from the players, but I added one tweak, a slightly lower tempo, to help us keep the ball a little better.

Returning to action, we put together back-to-back victories, and two draws including one against league leaders Millwall in which we twice had the lead but couldn't see out the win. Ignoring the defeat to Sunderland, that run of five games without defeat has lifted us to 12th in the table and life suddenly looks a lot better.

But if every silver lining has a cloud, ours is our strikers, whose performances have varied between adequate and appalling. Woodrow is our leading scorer with five, but only two of those have been in league games. Moore also has two, but they both came against Luton - he's done nothing otherwise. Most disappointing is Jason Cummings who in three starts and two sub appearances has done less than Moore - no goals, no assists, and an average rating of 6.3. Given the rave reviews he's had elsewhere this is a massive blow, and I can only hope that he turns things around soon or he'll be shipped back to Nottingham in January. The £6k a week that looked so cheap currently looks horribly expensive.

Solid enough start there, things will improve I'm sure. I can't believe you've got rid of Mamadou 

[Gungner]

I've decided to start up with Sunderland.

Four players brought in: Brendan Galloway, loan - Callum Gribbin, loan - Lucas Piazon, loan (with an option to buy) and Will Keane, £425k from Hull.

Five games played in League One, five games won. I'm through to the second round of the Carabao Cup, but the opponent is Reading away, so I think the fun stops there.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

I can't believe you've got rid of Mamadou 

Sorry, but I just couldn't fit him in to the 442. Of course, when I eventually switched to the 4141dm he'd have been perfect. 

Just got through the January window and disaster has struck again. Bids came flying in for all of my key defenders and I fended all of them off until the last day. Leeds offered £2.5m for Ethan Pinnock and that was also rejected. Then at the last possible moment they came back with a £5m offer, and the board accepted it. Desperate rummaging through the scouting centre revealed that not a single decent CB was available to buy or loan. We were within one win of the playoff places and the board has massively weakened the team leaving us with just three CBs and one injury away from disaster .

I need a drink!

[Dong21]

@smplfc123 Thanks!

Looks like you are having a great season with Reading - I'm sure all the more satisfying considering you basically put together the entire squad.

@warlock Mid-table is very respectable for your first season back in the Championship, so don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure with a bit of luck you can push on from there too. Regarding the CB situation, have you taken a look at the free agent market? You can sometimes find some hidden gems there.

[Gungner]

So after several matches in a row where I just couldn't get more than max 2 goals pr match, including a run of four 0-0 games in a row, this happened:

[smplfc123]

Good luck with Sunderland @Gungner!

Hope you saved a drink for me @warlock? I put a right royal jinx on my team by posting that the title was pretty much after going 18 unbeaten! 

Thankfully, I managed to control the awful dip in form and claim this!

Edited January 15, 2019 by smplfc123

[Rollin93]

I’m at work so can’t do screenshots Leeds save has been a surprise challenge currently sitting in 8th mid February. Only 4 points off of a playoff spot 

roofe playing inside forward currently on 19 league goals Bamford struggled that much I’m picking jack clarke over him 

I managed to bring in arp from hamburg for 13 million but he’s struggling to have an impact so far.

 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

@sammo10: Some good business there and I'm looking forward to seeing how you fair in the coming season. A large chunk spent on Aneke, so hopefully he can produce the goods for you.

@robterrace: A lot of transition there, so it'll be interesting to see how the start of the season goes - when the cohesion is not the greatest, potentially. The signing of Yanic Wildschut is quite controversial, as I know Wigan fans aren't too fond of him after leaving to join Norwich and him now being with Bolton. 

@Dong21: Congratulations on a fantastic season all-round, especially claiming silverware in the FA Cup. Lots of things to be positive about! I'm keen to see if the winter World Cup will affect anything too.  

@warlock: A fairly steady start after an exceptional season last campaign. I see Barnsley as a yo-yo side, so just surviving in the division and then building on constant finishes would be good progress in my eyes. Disappointed to see that Cummings, especially, hasn't produced the goals for you.

@smplfc123: Promotion is already pretty much confirmed, so I don't blame you for looking ahead and preparing for the Championship. It would take a major slip up for you not to go up this season. You have assembled a very good squad this season and I have full faith in you doing the same next season.

@Gungner: Cracking result there mate! 

 

[smplfc123]

Thanks @DefinitelyTaylor, here is how it all ended:

So after my last update, the game struck back at my confident approach, putting me on a run of just 3 wins in 10 games, with 1 draw and 6 defeats. I actually believe it was more down to both of my midfield enforcers (Smith and Leadbitter) being out injured for the whole duration of that run. Thankfully we arrested the slide and finished with 5 wins and a draw in our last 6 matches, ending up with 100 points.

Liam Kelly was named our player of the season and Antonio Colak took our top goalscorer award with 16 goals in 25 starts in the league.

I've put pen to paper on a new 2 year contract with the club and I have no interest at looking at other jobs. The aim is to let a few go, but keep the nucleus of the squad as I believe with the right additions, we can achieve the lower ends of mid table safety next season and I don't want to disrupt a title winning squad too much!

I will post another update August 2020!

Wish me luck!

[Dion_Dublins_Saxophone]

Anyone have any advice on players for Villa? Haven't signed anyone and have won 6 from the first 7 using a press.

 

Left-back and centre-backs needed in January I think to prepare for the Premier League...

Edited January 15, 2019 by Dion_Dublins_Saxophone

[DefinitelyTaylor]

Well done on achieving the 100 points mark @smplfc123. 

[robterrace]

8 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

@sammo10: Some good business there and I'm looking forward to seeing how you fair in the coming season. A large chunk spent on Aneke, so hopefully he can produce the goods for you.

@robterrace: A lot of transition there, so it'll be interesting to see how the start of the season goes - when the cohesion is not the greatest, potentially. The signing of Yanic Wildschut is quite controversial, as I know Wigan fans aren't too fond of him after leaving to join Norwich and him now being with Bolton. 

Yeah, I get that..

Just got rid of Morsy for £3m as well, and then Tatith Chong goes and does this on his debut :P

 

[Gungner]

8 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

@Gungner: Cracking result there mate! 

Thanks man! It was The Power of Love that did it! Get it? ... Get it? ... Sorry  

 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

1 minute ago, Gungner said:

Thanks man! It was The Power of Love that did it! Get it? ... Get it? ... Sorry  

 

 I laughed! 

[smplfc123]

3 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Well done on achieving the 100 points mark @smplfc123. 

Thanks mate 

[dothestrand]

Part of me is tempted to try a game with Lincoln as I've never got a team promoted from the bottom division to the Premiership. They have Ellis Chapman, who could really kick on into a handy player at the higher levels. They have a generally decent squad and some spare wage/transfer money but expectations for promotion. Bury are another side I remember having some good young players - they always seem to get regens - Hulme's a good prospect.

Edited January 16, 2019 by dothestrand

[safcgowland]

On 15/01/2019 at 08:13, Gungner said:

So after several matches in a row where I just couldn't get more than max 2 goals pr match, including a run of four 0-0 games in a row, this happened:

What tactics do you use for Sunderland?

I've just started a save with them and lost the first two games without scoring and struggled to get the team working well.

[Gungner]

I've struggled to score as well throughout the season, never getting more than 2 goals a match and four 0-0 draws in row, before that match came around. Don't know why it happened, I hadn't changed anything. I've since gone back to not really scoring much... I guess that match was just one of those that happen every once in a trillion.

Anyways, I use a custom tactic meant for Roma. It can be found in the Italian League thread.

[warlock]

Barnsley: Season 2, May

Having worked our way through the bad start to the season, the January window saw us established in mid-table and not far from the playoff positions. I had hoped to use the window to strengthen the squad but we probably ended up a little weaker after losing Pinnock in the board-approved transfer, and some idiocy on my part. Cover LB Pinillos had missed 11 months last season and never recovered but in the January madness I forgot I'd agreed a transfer to Sunderland before Christmas. So when the dust settled after the window closed I realised I was not only a CB short, but only had one natural LB in Zeki Fryers (with loanee Brendan Galloway covering both CB and LB spots). Which just about worked until Fryers suffered a broken foot in February and missed the rest of the season.

I had also lost patience with Cummings and shipped him back to Forest in January. With strikers Moore and Adeboyejo also struggling in front of goal I needed another, but all the likely targets were either out of our price range or already on loan elsewhere. My scouts turned up Lawrence Shankland at Scottish outfit Ayr. His track record showed him scoring better than a goal every other game and he was available at a bargain price, so he was signed. Scored on his debut - and never produced another goal in his 7 appearances.

Meanwhile, Cauley Woodrow produced another frustrating season, easily leading the scoring charts but suffering his trademark barren spells - most recently 10 games without a goal until we let him take a penalty in the penultimate game.

The other bits of January business were two incoming loans - Bayern Munich's Franck Evina to provide cover/rotation at IF on the left, and Elisha Owusu from OL to fill in at DM.

Despite these woes, we managed to produce a surprisingly good run of results in the second half of the season:

And that form, coupled with our rivals dropping points, allowed us to reach undreamed of heights:

So, the playoffs! I had assumed that finishing third would give us home advantage, but apparently not. We've been drawn away to Millwall. They have just one win in their last four games so we have a chance.

[smplfc123]

Good luck in the play offs @warlock. Incredible achievement to get them there!

[warlock]

1 minute ago, smplfc123 said:

Good luck in the play offs

Cheers, fella. We lost the game at Millwall 1-0 but on the return leg at Oakwell we stuffed them 4-0. Next up, Bristol City.

[warlock]

Well, that was unexpected! Easily our best performance of the season and City didn't get a single shot on target. We just blew them away. Bristol are managed now by Guus Hiddink and for some reason he decided to play a bunch of youngsters. Bizarre bit of management.

Edited January 17, 2019 by warlock

[kozmik]

Finally!

Full season update to follow once the small matter of 2026 World Cup is done...

[kozmik]

@warlock That result though Congrats!

[warlock]

3 minutes ago, kozmik said:

Finally!

Well done, mate - knew you could do it, and sounds like you did it in style 

[smplfc123]

@warlock Congratulations mate! Excellent season and i'm really looking forward to see what you do in the summer, assuming you're carrying on the save that is?

[smplfc123]

ROYAL REVIVAL:

Having secured promotion from League 1 with 100 points, I decided the right thing to do was to keep the bulk of the squad and introduce squad fillers who could play at Championship Level. Not only did I not want to disrupt a winning team, but having done a massive rebuild last summer, I didn't think it was right to do it again this summer.

Here are my Summer dealings:

Despite having a £6m budget and £100k free to use in wages, I didn't go overboard.

In terms of the outgoings, Navarro wanted to leave, so too Mesenholer, so I didn't stand in their way. Wilson and Hooper ended up being back up to Colak, so both were shipped on. I wanted to keep McShane but he wanted to be a Key Player which i couldn't offer and Clement wasn't getting much game time.

Incoming,  Steele was a deadline day replacement for Mesenholer, who also boosts the HG numbers. Kent was brought back on loan, this time I managed to negotiate a future fee of £2.5m. Despite being my most expensive signing of the summer, Elphick has been brought in as experienced back up to the centre halves, taking McShane's role in the squad. Flethcer was Wilson's replacement and Yatarra i'm hoping will prove to be a shrewd free signing. Moyano and Murphy were brought in to replace Clement and Navarro out wide. Moyano an unknown spanish youngster and Murphy a risk as people would say his better days are behind him. Yacob was brought in on a free to add experience, with Grounds coming in to sit in the U23's in case of emergencies. McAuley was brought in on a free and loaned straight out and i couldn't pass up the chance to sign Cannavo from debt-ridden Palermo for just £92k. He's also gone straight back out on loan.

The new signings have settled in nicely. The bulk of last seasons team is still starting, but some of the new players have forced their way in already. Yatarra is giving us some pace up front, Yacob is proving to be a good signing and Jamie Murphy has bagged a couple of goals from out wide. 
 

So the aim is to avoid a relegation battle and finish somewhere in Mid-table. We've had a good start, with our defence coping well, Rotherham aside. I was happy that after conceding 3 to them, we were able to keep it tight against 2 big teams immediately after. I was gutted to go out of the cup early on as I'd like a good cup run this year, so hopefully i can get a favourable draw in the FA Cup.

Hopefully we can keep picking up points and plodding away and hit the boards target and then build for the following season!

[warlock]

1 hour ago, smplfc123 said:

i'm really looking forward to see what you do in the summer, assuming you're carrying on the save that is?

TBH, I was just about ready to move on to a new challenge, but having got them to the PL I suppose I'll have to stay .

Board have given me the usual £33m for transfers. At the moment the obvious requirement is for a PL-level striker - I like Woodrow when he plays well but his 10-game goal droughts are doing my head in. Need new widemen on each side, and a starting LB - Fryers is good but I'm not sure he's good enough to be our starter at this level.

Looks like you've started well in the Championship. Mid-table is always a good aim... until you start flirting with the playoff places and ambition gets you in its grip .

[DefinitelyTaylor]

@warlock: Congratulations on promotion - a fantastic achievement! You have made me look very silly in saying that this season would be one of consolidation for you.  A great run towards the end of the season is repaid in exceptional style in the playoff final and to beat a manager of Hiddink's calibre is something to be happy with too. I'm interested to see how you fair in the Premier League, as I imagine they'll be a lot of transition following back-to-back promotions. A few players simply won't be ready for that step up, although I'm ready to see who is!

@kozmik: You've deserved and fought for that title for a while now - fully merited. Congratulations! Will you be continuing with the save?

@smplfc123: It makes sense to keep a large majority of the squad from last campaign when you've won the title in such comfortable fashion. They clearly have the ability, so many will be able to make the step-up (if logic makes sense!). Some credible pieces of business with a good balance of younger players and experience found. This has been repaid in a solid start to life back in the Championship, if not great. I imagine you'll remain focused on achieving the magic points total of around 50 before you dare to dream of anything else.  

 

[robterrace]

Well. ****.

[robterrace]

After a couple of months, I'm happy with how we're going. Could have scored a few more goals, but, I can't complain.

 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, robterrace said:

I'm happy with how we're going

Top of the league and no losses... you're easily pleased .

Nasty injury to young Garner, though.

[smplfc123]

@DefinitelyTaylor Exactly that mate and I think the hardest part of this season so far is remaining realistic as a 5 game spell without a win bothered me more than it should have. I just have to ride this season out over the highs and the lows and then I can look to build in the summer. Our squad is 20th in the overall wage budget standings, so we are already out-performing quite a few teams!

I'm looking forward to see what you do with all that dough @warlock