FM19: The English Football League thread

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

When last heard of, @Jamesbfc1887 was doing a 523 experiment with Derby, but I don't think he's updated for a couple of weeks (he might still be celebrating Barnsley's promotion ). I'm sure others have taken them on, and I've talked about them on and off for months. Only the fact that I managed them last year held me back from a repeat visit.

Will be watching to see who you manage to attract - and if you're not there yet, the tickover to Championship status might give Chelsea reason to change their minds; happened to me in both my Barnsley and Colchester saves.

Yeah it could well have been his experiment that I am vaguely remembering at Derby. 

Time will tell how I get on. I've got a loan offer for Alex McCarthy agreed with Southampton - he played (a bit) for Brentford, QPR and Palace before going to Saints, so fits the bill on the London criteria. He'll go in as my new number one if he accepts the move, and with a modest £10k per week wage contribution he fits my payment structure. Sounds like a good deal, I'm just waiting for him to reject it like the Venezuelan international 'keeper Wuilker Farinez did when I met his £400k release clause. Wes Foderingham also rejected me.

In the meantime, I've hit the depths of despair and chartered a bid for London-born Bradley Dack as a midfield option (Mason Mount was a no-go with Chelsea), although I'm not sure he's really my cup of tea. I'd prefer a DC/DM type so might just re-sign Krystian Bielik or somebody more like that instead. I did consider an ex-Swansea signing against my principles, as Semi Ajayi started off at Charlton and his abilities would be perfect. Unfortunately for him, he wanted over £20k per week in wages so I opted out. Jordan Cousins was another old boy I thought of, but he hasn't really impressed since leaving for QPR. Originally I wanted Joachim Adukor for the DM role and was impressed by his 13-minute you tube video compilation, but the Sarajevo man couldn't get a WP to seal his dream free transfer move to England.

For the left-back, I've offered £8.5m for Jamal Lewis as I heard he visited London more than once! Schlupp might become an option after his loan at Stoke ends, but the downer is that I managed him recently at Swansea too. Morgan Fox wanted £28k per week to return home (no chance) but more sensible deals have been struck to take either Jordan Obita £750k) or Marc Bola (£550k). Both are pending confirmation, but the pair aren't not really winning me over - and Obita is a current Reading player too. Maybe James Justin at Luton, as I believe he played a lot at left-back this last season. Ironically, Dan Potts would have joined me but is he better than Ben Purrington would have been?

For the central defender, my main targets were Michael Hector or Fikayo Tomori but Chelsea won't agree to loan either of them and Hector won't talk until after the Gold Cup even when my £1.7m offer was accepted. Tom Flanagan of Sunderland was apparently born in London, but he doesn't inspire me. I might have to hold out and see if Chelsea wobble, or hope that Ajayi lowers his demands. Nobody else is really appealing right now for this slot.

For the attacking option on the right it's been proven that Jarrod Bowen's agent is an idiot in yet another game. A fee of £6.75 million was fine, but the agent wants £30k per week again and just like when I was at Swansea, that's not happening. I don't really want to sign Jamal Lowe again as I like managing new players, although I do like him as a player. His Pompey teammate Ronan Curtis was actually born in London so qualifies and can be signed for less than £500k, but he's better on the left than the right so not really what I want. Maybe Grady Diangana on loan from West Ham, that might work and maybe I should test the water there. Ex-Addick Callum Harriott might have been a contender but has surprisingly signed a new deal at Reading.

In attack, I tried for London-born Josh Maja on loan from Bordeaux, but he wasn't interested at all. I might end up chasing Watkins or Maupay from Brentford but I'm not sure if they will be lethal in my team (Lyle Taylor wasn't). I was a touch disappointed that Huddersfield won't loan me Karlan Grant as that might have been nice. I did also travel further afield than Yorkshire, and lined up strikers from Hong Kong and an African playing in China (the owners would have liked that) but neither could get a WP so I cancelled the deals.

Edit: Dack and Lewis both refused to enter talks, cross them off too!

Edited May 28, 2019 by Jogo Bonito

[john1]

 

Decided to attend the interview.

[john1]

 
20th in Championship

their finances
 


 
16th in Championship

 

Decent clubs and think I am tempted by Brentford with the squad they got.

[warlock]

20 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

For the left-back, I've offered £8.5m for Jamal Lewis as I heard he visited London more than once!

 Surely every pro footballer in the country has been to London more than once on the team bus!

McCarthy should see you right if he agrees. At CB I can highly recommend Barnsley's Ethan Pinnock (ex-Dulwich Hamlet). I've had mixed results with Maupay, but again looking at Barnsley Cauley Woodrow did well for me (although very hot-and-cold) and he was at Fulham for a long time.

Just some thoughts... 

[Jogo Bonito]

@john1 Unlucky with Birmingham, but Brentford or Bristol City would be cracking jobs.

[Jogo Bonito]

5 minutes ago, warlock said:

 Surely every pro footballer in the country has been to London more than once on the team bus!

McCarthy should see you right if he agrees. At CB I can highly recommend Barnsley's Ethan Pinnock (ex-Dulwich Hamlet). I've had mixed results with Maupay, but again looking at Barnsley Cauley Woodrow did well for me (although very hot-and-cold) and he was at Fulham for a long time.

Just some thoughts... 

Yeah, that was the point about visiting London, you got it! Anyway, Lewis won't talk. Pinnock is much admired and on my shortlist. He would be perfect, but unlike Barnsley I don't like having two left-footed centre backs and if he joined three out of my four would be left-sided.If Pearce or Sarr were to leave...

I've managed Woodrow a lot in the past, when he as at Fulham and about 18 years old I took him to Gillingham, so won't go there again.

Breaking news...

My second new signing is done. £75k for a player who is criminally under-rated in FM and likely to perform really badly for me. A Croatian from Portugal, with no London connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, there's no word still from Alex McCarthy...

Edited May 28, 2019 by Jogo Bonito

[john1]

Just turned down Bristol City job, despite 7.75K p/w (currently on 1.7K) and 1.1M transfer budget. Think I am going to stay at Cheltenham for another season.

[Dong21]

On 27/05/2019 at 21:06, john1 said:

Was a good start til October  Some brilliant signings you have made  Gomes, looks quality  

Thanks @john1! Yeah really pleased to have found Gomes.

23 hours ago, warlock said:

If you can recover your early-season form you should be fine. Plenty of time to make up some lost ground.

Good point @warlock, plenty of football still to be played. Sorry to hear you weren't feeling it at Portman Road, but look forward to seeing how you get on at Derby.

5 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Great update, first of all. I love reading how in-depth you go with everything.

Cheers @DefinitelyTaylor and @Jogo Bonito, appreciate your kind words.

Enjoyed your detailed update on your transfer plans Jogo - interesting approach going for London-based players. I would definitely recommend bringing Cullen and Bielik back as they both were key contributors in my rise to the Premier League. However, I appreciate you have managed them for a season and have likely made your own judgement on them.

And Taylor, looking forward to an update from you, if that day ever comes!

[warlock]

5 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I don't like having two left-footed centre backs

Interesting problem to have! I've usually struggled to find lefty CBs - and to be fair, he has 'no side preference' in the role and has done well for me on the right.

I'm sure you'll solve the puzzle 

[john1]

Just got my youth intakes, tad better than previous one!

 

 

Looks very promising! 

However, this guy caught my eye, hopefully we can develop him at the club.

 

 

[Jogo Bonito]

4 minutes ago, Dong21 said:

Cheers @DefinitelyTaylor and @Jogo Bonito, appreciate your kind words.

Enjoyed your detailed update on your transfer plans Jogo - interesting approach going for London-based players. I would definitely recommend bringing Cullen and Bielik back as they both were key contributors in my rise to the Premier League. However, I appreciate you have managed them for a season and have likely made your own judgement on them.

And Taylor, looking forward to an update from you, if that day ever comes!

I might have to go for those two again if nothing better comes up. Thanks for liking my slightly different post, I thought it was time to do an almost 'live transfer update blog' for a change!

Your work at Charlton is so impressive, and I have much respect for your commitment. But come on, the day that DT does an update in here is never coming! Having said that, his contributions in here are still pure gold, he must be the nicest non-playing FM manager this forum has ever seen as his comments are always so thoughtful and encouraging

 

[Jamesbfc1887]

46 minutes ago, warlock said:

When last heard of, @Jamesbfc1887 was doing a 523 experiment with Derby, but I don't think he's updated for a couple of weeks (he might still be celebrating Barnsley's promotion ). I'm sure others have taken them on, and I've talked about them on and off for months. Only the fact that I managed them last year held me back from a repeat visit.

Will be watching to see who you manage to attract - and if you're not there yet, the tickover to Championship status might give Chelsea reason to change their minds; happened to me in both my Barnsley and Colchester saves.

Hello there, yeah I've not updated for a few weeks, partially down to some celebrating  but mainly down to the fact, I'm currently bogged down in the thick of A-Levels at the moment. I'm sure I'll return at some point, 3 weeks of this hell left 

[Jogo Bonito]

Best of luck @Jamesbfc1887, Derby can wait!

@john1 Well done for loyalty to Cheltenham!

Meanwhile, back at The Valley. Alex McCarthy says no

[warlock]

9 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

I'm currently bogged down in the thick of A-Levels at the moment

Ah, commiserations, and encouragement. It must be, oh... um, 45 years since I did mine .

[Jamesbfc1887]

@Jogo Bonito @warlock Cheers, well it'll be over before too long. The last 2 weeks have been a struggle and I'm certainly not looking forward to these next few weeks either.

[DefinitelyTaylor]

14 hours ago, torquayfmer said:

Have barely been on this week, just haven't had the time. But I've finally managed to get through the transfer window before we kick off the new season in the Premier League.

Good to see you back. Some very good signings there, in particular with the likes of Daniel James. I'm keen to see how quickly he takes to the Premier League with you. The arrivals of TDB and Sheaf for free could prove to be assets in the future for a large profit. Good luck with this quite young side!

14 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

Unfortunately, I have this 'thing' where by the first 2/3 games of pre-season, regardless of the results, I'm either 'feeling' the save or not. Unfortunately with the likes of Ipswich and Sheff Weds, I just can't seem to get that feeling.

I can totally understand that point of view, it's something I experience myself. But, once you get over that initial feeling - you know you're set up for a decent save, nine times out of ten. I hope you find the right team soon and get settled down. I always enjoy reading your tales and you've had a fair few this year! 

13 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Edit: Dack and Lewis both refused to enter talks, cross them off too!

Well you have set yourself a very interesting challenge with the criteria of players you're going for - I like it! Once you have a squad nailed down that you're content with, I'll be intrigued to see how it sets out. You'd imagine there would be plenty of selection given London is the capital and a quite populated area - but it appears not, in certain regards. 

13 hours ago, john1 said:

Just turned down Bristol City job, despite 7.75K p/w (currently on 1.7K) and 1.1M transfer budget. Think I am going to stay at Cheltenham for another season.

Interesting! I hope it proves to be something you don't regret, but promotion with Cheltenham would make it worth it and that seems a very real possibility. 

13 hours ago, Dong21 said:

And Taylor, looking forward to an update from you, if that day ever comes!

It will. Trust me! 

12 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

But come on, the day that DT does an update in here is never coming! Having said that, his contributions in here are still pure gold, he must be the nicest non-playing FM manager this forum has ever seen as his comments are always so thoughtful and encouraging

Thanks, I guess?  I'm determined to prove you wrong... I'll find a save before the cycle for this year is over.  I always try to post comments which I hope you enjoy reading. You put the time in to post about your save, so I'll take the time to digest it and reply! 

12 hours ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

but mainly down to the fact, I'm currently bogged down in the thick of A-Levels at the moment. I'm sure I'll return at some point, 3 weeks of this hell left 

I don't envy your position at all, but I'll be there this time next year. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll smash it and it'll all be worth it! 

[torquayfmer]

Thanks @DefinitelyTaylor. Completely agree with what some others have said about getting into saves, and I have to admit my passion for this save started to dwindle a little. But, I made the decision to go through the transfer window, concentrating on defense first and working our way through the rest of the side depending on money left, and it has certainly paid off. It has really given me a boost to carry on and see where we can go.

I can't complain after finishing August in 5th after five games played, with only one loss (to Man City), in which we conceded in the 88th minute after holding them off all game. We also missed a couple of sitters, but the side really worked hard.

[warlock]

15 minutes ago, torquayfmer said:

I can't complain after finishing August in 5th after five games played, with only one loss (to Man City)

Great start. hope you can keep it going 

[warlock]

Derby: Season 1, September

On taking the reins at Pride Park, the first thing that becomes apparent is the number of injuries in the first-team squad. There are good players, and decent backups, at every position - so long as you're playing a wide 433dm system. A 4231 is also possible, although Mason Mount is the only natural player in the AMC role, but I'm happier with the 433. But those injuries made pre-season and the first month a bit of a challenge. Two of three DMs - Tom Huddlestone and George Evans - were missing until late August at best, leaving me with just Bradley Johnson. There's a similar story at CB with club captain Curtis Davies out until late September/October, and new signing Efe Ambrose set to miss the first few games of the season.

The squad is not without issues elsewhere. You start with only two natural strikers in veteran David Nugent and new signing Jack Marriott, although Martyn Waghorn (natural AML) can also play up top. And at LB, the club has allowed young prospect Max Lowe to go on season-long loan, and then signed 37-year-old Ashley Cole on £15k a week - a ridiculous decision, IMHO. Finally, you have only one decent keeper in Scott Carson; backup Kelle Roos is nowhere near good enough.

These problems were compounded during pre-season as LB Craig Forsyth suffered a cruciate ligament injury that means he'll miss the whole of the season. Cole, who I expected never to play, suddenly became our second choice LB. Then Cole suffered shin splints in mid-August and will miss 6-8 weeks, meaning youngster Calum Macdonald was promoted from the u23s. Adding another insult-to-injury, first-choice AML Tom Lawrence suffered broken ribs in a pre-season friendly, meaning he would miss the first 5 or 6 games of the season.

Adding to the issue was an early transfer bid for Bradley Johnson (my only fit DM) from PL Huddersfield. He was valued at £2.2m, and having had his head turned, we agreed I'd let him go for £2.7m. In typical AI fashion, Huddersfield came back with a bid of £1.8m upfront, £400K in installments... and £500k after 50 league appearances. So technically they met the £2.7m fee but I'm guessing we'll never see that last £500k. But Johnson demanded we accept because they'd met my valuation .

With only around £1.5m in the transfer budget, and just £3k a week in the wages allowance, there wasn't much room to sort out these squad issues. The board gave me £1m of the Johnson transfer fee but by that time there weren't many options available. In the end I signed Luke Amos from Spurs on a season long freebie loan and prayed he'd be fit enough until Huddlestone recovered. Second, I signed GK Freddie Woodman on loan from Newcastle for £1.5k a week in wages, although this took the number of loan signings to 6, which has already proved to be problematical. Finally, I decided we couldn't wait for Davies to recover from injury and signed Ethan Pinnock from Barnsley to fill out the defensive unit. All told, that gives me a transfer budget of £1.2m and around £30k a week headroom in wages available in the January window.

In terms of non-playing staff, as so often seems to be the case Derby had made ludicrous appointments and after I'd pondered the need for improvements against the cost of getting rid of the deadwood, I opted for the latter. It probably cost us around a million in settlement fees but I think it's worth it long term. The most painful was the AssMan role where Derby had seen fit to appoint a hopelessly inadequate coach, with no AM experience, on £8k a week for three years. After much deliberation, he was shown the door and ex-Man Utd man Paul McGuiness was appointed in his place. Other signings mean we're now at least Top 6 in every category for coaching, scouting and medical staff.

Early Season Form

It goes without saying, I suppose, that we breezed through pre-season, scoring a load and conceding few or none. But I wasn't confident going into the first competitive games of the season, especially with a pretty threadbare squad. In the event, the lads done me proud.

I expected a tough season opener against West Brom, but we saw them off with little difficulty. An away draw against a tough Stoke side wasn't a bad result at all, and represents our only dropped points so far. The away game at Brentford was one I was ready to lose while hoping for another draw, but the lads performed brilliantly to secure another win. I don't know why but I always seem to struggle against lower-league opponents in the Carabao Cup and so it proved against Scunthorpe, who parked the bus and forced us to penalties. Our reward for that win is a visit from Man City!

So we head into September in first place, albeit by a single goal in the GD column. If there's a cloud on my horizon it's the poor performances of Jack Marriott who, despite a brilliant pre-season, has only one goal and one assist in 5 starts. By contrast, 33-year-old David Nugent has 5 goals and 2 assists in just 2 starts and 2 sub appearances. Other bright spots include AML Waghorn, who has 4 goals and an assist in 6 games; and Harry Wilson at AMR who has 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. But the star of the show so far is young RB Jayden Bogle. He's a player who has not been on my radar before but despite his tender age he has outperformed everyone in the team, with an average rating of 7.98 over four games.

Here's hoping we can keep it up!

[DefinitelyTaylor]

1 hour ago, torquayfmer said:

I can't complain after finishing August in 5th after five games played, with only one loss (to Man City), in which we conceded in the 88th minute after holding them off all game. We also missed a couple of sitters, but the side really worked hard.

Excellent start. A victory over bitter rivals Newcastle will only help cement your legacy at the SoL. Have to praise your defence it seems, keeping an impressive tally of three clean-sheets just five games into the season. Hopefully this is a constant theme which can remain throughout the season, it would certainly be beneficial! Hugely unlucky against City, too. 

Have to ask though, a friendly against United? I'd like to know the thought process behind that. Quite a continental approach, as I know it is something which occurs elsewhere, but doesn't seem to over here.

26 minutes ago, warlock said:

Here's hoping we can keep it up!

Great work thus far, as per! It seems you have undertaken a challenging start to life with Derby, but have managed it well. You mentioned Calum MacDonald when detailing your crisis at left-back and he's someone I'm familiar with, given he spent the second-half of the 17/18 campaign with Barrow. He was a good, young prospect in a poor squad and I've noticed his name crop up on the Derby bench irl, I would like to see you give him a go.

Frustrating to see Johnson go in those circumstances, but Luke Amos joining on loan makes sense. He's a useful player as well, perhaps not entirely up to the quality you need - but he makes for a tidy option. Woodman is a decent option, too, whilst Pinnock should play a role in any success you have this season, I would imagine, at least until CD returns.

Some good results already against the likes of West Brom, Stoke and Brentford, whilst maintaining a run to the third round of the Carabao Cup. Good luck against City!  Glad to read about the success of Bogle, in particular. He is somebody who should grow with the club under your tenure. Hopefully Marriott can kick into gear soon - you can't be relying on Nugent forever and it's Jack's void to fill, given his age and ability. I'm sure you'll find a way to get something from him soon. 

[warlock]

12 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Great work thus far

No sooner had I posted that than FM crashed, so I'm going to have to play the last three games over . Stomped off to bed in disgust. That's about the fourth crash I've suffered in the last month or so, and I can't figure out why. Graphics drivers are up to date, and I've done all the stuff SI suggests. The game has been utterly reliable since beta so it's weird that it's gone flaky at this late stage. I'm going to have to start saving after every game.

[torquayfmer]

Thanks @DefinitelyTaylor and @warlock, hopefully the form will continue!

As for the friendly against Utd, two reasons; 

One, they were my parent club, so we already had a pre arranged friendly before the link was cancelled with us being promoted to the same league as them, and two, friendlies are a great way to boost some finances in pre season as well as playing some high quality opposition to see where the team is at. I tend to do a bit of both in pre season, play high reputation teams more for the finances, and also lower division sides that I know we will beat with relative ease for a bit of a confidence boost.

[Rollin93]

Any ideas?? 

Im really struggling to find a good save to get Into. 

2 teams that I’m interested in are Brentford and leeds

on my old laptop I had a Brentford save that I really enjoyed but not sure if I will get bored of it too easy because I have to start again 

 

open to any ideas?

 

thank you in advance 

[warlock]

3 hours ago, Rollin93 said:

Brentford and leeds

I'd think Leeds would be a good save if you don't want to rerun Brentford. See if you can do better than the playoffs. Looks like a decent squad and it should be fun to develop Jack Clarke (assuming you can hang on to him - he often gets bought early).

[john1]

3 hours ago, Rollin93 said:

Any ideas?? 

Im really struggling to find a good save to get Into. 

2 teams that I’m interested in are Brentford and leeds

on my old laptop I had a Brentford save that I really enjoyed but not sure if I will get bored of it too easy because I have to start again 

 

open to any ideas?

 

thank you in advance 

Stoke
Charlton
Southend
Coventry 

[Brutalyouth]

HI all

This is my first ever post on any thread on this forum having been an avid reader for a while

After a couple of weeks of struggling to get into a save start a couple with varios teams arond the english leagues i found the save im falling in love with already Hull City

Currently at start of jan so plucked up courage and posting my progress so far

Would love to hear peoples thoughts of my progress tactics and transfers

Cheers guys

Jono

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Brutalyouth

[Brutalyouth]

4 hours ago, Rollin93 said:

Any ideas?? 

Im really struggling to find a good save to get Into. 

2 teams that I’m interested in are Brentford and leeds

on my old laptop I had a Brentford save that I really enjoyed but not sure if I will get bored of it too easy because I have to start again 

 

open to any ideas?

 

thank you in advance 

Wigan

Scunthorpe

Bury

[Jogo Bonito]

@DefinitelyTaylor Yes, definitely intended as a compliment!

@warlock A great start with Derby, and hopefully the re-played games will go well. I'm a big admirer of Bogle and he is a player I fully intend to manage sometime soon (somehow). Mount and Marriott are also players I would expect to do well, hopefully they will show their worth to you.

@torquayfmer Excellent early form, good luck keeping it going.

@Rollin93 I'd recommend Swansea as an alternative to Brentford. In the other leagues, if you fancy a challenge then look at Southend/Bristol Rovers, Newport/Forest Green. Good luck picking!

@Brutalyouth Welcome and good luck at Hull. That's a very decent start and with only three defeats you are definitely hard to beat. I'm envious you can manage Bowen as I have tried to sign him on various saves and every time his agent has ridiculous demands. At least that should mean you get to keep him there for a while!

Meanwhile, at Charlton the transfer window is closed. I couldn't land most of my transfer targets and ended up with three loans at the death to boost my squad numbers to 24. I failed to land a first choice goalkeeper, I had to sacrifice on my left-back, and I didn't get the ace striker I needed. The squad now has five loans, which is three more than I wanted, and I have £36 million of untouched transfer budget!

 

 

[Brutalyouth]

3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@DefinitelyTaylor Yes, definitely intended as a compliment!

@warlock A great start with Derby, and hopefully the re-played games will go well. I'm a big admirer of Bogle and he is a player I fully intend to manage sometime soon (somehow). Mount and Marriott are also players I would expect to do well, hopefully they will show their worth to you.

@torquayfmer Excellent early form, good luck keeping it going.

@Rollin93 I'd recommend Swansea as an alternative to Brentford. In the other leagues, if you fancy a challenge then look at Southend/Bristol Rovers, Newport/Forest Green. Good luck picking!

@Brutalyouth Welcome and good luck at Hull. That's a very decent start and with only three defeats you are definitely hard to beat. I'm envious you can manage Bowen as I have tried to sign him on various saves and every time his agent has ridiculous demands. At least that should mean you get to keep him there for a while!

Meanwhile, at Charlton the transfer window is closed. I couldn't land most of my transfer targets and ended up with three loans at the death to boost my squad numbers to 24. I failed to land a first choice goalkeeper, I had to sacrifice on my left-back, and I didn't get the ace striker I needed. The squad now has five loans, which is three more than I wanted, and I have £36 million of untouched transfer budget!

 

 

Thanks for welcome been a interesting start alot of draws im first to admit tactics my weakness but seems the gegnpress is working so far.

i know the pain of the bowen agent just renew jareds contract lets say it wasnt cheap as his demands where pretty pricey worth it tho as he's been doing a sterling job for me

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Brutalyouth said:

This is my first ever post on any thread

Good to have you with us, and an interesting choice of club. For some reason Hull are never very popular. Looks like you're off to a good start, but it will be interesting to see whether you can maintain such an intensive tactic long-term. I'd guess that a lot of rotation will be necessary.

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

at Charlton the transfer window is closed

Sounds like you had a tough time of it. Hopefully, things will work out... not spending my transfer budget in the Norwich save didn't do me much harm. If you can do well in the early months, you might find it easier to attract players in January.

I haven't had any more FM time since the last update, and we're off to Spain for a week's R&R tomorrow so it will be next weekend before I'll get back to it. I'll be checking in on my phone but probably won't post much if at all - hate typing on the phone!

[karanhsingh]

Hey guys! Just jumping back into my favourite thread on here  Have been catching up over the last couple of days and really enjoyed reading about everyone's saves. 

A special mention however is needed for @Jogo Bonito for somehow not spending any of that crazy transfer budget! That takes some self-control... 

I have decided to dive back into an EFL save myself, which hopefully will be my proper long-term save for this edition of FM. More on that in the next post.

[karanhsingh]

So for my new game, I went out looking for a challenging medium-term save. Ideally, a club that fit the following criteria

- struggling IRL and expected to struggle in game

- take me probably at least a couple of seasons to get to EPL

- but with a nice history

- good stadium & fan base 

- a couple of good youngsters that can be developed 

I narrowed it down to Reading, Bolton, and Ipswich. Bolton I managed on FM18 so ruled them out. Reading have Danny Loader in their ranks, while Ipswich have a couple of decent CMs including a personal favourite Andre Dozzell (I love his attribute distribution). So eventually, I decided to go with the latter, and hopefully improve on their real-life performance. 

Enter, ex-Ipswich player & Scandinavian hard-man, fresh off managing in the renowned Indian Super League,

[karanhsingh]

A quick look at the squad told me exactly why we are expected to fight relegation this year. Severely lacking in quality all over, even most of the loanees look not that great. However in terms of numbers, the squad is more than a little bloated. 

I went to work and thought it would be a busy summer, but shockingly no-one wanted any of my players. I literally couldn't move on most of them for even a fraction of their value. 

However, while going through the player search, I noticed that Jack Clarke from Leeds was interested in joining somehow. I immediately put in a bid, which I managed to structure as below:

1.1 million up-front
2.1 million in instalments
600k after 50 league apps
600k after 10 intl apps
800k if we avoid relegation 
50% of future profits

That adds up to quite a bit when you think about it, but I reckon he will be well worth it. I now knew I needed to raise 2 million + from player sales in order to fund this transfer if it came through. I offered out SO many players, but had a huge struggle getting rid of anyone. Eventually, I had to let go of Jonas Knudsen, who I actually did not want to sell, in order to raise the funds. I also want to maintain a Scandinavian influence at the club (hired Thomas Helveg as a coach too) so this was particularly disappointing. 

So out went Knudsen, along with him Cole Skuse on a season-long loan to free up some wages, and Jordan Spence as well.

In came Jack Clarke, a massive transfer for us, and my scouts found Leart Paqarada as replacement for the outgoing Knudsen. I quite like the looks of him, especially his technical ability with the ball. Again, he joins on a heavily structured deal. 

Apart from this, should also mention that we cancelled loans for Will Keane and Callum  Elder, and recalled Josh Emmanuel to the club.

Here is the squad, sorted by potential ability. As you can see, we do have some exciting youngsters who I look forward to hopefully developing well at the club. We are however a bit over-crowded now though, particularly in midfield, so I have to figure out how to give everyone enough playing time.

And here are the tactics we are going with, along with the line-up from our first official game which was a well-taken 3-2 home win against Blackburn. Among other things, the game featured a beautiful first-time struck goal from the edge of the box from Andre Dozzell, first of many hopefully.

 

[smplfc123]

Good luck with Ipswich @karanhsingh, great job in landing Clarke.

[karanhsingh]

Certainly seems like we are the most exciting team in the league so far! I've decided to drop our defensive line now and forego tight marking. Some big tests coming up. Glad to have had some nice fixtures to kick things off.

[warlock]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Just jumping back into my favourite thread on here

Wondered where you'd got to... welcome back 

[karanhsingh]

5 minutes ago, warlock said:

Wondered where you'd got to... welcome back 

Thank you! I didn't play for a couple of months (work is always super busy Dec to March). Then recently did a quick save with Cardiff however was missing the EFL action  

[DefinitelyTaylor]

19 hours ago, Rollin93 said:

Any ideas?? 

It depends what type of challenge you may want. There are teams such as Portsmouth in which you can look to restore to previous heights, or others like Fleetwood which have flown through the leagues and now need somebody to help them make the next jump. Good luck in whatever you choose, it's always important that you choose a club which you feel comfortable managing and enjoy doing so.

14 hours ago, Brutalyouth said:

This is my first ever post on any thread on this forum having been an avid reader for a while

Great work with Hull. They have a great group of players such as Bowen and Irvine - but certainly lack the depth amongst the squad. However, you seem to have done well to add to it. To be in the play-offs just before the halfway stage, only narrowly outside the automatic places, also, shows excellent progress. Best of luck in continuing on a very impressive start to the season.

34 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Certainly seems like we are the most exciting team in the league so far!

Glad to see you back posting here again, mate! Great business in bringing Clarke through the door, firstly. Your other addition is an interesting one and I look forward to seeing how he fairs in the Championship. You've certainly enjoyed an exciting start at Portman Road, maybe too exciting and something that needs to be addressed - but I'm sure the fans won't be complaining as long as you pick up the points when the final whistle blows.  If you can find the balance between maintaining a great attack, but tightening the back-line, you're sorted!  

[Brutalyouth]

30 minutes ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

It depends what type of challenge you may want. There are teams such as Portsmouth in which you can look to restore to previous heights, or others like Fleetwood which have flown through the leagues and now need somebody to help them make the next jump. Good luck in whatever you choose, it's always important that you choose a club which you feel comfortable managing and enjoy doing so.

Great work with Hull. They have a great group of players such as Bowen and Irvine - but certainly lack the depth amongst the squad. However, you seem to have done well to add to it. To be in the play-offs just before the halfway stage, only narrowly outside the automatic places, also, shows excellent progress. Best of luck in continuing on a very impressive start to the season.

Glad to see you back posting here again, mate! Great business in bringing Clarke through the door, firstly. Your other addition is an interesting one and I look forward to seeing how he fairs in the Championship. You've certainly enjoyed an exciting start at Portman Road, maybe too exciting and something that needs to be addressed - but I'm sure the fans won't be complaining as long as you pick up the points when the final whistle blows.  If you can find the balance between maintaining a great attack, but tightening the back-line, you're sorted!  

Thanks for the kind words. Just about to enter jan window. Aiming to clear out a few back up players and get a few rotation/youngsters in. Im surprised at the start ive made tbh i was aiming top half at start of season ive drawn alot of games due to late goals. Markus henriksen has decided he wont sign a contract which is a pain but golden boy bowen has extended his deal. Will provide an update of transfers and results once an has ended tho i fear the dreaded mid season slump that always seems to happen 

[Brutalyouth]

Hull City Jan Window

Kettles on, Biscuits out 

Time for some transfers

First potential deal rekkem harper

 

 

 

 

Looks like i may be in the market for a back up right back not the best news for eric

 

Seems board are only willing to let me pay 10 a week at most hence contract talks with harper break down

Hopefully no team comes in for him and i could tempt him to join if WBA realese him (slim chance of that happening surley someone will buy him this window)

 

 

Edited May 31, 2019 by Brutalyouth

[john1]

 

Boom! Currently got 2 games left, then will do update  

[Brutalyouth]

Big Jan update

Needed a pressing forward

Never used this bloke so took a punt

Transfer fee high but with installments 

Hoping he comes up big for me

Decided to give some of my youth and back up a chance hence the big splash out

Here's to my target of play offs 

 

Results for jan to come just thought id share my dealings so far

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2019 by Brutalyouth

[john1]

4 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Certainly seems like we are the most exciting team in the league so far! I've decided to drop our defensive line now and forego tight marking. Some big tests coming up. Glad to have had some nice fixtures to kick things off.

Great start  tough games coming up for you, hopefully you can grab some point!

[john1]

@Brutalyouth Mapuy, is decent player  Hopefully he get you goals  

[john1]

Season 2 update

 
 

Terrible ending to the season, players was definitely on holiday mood and played ****.

I have got players coming in for next season, some of current players will be let go. Board have given me a massive, massive budget of 16K 

 

Been playing Harry, last 6 games and did very well in my opinion, will be looking to ease him into first team from next season. Also broken youngest player record to play for the club  

Player stats

  

Delighted to see the midfielders chipping goals in alongside Bingham  

Just been linked to Wigan, Middlesborough and now Sheffield United job.

Edited May 31, 2019 by john1

[Brutalyouth]

34 minutes ago, john1 said:

Season 2 update

 
 

Terrible ending to the season, players was definitely on holiday mood and played ****.

I have got players coming in for next season, some of current players will be let go. Board have given me a massive, massive budget of 16K 

 

Been playing Harry, last 6 games and did very well in my opinion, will be looking to ease him into first team from next season. Also broken youngest player record to play for the club  

Player stats

  

Delighted to see the midfielders chipping goals in alongside Bingham  

Just been linked to Wigan, Middlesborough and now Sheffield United job.

congats on a great season

will you contine as cheltenham or if a bigger club comes calling could you be tempted away

[john1]

5 minutes ago, Brutalyouth said:

congats on a great season

will you contine as cheltenham or if a bigger club comes calling could you be tempted away

Cheers! The club finances with Cheltenham is absolutely terrible and not getting decent budget to strengthen the team for League 1 season, which kind of annoying me unless  this guy buys the club  


 

That's a good question, I think I would be tempted if teams like Leeds or Bournemouth comes up.

[Brutalyouth]

i always struggle with finance on fm haha

Im waiting for the inevitable takeover at hull in my save mid jan and no takeover

1mil in debt so far no doubt itl get worse and worse

 

[john1]

1 hour ago, Brutalyouth said:

i always struggle with finance on fm haha

Im waiting for the inevitable takeover at hull in my save mid jan and no takeover

1mil in debt so far no doubt itl get worse and worse

 

Yeah, I like to build up the club finances but seems to be struggling with it with Cheltenham  

Hull do tend to get taken over alot on FM.

First game in the League one will be home to Bolton  

[Brutalyouth]

So jan has been and gone

As suspected mid slump in full effect dropped out of playoffs#

Hoping a bold changed of tactic will help end this form