FM19: The English Football League thread

[warlock]

Norwich: Season 1, September

We surely know what this Norwich squad is capable of in real life. And to nobody's surprise, it's a strong squad with quality throughout, including a number of very talented young players. It's also a pretty well-balanced group. With everyone fit, they're set up for a 4231, but I'm never comfortable with that system so I've opted for my favourite 433dm wide. Injuries aside, there were a couple of minor issues to address. I like to have two players for every position and Norwich were missing one CB and one wide AM. There's not much money to begin with, so at least some transfer business would have to be done.

Transfers

At the start Tom Trybull is transfer listed and there was some interest so it was an easy decision to let him join West Brom for around £3m. That generated enough money to bring in Xadas (a bargain £725k) to fill the AM slot, with enough left over for a CB. The reliable Ethan Pinnock, a favourite from my Barnsley save, was signed for £1.4m. And that was that... or so I thought! Out of nowhere, Schalke made a bid for CB Christoph Zimmerman and the lure of Champions League football meant there was no turning him round. Eventually, the fee was negotiated up to £5m, rising to a guaranteed £7m. I would have liked to take the opportunity to sign another English player, because the Norwich squad is loaded with foreigners and it can be a struggle to meet the HGN requirements. First thought was to plunder Barnsley again for Pinnock's old partner Liam Lindsay, but he wasn't interested. Eventually, having measured quality vs cost, I signed Dane Jores Okore for £1m. Built like a proverbial brick outbuilding, he has impressed in his first few appearances.

The only remaining issue was central midfield, where half of the unit is missing for the first few weeks and months through injury. I thought I could just scrape by until they returned to fitness, but Louis Thompson lasted just 22 minutes of the opening league game before suffering an ankle ligament injury that put him out for at least a month. So I turned to the loan market and brought in young Ryan Yates from Forest.

Early results

Definitely mixed! That opening game against the Blades looked promising, but following it with a toothless draw at QPR brought us down to earth. Then we lost at home to Swansea, which provoked an outburst of industrial language in the dressing room. Two good away wins followed, and an excellent performance in the Carabao Cup at home to Everton, losing on penalties, had me confident. Then Millwall came to Carrow Road and we narrowly escaped with a draw thanks to an 89th minute penalty. So considerable scope for improvement, I think.

After 6 games played we sit in 5th. Not bad, but you can see Leeds are running away with the title already. Pukki missed most of the month through injury so it's too early to judge his contribution, but Buendia has done okay. Aarons has been fantastic, but really the whole squad has played well. Just need a bit more consistency.

[smplfc123]

Good solid start to build on there @warlock especially with the likes of Pukki and some CM's yet to get up to full speed.

Unfortunately I suffered second season syndrome with QPR. We went on a poor run and I tinkered too much with tactics, leading me to fall out of love with the save. I've got no problem in going through a tough patch, in fact I love tough challenges, but I think because we over-achieved so much last season, it's hit me harder in this second season. 

I've decided I want to go a club that has a genuine chance of promotion to the premiership as I haven't had a go in the top league, well for pretty much the whole time of FM19. Seeing @Jogo Bonito do that with the Swans and @warlock getting off to a good start with Norwich has made we want to challenge for the top, but with a team and squad that I can sustain the attack with in the second season, unlike at QPR. 

Will have a play around and see who I fancy!

[warlock]

6 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

Unfortunately I suffered second season syndrome with QPR

Understandable, I think. Much easier to stick with a save when you're making progress - even if only a little - each season; those big steps backward are harder to deal with.

West Brom and Stoke are likely candidates - the AI often seems to struggle with them, but they're certainly capable of at least a playoff spot. Derby, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Sheff Utd are also good prospects. Maybe Bristol City as a bigger challenge.

[smplfc123]

@warlock Cheers mate. I think Stoke look more appealing for FM20. A lot of players in that squad I would want to trim straight away with me being unlikely to get many suitors. Will have a good look around this evening and see if any take my fancy. 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

18 hours ago, warlock said:

After 6 games played we sit in 5th. 

A decent enough start with the Canaries. Glad to see you have brought in Ryan Yates, as he was a terrific player during a short loan spell at Barrow a few seasons ago. It's a little crazy to see how well and quickly he has developed, although I can't say I'm too surprised. He possesses a lot of talent and maturity for a player his age. Looking forward to seeing if you can pull off the results Daniel Farke has from here! 

4 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

Unfortunately I suffered second season syndrome with QPR. We went on a poor run and I tinkered too much with tactics, leading me to fall out of love with the save.

That's a shame to hear. I look forward to seeing who you decide to go with.

[Carlf788]

I am halfway through the first season with Brentford and surprised how good their team is! 4th in December playing tiki taka and having 65% plus possession just about every game. Longstaff in on loan from Newcastle and hydman from Southampton to make a class midfield to add to a solid defence with Ollie Watkins on fire in attack 

[warlock]

8 minutes ago, Carlf788 said:

I am halfway through the first season with Brentford and surprised how good their team is!

It is a good team but... I've tried five or six abortive saves with them and been killed by injuries every time. Usually by October or November I can't even get a team out without playing 18-year-old defenders as strikers or somesuch nonsense.

But I'm glad it's working for you and long may it continue!

[warlock]

Norwich: Season 1, December

Twas the week before Christmas... and the halfway point of the season. But despite the fact that we've only lost one game in the last 13, there's not much Christmas cheer around Carrow Road. At least, not in the manager's office.

As results go I'd have to admit that doesn't look at all bad. But our lack of consistency is maddening . We'll play brilliantly one week, and scramble for a draw the next. Home or away, it doesn't seem to matter. And I can't pin it down to individual players, or any one area of the pitch. Our forwards will have a good week, followed by a bad fortnight. Our defence looks rock solid, and then utterly fragile. We'll take an early lead, then do nothing until the AI equalizes, and then we can't step up to find a winner. Every individual is capable of a 9 rating one week and a 6 the next. But actually, I can point the finger of blame at two areas.

First, our strikers just aren't performing. Pukki is... adequate, with 5 goals in 13 starts, but Srbeny and Rhodes have added just 5 more between them. We're relying on goals from midfield, where Stiepermann has 9 in 21, and our four AMs have 4 apiece.

Second, I need a 'keeper. Whoever I've managed in the Championship, whenever we played Norwich, Krul played out of his skin to deny us over and over again. Now that I'm managing Norwich, he's been a complete liability, costing us at least 10 points so far with own goals, catastrophic errors or just general feebleness - yes, he's had 6 clean sheets in 12 starts, but he's conceded 12 goals in the other 6. The ageing McGovern has been better but is worsening week by week.

I know... entitled or what!? Second in the division, with a decent record... what am I complaining about? It's just that we could be doing so much better. I don't expect to win every game but just a little more consistency would see us leading the division comfortably. At one point in November- after we drew against them and turned in a marvellous performance in the derby against Ipswich - we were within 2 points of Leeds. But 3 draws and a loss since then have seen them open up that 6-point lead.

There are also storm clouds gathering. Top scorer Stiepermann is being tracked by Stuttgart and a move back to the Bundesliga might be too much to resist. Young LB star Jamal Lewis is wanted by Wolves, and our young DM Ben Godfrey is on the radar of PL clubs Brighton and Leicester. Worst of all is the clamour around Aarons. Easily our standout player, he has been the subject of attention from Burnley and West Ham and, to be fair, he has been happy when I've dismissed that interest in press conferences. But for the last few weeks Arsenal and Liverpool have joined the chorus, with Klopp himself namechecking the youngster in the media. Yes, he'd net us a big payday but he'd be impossible to replace. I can only hope to hang on to our best for the remainder of the season and, if we win promotion, sign them to new contracts then. I'd like to say I was optimistic...

[torquayfmer]

Haven't had a lot of chance to play this week, but got a few hours in this evening. 

We've won promotion with two games to go and we've all but secured the title as well, although I'm slightly disappointed this hasn't happened sooner given how big a lead we had at one stage!

The board have also been pretty generous with the initial budgets set for next season and with that in mind, the aim for next season will be promotion again.

[Carlf788]

Usually i find the championship so hard and end up giving up by December but I have made some team on my Brentford save and am finally on a roll looking for my first ever promotion on FM! Playing 4-2-3-1 tiki taka and having loads of possession and scoring loads of goals and for once it feels like I am going to beat whoever we play.

Used the loan market so well to get Walker- Peters, Sean Longstaff, Hyndman from Southampton and Ayoze Perez and Chong From Man U, Watkins and Maupay are scoring for fun. I sold lots of deadwood and in January signed a 17 year old CB from Monaco for a club record 7m. On a roll and surely on for promotion. I was surprised at the amount of talented players Brentford have. Rico Henry is a gem too, feels like i already have a Lower end PL quality team in the championship as i smash most teams, only issue is half of them are on loan!

 

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Carlf788

[torquayfmer]

Sunderland

So following on from my above post where we secured promotion, we did go on to win the title. 

Our end of season form was pretty poor to be honest, especially in March.

I'm not sure if it was a bit of complacency or whether it was due to a few injuries we picked up, but I was disappointed with the results. That being said, the title was secured and we'll be going for promotion again next season.

The board set a fantastic budget, and I've got straight to work on what I'm going to want for next season. I've secured Michael Obafemi's loan for another season, he's been brilliant and finished the season on 23 goals. A striker will definitely be on the shortlist for the summer though because I'm not sure whether Obafemi will make the step up to be a regular starter in the Championship. 

Standout player of the season had to be Max Power, who was our second top scorer and put in consistent performances through the whole season.

A shoutout as well to loanee Josh Pask, who I fully expected to be a backup when I brought him in at the start of the season. However, he soon proved his worth and became a regular starter and I think he's got great potential. He'd easily make the step up to the Championship, but I've already agreed a deal with another centre back and don't want to rely on loans (more below).

As I've said, we went straight to work on looking for players for next season and identified two areas that I felt needed strengthening. One was centre back, with Pask going back as stated above, and the other was in goal, where I'd wanted to get someone in last January. Going up a league has meant we've been able to attract some better players and with the budget we've got, they've jumped at the chance of joining, although I think we've paid bargain prices.

First in was Ethan Pinnock, who will be first choice centre back with January signing Jack Whatmough.

Second was Joe Lumley, who will take over as first choice from McLaughlin.

I've got a few other players in mind, with Lewis Morgan going back to Celtic as they won't agree a loan extension, a left winger is first on the list. I'm also hoping to bring in a right back, defensive midfielder to replace Cattermole, and a striker. I'll update once I've got all the signings over the line!

[Carlf788]

Got promoted in a deserved 2nd place, now got 36m to add to this small squad to survive in the PL. Looks a big task! Had to move to selhurst park for the season too

 

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Carlf788

[Carlf788]

Must be one of weakest squads to enter the pl that!? Projection is looking amazing for the next few years though after promotion. Need a whole new midfield for of pl standard and half a squad with 36m.

im tempted to just sign some of the best championship players and make a top championship team so if we go down we can come straight back up in a better position. I think that's basically what Burnley did when they came up for the first time about 7 year ago? 

[smplfc123]

@Carlf788 Well done on promotion with Brentford. Maybe adding some experienced players who have 'been there, done that' in the premiership or other high leagues will help your young and hungry squad survive? 

Congratulations on winning the title @torquayfmer. Some good signings there, hope Lumley works out for you. Was good for me at QPR.

Um, well I want to say well done @warlockfor a good start that has put you in 2nd half way through the season, but you don't seem so happy about it  Hopefully consistency will kick in during the second half of the season where it is more important!

[green and white barmy army]

Argyle Update

 

As you can see we've made a very good start to the season, it should of been even better as we found ourselves 2-0 in the first 2 games but somehow ended up drawing both. Then our form was superb, I don't think I've kept that many consecutive clean sheets ever on any version of fm. Was quite nice to get past Ipswitch in the carabao cup. We have Burnley in the 3rd round after the penalty shootout win against notts county. However I kinda knew when it came to Portsmouth we probably struggle and it happened even though we actually took the lead. 

 

So with those early season results leaves us 9th which is far higher than where I usually am even at this early stage, just hope we can get to the 50 point mark asap as I still think we will end up struggling.

 

 

So this is the tactic that I've been playing with, carey has been very good with 4 assists, no goals yet but hopefully that will follow. Young fletcher has been getting among the goals with 4 in all competitions, also playing Ladapo as a target man with fletcher has been benifical as Freddie also has 4 goal but also with 3 assists and not to be left of Lameiras has 2 goals and 3 assists so my attacking 4 have been extremely good with an average of almost 2 goals a game. But what has surprised me probably more than the attack is how many clean sheets we've kept so far cause as im typing this we've just beaten Mk dons in the checkatrade trophy with a 2-0 win which makes 6 clean sheets in 9 competitive games.

Anyway im going to keep going and will probably update you all again around the January transfer window. if you have any suggestions with improving my current tactic further then please let me know as im usually not very good.      

 

 

[Carlf788]

3 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

@Carlf788 Well done on promotion with Brentford. Maybe adding some experienced players who have 'been there, done that' in the premiership or other high leagues will help your young and hungry squad survive? 

Congratulations on winning the title @torquayfmer. Some good signings there, hope Lumley works out for you. Was good for me at QPR.

Um, well I want to say well done @warlockfor a good start that has put you in 2nd half way through the season, but you don't seem so happy about it  Hopefully consistency will kick in during the second half of the season where it is more important!

Thanks! Massively up against it though smallest budget in the league and evens to go back down. This is my first time managing a promoted club in the PL and its so hard! 

My defence and midfield seems solid but my attack is so weak and we don't score many. I have Watkins and Benrahma who are Brentford from the start and are good championship players then I have Jordan Hugill 4m, Carroll on a  free, Josh Maja 2m and Marcus Madison 1.5m from league 1 Peterborough. That poor attack is what will see me back down I reckon but least i should be in a great position to come back up again in a better place! 

10m in the red in the balance but the projections look great still. 

[Carlf788]

[Carlf788]

Usually have Johnathan Hogg in as ball winning midfielder as his stats for that are insane but he's injured and I've gone with a no10 instead of a DM as we couldn't buy a goal 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Carlf788

[smplfc123]

Have you changed your tactical approach at all @Carlf788 now you're in the Prem, or are you sticking with what got you promoted?

[Carlf788]

1 hour ago, smplfc123 said:

Have you changed your tactical approach at all @Carlf788 now you're in the Prem, or are you sticking with what got you promoted?

Sticking with what got us promoted. Tiki taka, we have loads of possession still and we don't concede many just hardly ever score! Just down to the poor quality of my attack I reckon. 2 championship level wingers with 2 league 1 wingers as back ups and Jordan Hugill and Andy Carroll as main strikers is not a good situation in the PL  ha ha

With the 30m budget I had though to make half a squad for a PL campaign there wasn't much I could do. Winless in 9 so looking like relegation but I should have a cracking championship team and a projected 30m transfer budget to come back up. 

I did try going 4-4-2 at home to Bournemouth but got smashed 2-5 so that was the end of that idea. Still only 4pts from safety though but 0 funds left for January, desperate for a qualify winger or striker 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Carlf788

[smplfc123]

Fair one @Carlf788. 4 points from safety, still a chance for you to sneak in to safety.

[Carlf788]

Yeah will pick it up tomorrow and see if I can stay up this week

[warlock]

On 11/05/2019 at 21:10, torquayfmer said:

we did go on to win the title

Well done, you! Be interested to see what you do for next season.

6 hours ago, Carlf788 said:

Sticking with what got us promoted

Always wise, I think, although you can try to be a bit more secure at the back - harder to win games with a lower-division squad. But I'd be trying hell-for-leather to hang on to PL status rather than settling for relegation. Championship is a tough division to get out of and just because you managed it last time, doesn't mean you'll manage it next time, even with a better squad.

12 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

Um, well I want to say well done @warlockfor a good start that has put you in 2nd half way through the season, but you don't seem so happy about it 

I know... I do this to myself every time. I *am* happy, especially as we're only expected to make the playoffs. It's just frustrating that we're so much better than we're achieving on the pitch. Compounded by the fact that I've just played through the next three games and suffered a random crash dump. FM19 has been rock solid for me since beta, but I made the mistake of updating my graphic drivers a few days ago and this is the second crash since then! Might have to roll back to an earlier driver.

Had got into January, and was faced with losing Aarons and Lewis - Arsenal want the former, Southampton the latter. Tried to negotiate Arsenal up to £30m-plus and they quibbled, so I rejected, and Aarons was happy enough since he wants to join Liverpool and they've shown little interest. Lewis was more difficult since he actively wants to join Southampton so I might have to give in there. On the upside, if I sell either of them I'll probably have around £25m or so in the transfer budget so should be able to strengthen. Main issue is scoring - my strikers haven't done any better since my last update, and none of them show any inclination to improve. If I can avoid any more crashes, I should be able to play to the end of the season by this time tomorrow... let's hope we can find that consistency!

[warlock]

11 hours ago, green and white barmy army said:

As you can see we've made a very good start to the season

Meant to respond to this in the previous post... Fantastic start! Interestingly, that's very close to the tactic I'm running with in my Man Utd save to great effect, except flipped horizontally with Martial in the AML position. One thing you might think about is Carey as a WP on the left; that role was very productive for me. Hope you can keep that early form going forward .

[torquayfmer]

@green and white barmy army well done on the brilliant start!

@Carlf788 maybe worth taking a look at the loan market? Even if it is just to bolster your squad out a bit. Good luck for the season!

Pre-season and Transfers

I decided that I wanted to get most of my business done early, get the squad together for the whole of pre-season and hopefully get the side gelled together. Although we did really well last season, promotion is definitely the aim again this season and that meant that we needed to strengthen in a few areas. 

Transfers Out

McGeouch was really disappointing last season, he started off with an injury and he looked as though he'd be a great fit, but he never quite hit the form I expected and couldn't get a place in the side. Ozturk and Wyke didn't play a game last season and Watmore, after coming back from injury complained straight away that he wasn't being played. I felt he was going to start to cause issues so last season he went out on loan to National League Leyton Orient, and now he is in League One with Bolton until the end of the season. I would much rather have shipped him out permanently but nobody wanted him. 

I've probably got one more 'out' that I'm waiting on. Lee Cattermole, who I played last season quite a bit, has started to complain about a signing I've made, worrying that his place is at risk. Quite honestly, he was right, because it is exactly why I've made the signing. Cattermole was in discussions with QPR but rejected their contract offer, but the sooner he leaves the better, as he is starting to get disgruntled and the last thing I want is for it to cause problems in the rest of the squad.

Transfers In

It is safe to say I'm delighted with the signings we've been able to make. Watkins is a superb replacement for Lewis Morgan who's loan spell ended. I think he'll make a fantastic impact. Pinnock and Lumley were signed early on and will give us a strong back line. I was extremely surprised to have been able to bring in Godfrey, who I expected to reject my advances. He will take over from Cattermole at defensive midfield and it'll be great to see how he does. Lyle Taylor has come in upfront following success that I've seen from some others on this thread, and I'm hoping that between him and Obafemi we've got the goals to get us back up again.

Not shown above is that I decided in the end to bring back Josh Pask in defence on loan from West Ham. I think he'll be able to cover full back for us as well this season and with us not paying any wages, I felt it was worth it. Also joining on loan was Tahith Chong who goes straight into the starting eleven, and I was again surprised to sign him. Man Utd are a senior affiliate, but last season they were adamant he wasn't going out on loan. Last but not least, we managed to bring in Joe Aribo on a free transfer after he'd rejected contract offers at Charlton. I stated I was interested and my scouts told me that Charlton would accept a free transfer, so I brought him in as back up in midfield.

Pre-season was OK, we played some tough opposition and I didn't expect to win that many games.  Some of the home games have given us a boost to our finances and we played a lot of games to get our fitness up to speed.

Just about to play our first game of the season against Swansea, tough opposition but hoping for a first win of the season!

[Carlf788]

Cheers. I had Ollie Watkins and Chong as inside forwards last season and they were amazing in the championship 

[Mackem742]

I just missed out in the playoffs with Charlton. I beat Watford 7-5 on aggregate in the semi final (5-1 win at home, 4-2 defeat away) but couldnt beat Swansea in the final and I lost 3-1. I was given a budget of just over 4 million for the coming season which im still trying to spend, Ive brought in a lot of players so far but mostly players with potential. Im still predicted to finish 22nd this season!

Played 1 game so far and beat QPR 2-1 with a last minute winner.

[torquayfmer]

Really pleased with the start we've made to the season. 

The 2-0 defeat to Swansea on the first day of the season gave us a bit of a reality check. A 0-0 draw with Cardiff wasn't a bad result but defensively I was concerned as we did look vulnerable. I brought in star man Josh Pask back into the starting eleven. Last season he started as back up and then forced his way in before becoming ever present and a great help in our promotion bid. Well, it is safe to say he has made a difference since returning to the starting eleven after we've only conceded two goals in the next six games.

Lyle Taylor has started the season really well, six goals in seven starts is a brilliant return and I think he'll be key for us this year. 

Tahith Chong has also been nothing short of sensational. He looks dangerous every time he gets the ball and he has fitted in perfectly. I'm really pleased that we've got him for the season and he is definitely someone we will look to get again if we go up.

Derby day is up next but with the form we're in I'm more than confident that we will rise to the occasion.

Sixth after six games is great. The league looks really tough this year and isn't made any easier by Wolves being relegated straight back down last season. I'm surprised by this as they have a good squad and thought they would have competed well in the Premier League. They've sold a lot of their players for a lot of money, bringing in £150m worth of sales and spending £89m, their biggest signing being Andreas Periera from Man Utd for £31.5m while selling Ruben Neves for £70m to Bayern.

[Carlf788]

I never thought I would ever pay 14m and the last of my budget on Jonathan Hogg! But them stats are insane for a ball winning midfielder! Dont see 20s that often on fm either more like old champ manager stats them, is he that much of a beast in real life?

Edited May 13, 2019 by Carlf788

[Carlf788]

2 hours ago, torquayfmer said:

Really pleased with the start we've made to the season. 

The 2-0 defeat to Swansea on the first day of the season gave us a bit of a reality check. A 0-0 draw with Cardiff wasn't a bad result but defensively I was concerned as we did look vulnerable. I brought in star man Josh Pask back into the starting eleven. Last season he started as back up and then forced his way in before becoming ever present and a great help in our promotion bid. Well, it is safe to say he has made a difference since returning to the starting eleven after we've only conceded two goals in the next six games.

Lyle Taylor has started the season really well, six goals in seven starts is a brilliant return and I think he'll be key for us this year. 

Tahith Chong has also been nothing short of sensational. He looks dangerous every time he gets the ball and he has fitted in perfectly. I'm really pleased that we've got him for the season and he is definitely someone we will look to get again if we go up.

Derby day is up next but with the form we're in I'm more than confident that we will rise to the occasion.

Sixth after six games is great. The league looks really tough this year and isn't made any easier by Wolves being relegated straight back down last season. I'm surprised by this as they have a good squad and thought they would have competed well in the Premier League. They've sold a lot of their players for a lot of money, bringing in £150m worth of sales and spending £89m, their biggest signing being Andreas Periera from Man Utd for £31.5m while selling Ruben Neves for £70m to Bayern.

Wolves going down is mad, watford got relegated on mine and everton always seem to run it close too. Chong is so so good he will have you in the hunt for promotion, he was the main reason my Brentford team went up, as an inside forward on the right he destroys that league and got a couple of hat tricks too

[warlock]

Norwich: Season 1, March

Last time, we left Norwich sitting in second place but struggling for consistency. We saw out December with two good wins and I hoped we might hit a run of form. But the new year proceeded as had the old... a draw, a loss, a win, and repeat.

Transfers

The big news was the expected interest in FBs Aarons and Lewis, who had caught the eye of several big Premiership sides. In the event, the only offer for Lewis came from Burnley, which I rejected and he was happy after a new contract was agreed. Aarons was rather more interesting: a bid came in from Arsenal but at nowhere near the level I was prepared to accept, and young Max himself was indifferent, prepared to wait for an offer from Liverpool, which never came. So we emerged from January with our two brightest prospects still on the books. There were a couple of outbound moves: Jordan Rhodes was costing us a fortune on loan, so he was sent home, and young Ryan Yates, on loan from Forest, was struggling to get into the side after all our CMs returned from injury; his loan was also terminated. Third-choice RB Ivo Pinto couldn't break into the side ahead of Aarons and Felix Passlack, so when an offer of £110k came from Preston he was allowed to move on.

With some wages freed up by those moves, I took the chance to bring in two loan signings to reinforce the squad. Striker Jon Bautista joined from Real San Sebastian, with the option to buy him for a bargain £1.4m at the end of the season. Second, Angel Gomes came in from Man Utd to provide rotation cover at AML and AMC.

Tactical switch

We struggled for goals all season so far, with Pukki contributing just 5 in 17 appearances, compared with 21 from our AMs, and another 15-20 from centre midfield. Bautista already has 3 in 8 starts. Having ruled out the 4231 system despite the natural fit of the squad, by the time January came around I was ready to reconsider, especially with Xadas struggling to learn the IF role instead of his natural AMC. Our other natural AMC, Stiepermann, had got off to a flying start, becoming our leading scorer from the Mez-attack position, but those goals dried up and he hadn't scored since mid-November. I made the change in January and initially it was disappointing... or at least it was no better than the 433. However, by February it had started to pay dividends. And apart from a disappointing home defeat to Preston in the FA Cup, we have now gone 5 games in the league unbeaten, winning 4 or those.

With the result that we've managed to claw our way from second to, um... second!

But I'm happier with this second. It's a real dogfight at the top, and we had slipped down to fourth at one point. If we can just keep this form going for the remainder of the season... Clouds on the horizon include the fact that Xadas is now out for the remainder with a torn hamstring, Stiepermann will miss the next month with broken ribs, and Pukki will miss most of March with a twisted ankle. Never rains but it pours!

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Carlf788 said:

But them stats are insane for a ball winning midfielder!

Impressive... but that's a lot of money for a 30-year-old!

[Carlf788]

Yeah true but I had 2 glaring gaps left one was CM and one was a striker. I couldn't Believe it when I seen his stats! Will be worth it if he keeps us up. In a absolute dog fight for 17th scrapping for every point! 

[Carlf788]

Max Aarons went to Newcastle after the first season for 22m on mine! All just about getting promoted by hook or crook, it was actually Norwich who I was battling with for 2nd place to go up then they lost the playoff final to reading 

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Carlf788 said:

then they lost the playoff final to reading

Hope that's not an omen  

[Carlf788]

[Carlf788]

Good news managed to pick up a few wins at last. Head just above water going into January! Thanks to Benrahma stepping up and getting 8 goals in the league. Even Hugill has 4. Jordan Hugill as my main striker in the premier league what was I thinking and shows what I'm up against. I class my defence and keeper as premier league standard though. 

Sold Mephams sell on clause so I have 2m to make a loan signing in attack for the 2nd half of the season. We have a chance..:

Edited May 13, 2019 by Carlf788

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Carlf788 said:

Good news managed to pick up a few wins at last

Wow, it's tight down there! Not much room for error. Good luck with the rest of the campaign 

[Jamesbfc1887]

@warlock Now you back off Mr. Pinnock and the Scottish Maldini. Leave them right were they are. 

On a serious note, I can't pass up any opportunity to bang on about how good they both are. I've seen some decent centre backs at Barnsley recently; John Stones, Alfie Mawson but those two are right up there. Pinnock especially, the best way I can sum up is Ethan Pinnock is playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers .

Edited May 13, 2019 by Jamesbfc1887

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - Season 7 - Part 3

At the end of January, and the end of my last update (it's been a while!) we sat in 8th position in the Premier League and were about to commence the Knockout stages of the Europa League.

What happened next...

February was a very productive month with four out of four wins in the league. One may look at the results and suggest we rode our luck with away wins at Southampton and Villa decided by an 89th minute winner and an opposition own goal, however we were much the better team in both fixtures and deserved to take home all the points. As pleasing as our league form was, it was in Europe where this month delivered my greatest satisfaction as we thrashed Feyenoored 8-2 on aggregate, an outcome more dominant than I had expected! After the first leg I had feared luck may not be on our side as we had been 2-0 up and playing well when they scored in the 90th and 95th minutes to level the game. I told the team in no uncertain terms that they were not to let their performances drop like that again and they certainly responded well with a 6-0 win at The Valley.

The Second Knockout Round was once again against Dutch opposition, however AZ proved to be tougher competition and we needed to rely on away goals to overcome them. In the FA Cup I used the Huddersfield fixture as an opportunity to play young players and squad players, however I did include Mulatierri whose brilliance led to a comfortable win. Unfortunately we exited the FA Cup at the Quarter Final stage to Liverpool. It was a close game but they are extremely clinical; they went on to win the FA Cup and also the Premier League by a margin of nine points ahead of second. This Liverpool team is definitely the strongest side I have faced in my seven years at The Valley. In the league we narrowly lost to Liverpool, once again, and Man City, results I couldn't be too mad about.

Premier League

Our league form to end the season was good with our only defeat coming against Tottenham. I was particularly pleased to finally beat our local rivals Crystal Palace, who up until this point I have had an appalling record against. We rounded off the domestic campaign with a resilient draw against Man Utd and then sent the traveling fans home happy with a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth on the final day of the domestic season.

Despite our end of season form we only climbed from 8th to 7th in the second half of the season. The damage was done in the first half of the season and our rivals did not slip up. I am, however, not disheartened as this was both our highest points total and goal difference in the Premier League under my management. One thing I was particularly pleased with was that we had the third highest average possession in the league, with 55% - this is indicative of the possession based football that I have tried to play.

Europa League

Now for the exciting part (and you may have already spotted the spoiler in the league table above! ).

The Europa League Quarter Finals saw us drawn against Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray. I thought we had pulled off a first leg win when we scored late, until Bernard scored later to even the score. I was, though, pleased to leave Turkey with two goals. The away goals did not turn out to be important however as we won the home leg after Mulatierri converted two penalties. It was an interesting night for attacking midfielder Mulatierri as he was also sent off later in the game - this meant he was suspended for the first leg of the Semi Final.

I had little hope of progressing to the Final when we were drawn against Liverpool in the Semi Finals. As I have already mentioned they are a dominant force and a team we have a poor record against. In the first leg I elected to play defensive and was pleased just not to lose heavily. We had 66% possession which helped keep them at bay, but no real chances of note up front. Going into the second leg I was apprehensive about a European night at Anfield, and when we went 1-0 down, and 2-0 on aggregate, after 25 minutes the prospect of defeat looked likely, however passionate my half-time team talk may be. I subbed on forward Cannavo on the 60th minute to provide additional firepower and he made an immediate impact grabbing a vital goal. This was quickly followed by a goal from fellow marksmen Diogo, assisted by the sublime Will Hughes. We held on for over 25 minutes to win the tie on away goals, a result I am immensely proud of.

After the league campaign ended I noticed that strangely there were 17 days until the Europa League Final. Keen to keep fitness levels up and morale high, I arranged two friendlies to keep us occupied until the big day.

In the end the Final proved to be a much more simple affair than the Semi Final as we beat fellow Merseysiders Everton comfortably. I was delighted to deliver both the first European trophy and Champions League football to Charlton Athletic - made all the more sweeter by the fact that we started this journey in League One.

Five of my players received the accolade of being named in the Europa League Team of the Season, including Mulatierri who was named Player of the Season after his seven goals and numerous match winning performances in the competition. Not bad for a free transfer signing!

I have really benefited from having two top class central attacking midfielders this season - something I have never had before. Frydek, who started 35 games, provided 11 goals and five assists and Mulatierri, who started 26 but came off the bench just as many times, scored 12 and provided four assists. Their goals helped share the load for young forwards Diogo (16 goals) and Cannavo (13 goals) who once again had good campaigns. I do believe however if I had a 20+ goal a season striker then we would finally crack the top four.

Top assistor for the season was Stengs who provided 8 assists to match his 8 goals. Somewhat surprisingly fellow winger Tasdelen only provided two assists, he did however have a great campaign, making up for this with 14 goals. The last time I posted an update, @warlock asked me the question whether my January deadline day signing Chong had the end product to go with his pace and dribbling. With six assists and two goals (one of which was in the Europa Final) in just 13 games, I'm pleased to report it's looking like he does!

Henderson had another good season in the sticks, providing 20 clean sheets in all competitions which is a new club record. No player played more games than Lindelof and I will be looking to bring him back to the club next season either on another loan or permanently. He started the season by being partnered by Jemerson but he was quickly replaced by young Kamara who is developing nicely. On the subject of development, it has been promising to see the rise of full backs Valencia and Guacai whose game time increased exponentially as the season came towards it's conclusion.

A final mention should go to my central midfield metronomes Fran (6 assists) and Hughes (7 goals, 7 assists) who allow me to play the possession based style and do the hard work that allows the attackers to take the glory. Barcelona and Real Madrid have reported interest in the Spaniard Fran, but that's a challenge for another day.

Now to start planning for Champions League football at The Valley!

Edited May 13, 2019 by Dong21

[warlock]

@Dong21 That's a great season. Good performance in the league, and a brilliant job to claim the Europa Cup! Glad to see Chong is doing the business for you. Also interesting to see Will Hughes getting it done... he's a player I've managed in previous FM saves at Derby and been tempted by this year but never quite pulled the trigger.

58 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

Now you back off Mr. Pinnock and the Scottish Maldini. Leave them right were they are. 

Mr Pinnock has been a joy for me in the Championship; unfortunately, in February he suffered ruptured cruciate ligaments and is out until Christmas . He's been sorely missed since! You'll be glad to know that in my save Barnsley are currently well placed for the playoffs, and just enjoyed a magnificent FA Cup run that saw them beat Crystal Palace and Brighton before eventually coming up against a dominating Liverpool side in the semi-finals.

[warlock]

Norwich: Season 1, the business end

We managed to move into top spot in late March, but then came up against Leeds away and relinquished top spot. Happily, a couple of good results for us, and poor results for Leeds, saw us reverse positions. We beat Ipswich 4-0 in a brilliant derby game, and followed that with a 5-1 demolition of relegation-threatened Sheff Weds. Meanwhile, Leeds managed a win against Bolton but endured a goalless draw against Millwall.

We have a tricky run-in, with games against Hull and Stoke - who are fighting for survival - and Birmingham and Brentford who are battling for playoff spots. Leeds also have tricky fixtures, including an away game at 3rd-placed Derby, so anything could happen in the next three weeks!

[warlock]

Well, it only took one game...

First match of the run-in, Hull gave us the expected tough match, taking an early lead and then again after we equalized. We eventually got the winner in the 86th minute. Derby lost to Boro, leaving us 10pts ahead with 9 to play for. The title is still up for grabs after Leeds beat Birmingham, but I'll gladly settle for automatic promotion.

[Chewy2006]

 

Hey All,

           Maybe a long shot but thought i'd ask in here if anyone has had a similar or same issue with contracts and how they solved it. I've tried reporting error but si are not sure why bug keeps happening either. It's annoying but majority of players I offer a contract to after a bid has been accepted the agent asks for a ridiculous fee like the one in screenshot. it's just such a shame as it's ruining the game as you can't feel like you can get any decent players.

[CityAndColour]

9 hours ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

@warlock Now you back off Mr. Pinnock and the Scottish Maldini. Leave them right were they are. 

On a serious note, I can't pass up any opportunity to bang on about how good they both are. I've seen some decent centre backs at Barnsley recently; John Stones, Alfie Mawson but those two are right up there. Pinnock especially, the best way I can sum up is Ethan Pinnock is playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers .

As an FGR supporter, he was miles above most others seen in my time as a fan. Was always destined for the top, injury just means it's taken him a bit longer than usual. He's a rolls royce.

[DefinitelyTaylor]

Far too much activity in this thread for me to dissect individually after a busy few days, but I'm not complaining. Absolutely love how great this thread has been this year and all the success (and failures) stories there have been, in which I have been able to follow. Congratulations to those who have achieved Europa League success and promotion to the Premier League, as well as those who are enjoying a strong start to the season in their respective leagues. Looking forward to even more over the remaining weeks and months of FM19!  

Edited May 14, 2019 by DefinitelyTaylor

[smplfc123]

Don't worry @DefinitelyTaylor I'll bring down the levels of success with my next save 

Congratulations @warlock on promotion. You going to give it a go in the prem with them too?

[BadAss88]

I'm thinking about starting my own Championship adventure! Any mid-table suggestions? I don't wanna promote in the first season, but a playoff push in the second season seems okay!

EDIT: Or maybe League 1?

Edited May 14, 2019 by BadAss88

[warlock]

1 hour ago, smplfc123 said:

You going to give it a go in the prem with them too?

At least one season, although I'm tempted to see if I can get them back into Europe.

38 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

Any mid-table suggestions?

A sensible tactic and good squad management (with a pinch of luck) can see any team promoted, so it's hard to predict a mid-table finish. But generally, any of the teams predicted for a relegation scrap would be a candidate... Ipswich, Rotherham, Bolton - there's about 7 or 8 possibles.

[smplfc123]

Good luck with that @warlock interested to see your summer business.

Having looked at your save, there's a few of those big clubs that expect a promotion push languishing in mid table, so i'm still deciding on which one to take charge of. I think Boro are out of the question as the squad Pulis has built there is painfully lacking in certain areas. Stoke are probably just over the line in terms of me wanting to change too much of the squad. Hopefully i'll get a save going soon.