Jogo Bonito Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Colchester United - Season 2 Ahead of season 2, I've released quite a few players who weren't going to be good enough for League 1(nearly all of them from the U23 and U18 squads) The transfers in and out were finalised as below Netting a profit, I've also reduced the number of loan men at the club compared to last season Has the group been strengthened? I don't know really In most areas I would say yes, but the absent Tottenham starlets in central midfield may be a big miss My striker dilemma was finally ended on deadline day - by one of my own Frank Nouble turned down a £100k move to Rotherham despite saying how much he wanted to leave That forced the deals for Marquis and Collins to be cancelled due to lack of funds Onekabirhie could still have been signed for £215k, but I already had four strikers and I decided the fee was too much in the circumstances Then I made a cheeky loan bid for Collins at 4.15pm, which Luton accepted at 4.23 pm. No transfer fee and just £1.1k per week in wages? Perfect But then I was informed at 4.30pm that there wasn't enough time to complete the paperwork Yeah, the deadline was 5pm and not 11pm. Doh And thanks Frank, you'll never play for the club again mate So, season 2 begins with a tight 22-man squad as below With Prosser out for eight months injured, it's 21 men, and that includes Nouble too. 20 men then...plus some youngsters in the U23 squad Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 It seems to have been one hell of a summer window for you @Jogo Bonito! All the players released are unsurprising, given they would never have made the step up. The sale of Osbourne also makes sense and the fee collected from Jamie Thomas will have helped you reinvest back into the squad, although I think the pull of Portsmouth may have been a reason as to his departure too. The arrivals may not be plentiful, in ways, however do have real quality. Ryan Leonard is a Championship player, in my eyes, so that's a real coup. Lawrence Shankland is very much the 'go-to' player on the winter update. I'm familiar with him during a brief save I had at Peterborough as I was testing out the new update, at the time. He scored four goals on his debut, so I have high hopes for him to replicate similar form for you, although to ask for four goals on your debut may be a bit too ambitious . Very impressed with the free signings of Josh Parker and Sid Nelson, also. Both have the ability to become a key part to your squad, personally. The squad is relatively small, but I have confidence in your management. Fingers crossed a mass injury crisis is avoided, as a number of injuries will really damage this squad. A number of young players there though, ready to be used. I'm looking forward to seeing how much action the likes of Cameron James and Oliver Kensdale receive, especially. Both have great potential, but may not be ready for League One just yet. Like I said though, I have full faith in your abilities to make the correct calls and develop them the best way possible. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) Thanks @DefinitelyTaylor your encouragement is appreciated. I'm hopeful that the players added do have the necessary quality, and there is big responsibility on the new spine (Walker, Nelson, Leonard and Shankland). I'm starting with 4-2-3-1 with Parker on the bench, so let's see what happens. Injuries could play a big role this year with a small squad, but I'm very comfortable using some U23 youngsters if that needs to happen. And I do feel the balance of squad in terms of positions, versatility and cover is where I want it to be. Time will tell! Edited March 27, 2019 by Jogo Bonito Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beechy85 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 @Jogo Bonito Do you have the save with Sheffield Wednesday relegated? I’m a Wednesday fan and would like the challenge of rebuilding them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 1 hour ago, beechy85 said: @Jogo Bonito Do you have the save with Sheffield Wednesday relegated? I’m a Wednesday fan and would like the challenge of rebuilding them I do, it's 11th May just before the play-off semi finals so the entire window would be yours. The good news for you is that they didn't sign anyone (Iorfa was the last, dated 25th June 2018) and only sold Abdi. So you could make all your own decisions on who to keep or get rid of. I have no idea how to send/share or allow you to use it. If it's easy, I don't mind trying for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beechy85 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) @Jogo Bonito Can you upload games to the steam workshop? I’m not sure how to uoload onto the download sites either or would it be possible maybe to email the file or send on here in a message? Edited March 28, 2019 by beechy85 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Very tempted to skip the whole first season the take over a team who has been relegated to league 1 anyone else had much fun doing this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 @Rollin93 Yes mate I did it with Reading, well, I took over when they were still in the Championship but pretty much doomed. Had great fun in selling half the squad and making the team my own. Got them straight back in to the championship and then 2 seasons later, we were in the prem. Wish I hadn't deleted the save now in all honesty as it was my favourite FM19 game so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, smplfc123 said: @Rollin93 Yes mate I did it with Reading, well, I took over when they were still in the Championship but pretty much doomed. Had great fun in selling half the squad and making the team my own. Got them straight back in to the championship and then 2 seasons later, we were in the prem. Wish I hadn't deleted the save now in all honesty as it was my favourite FM19 game so far. Cheers for getting back to me mate yeah I think I’m going to do it! I’ll update you with who I end up with! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 17 minutes ago, Rollin93 said: Cheers for getting back to me mate yeah I think I’m going to do it! I’ll update you with who I end up with! Good luck mate. Hopefully you'll get a decent side that has gone down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 On 28/03/2019 at 00:40, beechy85 said: @Jogo Bonito Can you upload games to the steam workshop? I’m not sure how to uoload onto the download sites either or would it be possible maybe to email the file or send on here in a message? Sorry for delay. I really don't know how to give you access to it, but happy to try if I can have clear directions how to share. @Rollin93 If the above happens, you might want to try Sheffield Wednesday in League 1? Otherwise, do as @smplfc123 says and take over a relegated team, or load Ireland as playable league when you set up a new English game, and start in January 2019 with a team struggling to stay up? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: Sorry for delay. I really don't know how to give you access to it, but happy to try if I can have clear directions how to share. You could share it via Mediafire? Simply go to the website, then upload the file. It's as simple as finding the save file (My documents > Sports Interactive > Football Manager 2019 > Games) and then you're pretty much done. Once the file is up, just share the link and then it's available to download. Simple and quick! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 @DefinitelyTaylor Thanks for your help!! I hope this works as it should do for anyone interested, especially @beechy85 http://www.mediafire.com/file/674d1raut5727h4/SWFC_relegated.fm/file 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: @DefinitelyTaylor Thanks for your help!! I hope this works as it should do for anyone interested, especially @beechy85 http://www.mediafire.com/file/674d1raut5727h4/SWFC_relegated.fm/file Just make sure that after you download it, you copy the file and follow these steps. My Documents > Sports Interactive > Football Manager 2019 > Games. Then simply paste the file into this folder, after which it will appear in your saved games in-game. Edited March 29, 2019 by DefinitelyTaylor 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Thanks again @DefinitelyTaylor And as I head back to the Colchester training ground, and we are in link-mode, this is an amusing Colchester story to share.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47744431 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said: Sorry for delay. I really don't know how to give you access to it, but happy to try if I can have clear directions how to share. @Rollin93 If the above happens, you might want to try Sheffield Wednesday in League 1? Otherwise, do as @smplfc123 says and take over a relegated team, or load Ireland as playable league when you set up a new English game, and start in January 2019 with a team struggling to stay up? Thank you well Peterborough have been relegated to league 2 so I’m very tempted to take them over! if not possible options are Rotherham Ipswich Bolton and Preston winning the championship was Reading i don’t even know how! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR_Junior Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) Hi! This is my first post in this thread! I've been playing with Grimsby and this is my first save ever trying to climb the english football league. Just finished third season, here's a quick recap: 1st Season - 18/19 - League 2 Finish: 4th - 77 points - Promoted via Playoffs This was a rollercoaster of a season. I wasn't think about playoffs but then in the last round I actually had a chance to finish in third and get automatic promotion. I was 1 point behind 3rd (MK Dons) and 4th (Notts County). Last day of the season MK Dons lost 5-1, Notts County lost 2-1 and I was drawing...so I did the math that was getting promoted by goal difference. Great! Game ended and...I was 4th! I totally missed the fact that Forest Green was 1 point behind me and won their game! Felt really dumb! Luckily we were able to beat Cheltenham and Notts County to get promotion via playoffs for the first time in my life. Best Player: Elliot Embleton - 51apps 10g 14a 7.33avg 2nd Season - 19/20 - League 1 Finish: 16th - 57 points It took me 19 matches to get my first clean sheet this season. It was painful at times! But eventually we got there at the end and finished without worrying about relegation. We actually were the worst between the four League 2 teams, but we would eventually get our revenge... Best Player: Elliott Embleton - 41apps 3g 8a 7.06avg 3rd Season - 20/21 - League 1 - Squad Finish: 1st - 92 points - Promoted as Champions This may be the first time I ever massively over-achieved in Football Manager! We were predicted to finish 19th and personally I'd be happy with a top-half finish. Still had lots of stress. We started with 9 unbeaten games but then we had a really frustrating sequence of matches. I rage quit, stopped playing Football Manager altogether for a good few weeks. Then I started a new save with Rangers and found a tactic that worked well and thought "hm...I should go back to my Grimsby save and try this". So I did it. I had a rocky "restart" but things started to get better by the second month. I started with a tactic with no wingers but changed to the new one using them. I didn't have money, unfortunately. So I had to go for cheap free agents. Got Nathan Dyer in October and Nathan Delfouneso in January! Supporters hated Delfouneso! I just got him for fun, to be honest. But the unexpected happened...they actually pushed the team to promotion! I couldn't believe! 33 years old Nathan Dyer scored 10 and assisted 5 in 34 appearences, while 30 years old Nathan Delfouneso scored 6 and assisted 8 in 20 matches to end the season with the best average rating of the squad! God Bless Delfouneso. Also, 2 of the 3 teams that were promoted with me got relegated (Forest Green and Exeter City) back, while Colchester finished mid-table. Key Players: Nathan Delfouneso - 20apps 6g 8a 7.27avg // Jamie Barjonas - 46apps 10g 14a 7.20avg // Lee Angol - 46apps 22g 5a 7.22avg Now I have a free night and a long transfer window ahead! Can't wait! Edited March 30, 2019 by JR_Junior Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 11 hours ago, JR_Junior said: Hi! This is my first post in this thread! Welcome to the fun, and major congratulations for winning promotion to the Championship. Looks like you managed to get the best out of a decent-but-not-exceptional squad. What was the tactical setup, if you don't mind me asking? Always looking for ways to get more out of my wide players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 Colchester: Season 2, L1 October After I recovered from the shock of a board demand for a top-half finish on a virtually non-existent transfer budget, I did what little I could in the transfer market. Even after I realised that the board had made a rather generous increase to the wage budget, allowing me to move some of that to provide a £100k transfer pot, it didn't make a lot of difference. Loan signings from season 1 Abo Eisa (free), Jake Vokins, Carlton Morris and Will Smallbone (renewed loans) were brought in. while loan GK Tom Glover was replaced by Brentford's Jack Bonham on a free transfer. As the window wound to a close, I thought I needed more depth in midfield so Matt Crooks was signed on loan from Rotherham. And that was that! Early results appeared to confirm my fears that we might be out of our depth. Despite an opening away win at Walsall we soon succumbed to defeats against Luton and Bristol Rovers, followed by two disappointing (and lucky) home draws. A surprising win against Swansea (newly returned to the PL) in the League Cup seemed to give the team renewed confidence and we put together a winning sequence against some tough opposition that included newly-relegated Derby and Portsmouth. A disappointing 2-3 defeat away to Scunthorpe, followed by an expected spanking against Southampton (back in the Championship) in the League Cup, and a disappointing home draw with Peterborough, saw out a month of mixed results. Happily, October proved to be a better month after some tactical tinkering. After the loss to Charlton, I decided a more cautious approach was needed and I dropped our wide AMs to midfield for a simple switch from 4231 to 4411, as well as simplifying TIs to make us more secure in defence. It paid immediate dividends with a brilliant home win in the derby game against Ipswich, and an even better performance away at high-flying Coventry. As we head into November, we sit 7th in the table - a fantastic position after our early inconsistency. We also have a game in hand that could push us even higher but for now I'm happy with where we stand. We're lacking the rock-solid defence of last year, but third-best for goals conceded is pleasing. Our problems have largely been at the top end of the pitch where none of our strikers have really found form, and we've lacked last season's bonus goals from the wings. Box-to-box midfielder Harry Pell started well (but has faded somewhat lately), while Eisa has finally found his shooting boots and bagged a goal in each of his last two starts. So far: room for improvement, but reasons to be cheerful! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Great update @warlock especially considering the lack of funds - yet high expectations from the board! No surprise in Bolton and Ipswich dropping down, but I am shocked to see Derby in there! It's normally Rotherham, Reading or Sheff Weds that take the plunge in my saves! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 14 hours ago, JR_Junior said: Hi! This is my first post in this thread! I've been playing with Grimsby and this is my first save ever trying to climb the english football league. Just finished third season, here's a quick recap: Welcome and congratulations, good luck in the new season! @warlock Very impressive, the blips are to be expected but a really good set of results to be sat in 7th! Amazed to see Derby in League 1. @smplfc123 I echo your thoughts about Derby. Have you found your new home yet mate? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) Colchester United - Season 2 My start to League 1 has been surprisingly good Apart from the early setback at Bolton, the only other losses were both 0-1 at home, and each time that was to 90th minute goals against the run of play I'm more determined than ever to bow out of the Checkatrade Trophy early this year, and the 4-1 loss at Southend puts me on track to do that The Carabao Cup run has been amazing, with three wins and that includes beating youthful Tottenham and Everton sides (Millwall are up next) This sees my team sitting in a lofty 3rd position after 10 league games I'm not expecting that to last, but I'd like to think a top-half finish is attainable in order to meet the board's target On the playing front, veteran defender Luke Prosser suffered a long-term injury in pre-season and announced his retirement I wasn't able to sell either Frank Nouble or Luke Norris, but both were becoming a bad influence and not showing any decent form in pre-season In the end, I was happy and relieved to loan them out to Salford and York respectively (both with their full wage being paid) This reduced my 22-man squad to 19, so I added midfielder Tom Adeyemi (free transfer) and Luton striker James Collins on loan (wage £1.1k p/w) Neither have had a chance to contribute anything yet, but with this small squad I am sure they will have chances during the season I should also mention that Thomas Lapslie is out injured for six months, so I am potentially going to add two more men on free transfers if I can do it I've also been improving my staff, which includes former Colchester heroes like Foley and Kinsella (icon) coming back, not to mention Stuart Pearce The most-loved arrival though is probably Duguid (legend) who made 416 appearances for the club Hopefully a few more of the most-respected people from the club's past will also join my staff in the future Edited March 30, 2019 by Jogo Bonito Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said: My start to League 1 has been surprisingly good I'll second that . I'll be interested to see how Adyemi does for you... I um'ed and ah'ed but by the time I'd decided to go for it he'd signed for Charlton. Meanwhile, Parker is still available on a free and given his performances for you I'm awfully tempted! I'm impressed that you have a strategy for staff recruitment - I just grab the best available at the time! Works OK, I think - we have the best scouting and medical teams in the league, and we're top six in every coaching category except - perhaps significantly - for defending And yes, Derby's fate has been interesting. Lampard was sacked in December 2018 by which time the club had only three wins in the Championship (he's still unemployed as of now). Ex-Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen was his replacement and he did OK in February and March, but they fell apart in April and were relegated in 22nd place - one point behind Sheffield Wednesday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 5 minutes ago, warlock said: I'll second that . I'll be interested to see how Adyemi does for you... I um'ed and ah'ed but by the time I'd decided to go for it he'd signed for Charlton. Meanwhile, Parker is still available on a free and given his performances for you I'm awfully tempted! I'm impressed that you have a strategy for staff recruitment - I just grab the best available at the time! Works OK, I think - we have the best scouting and medical teams in the league, and we're top six in every coaching category except - perhaps significantly - for defending And yes, Derby's fate has been interesting. Lampard was sacked in December 2018 by which time the club had only three wins in the Championship (he's still unemployed as of now). Ex-Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen was his replacement and he did OK in February and March, but they fell apart in April and were relegated in 22nd place - one point behind Sheffield Wednesday. The Derby demise is surprising! To be honest, I signed Adeyemi because the two free agents I'd wanted in the summer wouldn't even open talks. When Lapslie got injured, I just need some back-up in the physical/defensive part of central midfield, in case Ryan Leonard was ever unavailable. I'm not convinced he's going to be great, but should be adequate cover. Parker on the other hand has been excellent so far, out-performing Shankland so far, in my opinion. Parker can also perform on the right wing too, so gives good versatility in attack. I do always like to have a staff strategy, and like ex-club favourites to be involved. The others mainly have South East connections, like the majority of the player signings. I've no idea where I rank in the league for quality, but would imagine it's pretty high except for scouting. I don't use scouts, so just have a Chief Scout for realism - and because I know him a little from 20-odd years ago. Whatever your strategy, it's working for you. And I'd say we are both doing far better than we expected at this stage of the season. And finally I have some good news. I've now been able to recruit the two guys I had been chasing through the summer. This leaves my squad is looking much stronger in terms of quality and numbers (23 including one long-term injured). The first of the two arrivals should be a regular in central midfield, whilst the latter is a tricky winger (and brother of a club icon)... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beechy85 Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Cheers for that @Jogo Bonito I had a quick look at the Wednesday squad last night and provided I can keep the bulk of the squad together I should do well in League 1! I was a bit gutted that Wednesday have been taken over in the game too by a Greek consortium who seem very tight with money! With the expiring contracts I have £60k p/w to play with in wages but feel 2/3 players will be more than adequate covering for expiring loans if I can keep the 10 unhappy players beyond the summer!! Very nice work with Colchester and 2 very good signings there! Are you still in league 1? I will keep an eye on their results this season as I hopefully steam the league 😂 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 @beechy85 The Owls definitely have some big contracts in the squad. @Jogo Bonito Hopefully you will be able to continue to good start! And yes, I've decided that a challenging and fun save will be to try and do what Pauls Hurst and Lambert couldn't do in real life this season and keep Ipswich, with what is pretty much a good League 1 squad, in the Championship and build from there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesbfc1887 Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Accrington Stanley Season 3 January Transfers: Outs: Just the 2 players going out on loan, George Cooper hasn't really featured for us this season so loaning him out was the obvious decision and Jack Murray - obligatory "He's one of or own chant" will go try and get some first team action at Chesterfield and I'm hopeful he'll play a part in our future. Ins: 3 regens joined us in January, 1 on loan and 2 permanent signings. Herrmann, joins on loan from Liverpool and he looks like a real talent, plucked from Black Stars Basel for £1.2 million by Liverpool at the start of the season. He's exactly the type of striker that I want in this system, with real pace and power and identified by the in depth analysis team here at Accrington (definitely not just sorting strikers by pace and acceleration) . One for the future for sure, keep an eye out for him! And our most expensive transfer of the save so far, he was wanted by near enough everyone and I'm grateful to have his signature. An update on our league position will follow shortly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Good luck @beechy85 it should be a promotion-winning campaign, but you'll have the expectations of the board and fans to contend with! I've had a play around with that myself, and you can get rid of a lot of the big earners (except Fletcher) if you want to re-build them. I even found Forestieri can be sold with a loan-back, so you lose the wages, add to your income, and still get to see him tear up League 1. Of course that means you only keep him for a year, but it's an option to consider. I'm very pleased with my Colchester squad for League 1. I'd suggest I might have better players than my fellow manager @warlock, but he will probably be a better manager and finish higher than me!! Best of luck @smplfc123. Ipswich are a proper old club, and I'm resisting the urge to manage them this year as I can't wait to manage them in League 1 when FM20 comes out. @Jamesbfc1887 You're doing a grand job there, keep up the good work and hopefully your new recruits will fit in well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 (edited) @JR_Junior: Glad to have you on board! Pleased to hear of your recent promotion to the Championship, in which is a great achievement with a club like Grimsby. Sometimes having that year of consolidation like you had in season two can allow you to build sufficiently for the next step. Perhaps this can also help you build accordingly for life in the Championship too. I guess we'll soon see! Best of luck. @warlock: Your board are ambitious in their aims, but not willing to give you the funds for you to, realistically, achieve those aims. Quite a story that! I feel you've done well with what you had to work with though and sadly, with funds like that, you're always going to be quite reliant on loan signings. However, to bring in some of the players you had last season that contributed to your success is a pleasing factor. It allows you to keep the backbone of your squad, really. Your early results are pleasing though and if you can continue to keep a steady run of form that like that going, you'll be on course to meet your board's expectations. Last season's squad were fantastic defensively and offensively, but with the step-up in league, I'm not too surprised to see one of the two weaken. Although your defence is extremely impressive! As long as you get one against the opposition, you're doing alright! . @Jogo Bonito: I feel you could have used a better superlative than 'good!' That's a more than 'good' start, in my estimations. A lot of big victories and equally as important, the losses you've suffered (beside Bolton) have been by a one-goal margin, which will always allow you to have an opportunity to get something out of the game. The run in the Carabao Cup will continue to boost your finances, which could be a real boost given your lack of depth and injury issues with Prosser's retirement and Lapslie's long-term absence. Although it was probably for the best that you rid yourself of Nouble and Norris, for the time-being. The arrivals of Forster-Caskey (fantastic signing on a free, if he stays fit!) and LuaLua are extremely welcome. Two players with experience and ability. Hopefully this pleasing start can only continue and the depth doesn't become a problem. @smplfc123: Good luck with Ipswich, I think you may need it. Hopefully you won't be relying on Bialkowski too much, I know he's a fan-favourite at Portman Road. @Jamesbfc1887: Some welcome additions that can only improve a squad that is performing magnificently. A big fee for Accrington's standards for Holbem, especially from a Non-League club like Aldershot, but the fact he had a lot of suitors suggests he has the makings of a top player. Hoping that the league form continues to read fondly! On a personal note, I now have two weeks off of college, which will leave me with plenty of time outside our trip to Dagenham on Saturday. So, I am looking to get a save going, potentially with a League Two side... I thought I found the perfect club recently, although that rather fell through for whatever reason. Anyway, I hope to report back with a new club soon! Edited April 1, 2019 by DefinitelyTaylor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 1 hour ago, DefinitelyTaylor said: I feel you've done well with what you had to work with Cheers, mate! I'm happy with the prospect of a top-half finish now that we've settled down a bit, and with a couple of decent additions in January could even push for a playoff place (always bearing in mind my capacity for a serious slump in the second half of the season ). Looking forward to your new venture. @smplfc123 Been tempted by an Ipswich save myself had I not done them last year. A tough challenge, I think, but good luck. @Jamesbfc1887 Looks like your save is progressing nicely. KUTGW! @Jogo Bonito If JFC performs for you as he's doing for Charlton in my save (he signed a new contract until 2021) you'll have yourself a bargain. He's currently on 4 goals, 2 assists and 3 PoM awards in 21 appearances for them, with an average rating of 7.1 and a 90% pass completion ratio. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesbfc1887 Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Accrington Stanley Season 2, Part 2 Last time I wrote an update we'd just beaten top of the league Sunderland in early November and we found ourselves just outside the automatic promotion spots. My only concern being a lack of contribution by my strikers, however as if by magic Greenwood and Martinez both hit a rich vein of form through December and January firing us top of the league after a crazy 4-3 victory, with a hat-trick from Greenwood over Villa which saw us leapfrog them into 1st spot. The run of Blackburn, Preston and Villa saw us score 4 goals in 3 consecutive games which is completely mental. Farrugia's form has certainly faded as well as a 2 month hamstring strain for Greenwood saw our goals dry up from about mid January onward. I decided to rotate heavily for the Fa Cup game against Fulham and didn't get embarrassed, which was nice to be able to take Fulham to extra time in a replay. And finished of the month with 2 wins and a draw against play off hopefuls Huddersfield. We then suffered a rare defeat to Blackburn in a game we just failed to turn up in. But 3 straight wins against West Ham, MK and Leeds leave us an amazing 14 points clear of a Sunderland!!!! Who seem to have a brick wall ever since we beat them. To be honest I can't quite believe just how well this season has gone. 8 games left from the unthinkable happening. We've been unbelievable this season, so much so that I'm actually speechless. Thanks to everyone who persuaded me to stay at Stanley it's easily my favourite save of FM 19. I've had job others from a whole host of teams but I'm fully focused on all matters Stanley!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 @Jamesbfc1887: Simply astonishing, in truth. You've performed miracles with Accrington and promotion seems all but wrapped up. If you could capture the title, it would put a huge cherry on top of the cake! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesbfc1887 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 (edited) @Jogo Bonito Thanks, your not doing too badly yourself by the looks of things @warlock @smplfc123 I think there's a fair few of us looking at an Ipswich save this year or next by the looks of it. I thought many a time abiut giving it a go this season but never have. 9 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said: On a personal note, I now have two weeks off of college, which will leave me with plenty of time Same here, unfortunately not the free time bit though . I'm not counting my chickens yet we've had 2 perfect seasons on the bounce, it just feels like something will go wrong soon. Edited April 1, 2019 by Jamesbfc1887 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Cheers for the good luck guys A real mixture of some young potential and good league 1 players. Going with a direct mentality, focused on keeping clean sheets and using pace on the counter. That's the plan anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 Colchester, season 2, January November saw us continue our good form, picking up a fair few points in the league. However, we struggled to put away non-league Port Vale in the FA Cup with a torrid goalless draw at home and scraping an extra-time win in the away leg. That seemed to hit our confidence and fitness and it would be another five games before we got back to winning form. We made it through the Christmas period with just one defeat away to Bradford City. The sharp-eyed observer might notice two things about our results in those two months. Luke Norris scored just twice, both from the penalty spot; and Carlton Morris just once. I decided two changes were necessary - I switched back to the 4231 in an attempt to give us a greater threat up front, and I determined that Morris's time at Colchester was up if I could find a replacement. If possible, I also wanted to improve on wide AM Ryan Gondoh, who had shown a lot of promise in L2 but failed to deliver after promotion. First signing was Matt Blake at LB, on a free loan from Swansea. This allowed me to use Dickenson exclusively at AML. Second, Joel Asoro - also a free loan from Swansea - came in as backup to Senior at AMR. Gondoh is now third-choice in both positions. Finding a replacement for Morris was tougher, but salvation came from Bristol City, who paid a straight-up £130k for a newgen midfielder. This allowed me to give the money straight back to them for striker Mo Eisa, back from his Middle East adventures and transfer-listed. The changes set us up for an impressive run in January that included a decent away draw at second-placed Luton, a stunning 3-0 win over league leaders Bristol Rovers, and a gritty 1-0 victory over third-placed Derby. And we finally managed to get out of the Chuckagame Trophy, albeit after the longest penalty bore I've ever had, GK Jack Bonham finally missing with the 11th kick of the shootout. If we could have overcome Portsmouth the month would have been perfect, but the game had one highlight in Mo Eisa making his debut as a 70th minute sub and scoring with just about his first touch. Heading into February we sit in a fantastic 3rd place. We've also re-established ourselves as the meanest defence in the league. The obvious drawback is our goalscoring record - 43 goals in 31 matches is pretty poor and is reflected in our position as 15th best attack. Since we are far-exceeding expectations I'm trying not to worry too much. But I'm failing... if we could find just a few more goals and a little more consistency, that one-point gap between us and automatic promotion would vanish, wouldn't it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 2 hours ago, warlock said: We've also re-established ourselves as the meanest defence in the league. The obvious drawback is our goalscoring record - 43 goals in 31 matches is pretty poor and is reflected in our position as 15th best attack. Your defence is a key aspect to your success and as long as they continue to perform, you're sorted! Hopefully the attackers can start to chip in with more goals when they matter the most. You're in a fantastic position at the moment and in a good position to push for automatic promotion, which is fantastic given the lack of funds you were given to assemble your squad - in that way, you're punching far beyond what is expected, especially when you factor in it's your first season back in the third tier too. Keep pushing mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 6 hours ago, warlock said: Heading into February we sit in a fantastic 3rd place. We've also re-established ourselves as the meanest defence in the league. The obvious drawback is our goalscoring record - 43 goals in 31 matches is pretty poor and is reflected in our position as 15th best attack. Since we are far-exceeding expectations I'm trying not to worry too much. But I'm failing... if we could find just a few more goals and a little more consistency, that one-point gap between us and automatic promotion would vanish, wouldn't it? Wow, superb stuff there! Your defensive record is incredibly good, I wish I could defend like that. I guess I have a bit more going forward, but I'll be very fortunate to match your exploits. Good to see Mo joining his brother and getting off to a scoring start on his debut. You can't fail now you have Mo at your disposal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 23 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: Your defensive record is incredibly good Cheers, mate. 23 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: You can't fail now you have Mo at your disposal Well, I've just had to have a word - after a spectacular start he's been slacking off lately. Despite that, we've been going well. We were, for an instant, top of the league but the players had a sudden attack of vertigo and we turned in two goalless draws and a defeat that saw us drop down to 5th, as Derby catapulted themselves to the top. We recovered well, though, and have now recorded 4 consecutive victories. So here's the finish: I can't see Derby dropping a 6pt lead, so we need to hold on to second. We probably have the easiest run with 3 home games and an away trip to struggling Blackpool. But Luton and Bristol Rovers should do well so we can't afford to slip up. I've had to make another tactical change - a 3-month injury to Smallbone means I only have Smodics who can play at AMC, so I've gone to a 433 with a flat midfield three, Smodics and Pell rotating as Mez-A. That's the setup that has brought us the four wins, so I hope it continues Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 So I’ve ended up with Luton matter losing everything when I got a new laptop only problem I have is I’m struggling to find a formation/tactic that has worked any ideas? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesbfc1887 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 100 Points as well. What a fantastic season!!! A mini wobble in March and April ending in 3 defeats from 4 but 4 straight wins, including a a 5-2 pummelling of promotion rivals Sunderland. It was great to see Billy Kee get a goal against Milwall as his time with us comes to an end, he won't be making the trip to the Premier League with us unfortunately. And Declan Holbem scored goal of the season against Sunderland a lovely chip after a mental breakdown by John McLaughlin. https://i.gyazo.com/8fa84fbd7a455408c9635fa979d0895d.mp4 The season stats, a lot of numbers there but basically Neil Farrugia was Player of the Season for me anyway, definitely £130k very well spent on him. Jimmy Dunne and Jordan McGhee have been crucial in defence all season, we are by no means effective in defence, we conceded more goals than Blackburn in 15th but put 92 in the other net most importantly. Martinez ended up top scorer with 18 league goals. So where to go from here, do I give the players a chance to show that they can step up to the Prem or do we need a squad overhaul? We certainly have the budget to do a little bit of business. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, Rollin93 said: I’m struggling to find a formation/tactic Not sure what the Luton squad looks like at the start, but I've had good performances all year with fairly simple setups including a 442, 4141dm, and 4411. The trick for me is not to ask lower-league players to do too much, so no high lines and intensive pressing. I'd be happy to post a couple of my setups if you let me know what formation you'd prefer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 2 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said: What a fantastic season!!! You can say that again. Winning the Championship is a tough challenge... to win by that margin is pretty incredible. Great manager, I reckon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesbfc1887 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Interesting developments! Literally Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 5 minutes ago, warlock said: Not sure what the Luton squad looks like at the start, but I've had good performances all year with fairly simple setups including a 442, 4141dm, and 4411. The trick for me is not to ask lower-league players to do too much, so no high lines and intensive pressing. I'd be happy to post a couple of my setups if you let me know what formation you'd prefer. Your a legend they have 4 good strikers so I feel 2 up top will definitely be the way forward Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesbfc1887 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 1 minute ago, warlock said: Great manager, I reckon Takes one to see one . Your run in look kind so I'm confident you'll get over the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Looking forward to see what you do in the summer to ready your squad for The Championship @warlock (I'm that confident) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 14 minutes ago, Rollin93 said: they have 4 good strikers so I feel 2 up top will definitely be the way forward So for me that means a 442 (I have little experience of 3-at-the-back formations). Starting at the top, I like to play with a holder/creator and a finisher and there are plenty of combinations that work. For the former, a PFs, DLFs or TMs work well. For the latter, I usually go for an AF or P. The widemen can be either standard wingers or inverted, but preferably one of each. In the middle, I usually go for a DLPd and a B2B, but you can use a CMd or BWMd instead of the DLP, and a CMs instead of the B2B. If I'm playing an IW then I want him on the same side as the more defensive midfielder. If possible, I also want one of the widemen to attack, and he should be on the opposite side of the B2B. It's all about balance - someone to hold, someone to arrive late in the box, one wide player cutting in, one staying wide. In defence, I tend to be quite cautious - two CBs, or NCBs if that's a better fit with your players, and I rarely play anyone more adventurous than a WBs. Ideally, if I have an IW I like a WB behind him but usually I just play my FBs in their best role and duty. Typical TIs would be one of shorter passing or lower tempo, and I often switch them in games, depending on how we're doing for possession/penetration. Standard width or wider in possession. I prefer to use 'play out of defence' but if the AI is pressing us hard and high I'll turn it off and distribute to flanks instead. I usually play quite a cautious defence so standard defensive line and standard or lower line of engagement. At our level, I rarely if ever use intensive pressing, particularly in the 442 where I like to drop back into two solid lines of four and challenge the AI to break us down. For Luton, I think you'd be good enough to start most home and easier away games on 'positive', dropping to 'balanced' for the tougher matches. I rarely drop lower than 'cautious' because it invites too much pressure unless defending a lead in the last five minutes, in which case 'defensive' usually sees the game out. Similarly, I only go to 'attacking' if I'm desperate for a goal in the last 15 minutes. This is the kind of setup that allowed me to take Darlington to L2, Mansfield to L1 and Barnsley to the Championship (at which point I find a 433 or 4141dm a better approach). The keys, for me, are balance in attack vs defence, across the midfield and defence, and not being overly aggressive with limited players. But as the thread shows, I've had success by prioritising defence, JogoBonito and JamesBFC1887 have probably prioritised attack over defence. Always more than one way to skin the cat. If I can help with anything more specific, just shout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 43 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said: Your run in look kind so I'm confident you'll get over the line. 13 minutes ago, smplfc123 said: ready your squad for The Championship @warlock (I'm that confident) You guys!! We'll know - one way or the other - within the next hour. However, regardless of the outcome I have reservations. Our finances are circling the drain... we're currently £1.2m in the red, and losing about £150k a month, so we'll end the season at least £1.5m in the hole. This squad is nowhere near capable of surviving in the Championship without major investment, and I have no confidence that said investment will be forthcoming. I don't mind working with a limited budget... I'm not sure I can work with no budget whatsoever! We'll see... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 @Jamesbfc1887 Absolutely amazing, 100 points and top flight football with that club is way beyond my capabilities. That's a very decent budget for next year too, although it will be interesting to see how the temporary home works out. The stadium is going to be lovely legacy whatever happens next. @warlock It's done, you're up. Great results to put you so close, I have no doubt that you will finish the job. I'm in mid-November so nowhere near emulating your achievements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: I'm in mid-November so nowhere near emulating your achievements. I have faith . So, here it was... The final four games, and we kept drawing and drawing and drawing. Meanwhile, Derby dropped points in their first two games of the final four, but finished with two wins. Luton, meanwhile, dropped points but won their penultimate game. So we went into the last game needing at least a draw. And - by the narrowest of margins - got a win. A goal ruled out for offside in the 82nd minute for MK Dons didn't make much difference (but it was clearly offside!) Luton won, but we'd have gone up on goal difference if we'd drawn. I've been playing FM for most of the day - don't know what the rest of you guys do with your time . But the question is, do I keep going or move on? The board just announced my budgets for the Championship: £96k for wages (currently spending £68k) and £214K for transfers. Given that automatic promotion increases will likely eat up most of that wage increase, I'm guessing we'll have £250k in the transfer budget at best. This season has been hard on my blood pressure - at times it seemed like we couldn't buy a goal. But kudos to @Jogo Bonito- two seasons with Colchester has been fun, if rather stressful. Thank you, my friend! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now