FM19: The English Football League thread

[warlock]

3 hours ago, kozmik said:

Decisions, decisions...

Follow the money!

Oddly, in my Wednesday save - while we were locked in a relegation battle - I was offered the Man City post . After I turned it down, they appointed Rafa Benitez - and I was immediately offered the Newcastle job . In other episodes of Manager Musical Chairs, Pep took over at Arsenal, Poch went to Everton, Klopp went to Real Madrid and Sarri took over at Anfield.

[kozmik]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Follow the money!

I didn't - I've never managed the French golden generation, couldn't say no. They have a ridiculously strong team.

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - Season 3 - Part 1

After securing a respectable mid-table finish in my first season back in the Championship, my main objectives for the summer of 2020 was to improve the quality of my defence and to bulk up the depth of my squad, whilst not relying so heavily on loan signings. Thanks to the sale of Karlan Grant in January I had a little more financial flexibility in this transfer window.

It's been a busy summer to say the least!

Outgoings

The most notable outgoings were that of Dijksteel, Ecule Manga and De Laet - these players were all mainstays in my defence last season and I was determined to move them on from the club, therefore I was delighted to be able to find suitors for them.

Arrivals

Those of you who are familiar with my updates will probably know how much I love the free transfer market. I always find, particularly in lower league management, that if you put the time in and scour the free transfer options available you can find some great talent that represent so much more value than if you were to buy from other clubs. Now when you consider that I made 24 permanent signings, that may seem excessive! I should note though that I still had a large portion of my transfer budget unspent as the transfer window closed and still ranked only 21st in the league for wage bill size.

Ten of the free transfer signings were teenagers with very high potential who had been released by top Premier League academies. The purpose of this is looking to build towards the future. I have been caught out in previous iterations of FM whereby I have made wholesale changes to teams to drive them through the divisions but then fell short of the home-grown player rules - deals like these are with the hope to counter this. A large number of these young players were sent straight out on loan to try and gain some match experience.

I was delighted to bring Beilik and Cullen in on free transfers, after they played integral roles in my team over the last two seasons whilst on loan from their respective parent teams. My third loan star over the previous two seasons, Jonathan Leko, had two more years on his contract and unfortunately WBA would not let me loan him again. They said they planned to use him in the first team, however it has been frustrating to see that he is yet to feature for them.

With my summer priority in mind, I reinvented my defence by signing right backs Coyle and Chandler (on loan from Frankfurt), centre backs Sasso and Burgy and left back Husband. After a solid season and an improvement to his attributes, I was feeling comfortable sticking with Steer as my first choice goalkeeper. This all changed however when I realised that signing Dean Henderson was a posbility. Henderson is a player I admire greatly and I was shocked to see he was available on a free. I moved quickly for him and believe his signing is my most significant to date. I bulked up my 'keeper options further by signing the experienced Elliot - useful if Steer gets unhappy on the bench and forces a move!

Central midfielders Bandinelli and Meylor filled gaps in my central midfield options that had been occupied by loanees last season. I signed CAM Bahlouhi to give us the flexibility to play 4-2-3-1 if we so wished. We now have three different formations to choose from and I have utilised each of them several times already this season. In the absence of Leko I added some quality to my wing options with the signings of Ince (on loan from Stoke), Mbenza (on loan from Montpellier) and Australia international Kruse. Finally, I brought in striker Wickham to provide a different type of forward option to Taylor.

Pre-season

Usually the objective of my pre-season is just to build morale and fitness. This time round there was an added focus on team cohesion after the large scale renovations I had carried out on my squad. A  tour of the Algarve went well and we were ready to start the season.

So far, so good...

The early stages of the season have gone well for us and we find ourselves 4th in the table. I can't imagine we will finish this high when it is all said and done, however I am at least hoping we can improve upon our 13th place finish from last season. Taylor has been in great form, bagging 8 goals, however he is the only player to score multiple goals thus far and I will need others to contribute if we are to maintain our form. Husband, Kruse, Aribo and Cullen have all played really well so far and I hope they can continue in this manner.

We exited the Carabao Cup in frustrating manner, dominating the game and losing to a 95th minute goal. That said, it is perhaps for the best as it allows us to focus on our league fixtures.

Edited December 10, 2018 by Dong21

[warlock]

1 hour ago, kozmik said:

I didn't - I've never managed the French golden generation, couldn't say no

Fair enough. I don't think I've done international management for years - too boring on its own, and too distracting when you're managing a club. But I wish you well!

5 minutes ago, Dong21 said:

It's been a busy summer to say the least!

You can say that again . I applaud your approach of building for the future, even though I rarely have the patience to do the same myself. 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

@Dong21: A decent fee recouped from ageing players in those you have mentioned. These have been replaced by much better players for no cost at all, which is fantastic business and will certainly benefit in the years to come. A very Brentford like approach to the way business is conducted and something I admire. Josh Cullen and Dean Henderson are excellent signings and should be key to your season. Lewie Coyle also caught my eye and has the ability to do well. A few experienced heads brought in via Wickham, Chandler, Meyler, Kruse etc. and they should add to the youth of the team. Their influence over the course of the season could be vital and I look forward to seeing how you operate.

A bright start to the season and a very detailed post. I greatly appreciate the insight! 

[warlock]

@DefinitelyTaylor Can't stay away, can you? Come on, man - get back in the game! 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

@warlock: Really tempted! @Dong21's post has only added to it. 

[warlock]

3 minutes ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

@warlock: Really tempted! @Dong21's post has only added to it. 

You know you want to! And I'll confess - I'm playing a sneaky Brentford save alongside my Wednesday main effort.

[DefinitelyTaylor]

Just now, warlock said:

You know you want to! And I'll confess - I'm playing a sneaky Brentford save alongside my Wednesday main effort.

I'll be back contributing soon enough! Can't blame you for going with Brentford, everything seems to be set-up well for the future there. A shame to see the results not being quite there under Thomas Frank irl!

[warlock]

Just now, DefinitelyTaylor said:

everything seems to be set-up well for the future there. A shame to see the results not being quite there under Thomas Frank irl!

I admire everything they're doing as a club (and they're my local team!) so I really want them to do well. But I'm up to the first international break and I sympathise with Mr Frank - on paper the squad looks brilliant but there are a few players who just don't perform - and we're getting murdered by injuries!

Eventually I'll find a long-term save, but mostly I get really bored once we get to the PL. And I know that's 'a first world problem'!!!

[janneff]

Sunderland 2021/2022

These were the transfers that helpt us to win the title. If I don't mention signing it's because that player didn't play any senior matches. Last year we conceded way too many goals. I knew that I couldn't afford to bring in whole new defence so I decided to make tactical switch from 4231 to 4141. Both systems are fairly similar so that didn't affect our squad building at all. Basically our midfield three went from Dlp(s)-BBM(S)-SS(a) to Rga(s)-Car(s)-Mez(s). I wanted to use two roles that had stay wider instructions so Tonali (regista) had more space to roam.

Matias Vargas was our first proper signing. He's very talented argentinian midfielder who's capable of cutting in from left side of the pitch. He played key role and scored 12 league goals. I wasn't particularly looking to add striker but Dominic Calvert-Levin was transfer listed on request. I'm always looking to add domestic talent. He had great season and he ended up scoring 30 goals. However most of those goals were scored in cup competitions. One of my primary target was 3rd choice CB.  James Tarkowski was our main target but his wage demands were too high. Darragh Lenihan represented better value. 

First player to leave the club was Matthew Targett. Palace made nice offer and we already had Josh Tymon to replace him as our 1st choice LB. However we needed backup now so we brought in Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City. Martin Odegaard impressed us last season while on loan so we offered him contact after Real Madrid released him. I was happy that he accepted our offer. Now we had too many attacking midfielders so I decided to sell Dominik Prokop. He scored us 9 goals last season and was pretty decent but his small size bothered me too much. Ben Brereton and Vincent Janssen also left the club. Janssen had decent season but we had better options now.  Matteo Guendouzi arrived on loan at deadline day.  We had enough depth but I felt he could add little bit quality. January window was fairly quiet this time. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was transfer listed so we picked him. He's domestic and versatile. Love it.

This is how the league finished. We were leading most of the season and didn't bottle it. We also made FA Cup and Europa League semi-finals but lost them both using heavily rotated squads. Our primary focus was winning the title. It's tough to mention players that did particularly well because basically everybody impressed. My personal favourite was probably David Raya. He was already my favourite GK in FM18. Martin Odegaard won PFA Young Player of the Year award and Josh Tymon, Jack Whatmough and Rob Holding were all selected in the Premier League Team of the Year.

My target was Champions League football and we did even better. I'm very happy that I was able to win the title without exploiting the newgen market. In addtion I'm pleased that we had so many domestic players. I might play one more season and try to win Champions League but otherwise I think my job here is done.

Edited December 11, 2018 by janneff

[kozmik]

@janneff That's pretty amazing, congrats!

[smplfc123]

Afternoon chaps!

I've not got a save going on this years game yet due to time restraints and to be honest when I have had the chance to load her up,  i've been disappointed with the changes to the interface.

However, after reading this thread (Cheers @warlock) I've decided to load her up again and get stuck in. 

I've decided I want to go with a Championship club who could do with a revamp without expecting Promotion in the first season. So wish me luck with Reading!

Transfers on, low experience with an A licence, the challenge begins. 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, kozmik said:

@janneff That's pretty amazing, congrats!

Agreed - an outstanding achievement!

[warlock]

51 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

So wish me luck with Reading!

Welcome back! I'm sure you'll have them back in the PL in no time.

[janneff]

2 hours ago, kozmik said:

@janneff That's pretty amazing, congrats!

 

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Agreed - an outstanding achievement!

Thank you very much. It was definitely unexpected. In retrospect I think that one of the key reasons for our success was probably our domestic players bias. It probably helpt that most of our players were used to playing in England. Something that I haven't really considered in the past.

[Jogo Bonito]

3 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

I've decided I want to go with a Championship club who could do with a revamp without expecting Promotion in the first season. So wish me luck with Reading!

Transfers on, low experience with an A licence, the challenge begins. 

Good luck, use the youngsters and be ruthless with the senior pros! Will follow with interest

@Dong21 Wow, what a revamp that is! Always a good read, best of luck.

[dino]

@janneff Incredible achievement considering how many seasons you've played. Well done sir.

[kroshot]

im getting sick of this game won the league went unbeaten and won the league cup with Birmingham so far so good.game updates today to the latest version load game up and im not in Europe despite my cup win the history shows  won it thanks si

[kozmik]

This fixture list

Last 12 games of the season (unless by some miracle we get past United in the UCL), United three times, City two times, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea and even the derby at Newcastle.

Thankfully the chasing pack have some difficult games left to play as well but still, a tough ask to finish top 4.

[kozmik]

12 minutes ago, kroshot said:

im getting sick of this game won the league went unbeaten and won the league cup with Birmingham so far so good.game updates today to the latest version load game up and im not in Europe despite my cup win the history shows  won it thanks si

That's unfortunate. Are there English teams in the European finals? I've seen a delay in the announcements of continental qualification when that's the case.

[kroshot]

only arsenal and everton are in the seedings on the euro cup page on my club page it doesn't say im in continental competion.im bloody fuming first save ive enjoyed in a while not sure what to do now

[janneff]

2 minutes ago, kroshot said:

only arsenal and everton are in the seedings on the euro cup page on my club page it doesn't say im in continental competion.im bloody fuming first save ive enjoyed in a while not sure what to do now

- Carabao Cup winner not qualifying for Europe if previous Euro Cup winner was English & outside top 4

Perhaps this is the reason.

[kroshot]

no mate I won it first season so no previous winner was english

[kozmik]

What's the date in your game at the moment? Have the current season's Champions league & Europa league already finished?

[kozmik]

FInished season 5. A tough season thanks to the world cup being held in Qatar, although thankfully we had no more than two games per week at any point. But it was two games per week for most of the season. Thankfully there were no replays in the FA cup (we would've played three of them) and the league cup semi was a one off on a neutral ground. Here's the fixtures I posted earlier:

So it went well all in all. Only one really disappointing result, the home draw vs. Burnley. I played the UCL games with a second string team. I figured that we were unlikely to progress anyway, so it would be better to go all in in the league and rest the first XI in the champions league. And here is the final table:

So yet again more of the same. But I'm happy we'll be playing champions league football again next season. We also made it into our first final, the league cup, where we were beaten 2-0 by City despite them going a man down in the first half. Annoyingly difficult to take advantage of opposition red cards in this game!

Transfers:

A great deal of money spent as you can see. Happy with Pickford, had a very solid season, but Sancho and Jota were pretty disappointing all in all. Hopefully they can improve next season. I made a bad mistake in choosing to play Martial as a striker. He had a few good performances but was a far cry from what he did from the left wing the previous season. He'll be back on the left next season. Embolo also went on a 17-hour goalless streak late in the season, which caused additional problems. As did center back Luperto snapping his cruciate before the world cup. Had to get Thorniley in on loan as I only had three senior center backs for the second half of the season.

For next season I've already made a first team signing, a Dutch regen striker coming in from Ajax. Liverpool have been courting Marin all season and I expect him to leave in the summer. He's a great player on his day, but his consistency is very low (dark orange, so I'd guess in the 5-7 range) and as a result he's more often completely inefficient. The price mentioned in the rumors is 66 mill, if I can get that I'll be happy. Defense is where I most need strengthening. I've already agreed a deal to sell 2nd choice right back Smith and while I have a very promising regen in Vinko Covic, he isn't at the required level yet (and I'm not sure he ever will be as his personality is unambitious). A cheap but decent short term solution while Covic goes out on loan for a season or two until he's ready for the first team would be ideal. Most importantly, I want to buy a first choice left back. I've been relying on loans since season 2 and I definitely want a long term solution done now. A new first XI center back would also be nice, but Lukas Mai has handled the job pretty well in Luperto's absence and I think I can rely on him should no better options be available.

Main thing is, I'm starting to get desperate for silverware. Definitely need a trophy next season.

[smplfc123]

Thanks @warlock

And cheers @Jogo Bonito mate. Where are you managing these days? I've not had chance to check the forums much recently so please excuse my ignorance.

[kroshot]

just coimg up the end of july 2019 about  10 days before season starts

[rbird2012]

Haven't had an update in a while so this will be a bit of a long one.

Now Currently in Season 4 with Aston Villa.

2nd Season back in the premier league we ended up 5th in the league and qualified for the Euro Cup.   Board was pleased with that.   Ended up getting 80 million pounds in the transfer market and a 1.6 million week wage budget.  Set goals of qualifying for European soccer. 

The biggest problem with my squad was lack of depth.  it really hurt us when the fixtures came fast and furious and we ended up losing games maybe we shouldn't have when injuries hit.   So I set out to improve our depth everywhere.

I brought in the following players

Chris Mepham from Brentford for 12.25 Million pounds

Josh Tymon from Stoke for 19 million pounds

Lovro Majer from Dinamo for 6.75 million pounds

Marcos Llorente from Malage for 6 million pounds

Fiete Arp from Hamburger for 17 million pounds

 

The problem though was trying to keep some of my players.   

As Monaco came calling for my free striker signing and 30 goal man Roberto Inglese.  I turned down there offer initially but Roberto spoke to me in private about his long desire to play for Monaco so I accepted an offer for 39 million pounds for him.  Not a bad bit of business for a free transfer!

Flushed with more money I signed Thiago Almada from Velez for 11.75 million pounds.   I tried for a few other players and was rejected.   I went out into the loan market and was able to get Phil Foden back and lad Vinicius Junior from Madrid and I felt I had strengthed my squad quite a bit especially with the development of youngsters like Adrien Bongiovanni,Pelayo Morilla and Victer Nelssson.   

The 3rd season in the Premier league started strong for us as we won our first 7 games in a row and we were doing quite well in Europe.   Arp was developing quite nicely and between him and Almada were easily replacing the goals left by the departure of Inglese.

Injuries started to hit us at Christmas time saw us go a bit of a losing streak which saw us fall back to 5th in the premier league.   I still had plenty of cash in the transfer kitty and was able to get Louis Beyer from M'gladbach for only 6 million pounds because of a release fee for teams playing in Continental competitions!.   My scouts found a great young striker in Gaston Veron in Argentinos Jr and I signed him for for 8.75 million pounds and they also highly recommended a player by the name of Alex Blesa from Levante and I got him at a bargin price of 575K!.   I also signed Marcelo Torres on a free from Boca for some extra depth.

Our European adventure ended with an unfortunate draw against Juventus in the knockout phase.  But our form and health picked up in the premier league and saw us surge to 2nd spot by leagues end and secure a spot in the champions league!

 

The board were so happy and pleased they announced plans to build a new stadium!   a 56k state of the art facilty!

 

Flush with success the board handed me 87 million pounds and a 1.75 million pound a week wage bill!

 

Things were looking up or so I thought.....

 

 

 

 

[Fabulous Fabby]

Hello!

first time posting for a while

gonna start a new save with Brentford, have a soft spot for them as used to live round the corner from the ground.

any big tips from anyone to get me going? Must have signings, players to ship out, tactics etc?

Squad looks pretty healthy for a nice 4-2-3-1, looks like a back up striker is needed and maybe a left winger??

cheers

 

[warlock]

57 minutes ago, rbird2012 said:

Things were looking up or so I thought.....

Oooh, a cliffhanger!! Does sound like you were doing well.

[Fabulous Fabby]

Hello!

first time posting for a while

gonna start a new save with Brentford, have a soft spot for them as used to live round the corner from the ground.

any big tips from anyone to get me going? Must have signings, players to ship out, tactics etc?

Squad looks pretty healthy for a nice 4-2-3-1, looks like a back up striker is needed and maybe a left winger??

cheers

 

[warlock]

9 minutes ago, Fabulous Fabby said:

gonna start a new save with Brentford

An excellent choice, I think. The squad is pretty solid all round, although you do need some backup at striker. There's a lot of flexibility across the attacking midfield, but if you want to play the 4231 I'd agree you probably want another body on the left.

I was dabbling with a Bees save but since the latest update I've decided to start over. I brought Sorloth on loan from Palace for the striker position and didn't need anyone else as I was playing 4123-wide. Good luck!

[rbird2012]

Season 4....

 

I was thinking I really didn't need to add more depth to the lineup and I would allow some youngsters to get some playing time in depth roles and play in cup games.   I set my scouts out to look for players under 20 that were 80+ rated and i would look to sign them to continue my youth policy.  

 

My backend at this time consisted of 

GK

Nyland 31
Ivan Villar 24

RB

Louis Beyer 21 

Jayden Bogle 21

Brindelli(youngster 4 star potential turning 21

CB

John Souttar 24

Chris Mepham 23

Dan-Axel Zagadou 22

LB

Josh Tymon 22

Nicolas Cozza 22

DM/MC

Sandro Tonali 21

John McGinn 27

Conor Hourhane 27

Alex Blesa 19

MC/AM

Antonio Marin 20

Thiago Almada 19

Jack Grealish 22

Lovro Majer 23

Adrien Bongiovanni 21

Pelayo Morilla 19

Strker

Fiete Arp 20

Gaston Veron 19

 

Plus assorted young regens that came through our ranks and a few my scouts had found.   The one area I thought I would focus in on was GK.   I targeted Alban Lafont from Fiorentina and was able to sign him for a club record fee of 30 million pounds.   I also signed a young Agentinian by the name of Rocco Rios Novo but I loaned him back to Lanus after I signed him fro 6 million pounds.   

But of course things never seem to go the way you want it.

I wanted to try and either sign Phil Foden or loan him back.  Man City decieded they needed him so that was off.   Madrid was interested in selling me Vinicus Junior for 38 million pounds but he decieded that Inter Milan was where he would rather be.   

The first Giant that came calling was Juventus.   I guess after playing them in the Euro Cup they began to watch Tonali.   After offering 38 million pounds for him, which I turned down,  Tonali came to me privately begging to accept a bid.   I accepted a 48 million pound bid a record purchase.   But I didn't want to see him go and now I needed to fill that hole in the mid field and went out to find a player to do so.

While I began to look for a replacement,  Dortmund launched a massive 75 million pound bid for Arp.   Again I refused!  Arp went public with his outrage of not being allowed to move.   Dortmund came back asking what I wanted.  I told them I wanted 110 million pounds thinking they would back off.   Much to my chagrin then offered exactly 110 million pounds.   I had to swallow my pride and accept.   

Just when I was thinking it couldn't get worse, Liverpool came in with a 80 million pound bid for Antonio Marin.   Marin had developed into our best and most consistent player.   Luckily for me he didn't want to move as he developed a love for Aston Villa the 3 years he was here.   I was able to turn down Liverpools raid.

But I still lost 2 important cogs in my team but at least I had almost 190 million pounds to figure out what to do next!

 

 

[Fabulous Fabby]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

An excellent choice, I think. The squad is pretty solid all round, although you do need some backup at striker. There's a lot of flexibility across the attacking midfield, but if you want to play the 4231 I'd agree you probably want another body on the left.

I was dabbling with a Bees save but since the latest update I've decided to start over. I brought Sorloth on loan from Palace for the striker position and didn't need anyone else as I was playing 4123-wide. Good luck!

Thanks!

I’ll update my progress

[dino]

@rbird2012 If there is anything bad which comes from overachieving, it's exactly what you have experienced. 

[Carlf788]

On 11/12/2018 at 15:18, janneff said:

Sunderland 2021/2022

These were the transfers that helpt us to win the title. If I don't mention signing it's because that player didn't play any senior matches. Last year we conceded way too many goals. I knew that I couldn't afford to bring in whole new defence so I decided to make tactical switch from 4231 to 4141. Both systems are fairly similar so that didn't affect our squad building at all. Basically our midfield three went from Dlp(s)-BBM(S)-SS(a) to Rga(s)-Car(s)-Mez(s). I wanted to use two roles that had stay wider instructions so Tonali (regista) had more space to roam.

Matias Vargas was our first proper signing. He's very talented argentinian midfielder who's capable of cutting in from left side of the pitch. He played key role and scored 12 league goals. I wasn't particularly looking to add striker but Dominic Calvert-Levin was transfer listed on request. I'm always looking to add domestic talent. He had great season and he ended up scoring 30 goals. However most of those goals were scored in cup competitions. One of my primary target was 3rd choice CB.  James Tarkowski was our main target but his wage demands were too high. Darragh Lenihan represented better value. 

First player to leave the club was Matthew Targett. Palace made nice offer and we already had Josh Tymon to replace him as our 1st choice LB. However we needed backup now so we brought in Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City. Martin Odegaard impressed us last season while on loan so we offered him contact after Real Madrid released him. I was happy that he accepted our offer. Now we had too many attacking midfielders so I decided to sell Dominik Prokop. He scored us 9 goals last season and was pretty decent but his small size bothered me too much. Ben Brereton and Vincent Janssen also left the club. Janssen had decent season but we had better options now.  Matteo Guendouzi arrived on loan at deadline day.  We had enough depth but I felt he could add little bit quality. January window was fairly quiet this time. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was transfer listed so we picked him. He's domestic and versatile. Love it.

This is how the league finished. We were leading most of the season and didn't bottle it. We also made FA Cup and Europa League semi-finals but lost them both using heavily rotated squads. Our primary focus was winning the title. It's tough to mention players that did particularly well because basically everybody impressed. My personal favourite was probably David Raya. He was already my favourite GK in FM18. Martin Odegaard won PFA Young Player of the Year award and Josh Tymon, Jack Whatmough and Rob Holding were all selected in the Premier League Team of the Year.

My target was Champions League football and we did even better. I'm very happy that I was able to win the title without exploiting the newgen market. In addtion I'm pleased that we had so many domestic players. I might play one more season and try to win Champions League but otherwise I think my job here is done.

Jesus Sunderland in Europe 😂😂

[Dong21]

@DefinitelyTaylor @warlock @Jogo Bonito Thanks all for your comments - loving this save at the moment. Time for another update...

Charlton Athletic - Season 3 - Part 2

The season rolled on and I'm pleased to report that our good form continued. Taylor kept scoring and his teammates started joining in too. The months of October and November saw some notable wins against the likes of Stoke and Middlesbrough, however the highlights had to be the derby win against local rivals Millwall (fresh off their recent relegation from the Premier League) and a thrilling 4-3 win against QPR that featured a hat-trick from my defender Krystian Bielik.

In early November we unsurprisingly lost to league leaders Burnley, however since then we have won eight league games in a row and our role as unlikely promotion contenders lives on. The one low point was our early exit to Birmingham in the FA Cup - we were leading the game, however we conceded in the 91st and 94th minutes and lost the game (in similar fashion to our League Cup exit). I am not too disheartened though, as our league performance continues to be my priority.

Transfers

After such a busy summer transfer window, the winter period was decidedly quiet by comparison. The only notable incoming was 20 year old Spaniard Gragera - even at his young age he was rated the best defensive midfielder at the club and went straight into the starting eleven.

In respect of outgoings, many of my young players were sent out on loan to gain experience and hopefully develop. One of my summer signings, attacking midfielder Bahloudi, was sent out on loan as he had became unhappy at his lack of playing time. We ended up favouring the 4-1-4-1 DM wide or the 4-4-2 much more frequently than the 4-2-3-1 and therefore his opportunities ended up being limited. We signed him on a free and are gaining a £300k loan fee, so it has worked out fairly well.

So with over two thirds of the season completed we see ourselves sitting 2nd in the table and in contention for an unlikely promotion. We are currently top scorers in the league (Taylor is the league's top goalscorer with 20 goals) and have conceded the least amount of goals. I am not getting carried away just yet however as there are 14 tough fixtures ahead. Our next game is an important one as we are about to play an in-form Huddersfield who sit only one place and one point behind us.

A final update for the third season will follow shortly, I am sure. Wish me luck!

Edited December 15, 2018 by Dong21

[Jean0987654321]

Swansea Season 1
As expected, I would be fighting for the promotion places. I was able to stamp on my authority and play the soccer that the Swansea faithful had long for since the departure of Michael Landrup. I won the Championship Title playing Sarriball

Had some money lying around in the beginning but I wanted to rebuild the squad from the back so I dumped two of the GKs and replaced them with guys that are confortable on the ball and are young. Loic came on loan but he'll stay with the Swans as a permanent player next season. The defense was shocking on the ball so I got not 1, not 2, but 3 defenders good on the ball. The left backs were meh so I got European Champion Eliseu on a free and grabbed Toni Lato from Valencia as he was transfer listed in January. I also needed an engine in midfield so I got Didier Digard on a free. I also needed some depth up front so I got Xadas, Nasri and Chong.


Here is the tactic. Very Sarri-esque as I mentioned. Trying to get Swansea back to its roots and so far so good.

And now some players

Joint top-scorer with Chong. Still immense in front of goal. Hopefully he does the job in topflight.

Decent striker off the bench but I doubt he can make the jump to topflight. I might sell him off next season.

A great signing indeed. I extended his loan deal for next season. Hopefully, I can snap him up on a permanent deal

Have a good throw in him. Can't tell you how many times we score from a long throw in by Asoro.

The Portuguese Hazard. Just snapped him up on a permanent deal from Roma so he's here to stay.

This guy is Kante-lite and he came on a free. Unfortunately, I doubt he can make the jump to the Premier League.

A FM wonderkid did well for me in the Championship. Hope that he stays for years to come.

Loic was solid between the sticks. He has easily become our own version of Ederson. Glad we snapped him up on a permanent deal.

Great loanee from the Spurs. Made that RB spot his own.

Great bargain signing for us. Just needs to improve his ariel ability but he is still young.

Was on his own in the DM spot until we picked up Tonali in the winter but Carroll was good at the start.

Other notes
I have signed half of our loanees to permanent deals (Dan-Axel, Loic, and Xadas) and I have renewed two loanees deal to next season. Hopefully I can get the other two in as permanent transfers in the future.

 

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - Season 3 - Part 3

In my last update I finished by previewing the biggest match of my season, against fellow promotion contenders Huddersfield who were only one point behind us. Huddersfield had 15 shots to our 8, however our defence stood firm and after goals from Ince and Taylor we went on to be victorious. Our form continued throughout February and March, including some high scoring victories against Sheff Weds, Stoke and Reading. We went top of the table after defeating Preston, which presented a new challenge, how would we cope with the pressure of leading, rather than chasing.

Our form continued in early April as we drew with fellow promotion hopefuls Cardiff and thumped our local rivals Millwall once again. We went into the final three games of the season with a healthy five point lead ahead of second place Burnley. I was feeling particularly confident as we had been undefeated for sixteen games - morale was high and the players were in good form. The worst case scenario then happened, we lost to local rivals QPR and were then thrashed by Leeds. Burnley won one of their two games, so going into the final match-day we were left with a two point lead.

We took on Sheff Utd and the game started poorly - defensive midfielder Gragera was sent off in just the 23rd minute. We then conceded two penalties, however the heroic Henderson saved them both! With our vastly superior goal difference I knew a point would be sufficient to lift the title, so I switched to defensive with the hopes of hanging on to a 0-0 draw. Then, in the 90th minute, our opposition scored. I had seen earlier that Burnley were winning so I was certain we had thrown away the title. After the game I checked the results and to my relief Burnley had also conceded late to draw - so we finished the season champions!

Having been predicted to finish 20th in the league at the beginning of the season, and with the 21st largest wage bill in the league, we achieved the unthinkable and won the Championship. With the second meanest defence in the league and the top scoring attack, every part of the team played their part in this achievement.

Key to my success this season was that Taylor, who finished the league's top goalscorer with 29 goals, stayed fit for the entirety of the season. Taylor, however, did not finish in the top three of the fan's Player of the Season vote, which is indicative of the depth of strong performers in the squad. The top three was made up of players who had been brought in the summer transfer overhaul - Husband, Kruse and Bielik.

I was a very proud manager when I saw that eight of my players had made the Players' Team of the Year and Robbie Kruse had picked up the league's overall Player of the Year accolade. I also was awarded the Manager of the Year award for my efforts.

Now comes the daunting challenge of the Premier League. I have been given a budget of £33m to improve my squad with the hope of surviving in the top division's shark infested waters. I am in two minds whether to try and make wholesale changes once again, or to perservere with many of my young squad who have got me this far. Time will tell what I settle upon.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Dong21

[warlock]

5 hours ago, Dong21 said:

I also was awarded the Manager of the Year award for my efforts.

Quite right, too! That's a fantastic achievement. And I'm sure you'll do well in the PL - although, perhaps you won't win it first year .

Glad to see an update. I guess a lot of us are busy with the festive preparations, office parties, hangovers, Christmas wrapping, etc. I've had a ridiculous social schedule this last week, although I did futz about with a new Brentford save but I was getting murdered by injuries - they start with a lot, and then added quite a few more. On a brighter note, I'm running my annual attempt to get Darlington back to their rightful place at the bottom of League Two, and just won the VNN title. Prepping for life in the VNL now. 

 

[Burnley92]

Luton 2nd season update

 

We had a brilliant and more importantly, injury free, pre season. The board told me to just concentrate on staying in the Championship but my players seemed to have higher aspirations! I never expected us to start the season so well, but there we were with some unbelievable results. The 3-0 home win against Cardiff was the best we've ever played as a team.

 

**Quick side note, I previously stated Barnsley were promoted along with myself and Charlton, I got this wrong, it was actually Walsall, doh!

 

 

By far our best player has been a new winger signed from Tromso by the name of Mikael Noro Ingebrigtsen. He has currently scored 19 goals and has 9 assists in just 25 matches. He's been absolutely insane for us. We have already turned down a £3,000,000 bid from West Ham for him (He was brought to the club for just £65,000 in the summer!)

 

We are currently on a 10 game unbeaten run and we are seemingly free-scoring. I play an attacking 4-2-4 formation, route one. I don't want to get carried away as on previous versions of FM I have been on runs like this and then not won for 10 games   Although when you've scored 41 goals in 10 games it's hard not to get excited!

 

 

We currently sit top of the Championship after 25 games, 6 points clear of Preston who are 2nd (and the only team to take points off us in the last 10! I have just signed an improved 3 year contract and, fingers crossed, Luton Town will be battling the big boys of the Premier League next season. But ssshh, don't let my players hear me say that yet... 1 game at a time and all that!

 

 

I previously mentioned my rivalry with Charlton manager Lee Bowyer... After beating them 5-1 at home for their 7th straight defeat he was duly sacked 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Burnley92 said:

We currently sit top of the Championship after 25 games

You're flying! Championship is supposed to be tough but you're tearing it up.

KUTGW!!

[Burnley92]

9 hours ago, warlock said:

You're flying! Championship is supposed to be tough but you're tearing it up.

KUTGW!!

 

Thanks! Dare I say it but it has seemed easy so far. I'm hoping it's down to me and I haven't broken the game by playing very boring football 

 

Scrap that, my next match after that unbeaten run has just ended as 3-0 loss at Hull. Maybe now is where the hard work starts!

[warlock]

Just now, Burnley92 said:

my next match after that unbeaten run has just ended as 3-0 loss at Hull. Maybe now is where the hard work starts!

Yes, every honeymoon has to end! The New Year is where my seasons often go pear-shaped. Hopefully you'll get back to winning ways 

[QuassoRP]

Doing by far my most favourite save for years on football manager - West Brom

1st season we ran away with the league setting records for most points, wins and goals and also reaching the Carabao cup final only to be beaten by Liverpool.

2nd season in the prem I finished 6th and won the FA cup getting sweet revenge on Liverpool beating them 2-0 and qualifying for Europe.

Now in the summer of 3rd season with no games played building my squad. In the first season I signed Ruben Blanco in goal for £3.5m and I have just accepted a bid from PSG for him for around £50m which is unbelievable, just think I will find replacing him hard!

Made some more fantastic signings during the last 2 season but this summer I have signed Moise Kean  for £16.5m who I know I won't keep for long and I have basically brought him to make some serious profit but hopefully whilst he is here he can make us a stronger side.

Bring on the Europa League!!

Edited December 19, 2018 by QuassoRP

[KF1990]

Having some fun with Coventry City at the moment. Was hoping to just stay in league one in the first season with them being in a very rocky financial position and a large amount of debt to pay off. Affiliate partnership with Arsenal and some of their youngsters on loan helped me finish 2nd and win promotion.

Going into the first season in Championship I was just hoping we didn't get embarrassed due to having no money to spend still and the lowest wage budget in the league with 80k a week, above us in the table was Luton who has 120K. That extra 40k would have been contracts for around 8-10 players in my squad. Currently 37 games into the league and we're doing really well sitting in 6th place. Can't imagine us getting a playoff place as last 9 games are against all the top teams in the league so would be difficult, earlier in the season when I had this run of fixtures it turned into 10 games without a win.

Managed to keep hold of my top players but don't know how long for they have been:

Brendan Galloway - Had on loan in league one and this season. He's wanted by Fulham now so can't see me having him for next year.

Jordan Willis - Steadily improving player and captain of the side. Had no bids for him as yet so hope it stays that way.

Brandon Mason - Great young LB can see clubs coming in for him soon enough.

Gedion Zelium - Signed on a free after a loan spell in League One from Arsenal. Real good DLP for the championship.

Jody Jones - This kid will be a Premier League footballer in my save weather that be with me or another team. 10 goals & 10 assists in league one now in championship as 11 goals & 13 assists. Great Inside forward on the right side.

Connor Chaplin - Only player to have money spent on in my time here and that's because it was pre-arranged. Great shadow striker and can score some spectacular goals.

Jordi Hiwula - Really didn't think he'd amount to much but was my top goalscorer of league one with 20 league goals and currently our top goalscorer in the Championship with 16 goals.

Had interviews with West Ham and Everton but declined both roles and used them as leverage to get a new contract and a bit more wage budget. Hoping to get the team more financially stable and plough on to the Prem.

Edited December 20, 2018 by KF1990

[ellzo]

So first post, just had to put this up as my wife does not understand my excitement. 

We drew City in the cup! Hoping this is going to sort out my finances for a few months as hemorrhaging money in this league.

I will put up a full post when get to the end of January transfer window. 

[warlock]

@KF1990 Going well there. And looks like you're putting together a good squad. Hopefully you'll find a decent replacement for Galloway.

@ellzo It's OK - we understand . Shame it wasn't an away tie, but the TV money should give you a good payday.

[KF1990]

10 hours ago, warlock said:

@KF1990 Going well there. And looks like you're putting together a good squad. Hopefully you'll find a decent replacement for Galloway.

@ellzo It's OK - we understand . Shame it wasn't an away tie, but the TV money should give you a good payday.

No need now. Finished 5th, had Brentofrd playoff semi's and beat them 6-4 on aggregate then had Cardiff in the Final. 2 down at half time but came back to win 3-2. Managed to sign Galloway on a free. Wage budget went from 90k to 350k with a 36mil budget. Only have 4 or 5 players in the squad that might be able to make the step up to the Prem so just squad rebuilding at the moment.