FM19: The English Football League thread

[Dong21]

4 minutes ago, warlock said:

This was my first save of any kind in FM19 and I picked Boro for what I hoped would be an easy introduction. It turned into a much wilder ride than I was expecting. But having found my feet, it's time for pastures new... 

@warlock Sorry to see you just missed out on the playoffs. The lows make the highs sweeter - onwards and upwards! I look forward to seeing where you end up next.

9 minutes ago, Spike said:

A quick question.

I haven't posted updates on the forums for a few years and previously used Photobucket for uploading screenshots.

I note that they are now charging to use their service. What other free alternatives are there?

@Spike I always use Gyazo for screenshots, which I find to be very simple to use.

[warlock]

4 minutes ago, Mackem742 said:

Started a game with my beloved Sunderland

Welcome to the funhouse! Looks like a good start against two of the better teams. Some decent signings there - I used to love Butterfield at Derby a couple of years ago, and Man is a top prospect.

Good luck and keep us updated!

[XcilPersion]

Not too happy with this. I mean: extra funds, but not sure where to spend it on. I need a leftback but so far I have been unable to find a good one over the summer (the one I found decided to move to the Wolves). And in exchange they are expecting me to get into the Euro Cup (again, because this season I got a 2-0 home win over Lyon and a 1-8 away win vs Dynamo Kyiv) instead of finishing midtable.

[Mackem742]

5 hours ago, warlock said:

Welcome to the funhouse! Looks like a good start against two of the better teams. Some decent signings there - I used to love Butterfield at Derby a couple of years ago, and Man is a top prospect.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Cheers mate, season is going okay up to now, ill post an update soon.

[Mackem742]

So im quite a chunk through the season now and im really enjoying it, Signed a couple of more players on loan, Ashley Fletcher (ST) from Middlesbrough and Erhun Ozthumer (AMC) from Bolton. Results since the last update are as follows.

(CC) Exeter City H - 2-1 W Sorloth (24) O'Nien (28) Att 11072

(L1) Scunthorpe H - 2-0 W Sorloth (57) Power (Pen 90+1) Att 35232

(L1) Gillingham A - 2-1 W Maquire (23) Man (45) Att 5821

(L1) AFC Wimbledon A - 1-1 D Maguire (Pen 67) Att 5234

(CC) Wolves A - 0-1 L Att 15204

(L1) Oxford Utd - 2-0 W McGeouch (48) O'Nien (90+9) Honeyman (Sent off 90+5) Att 29252

(CT) Scunthorpe - 3-1 W Sorloth (45, 77) Alnwick (OG 86) Att 4831 (Stadium of Light must have looked bare!)

Currently sitting 3rd in the table, joint 2nd with Luton on 16 points and a point behind Burton who are top on 17 points, ive also got a game in hand.

Really enjoying this years game, its great to see Sunderland winning again and challenging at the top of the table virtually and in real life!

[Milkmanhole]

Hi guys! So here's my first post on the forum! I've been wanting to join in the discussion after reading (wink wink) your guys's experience i want to join in the fun haha. I have a Millwall save (and i'm a West Ham fan, i know, sue me) and took them to the Premier League in my first season winning the league but i didn't want to post about that as i don't feel that i would've had the same experience if i'm not sharing it with you guys. So here goes my new game which will be with...

READING FC !!!

Nickname : The Royals 
Finances : Secure 
Owner : Loves the Club 
Stadium : The Madejski Stadium, 24.197 all-seater (24.162 capacity used in normal matches) 

Training Facilities : Great 
Data Analysis Facilities : Poor 
Youth Facilities : Great 

Captain : Paul McShane 
Vice Captain : Chris Gunter 

SQUAD ANALYSIS 

Quote

Goalkeepers 
 
Vito Mannone - First choice for now, his best role according to my staff is Sweeper Keeper but i don't fully trust him to be one 
Sam Walker - Backup, bigger than Mannone and can still improve 
VERDICT : Decent for now, might need upgrading in the future 

 

Quote

Defenders 

Tennai Watson (on loan at AFC Wimbledon) - Homegrown right back, out on loan, good stamina, could still improve but not by much 
John O'Shea - 37 year old, i probably won't play him and put him in the u23s only to be called up if there's an injury crisis Luckily can still do a bit, even though his pace is non-existant 
Paul McShane - Captain, the other Irish center back in the squad, has a Driven personality with high bravery, not too pacey but powerful, he'll probably stay for a couple of seasons to be a mentor 
Liam Moore - our best player by a mile, don't sell at any cost. Excels in everything a center back should be and still 25. Plus he has perfect natural fitness 
Tiago Ilori - lacking mentally, pacier than the other center backs but i'm not liking how he looks. He'll probably go in my u23s and be sold 
Chris Gunter - Mr.Dependable, our vice captain. Has been consistently in the squad for the past 6 seasons he's been here, but may face some stiff competition 
Andy Yiadom - the stiff competition for Gunter, arrived on a free and looks to be a bargain. Will battle it out for that right back position 
Jordan Obita - injured for 3 to 4 months due to a cruciate ligament injury, has had ligament injuries twice now. Homegrown at club but may not be worth the risk after his decline due to injuries 
VERDICT : that only leaves me with McShane, Moore, Gunter, and Yiadom for the Senior Squad, which is dangerously thin.

I'd promote the left back Omar Richards

and center back Tom Holmes,

they have good potential and would fill out a few gaps. Plus they're more ready than the rest of the youth. I'd go look for another left back, either permanently if you want to get rid of Obita or on loan of you want to keep him and another center back depending if you want to use Ilori or not 

 

Quote

Midfielders 
 
Joey van den Berg (on loan at N.E.C) - put in u23s, will probably look to sell as he's already 32 years old 
Leandro Bacuna - can also play right back, his stats strike me as a bit weird as he's not a good defender but he's pretty average at being a midfielder too. I'd keep him and use him as a center midfield option 
Saeid Ezatolahi (on loan from Rostov) - promising, might fit as a box 2 box or a ball winning midfielder. Only here for 1 season though so might not want to risk using him as you can develop other youngsters who are already at the club 
Liam Kelly - club homegrown, promising future at 22 years old. Good first touch and passing indicates that he could be our main playmaker, will play in the 1st team 
David Meyler - new arrival, will battle Ezatolahi for the defensive midfield position. Capped 25 times for Ireland and knows the divison having been promoted twice with Hull 
John Swift - almost similar to Kelly but better at going forward. Promising at 23 years old and will start alongside Kelly 
VERDICT : the position with the most promise with Kelly, Swift, and Ezatolahi still relatively young. I'd promote Andy Rinomhota

from the u23s as a backup option just in case any one of them gets injured 

 

 

Quote

Wingers 

Adrian Popa - technically weak and at 29 won't improve. I'd sell him 
Josh Sims (on loan from Southampton) - one of the better dribblers on our squad. 21 years old, good pace also. Would make a great backup option to our main man on the left wing 
Garath McCleary - has been with us for awhile but getting on. Out for 7 weeks to 3 months due to a broken ankle, he would only deteriorate in my opinion, so i'll put him in the u23s and sell him later on 
Yakou Meïté - can play both wings, left footed. Decent option with plenty of time to improve 
Sone Aluko - costing $9.75 M, should have done better last season than just 3 goals, but maybe you can bring out the best in him? Fast with great dribbling, also left footed 
Modou Barrow - our main man on the wings with pace to burn. Says he likes to cut inside from the right wing yet his best role is a left winger. Left footed, he'll be your first choice playing on either side 
VERDICT : good options, most being left footed so might play with a winger on the left and an inside forward on the right. Maybe get a backup option

 

Quote

Strikers 
 
Sam Baldock - new signing, only played twice last season at Brighton but can still do a job. Despite being average technically, he's a team player and will work hard for the team 
Andrija Novakovich (on loan at Fortuna Sittard) - decent prospect, should get game time out on loan 
Jón Dađi Böđvarsson - the Icelandic striker scored 7 goals last season. Decent player, similar to Baldock but more all rounded than him
Marc McNulty - another new signing who impressed with 23 goals in 42 appearances (in league Two no less) with Coventry. Can he make the step up? 
VERDICT : Could be better, we don't have an out and out 20/30 goal-a-season forward but the ones we have should be enough for now

 So that leaves my squad depth like this : 

GK : Mannone/Walker 
RB : Yiadom/??? 
RCB : Moore/McShane 
LCB : ???/Holmes 
LB : Gunter/Richards 
DM : Meyler/Ezatolahi 
RCM : Kelly/Bacuna/Rinomhota 
LCM : Swift/ ???
LW : Barrow/Sims/Meïté 
RIF : Aluko/??? 
ST : Böđvarsson/Baldock/McNulty 

That's 21 people, i'd like to have the maximum 25 people so i'll be looking to find 5 players, namely : 
- A first team left sided center back 
- A full back, either left or right, since Gunter can easily slot in either one, backup or a youngster
- A center midfield rotation option 
- A right inside forward, either to displace Aluko or to be an understudy

UNDER 23s 

A lot of promising talent, some i already promoted to the first team. The rest among them are Danny Loader, Darren Sidoel, Josh Barrett, and Pelle Clement. Might loan out some of the youngsters so they can get game time. 

Will look to sell a few of deadwood, including David Edwards whose out injured, Anssi Jaakkola, Danzell Gravenberch whose out on loan, Callum Harriott, and Tyler Blackett, plus the ones i already mentioned above such as van den Berg, McCleary, Popa, Ilori, and Obita. Should raise a bit of funds

Predicted to be mid-table to lower mid-table-ish, i do believe that's a tad little too low, as i do believe with a few tweaks in the squad we can aim for a bit higher. Wish me luck!

Edited November 18, 2018 by Milkmanhole

[Spike]

Aston Villa Season 1 Update Pt1

Having just won 1-0 away at Derby to close the gap at the top of the table to 1 point, I thought it was an ideal time for the first proper update.

The transfer window was pretty quiet when you ignore the transfers that had already been arranged prior to me taking over. My only regret now is letting Elmohamady go out on loan. I wasn't using him in the tactic I started out with, but having changed tactic for the past 10 games he would now fit in perfectly

Since changing tactic our form has been excellent, with 7 wins in the last 8 games. The loss against Millwall was a game we completely dominated but just couldn't score.

There is a small gap opening at the top with us and Derby just pulling away slightly, although still plenty of time to go. The three teams relegated teams last season are all struggling, with none featuring in the top half after 17 games.

There have been four standout players so far this season and they are probably the four players you would expect (taking into account Yannick Bolasie hasn't featured yet due to a serious injury).

Fingers crossed our form keeps up.

[Spike]

It has been a few years since I last played FM (FM16 in fact) but back then searching for players there was on option to filter out players that wouldn't be interested in joining your club.

Is that filter still available as I can't find it anywhere?

[Spike]

Tammy Abraham becomes a Villa legend....

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

there was on option to filter out players that wouldn't be interested in joining your club

On your player search screen in scouting, there are two boxes towards the upper-right where it says 'Interested in' then transfer and loan. These indicate a player's willingness to join, either permanently or on loan. If you uncheck both, you can use the search filters to find players you might want regardless of their interest. Somewhere in that screen there's also an option to filter the level of interest but I haven't got FM running at the moment.

Edit: the 'level of interest' filter is accessed via the cogwheel icon next to 'loan'.

Edited November 17, 2018 by warlock

[Spike]

41 minutes ago, warlock said:

On your player search screen in scouting, there are two boxes towards the upper-right where it says 'Interested in' then transfer and loan. These indicate a player's willingness to join, either permanently or on loan. If you uncheck both, you can use the search filters to find players you might want regardless of their interest. Somewhere in that screen there's also an option to filter the level of interest but I haven't got FM running at the moment.

Edit: the 'level of interest' filter is accessed via the cogwheel icon next to 'loan'.

Thanks

[karanhsingh]

@warlock - unlucky about the playoffs! where to next then?

@Jogo Bonito - dont be so harsh on the Checkatrade trophy! they even give you hall of fame points for winning it@

@Milkmanhole - I bought Danny Loader for my Pompey side and he's been doing well. Developed quite a bit in a season and a half. Definitely keep an eye on him

@XcilPersion - so class of 92 is gone?! well that sucks...

Great to read up about everyone elses games too. KUTGW. Update from Fratton Park coming soon, but yes we are going up to the Premier League  

[kozmik]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

On your player search screen in scouting, there are two boxes towards the upper-right where it says 'Interested in' then transfer and loan. These indicate a player's willingness to join, either permanently or on loan. If you uncheck both, you can use the search filters to find players you might want regardless of their interest. Somewhere in that screen there's also an option to filter the level of interest but I haven't got FM running at the moment.

Edit: the 'level of interest' filter is accessed via the cogwheel icon next to 'loan'.

What a great feature! Is it new to this year's game or have I already missed it in previous editions? Anyway, thanks for the tip. 

Might as well post a little "teaser" while I'm at it...

We've been neck and neck with Swansea for the best part of the season, level on points for several weeks in a row but just recently managed to make a tiny breakaway. Hopefully we can keep going.

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - Season 1 - Part 1

I commenced my Charlton adventure by taking some time to enhance my coaching staff. I believe that even at a smaller club with limited resources, that this is a worthwhile exercise to maximise the potential of my squad.

Due to fairly strict wage restrictions I was not able to always bring in all of my first choice replacements, however anywhere where there was a better option available, or no current incumbent in a role, then I made a move to recruit. I wanted to replace assistant manager Johnnie Jackson who, despite being a club legend from his recent playing career, has poor attributes for his role. Unfortunately, although there were many quality candidates interested in joining, the low wages I am able to offer meant I have had to stick with Jackson for the time being. I have mitigated the shortcomings of my assigning some responsibilities I would usually assign to my AM to my DOF or Head of Youth Development.

With many of the club's attacking midfielders out injured, I moved for the experienced and talented Sammir on a free transfer, to bolster my options in this position. Leto joined on loan to solve a similar problem on the wings. I lacked strength in depth in goal so brought in former Oldham 'keeper Placide on another free, this allowed me to send young Phillips out on loan to develop. I lacked a quality left back so I signed the versatile Afougou. Reviewing the wage bill I noticed that both Bauer and Sarr were on £7k per week which is not viable in League 1, particularly when you consider they were my fourth and fifth choice CBs after the signing of Mongongu - I therefore offered them out for sale and was pleased to get them off the books.

Pre-season commenced in amusing fashion as we fell to defeat against our own under-23s team! From there onwards I deemed the period as a success as we achieved our objectives of building morale and match fitness. Amongst the disposals of lower league minnows, I was satisfied that we were able to keep a clean sheet against Hertha Berlin.

The season started in frustrating fashion as we drew our first four games in a row, despite averaging over 60% position and over 15 shots in each game. The positives were that we didn't fall to defeat against a strong Sunderland side and we progressed in the League Cup on penalties. I was worried about our lack of goals, however we have subsequently clicked into gear and have scored 12 in the last 4 games. Work still needs to be done on tightening up our defence. We are therefore currently undefeated and sit fourth in the league - there is, however, a long time to go before anything is decided!

Now here is the exciting part - we are currently under a transfer embargo as Roland is in talks to set the club free. I shall keep you posted on how this develops!

Edited November 17, 2018 by Dong21

[Chevie]

Oldham Athletic - Season 1 Part 1

With Oldham playing outside of the third tier of English football for the first time since 1997, I decided it would be good challenge to try and rebuild the side and, eventually, return them to the promised land of the Premier League after they were one of the founding members in 1992.

Transfer Budget: £0

Remaining Wage Budget: £139

As you can see, I didn't have much room to manoeuvre here. So I only made a few loan signings (Tilley, Simpson, Rowe and Bossin).

Tactics

I am running with three tactics, all based on a low block and set up to try and break on the opposition if we can catch them over-committed:

Each one is used for different opposition. The 4-4-1-1 is for teams of similar quality, the 4-1-4-1 is for stronger opponents and the 4-4-2 is for when we are the favourites.

Pre-Season

Although the results were pretty mixed, overall it was a positive pre-season. The three defeats we suffered were against teams from the division above and all the games were very close. The other four were nice confidence boosters as the players got used to the style of play I'm attempting to implement.

August

August was a, well, slow month. Only 4 goals scored and 3 conceded in 6 matches is hardly exhilarating football! At least the low block I am attempting to employ to frustrate the opposition seems to be working, I just hope my attacks begin to click soon and we start to score some more goals or else this could be a long season.

However, it's still an unbeaten start in the league and being out of the League Cup this early could be a blessing in disguise as the squad can now concentrate more on the league.

 

So that's where I am so far, hopefully we'll hit some form before my next post!

[Jogo Bonito]

@Dong21 @Chevie

It's good to see a couple of new 'Athletic' managers get going

Great updates from both of you. Slightly surprised you removed Bauer from Charlton Dong21. I was hoping Roland would soon be banished and it looks like this is a constant to any prospective Charlton managers. I think Oldham is a good club to revive there Chevie, even without a budget they have some decent assets and I am sure you'll do well with them. I nearly signed Simpson and Rowe at Grimsby, but I opted out and cancelled in the end as  had enough loan players already. Welcome also @Spike and good luck with Villa. @Milkmanhole that's a really nice opening post for Reading. Good luck getting performances out of any of that lot though. I agree on the idea of promoting youth, that's about the only positive thing about the club these days. Tyler Blackett has recently fought back in to contention and could do a job at LB or possibly CB. Most who have seen him would believe he is best as a left-sided central defender in a back three if you ever use that formation. Meite can and does also play quite often as a central striker and is improving a lot so could be another contender for that role as well as doing a job on the flanks.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Jogo Bonito

[Dong21]

@Chevie Welcome! Oldham is a team close to my heart as I always have a save with them each year - looking forward to hearing how you get on! Certainly a challenge with the limited resources.

@Jogo Bonito Thanks. Bauer was on high wages and only had a year on his contract so I thought it was a good opportunity to cash in. Bielik, Pearce and Mongongu have performed well so far, so not regretting the decision just yet!

Roland is officially gone! 

[john1]

Good to see alot of people managing decent teams on here  Might start new one with team from League 1 or 2. Still undecided.

[sedge11]

I know this is a football league thread but thought would give an update to how my pompey team is going in the prem.

So it took us 3 attempts to get out the championship, but so far our 1st season in the prem has gone incredibly well.

In contention for Europe, even though Spurs have got games in hand. 

We are also through to an fa cup final, due to face Chelsea, who we have a terrible record against.

Geubbels has been my best player, he was decent on fm18 but so far on fm19 he is a god.

Sadly I can't afford to buy him and Monaco won't let me loan him for a 3rd year so replacing him is going to be incredibly difficult, hopefully we will get a great transfer budget to splash out with. Also Lowe and Close 2 players that have been with me since the start have been excellent as well, Lowe is up with in the assists chart as you can see.

Would be a amazing if I can achieve Europe one way or another at the 1st time of asking, but we have something great to build even if we don't.

Edited November 18, 2018 by sedge11

[karanhsingh]

@sedge11 - that’s great stuff! BTW I think people here do update on their teams once they get to the premier league as well so should be fine. Good luck with the last few games hope you can bring home the cup. Can you post up a screenie of Lowe want to see what he’s looking like for you. 

[kozmik]

Yeah, I definitely like to see updates all the way to the world domination stage. So keep 'em coming @sedge11 - great going so far!

[karanhsingh]

I am pissed off with the Pompey board! After successive promotions they offer me a measly 7.5k per week contract for 3 years and refuse to even up it to 10k! As a result the contract talks have broken down and now I have only 12 months left to run. Does this manager contract stuff bother anyone else? 

[kozmik]

I finished my season late last night.

In the end it was fairly easy - Swansea went into meltdown mode, going on a run of 6 games with just one win. Though we did try and throw it away ourselves too, failing to win at Birmingham and then Jon Nolan getting himself sent off early against Hull, and then Flanagan giving away a penalty, only for Henderson to save it and us scoring the winner a few minutes later in the match that clinched the title.

Slightly shocking it was Boro that won the playoff, considering that Fulham was so far ahead of the rest. Anything can happen in the playoffs, I guess.

Here are our transfers:

Some slightly surprising signings there, like Embolo and Hernandez Embolo was transfer listed for about 4 million. With his wages I figured there was no way, but then suggested 10 million and Schalke paying his wages till the end of his contract. They accepted, and Embolo with the help of some additional promises accepted an entirely reasonable wage of 18,75k per week. John Egan I signed mainly to have a home grown key player, so as to avoid having to pick others to comply with the selection rules. He ended up having a brilliant season alongside Lamine Kone at cb. Even scored 4 goals and got 3 assists.

So, premier league next season. Usually when I'm at this point I have a squad that isn't even close to prem quality, this time the situation is completely different. I'm comfortable with having most of our current first XI as starters next season. Loanees Dean Henderson and Theo Hernandez will need to be replaced one way or the other. Ideally a new right back and center back would be good, as would a right winger, but none of them are crucial. New second choice striker is a must, as Trotta broke his ankle late in the season and I won't be relying on him to get back to a level where he can make an impact.

[kozmik]

23 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

I am pissed off with the Pompey board! After successive promotions they offer me a measly 7.5k per week contract for 3 years and refuse to even up it to 10k! As a result the contract talks have broken down and now I have only 12 months left to run. Does this manager contract stuff bother anyone else? 

That's extremely annoying. It always seems there is very little room for negotiating in your personal contracts. Obviously the scenario of someone getting Portsmouth promoted to the premier league in two years is unrealistic, but if that would happen in real life I imagine that manager would be very well paid to ensure he stays.

[Mackem742]

Mid season update

(L1) Burton A - 1-1 D Man (10)
(L1) Fleetwood H - 2-0 W Matias (34), Sorloth (40) Man (sent off 87)
(L1) Rochdale H - 2-1 W Sorloth (6), Baldwin (73) O'Nien (Sent off 84)
(L1) Coventry A - 2-0 W Matias (31, 50)
(L1) Peterborough H - 4-3 W Butterfield (7) Matias (30, 65) Maguire (43)
(L1) Bradford A - 3-0 W Ozthumer (Pen 45) Sorloth (50, 81)
(CT) Burton A - 0-0 Won 4-3 on pens
(L1) Shrewsbury A - 3-1 W Sorloth (56) Butterfield (83) Ozthumer (86)
(L1) Doncaster A - 1-1 D Sorloth (12)
(L1) Southend H - 4-1 W Ozthumer (Pen 9) Butterfield (19) Man (25) Matias (49)
(L1) Blackpool H - 2-1 W Matias (4, 20)
(L1) Plymouth A - 2-0 W Sorloth (15, 24)
(FAC 1st R) Aldershot A - 2-0 W Sorloth (29) Ozthumer (Pen 65)
(CT) Wolves U23's H - 3-1 W Maguire (58) Sorloth (64, 87)
(L1) Walsall A - 3-0 W Ozthumer (39) Sorloth (53) Maguire (Pen 83)
(L1) Barnsley H - 1-0 W Ozthumer (77)
(FAC 2nd R) Burton A - 2-0 W Matthews (33) Butterfield (56) Watmore (Sent off 40)
(L1) Wycombe H - 2-0 W Maguire (19 Pen) McGeouch (46)
(L1) Accrington A - 2-0 W Man (25) Butterfield (53)
(CT 2nd R) Grimsby H - 1-0 W Dyer (47)
(L1) Bristol Rovers H - 5-3 W Sorloth (33) Maguire (Pen 40, Pen 87) Oviedo (69) Bech (OG 72)
(L1) Portsmouth A - 0-2 L (Had to come eventually!)
(L1) Bradford H - 3-1 W Maguire (9) Baldwin 45+2) Man (75)
(L1) Shrewsbury H - 2-0 W Maguire (3) Sorloth (79)

Currently top of the table ahead of Charlton by 16 points, and ahead of 3rd place Burton by 19 points, promotion looks a formality now and would take a collapse of epic proportions to blow it now. Sorloth is my top scorer and has bagged 18 goals so far.
A couple of players are also leaving us, Glenn Loovens is going back to Holland and joining De Graafschap for a fee of 14k. Adam Matthews is also leaving to go to Aberdeen for 150K (going up to 300K), he had been going through a poor run of form and it culminated in a very poor performance in the defeat away at Portsmouth, I warned him for poor performance and his recent form and he didnt like it so I took the first bid I received for him.

Hopefully I can keep this run of form going.

[karanhsingh]

27 minutes ago, kozmik said:

That's extremely annoying. It always seems there is very little room for negotiating in your personal contracts. Obviously the scenario of someone getting Portsmouth promoted to the premier league in two years is unrealistic, but if that would happen in real life I imagine that manager would be very well paid to ensure he stays.

Exactly. I feel that SI should work on this part of the game. Like if my contract talks break down, there should be fans reacting about it etc. 

excellent work with Sunderland. Embolo playing in the championship - that’s nuts! What’s your first team looking like? Have Maja and Mumba developed well?

[kozmik]

20 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Exactly. I feel that SI should work on this part of the game. Like if my contract talks break down, there should be fans reacting about it etc. 

excellent work with Sunderland. Embolo playing in the championship - that’s nuts! What’s your first team looking like? Have Maja and Mumba developed well?

They haven't as I have mostly neglected them. Will look to loan them out now that I don't have to worry about the home grown selection rule, but in terms of making it with us I suspect it's too late already. And yeah, the Embolo thing was pretty shocking. But then again it's not as if he set the world alight, although in fairness it's difficult for strikers to shine in my system.

[DefinitelyTaylor]

I can stick saves out for a while, it's the actual selection that does me!   Current conundrum is trying to choose between Crawley, Crewe and Newport. I will make a choice eventually... 

[Chevie]

@Dong21 thanks for the welcome! Hopefully I can turn Oldham into a real force in return.

@Jogo Bonito Luckily the squad I inherited had a few very good players already (Jose Baxter is certainly above this level) and the loan signing of Simpson and Rowe have helped push me into promotion contention.

Oldham Athletic - Season 1 Part 2

September

September was a really good  month for us with 5 wins from 6 games. The 5-3 win against Crawley definitely standing out as an anomaly result since we've not had anything similar since. The only defeat came against top of the table Colchester, a result I believe was not fair on my players as we probably shaded the balance of play.

October

Unfortunately, Ocotber wasn't quite as good but we have ended the month in 3rd place and, therefore, in the automatic promotion places. The highlight being a 2-1 win away at promotion rivals Northampton and the low point definitely conceding a 94th minute equaliser against Carlisle.

Current Table

As you can see, it's currently very close with only 3 points separating myself and and 8th placed Swindon. The aim at the start of the season was to finish in the play offs so I'm very happy with how the season is going so far.

Another update will be provided in 2 months time!

Edited November 18, 2018 by Chevie
Submitted my reply far too early!

[sedge11]

6 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

@sedge11 - that’s great stuff! BTW I think people here do update on their teams once they get to the premier league as well so should be fine. Good luck with the last few games hope you can bring home the cup. Can you post up a screenie of Lowe want to see what he’s looking like for you. 

Here's Lowe.

Abit like some of the others, I don't think he has developed much at all but he just keeps performing, did try to improve his passing and technique, but didn't get anywhere.

Here's his stats for the seasons. Probably been my best player over the 5 years, mr consistent.

 

[Mindtrick_42]

Blackburn Rovers – April 2019 - Battle of the top 3

So we are sitting at 1st place! But it is really tight. We have 86, and both Derby and Bristol have 83. Leeds are 4th with 79, but with 5 games left to play I dont really count them in (they also have much worse GD so basically they are 8 points behind us).

I'm proud that we have reached the playoffs already in the first season. As I wrote in my first post I expect atleast two seasons in the chmpionship so from now on everything is a bonus this season :-)  Hopefully I will be done with the season sometime next week and I will then try to do a end of season review.

Standings:



Remaining schedule:

[sedge11]

So 5th season with Pompey has finished. It had been an amazing season, our 1st season in the prem finishing way above expectations in 9th. We could of finished as high as 6th but our end of season form wasn't great.

As you can see we got a European place and that's because of this.

We won a trophy, completely undeserved but that man Geubbels finishes his time with us in style to clinch a famous victory.

Geubbels, Lowe, Mctominay, Tymon and our captain Close were our best players. MacGillivray also did a great job as he played every single game, I will however be looking for another keeper.

We have been given 53mil to spend, replacing Geubbels is going to be the biggest problem I will have, as he has been a god over his 2 seasons on loan. I will also as mentioned be on the look out for a new keeper as well.

Roll on season 6 and a crack at the Europa league.

Edited November 18, 2018 by sedge11

[Spike]

So a bad run of form in February should have seen us (Villa) drop away from the top two positions, but fortunately the other teams at the top also struggled and we only dropped into second.

Thankfully our form picked up in March and we regained top spot.

The 7-0 win over Blackburn would be pretty remarkable in any circumstances, but even more so having had a player sent off after only 29 minutes with the score at 0-0.

A win in our first game of April, away at second placed Sheff W, saw us open up a nice gap.

UPDATE: Have won the league with 2 games to spare.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Spike

[warlock]

Good to see so many of you doing well, fantastically so in some cases!

I've been busy all weekend, and what little time I've had I spent endlessly prevaricating about which team to take on next... poring over squad lists and trying to find a team that fits my criteria - ie, one I didn't manage last year; with decent potential for growth; not expected to challenge for titles in first season; and with at least a decent squad that doesn't require ten loan signings to fill all of the holes. Not asking much, really .

Anyway, I think I've found one, he teased. Currently playing through pre-season and I'll post an initial overview tomorrow (um... later today!)

[SlobaFMB]

I won promotion in season two!

 

 

Semi final: 

Crystal Palace - Blackburn 0:1
Blackburn - Crystal Palace 2:1

 

Final:

Cardiff - Blackburn 1:5

 

In cups I eliminated in 3rd round of Carabao Cup (Brighton, home, 1:1 and they won after penalties) and in 5th round of FA Cup (Everton, away, 4:2).

 

 

Now board plan to build a new stadium. Huge, huge news!

 

Avarage age of my squad is only 23!

Edited November 19, 2018 by SlobaFMB

[warlock]

13 minutes ago, SlobaFMB said:

I won promotion in season two!

Good job, Sloba . And great performances in the playoffs against two of the Prem old boys.

Hope the new stadium works out for you... last year it ruined my Ipswich save when the board invested so heavily in the new stadium there was little money for anything else and saddled the club with huge debts. The fact that they haven't got a site yet suggests you might get established in the PL before it impacts anything. Good luck!

[XcilPersion]

Salford City

Had an extremely good 3rd season in the Premier League, combining a 2nd place on goal difference with winning the Europa League. Now we are in the Champions League for the first time, in a group with Ajax, Olympiakos and Young Boys. Little unlucky with the draw in the Carabao cup, matching me with title winner Spurs in our first round. And won the European Super Cup against PSG, which was a little undeserved but I do not mind it. Off to a good start in the League too with 15 out of 5, though they were all easier games. Now have games with Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester coming up in the next month with Ajax-away throughout the week.

 

2024/2025

 

2025/2026

[Mr_Demus]

My first year as a Bolton manager has passed. Took over 1/1 2019 with Bolton placed 23rd in the Championship, but also taken over by a Korean tycoon. I didn't really see any money though, and we were relegtated to League 1. And then came the money.

We are now 1st in League 1. 10 points ahead of second placed Portsmouth and 18 points ahead of 3rd place Nottingham Forest. I have tried to sign only players who will be good enough for the Championship and loan signings.

[dothestrand]

I started a game with Brentford (West Londoner here). Disabled first season buying and finished 13th but the intention was to sell foreign players by the end of the first season and stick a UK and Irish only squad. So the plus side was selling 36m worth of players. The board wasn't giving me all of that back though so I had to go with more frugal purchases. A mix of young Scottish players (Ferguson, Campbell, Shankland) and those surplus to requirements at bigger clubs (Baker, Pennington, Reed) was how I've rebuilt the squad. Interesting to see how Bowen goes as he really impressed my scouts. We should be good in defence but I worry about goals. 4 games in and it's W1 D3 L0 but I'm expecting a modest season, with the hope to build towards play off positions within two seasons. 

[warlock]

3 minutes ago, dothestrand said:

I started a game with Brentford

Good on you... they're on my list this year. Bold move with the clearout of foreign players but it looks like you've found a bit of home-grown quality to come in. Goals can be hard to come by - as are away wins, in my experience - but once you get the team and tactic settled things should pick up. And you have that glorious new stadium to come, as I noticed when I walked over Kew bridge on Saturday! (Another west Londoner, here).

I'll be following your progress.

[Jogo Bonito]

Great updates in here, so many to comment on but always enjoyable to see new and different clubs being picked.

Good to see you back in the game too @warlock

 

March (of season 1) began with The Mariners sitting 5th in League 2

And of course my side were looking forward to the Checkatrade Trophy Final against Southend at the end of the month

Exciting times then! Really? Ok, I'll play along and just think of the money...

Given the nature of the two participants, I think Wembley was about to set a record in sales of fish and chips too

The takeover finally happened, with long-serving chairman John Fenty replaced at the helm by CEO Ian Fleming (below)

John had been a great leader of the club, but Ian had been at the club since 1986 himself and knew what to expect 

It's business as usual then. No investment, but no extra pressure put upon me. I'm happy with that

On the pitch, March was a fairly mediocre month, winning just two of the six league games contested

The 5-1 victory at Crawley was by far the best of those performances, but the goals began to dry up for top scorer Wes Thomas

I must admit though, that the most important match was the last one. A long trip to Wembley 

Yes, the competition I loathe. And somehow my team lifted the trophy. Not without some more luck, I might add

I'd been playing my squad men rather than first choices throughout, and they'd served me well

I picked my team, but before submitting the team sheet I made one late change. And it really was a last minute switch

Sorry Connal Trueman, you'd done great in goal until this point. But I wanted captain James McKeown between the sticks here

So how did the final play out? It didn't start well at all. The boys went a goal down after conceding within two minutes

It wasn't looking good, with little hint of a comeback. But then Southend had a man sent off after 73 minutes

Andy Rinomhota grabs me an equaliser after 77 minutes, and my side look set to go on and win

Maybe not, as two minutes later, Southend get a penalty. It's on target, but McKeown makes a stunning save

No extra time, and it's straight on to penalties. After scoring the first, my next three aren't converted

Rodel Richards, the on-loan teenager from Tottenham, gets his in. But Richard Wood steps up to win them the game

McKeown isn't having that, and saves again. It's his third stop of the shootout, and fourth in the match

My hopes are then back on Rinomhota. He also keeps his cool, and now my side leads 3-2

Luke Hyam is up next for the men from Essex, but McKeown saves again. His fourth of the shootout and fifth of the match

I've never seen anything like it. And it's fitting that the man who joined Grimsby in 2011 was the trophy-winning hero

Am I a tactical genius and man-management guru, or just a lucky manager? Probably the latter. But here's the summary below 

Will April and May match that for excitement? Coming soon...

Edited November 19, 2018 by Jogo Bonito

[dothestrand]

29 minutes ago, warlock said:

Good on you... they're on my list this year. Bold move with the clearout of foreign players but it looks like you've found a bit of home-grown quality to come in. Goals can be hard to come by - as are away wins, in my experience - but once you get the team and tactic settled things should pick up. And you have that glorious new stadium to come, as I noticed when I walked over Kew bridge on Saturday! (Another west Londoner, here).

I'll be following your progress.

Cheers! I'm only a couple of miles from Griffin Park though weirdly never been! I play all my games as domestic players only; otherwise it's easy to just buy the same wonder kids. So no taking advantage of the FC Midtjylland even! This will be a transitional year, but with Mepham, Konza, Henry, Watkins and Yennaris (Cypriot but English born) there's a good spine here. 

[karanhsingh]

Alright guys, I am at the end of my second season at Pompey. Final league table - 

Squad stats -

We broke the club & league records for most points & league wins in a season. Also Jack Westbrooke became the youngest player in the history of the club, and Jason Cummings scored the quickest ever goal.

In the Carabao cup as documented earlier, we bravely bowed out against Arsenal in the semis. FA Cup wasn't as good, we went down 1-4 away at Watford in the 5th round. 

The Board gave me 35 million to spend as soon as we confirmed promotion. First order of business was activating the purchase clause in Jason Cummings loan deal.

Best players were Cummings, Dozzell, Josh Vela, Lee Brown, and Danny Loader. Vela won Championship player of the year, while we had 6 players in the Team of the year. At the back, Clarke, Whatmough and MacGillivray have all been quite solid. I am particularly excited about the potential of Dozzell & Loader.

My back-room staff now has a number of ex-pros in Hreidarsson, Gary O'Neill, Bergkamp, Jens Lehmann, Legrottaglie, Teddy Sheringham, Jonathan Greening. So 3 ex Pompey stars as well, and far more international than my actual playing squad 

Only real draw-back - as mentioned earlier the Board has been a b*tch about renewing my contract, while I have recently been offered interviews by Villarreal, Dortmund and Napoli. More than a little tempting I must say...

[warlock]

Sheffield United: Season 1 - pre-season

So, eventually a decision was made. I kept getting drawn to the likes of Derby and Peterborough but since I managed both of them - twice! - last year they had to be ruthlessly rejected. The Blades were a club I wanted to manage last time but never got round to it, and this time I ruled them out after a quick look suggested they were built for Chris Wilder's 532 system and I've never had much success with three at the back. But after I gave them a closer examination, I realised that they were probably a better fit for a traditional back four. The real issue is that they have no wingers in any shape or form, apart from the on-loan Marvin Johnson from Middlesbrough, but it became obvious that they could - with a bit of reinforcement - do a good job with one of the narrow formations. Back in FM17 my favourite setup was probably the 4312, and last year I had a good time with a 4132; what I haven't played for years is the 442 narrow diamond and that seemed like a good choice for this year, especially as it's easy to morph between those three formations as and when you want to be a bit more defensive or a bit more attacking.

The squad

The starting line-up for the first team is very strong, with two good GKs, four strong CBs and a couple of backups, decent FBs with cover on both sides, and five strikers, many of them ageing but capable of at least a season or two and featuring Liverpool prospect Ben Woodburn on loan. The weakness is in central midfield; whichever narrow formation you pick, you need four CMs plus cover, and the squad has just five CMs, one of whom will miss the start of the season through injury. There are decent prospects in the U23s but - as is often the case with real-life squads - they've all been sent on season-long loans and can't be recalled . So first port of call was Man Utd's Scott McTominay who joined on loan for a bargain £5k a week. The only natural AM we have is Mark Duffy so backup for him was required, but I also wanted someone who could play well in the centre. I had good results last year with Southampton's Callum Slattery, so he also joined on loan for £1k a week.

Pre-season friendlies

We started with the toughest game, a visit from CSKA Moscow and surprisingly we held our own and emerged with a 1-1 draw. Next, a no-expense-spared grand tour of Ireland (total cost: £56k) where we played six games, winning all of them and scoring 33 goals in return for just two conceded. So the team looks good, the tactic looks good... we've all been here before, eh? Here's the squad:

[warlock]

@karanhsingh A very impressive season - congratulations. And don't you be lured by those exotic foreigners. Yes, they might have the money and the glamour and the superstars, but can they compete with the thrill of a Wednesday night Carabao Cup tie in Portsmouth as a gale howls up the Solent? I don't think so!!

[Jogo Bonito]

@warlock I've never managed The Blades although having worked in Saudi, I often thought about it and probably should have in view of their ownership situation. Stay safe, my friend, and remember to be careful about where you attend your meetings

[karanhsingh]

 

1 hour ago, warlock said:

@karanhsingh A very impressive season - congratulations. And don't you be lured by those exotic foreigners. Yes, they might have the money and the glamour and the superstars, but can they compete with the thrill of a Wednesday night Carabao Cup tie in Portsmouth as a gale howls up the Solent? I don't think so!!

Well said! I think you’ve just about peesuaded me...

guys - Jamaal Lewis or Rico Henry? As my replacement for Vinaigre who will return to wolves after his loan spell. Both these guys look very similar indeed, Henry is coming in just slightly cheaper. Can’t seem to pick between the two! 

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

 

Well said! I think you’ve just about peesuaded me...

guys - Jamaal Lewis or Rico Henry? As my replacement for Vinaigre who will return to wolves after his loan spell. Both these guys look very similar indeed, Henry is coming in just slightly cheaper. Can’t seem to pick between the two! 

I really like both, but I've managed Henry before and not yet been able to get Lewis in FM18 or FM19. I'll say go for Lewis, although I'll be miffed you got him before me!

[karanhsingh]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I really like both, but I've managed Henry before and not yet been able to get Lewis in FM18 or FM19. I'll say go for Lewis, although I'll be miffed you got him before me!

Leaning towards Lewis too because just like vinaigre he can play all down the left flank. So can cover for Loader too. 

Also we just broke our transfer record with a 10 million purchase of Britt Assombolonga. So we now will have 2 of the 3 top scorer’s of the championship in our side! On that note, am off to bed. Was great catching up on everyone’s updates today. 

[Jogo Bonito]

@karanhsingh Agreed, some great updates on here recently. If I'd just spent £10m I would need to rest too!

Fantastic promotion(s) by the way

Edited November 19, 2018 by Jogo Bonito