[FM19] French Lingerie - Acre State, Brazil

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2034.

We might have lost away, but 2 home victories gave us a much-needed boost and we now find ourselves 4th in the league and very much in the playoff positions. Our form has been stuttering of late, but the likes of Clermont, Paris, Caen & Valenciennes have completely imploded allowing us to take advantage.

[numbas2]

Plenty of fire power with 42 goals scored, nice! Who is the stand out player this season?

[Jimbokav1971]

9 minutes ago, numbas2 said:

Plenty of fire power with 42 goals scored, nice! Who is the stand out player this season?

Yeah, goals certainly haven't been a problem. 

If I select all players in all 3 squads and list them by goals scored, this is what I get, however it's misleading. 

(23b) Martínez (Res) * would seem to be top of the pile as far as goals are concerned, but 16 of his 17 goals and 5 of his 6 assists have been scored for the Reserves. Because the Reserves operate as a B-Team and play in a competitive league within the French structure, these are competitive goals and "count", but obviously I don't want them to count for this purpose. 

That leaves (29d) Tristan Albert (Unamb) * sitting atop the pile. The teenager has scored 15 goals in 22(1) appearances and it's interesting to note that while he was out injured recently, we failed to score in 2 of the games that he missed. 

Although not scoring as many goals this season as last, (25c) Martín García (F.Pro) * is nevertheless one of our very important players. Last season he both scored and assisted 19 goals from the left wing position, and this season he has already assisted 15 in 22 appearances. The drop off in personal goals scored here might be as a result of the change in role(duty) on the opposite flank.

(26f) Beñat Goñi (Bal) is our 2nd top-goal-scorer, (if we ignore the Reserves), and you might remember him from some previous posts about our problematic right hand side. I was playing him as a winger but it did't seem to be working and I didn't think he was going to improve as an IF so I was looking for a new option. This season he has played the whole season as RMD(a) and while I think it is having a very positive effect on him, (and the team), the personal goals tally of (25c) Martín García (F.Pro) * on  the opposite flank has suffered as a result. (That is a price I'm willing to pay). 

If I had to pick a 4th "star" it would surely have to be goal-scoring GK (23e) Bouchez (F.Det) *. He has scored 6 goals in 27 appearances this season, but also kept 11 clean sheets. (Something that we are not great at). 

Despite me labelling the above players "stars" though, we are really a team rather than a group led by individuals. We might struggle a little without our best players, but if 1 or even 2 were to be sold out from under me tomorrow, it really wouldn't be a disaster at this stage of the season. I'm sure there will be someone of as similar ability waiting in the wings and ready to step in.

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2034.

Don't do it. Don't do it! Don't you dare do it! Don't......

He did it.     

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2034.

It's not a 100% month, and we are still  conceding too may goals, but 3 wins and a draw from 4 games is not too shabby at all. The goals seem pretty spread-out too. 

Goal-scoring GK (23e) Bouchez (F.Det) * scored again to make it 7 for the season and 29th career goal.

We're looking good for the playoffs at the moment and are 5 points clear of 6th placed Sochaux. If we can keep this little run going then maybe just maybe there is still a chance at auto-promotion. I personally think that's unlikely, but you never know. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake Day. Mar 2034.

Well it says "Golden Generation", but we all know this can be misleading, but let's have a look. 

Actually, that's pretty damn good. 

It's not just the 2x 5.0 players that I like, but the fact that there seems to be strength in depth. We also have 3x 4.5's, 2x 4.0's 5x 3.5's. Considering that our CA is much improved, that's significant improvement in terms of PA. 

Looking at CA, well there seems to be general improvement across the board there too. We have 2x 1.5's and 5x 1.0's where the usual standard recently has been 0.5.

"Kriss" (34a) Merino (LHeart) (2034) *.

As well as being top of my PA list, he was also the player picked out by my HoYD. He's decent, but his physicals really aren't great. Then again, he's 15 years old so what am I expecting?

If I have to pick someone out though, it's probably this bloke. 

(34e) David Saizar (Bal).

I don't think he's a million miles away from competing for a 1st team spot right now. I know that there are issues with both strength and balance, but I really like the look of him. As we currently have a square peg in a round hole in the right wing position, (remember we have a player playing as a Raumdeuter there at the moment, and playing well I might add), a proper winger, (or possibly even an IF(s) is just what we need. 

All in all this is a very good intake. This save has been a bit of a slog at times because of the poor facilities and lack of finances to improve them, but this is really progress even if it seems small progress.  

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

GK.

(23e) Bouchez (F.Det) * is 1st choice now and while we hope that (28a) Maxence (Unamb) (2028) * will develop to a similar level, it's a good job that (23e) Bouchez (F.Det) * is only 26 years old because we have nobody coming through who has better PA.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

DL & WBL.

(26a) Núñez (Bal) (2026) * is 1st choice at the moment and although (29a) Jon Goñi (Bal) (2029) * is probably the brightest prospect, I should also probably mention Spaniard Eneko Sánchez (BAS) (Bal) who I can assure you is Basque as per my rules. 

I should also probably mention that he was a (Bal) personality when he signed and has now "popped" to (F.Pro).

[turnip]

With Merino, I'd train him as a BBM and focus on Quickness.

My experience is that 2-3 years working on Quickness can get a player 2-4 points (at your level of facilities). Add to that a few points in Tackling, Passing, Long Shots and Stamina and you're looking at a very handy player by the time he's 18. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

DR & WBR.

(25a) Martínez (Bal) (2025) * is 1st choice with 26 yo (22n) Garrido (Bal) * his back-up. In terms of potential though, I'm struggling to find the next right back on the production line who is going to usurp (25a) Martínez (Bal) (2025) *. (22d) Álvaro (Fickle) and (30d) Núñez (F.Sport) are probably the pick of the bunch, but both have serious flaws. (22d) Álvaro (Fickle) has a personality that certainly doesn't sound good, but the truth is I don't really know how it's made up because it's a relatively new personality within the game.

When I say "new" personality, I mean new since the Ajax thread was created for FM14. 

Well there is at least 1 word that jumps out at me from that definition and that's "loyalties". I would expect his loyalty to be low, but I'm really not sure how low. I'm also not sure what else might be involved. If we think that "Fickle" might be the opposite of "Loyal", (there isn't a disloyal but maybe we're talking mercenary here), then what might that be?

Very Loyal Loy 20, Amb 6-7, Det 6-20

Loyal Loy 18-19, Amb 6-7, Det 6-20

So it's high Loyalty, below average Ambition and below average to high Determination.

I think Fickle is below average loyalty, above average Ambition and something else, (but what I'm not sure). I have a feeling it's Professionalism, (but don't take that as gospel). 

So what I was going to say is that a "Fickle" player like (22d) Álvaro (Fickle) would struggle to reach his PA, but actually, if it's a bad loyalty rating and then decent Ambition and Professionalism ratings then he should develop fine, (even if he might want to leave). 

The other option on the other hand, (30d) Núñez (F.Sport), has such poor physical attributes, (despite strengths elsewhere), that I don't think he will ever become a regular starter for the 1st team. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

6 minutes ago, turnip said:

With Merino, I'd train him as a BBM and focus on Quickness.

My experience is that 2-3 years working on Quickness can get a player 2-4 points (at your level of facilities). Add to that a few points in Tackling, Passing, Long Shots and Stamina and you're looking at a very handy player by the time he's 18. 

I've been using Segundo Volante's, (and plan on continuing to for the short-term), but at least 1 BBM is the next stage of the evolution. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

DC.

Kike González (BAS) (Bal) is not a product of our Academy although he is Basque and (23a) Aizpurua (Bal) (2023) * are the current starters. 

In terms of where the next starter is coming from, (33a) Ramírez (Bal) (2033) * and (33b) Sukunza (L.Det) * look to have the best opportunity to make an impact.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

DM & MC.

We play with 3 in the middle and the pick of these are probably (25b) Gork Intxausti (Sport) * and (27a) Joseba (Bal) (2027) *. Looking to the future, the players at the top of the list in green from this years intake are the one's that really stand out, so (34a) Merino (LHeart) (2034) *, (34b) Mikel Ochoa (Bal) * and (32a) Núñez (Unamb) (2032) * are the future in the middle of the pitch.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

ML & AML.

(25c) Martín García (F.Pro) * is the current starter on the left and is about to break his own club record of 19 assists in a season. While he's only 24 yo, he only has 2 years left on his contract and doesn't seem keen on signing a new one. His back-up is (31f) Calderón (F.Sport) and he's also probably the one to watch for the future, although (30b) Jiménez (F.Sport) * might have something to say about that.

Edited February 10, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Lewis89]

Jim did your B team start in the competitive league or was that something that happened as the club progressed? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

MR & AMR.

(26f) Beñat Goñi (Bal) is the much discussed Raumdeuter who is 1st choice at the moment. (30e) Frédéric (Bal) should probably be the back-up at the moment, but the truth is he is still in the U19's squad and hasn't featured for the Reserves never mind about the Senior side. (That's about to change by the way). In terms of the next generation, (34e) David Saizar (Bal) from this years intake is probably the one that catches the eye. 

[Jimbokav1971]

5 minutes ago, Lewis89 said:

Jim did your B team start in the competitive league or was that something that happened as the club progressed? 

Both the Reserves and U19's started in non-playable leagues so they only played friendlies. 

The Reserves have done quite well actually. 

It wasn't until the 10th season, (2027/28), that the Reserves played in the National 3 - Nouvelle-Aquitaine league, and they have been playing in a competitive league ever since. In 2031/32 they won promotion to French National 2 - B but were relegated back to National 3 - Hauts de France the following season.

The U19's have found it  much harder.

They didn't play in a playable league until 2028/29, (season 11), when they were promoted to French Under 19 National - Group C and although they survived that 1st season, were relegated the following season. They stayed in a non-playable league for 2 seasons, before being promoted again to French Under 19 National - Group C. They were relegated, (again) though, so this season we are again in a non-playable league. 

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Potential Ability depth. Mar 2034.

Some players are going to appear in multiple positions, but the "best position" column near the middle should help things.

AMC & SC.

We all dream of a starlet who will come through the Academy and score the goals who will fire our team to success, but the reality is that this is easier said than done. Those of us who play either Youth Only or at least Youth based saves, are absolutely desperate for this to happen. I'm now in the 16th season of this save and the record goal-scorer is still Romain (BAS) (Bal) HG * who was with me when the game started. He scored 113 league goals and 125 goals in total and I think the player who has got closest to that is goal-scoring GK #1 Lesec who scored 78 career goals. The current record for players still at the club is held by (20a) Rubén (Bal) (2020) * with 66 league goals and 71 goals in total, except that he has also scored 6 competitive league goals for the reserves in a competitive league, bringing his total to 77 career goals, (so still 1 goal behind a GK).

Our top striker at the moment, (29d) Tristan Albert (Unamb) * has only 3.0 CA and he's doing pretty well at this level with 15 goals in 22(1) league appearances, but there is significant scope for improvement, not just in him, but in quite a few other players in this position. The only thing is, if/when we manage to gain promotion to Ligue 1, then players of this sort of ability are likely to find goals few and far between. 

The list below looks great in terms of potential, but many of them are not actually strikers. (34d) Joseba Mayo (Unamb) probably has the best potential of the strikers available, but he's certainly not going to be setting Ligue 1 alight. We still seem a long way away from producing a striker who is capable of becoming the record goal-scorer for the club. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Board Takeover. Mar 2034.

So we are debt free and now have just under £1.4M in the bank.

You know what that means?.........

Well I was planning to post pictured of messages confirming that the new board have agreed to improve Youth Recruitment and Youth Coaching, (after I had got them to agree "Developing Youth" as a new philosophy), until I saw this. 

This isn't going to be easy. 

Well that's a pleasant surprise, and a bit of a result if I'm honest. 

So where were we....... oh yeah.

I managed to get them to agree to improving the Junior Coaching budget, but they wouldn't agree to improving the Youth Recruitment. 

Exceptional Youth Coaching is level 20. 

Established Youth Recruitment is level 15-16.

From where we started, this is pretty decent and I'm especially pleased with the Coaching. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Targets. Mar 2034.

I often have a range of targets and goals within a save. These range from individual player milestones, to more significant team targets and even personal milestones. 

1. I want Promotion to Ligue 1. It's obviously a target, but I'm quite relaxed about it. It will happen when it happens and I will just have to hope that it's sooner rather than later. 
2. I want a stadium named after me. The Stade Didier Deschamps is impressive in itself, but the Stade Jimb O'Kav has a much better ring to it. 
3. Before we get a new stadium built, I probably expect the board to expand the current stadium. 
4. I want a GK to reach 100 career goals. (78 is my record so far in this save). 
5. I want a player to beat the existing club record of 113 league goals. 
6. I want a player to be called up to the French U19 squad. 
7. I want a player to be called up to the French U21 squad. 
8. I want a player to be called up to the French senior squad. 
9. Our record sale is £215,000. It would be good to sell a player for £1M+. (Our highest valued player is valued at £800.000.
10. I am currently listed as an Icon at the club. It would be good to become a legend. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2034.

Why oh why oh why do we implode after Youth Intake every season? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2024.

You think? They are all fed up of the poor form we encounter after every youth intake. I'm surprised there hasn't been a mass-lynching yet. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2034.

After an awful March, I was desperate to get us back on track but we really struggled with injuries and suspensions during this period. 

We've really had to chop and change the quad up this month and just looking at the right wing position for example we used players in the W(s), WTM(s), IF(s) and RMD(a) roles(duties). It was really hard going and we never really hit our stride at all. In the end, the Valenciennes game was just a game too far and we ran out of steam. All in all though, I'm really happy with a 7 point haul this month. It really could have been a complete disaster. We even lost our GK for the Lorient and Saint-Etienne games.

It leaves us 6th in Ligue 2 with just 3 games remaining. We are playing the bottom club Sedan Ardennes  and playoff rivals FCSM (Sochaux) and Stade Lavallois. We are just 1 point behind Parisand another 3 behind the others, (who are in decent form), so if we are going to finish in the playoffs we are going to have to overhaul Paris and hold off the 2 teams trailing us. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Can we make the Playoffs? May 2034.

Well we've done the 1st part by winning our first 2 games of the month and at this stage we are in a Playoff position. 

Basically it's a 3-way fight for 2 playoff spots. Someone is going to end up unhappy.  

Clermont are away to 16th placed Saint-Etienne. 
we are at home to 7th placed Sochaux.
Paris are at home to 15th placed Strasbourg.

If we win we are in the Playoffs. 
If we draw and Paris draw or lose then we are in the Playoffs. 
If we draw and Paris win then I need Clermont to lose by 5 goals. 
If we lose then we need Paris to lose. 
 

That's it.

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2034.

What a time to keep 3 clean sheets on the bounce and for goal-scoring GK (23e) Bouchez (F.Det) * to score his 8th of the season and the 30th of his career.

The only thing is...... we should have played the Domino's Ligue 2 Playoff 1st Round 3 days ago, BEFORE we had actually qualified for the Playoffs! 

How the hell does that work? 

Clermont drew and this wasn't enough for them as both ourselves and Paris both won. 

[Jimbokav1971]

The Impossible Task. Playoffs. May 2034.

4 games in 10 days is ridiculous at this stage of the season, especially when you consider that QRM don't play in the 1st Round and then Metz don't play at all until the double-header against us. I would be astonished if teams who finish 4th and 5th regularly do well in the Playoffs. That being said, it's completely right that the teams that finish higher gain an advantage. (Just not this much of an advantage).

2018/19. Ligue 1 team stayed up. 
2019/20. 3rd placed team promoted. 
2020/21. Ligue 1 team stayed up.
2021/22. 3rd placed team promoted.
2022/23. Ligue 1 team stayed up.
2023/24. Ligue 1 team stayed up.
2024/25. 3rd placed team promoted. 
2025/26. Ligue 1 team stayed up.
2026/27. Dijon promoted from 4th.
2027/28. 3rd placed team promoted.
2028/29. 3rd placed team promoted.
2029/30. Ligue 1 team stayed up. 
2030/31. 3rd placed team promoted.
2031/32. 3rd placed team promoted. 
2032/33. 3rd placed team promoted. 
2033/43. Ligue 1 team stayed up. 

In the 16 years that the save has been running, only Dijon in 2026/27 have managed to be promoted after finishing 4th or 5th in Ligue 2. 

All games were tight affairs. They never scored more than 1 goal in a game and needed penalties twice to progress. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Lewis89]

16 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Both the Reserves and U19's started in non-playable leagues so they only played friendlies. 

The Reserves have done quite well actually. 

It wasn't until the 10th season, (2027/28), that the Reserves played in the National 3 - Nouvelle-Aquitaine league, and they have been playing in a competitive league ever since. In 2031/32 they won promotion to French National 2 - B but were relegated back to National 3 - Hauts de France the following season.

The U19's have found it  much harder.

They didn't play in a playable league until 2028/29, (season 11), when they were promoted to French Under 19 National - Group C and although they survived that 1st season, were relegated the following season. They stayed in a non-playable league for 2 seasons, before being promoted again to French Under 19 National - Group C. They were relegated, (again) though, so this season we are again in a non-playable league. 

 

 

Thats adds another whole dimension to the save no doubt. So you could potentially have your first team in Ligue 1, and B team a league below at some point. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Lewis89

[Jimbokav1971]

End of Season Summary. Jun 2034.

Ligue 1 Table. Lost in Ligue 1 Playoff Final.

Reserves table. Champions.

Youth Table. After relegation again last season, we were one more without competitive fixtures and had to settle for friendlies. 

Overall Best XI.

Seasonal Best XI.

End of Season Awards. 

(26d) Rubén Fernández (Bal) has collected all the awards this season despite sort of slipping under the radar as far as I'm concerned. When I spoke about the 3 midfield positions recently, he wasn't 1st or 2nd choice. Despite that, and what appears to be significant limitations when you look at him, he has performed very well as the left-sided Segundo Volante. I have mentioned that I am looking to introduce at least one Box to Box midfielder, but I'm not sure how the balance is going to work with the middle 3. If I keep a central holder, currently an A(d), in order to keep the Vol(a) on the left, how do I stick in a lop-sided BBM(s) in the midfield line? 

To think that this player has played such a pivotal role in a team that has almost gained promotion to Ligue 1 is astonishing considering his limitations. 

Goal of the Season. It's no goal-scoring GK free-kick, but it's ok I suppose. 

Season Review.

Squad Dynamics.

Confidence Review.

Stadium Expansion. Refused again.

Finances.

New club record for most assists in a season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

6 minutes ago, Lewis89 said:

Thats adds another whole dimension to the save no doubt. So you could potentially have your first team in Ligue 1, and B team a league below at some point. 

Yeah. I'm not positive, but I think there has to be a league below the 1st Team and the B Team. 

If we are in Ligue 1 then the B/Reserve Team can only go as high as the National. 

If we are in Ligue 2 then the B/reserve Team can only go as high as the National 2. 

Last season we were in Ligue 2 and the B/Reserve Team were in National 3 level and were crowned Champions so they can go up to National 2, but unless we get into Ligue 1, then  the Reserves can't make the next step to National level. 

[Lewis89]

8 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Yeah. I'm not positive, but I think there has to be a league below the 1st Team and the B Team. 

If we are in Ligue 1 then the B/Reserve Team can only go as high as the National. 

If we are in Ligue 2 then the B/reserve Team can only go as high as the National 2. 

Last season we were in Ligue 2 and the B/Reserve Team were in National 3 level and were crowned Champions so they can go up to National 2, but unless we get into Ligue 1, then  the Reserves can't make the next step to National level. 

I see what you mean. Different to the Dutch and Spanish systems then. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Upgrades. Jun 2034.

Facilities. 

Corporate Facilities - Adequate = Level 6-9.
Training Facilities - Below Average = Level 6-7.
Youth Facilities - Poor = Level 4-5.
Junior Coaching - Exceptional = Level 20.
Youth Recruitment - Well Established = Level 17-18.

I'm not positive, but I don't think I have ever maxed out all the facilities at max levels. It will be interesting to see if I can get this done in France. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

33 minutes ago, Lewis89 said:

Thats adds another whole dimension to the save no doubt. So you could potentially have your first team in Ligue 1, and B team a league below at some point. 

 

20 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Yeah. I'm not positive, but I think there has to be a league below I meant BETWEEN here  the 1st Team and the B Team. 

If we are in Ligue 1 then the B/Reserve Team can only go as high as the National. 

If we are in Ligue 2 then the B/reserve Team can only go as high as the National 2. 

Last season we were in Ligue 2 and the B/Reserve Team were in National 3 level and were crowned Champions so they can go up to National 2, but unless we get into Ligue 1, then  the Reserves can't make the next step to National level. 

 

10 minutes ago, Lewis89 said:

I see what you mean. Different to the Dutch and Spanish systems then. 

When I responded to you, I wrote that there has to be league below the 1st Team and B Team, but what I meant was that there has to be a league BETWEEN them. Sorry. 

[nie jem frytek]

Are you sure reserves can play in National? Maybe they changed it this season, along that league names changing, but previously reserves could only play in 4th tier at best in France.

[Lewis89]

1 minute ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

 

 

When I responded to you, I wrote that there has to be league below the 1st Team and B Team, but what I meant was that there has to be a league BETWEEN them. Sorry. 

I understood what you meant jim, thanks for the explanation though.

I know the Dutch Eerste Division is full of B teams, and think Barca B played in La Liga 2 not too long ago. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 minutes ago, nie jem frytek said:

Are you sure reserves can play in National? Maybe they changed it this season, along that league names changing, but previously reserves could only play in 4th tier at best in France.

No. No I'm not sure at all. If you say that they can only play in the 4th tier then I believe you. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Job offer number 18. Jul 2034.

Jobs offered.

FC Metz while 10th in Ligue 2. Dec 2025.
Dijon while 20th in Ligue 1. Dec 2025.
Troyes while 17th in Ligue 1. Dec 2025.
AJ Auxerre while 11th in Ligue 1. Nov 2026.
Strasbourg while 20th in Ligue 1. Jan 2027.
EA Guingamp were 14th in Ligue 1. Jun 2028.
Stade Lavallois were 1st in Ligue 2. Jun 2028.
Lille while 12th in Ligue 2. Oct 2028.
FC Lorient while 6th in Ligue 2. May 2030.
Nancy while 20th in League 1. Jun 2030.
AC Ajaccio while 1st in League 2. Jun 2030.
FC Lorient(2) were 17th in Ligue 2. Jun 2031.
Stade Lavallois(2) while 17th in Ligue 2 in Aug 2031.
Nancy(2) while 6th in Ligue 2 in Dec 2031.
Italy National Team. Jul 2032.
Lille while 2nd in Ligue 2. Feb 2033.
Saint-Etienne finished 7th in Ligue 2. Jun 2033.
Italy National Team(2). Jul 2034.

Edited February 11, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[nie jem frytek]

Is your manager from San Marino? Because it's the only reason I can think off why would Italy want you as their national manager.

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, nie jem frytek said:

Is your manager from San Marino? Because it's the only reason I can think off why would Italy want you as their national manager.

Nope. 

 

[Reggiana]

Unlucky missing out in the playoffs, but another good season really. Hopefully next season you won't need to worry about the playoffs.

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, Reggiana said:

Unlucky missing out in the playoffs, but another good season really. Hopefully next season you won't need to worry about the playoffs.

Yeah, it's just one of those things I think. The way I see it, you either have to finish 3rd or the Playoffs are likely to be nothing more than some extra games. I thought I was being smart by completely rotating my starting XI for one of the Playoff games, but it just didn't matter when we played against the Ligue 1 side. It's all geared up for the Ligue 1 side to beat the 3rd placed Ligue 2 side in the Final. I've never seen a Playoff done in this way and I think it stinks not just because we weren't successful, but also because it favours the higher places teams and indeed the team from a higher division.

Anyway, I'm fine with another league or 2 or 3 or however many in Ligue 2. There is no rush because it's a marathon and not a sprint. When I was speaking to the players I kept expectations low by suggesting a top half finish this season, (that was the lowest available in team conversation), but as far as the board are concerned I'm still keeping the expectations to a minimum. 

I don't want more money out of them, (we are well within budget and to be honest I've been too lazy to find many players to sign, but I have a £2M transfer kitty and £21k per week wage budget burning a hole in my pocket so if I can be bothered I might see if I can find a couple of Spanish Basques to come in and show us what they've got. 

I much prefer a slowly slowly approach, but I would love a pacey young Spanish Basque striker and maybe a big lumbering centre half to keep him company. 

[Nobby_McDonald]

What Reggiana said.

[numbas2]

Get those Spanish Basques signed up

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, numbas2 said:

Get those Spanish Basques signed up

I'm on it!!! 

[Jimbokav1971]

18 hours ago, Nobby_McDonald said:

What Reggiana said.

What I said to @Reggiana

[Jimbokav1971]

So it would seem that I need to pull my finger out and get some Spaniards in, (albeit Basque Spanish). The only problem with that is that I errmmm...... well you see, what I did was....... well put it like this....... what I mean to say is......... the long and the short of it is........ Ok, I'm just going to blurt it out........ 

We've basically, got absolutely no scouting package at all. 

I was trying to save money so I just opted for absolutely no budget to save money because I wasn't buying anyone so why pay for scouting and...... wee I haven't changed it since. As a result, there are not many players visible to me. 

Trials are an option though, (and cheaper, so I have had a look at every free agent Basque player and offered them a 4 week trial. 

GK.

The more eagle-eyed amongst you might notice that not only is Álvaro Fernández Australian/Spanish, but he is also currently in the Australian Senior National squad. I can however assure you that he is also Basque. 

There are a few GK's here who have decent PA/CA compared to what we have already got on the books. Might be interested in signing one of these. 

DL & WBL.

There is nothing here any better than we already have in terms of PA so I will slowly whittle them down as their attributes become more clear but nothing jumping out at me so far. There is a note on Intxausti (ESP) so I have previously looked at him, but for whatever reason a deal wasn't done. 

DR & WBR. 

Again, not an awful lot to pick from here and nothing screaming out "sign me!!!"

DC.

There are a couple of interesting things to note here. The 1st is that there appears to be not 1 but 2 players that we might be interesting in signing, and the 2nd is that one of our old players, (27b) Théo Garnier (F.Amb) *, (who we previously lost on a free), is available again and it might be good to get him back in.

Anyway, you get the gist of it. Lots and lots and lots of players in on a 4 week trial. 

Edited February 12, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

DM & MC.

Asier Fernández is a DC rather than a DM, so we can ignore him in this section.

(26b) Rio (Pro) * is now (26b) Rio (F.Pro) * and although we received £225,000 for him when he joined Nancy back in 2030, he is available on a free and would feature in the Senior squad if he were to re-join us. 

There are also 4 other players above him on the list, but I will see how things progress in respect of them. There are a lot of blanks to be uncovered on their profile. 

ML & AML.

Imanol Fernández is quite low down on the list, but despite that, his CA star rating at least means that he might be a worthwhile addition to the squad. 

MR & AMR.

Iker Valencia might be 30, but he looks pretty decent and you might remember that my current right winger is actually being shoe-horned into a RMD(a) role.

Rubén Martín and Aritz González are also in the mix from this list. 

AM & SC.

I don't play with an AMC, but I was really hoping to find a mature striker who could come in at his peak and fire us to promotion and then let the kids take over in Ligue 1. 

Igor Aguado, Iker Burgos , Unai Calderón and Mikel Martínez are all on my radar, but again we will have to see how things develop when we have a little more info on them later in the trial.

[Jimbokav1971]

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Aug 2034.

So this bloke is in on trial.

He looks great and is all set to sign until something caught my eye.

He may be frequently prone to injury. 

How bad can it be? He looks ok. (Please don't be bad. Please please please don't be bad). 

It's bad. 

That's a lot of injuries for a 24 year old. 

Then again, he's only 24 and he has already played 216 league games. 

The problem is that £5k per week is a lot of money for us. 

I'm just not sure what to do.

I think I'm going to have something to eat and think about it. 

[Reggiana]

Personally I'd sign him, I think he'll be good enough for you to be worth it. Plus you're a fan of rotating anyway, so just make sure he isn't being asked to played twice in a week.

[zlatanera]

Get an Injury Release Clause in the contract then sign him

 

EDIT: Just saw you'd already negotiated the contract. Well, in future if you see an injury prone guy you fancy, lock in the Injury Release Clause  

Edited February 13, 2019 by zlatanera

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, Reggiana said:

Personally I'd sign him, I think he'll be good enough for you to be worth it. Plus you're a fan of rotating anyway, so just make sure he isn't being asked to played twice in a week.

I did indeed sign him. 

We've played 6 games since I signed him and have kept clean sheets in 4 of them. The only problem is that they have all been 0-0 draws. 

It's all very strange at the top of the league.