FM19 - The story about the Tynesiders

[pearcey_90]

Just coming towards the end of my 9th season in charge of Gateshead, and I thought I'd document the journey in this thread. More so I can keep track of the journey so far, but also in case anyone wanted to have a little look now and then when I update the thread  

I'll post each season documenting the journey (from what I can in 2027) and continue from there on.

 

Leagues loaded: Scotish leagues (all), English leagues (all), Welsh league, Rep Ireland leagues (all), N.Irish leagues (all), Top divisions in, Holland/France/Portugal/Spain/Germany/Italy/USA

Aims of save: 

• Win Premier League
• Win back to back Premier Leagues
• Win FA Cup
• Win League Cup
• Win Champions League
• Win Europa League
• Produce a son at Gateshead
• Win Welsh Top Division
• Win Scottish Top Division
• Win R.Ireland Top Division
• Win N.Ireland Top Division 

Founded: 1977

Capacity: 11800

League: Vanarama National League

Honours: Evo-Stik League Northern Premier Division Winners 1983 & 1986

 

Rolling HOF:

Kyle McFarlene (Striker)

Bassala Sambou (Striker)

Gregg Olley (Midfielder)

Tom White (Midfielder)

Honours:

National League 2019

League Two 2020

FA Cup 2026, 2028

World Cup 2026

League Cup 2027, 2029

Premier League 2027, 2028, 2029

Europa League 2027

Community Shield 2027, 2029

[pearcey_90]

League Table 18-19

 

First season in charge, and success was straight away coming to Gateshead, as despite having one the lowest wage bills in the league we upset the odds to win the league deploying a 5-2-2-1 (with wingbacks) formation which can be seen further down.

 

The start of the season set the tone as we went on. Solid enough defensively, with the threat of scoring down the other end. Struggled at home at times opening sides up, but away we were great.

Huge reason for the succes was down to two players, Gregg Olley and on loan man Kyle McFarlene. Tom White in midfield was another key player offereing a great partnership with Olley which the league couldn't overrun.

In the cups it was a poor story. Out in FA Cup 1st round to Wycombe and out in FA Trophy 3rd round to Leyton Orient.

Overview of what the tactic looked like in terms of position/roles.

 

End of season team

 

As you can see, McFarlenes goals were instrumental in our promotion and makes him instantly going into Gateshead Hall of Fame journey as a result. Luke Armstrong was great on loan, but got recalled half way in the season, whilst the signing of Corie Andrews meant his pace was perfect at this level.

Transfers

 

Best: Corie Andrews, Kyle McFarlen and Liam Wakefield.

Duds: Romario Vieira and Ben Hinchliffe.

[pearcey_90]

League Table 19-20

 

Going into the league with one of the smallest budgets alongside Sutton Utd, we once again upset the odds by producing a truly magnificent season, thanks to the strikers of McFarlene again and new signing Bassala Sambou. Keeping the same striker and midfield duo, along with 1/2 of the defence meant we had some continuity which I think helped a lot.

 

The run in towards the end of season was near faultless, just rattling in the wins and goals as we broke away from the chasing pack and secured the title and promotion with ease in the end.

Elsewhere, we were a shambles in the Checkatrade Trophy going out in the group stages, whilst losing in 1st round of League Cup to Fulham, however in the FA Cup it was a different story.

We had non league Farsley in 1st round, easy win. 2nd round higher league Fleetwood away where we caused an upset, but giving the forms of both teams it may not have been. In 3rd round we got drew against Carlisle at home who were in the bottom half of L2 and this saw us win like it was another league game. Then came the 4th round, the 2nd attempt at a money spinning tie, and we get...

Barnsley. Terrible draw, however away we parked the bus and despite going behind after 2 minutes, we equalised not long after to force a replay. And as you will see below, the replay was a cup classic and almost saw us pull of an amazing shock.

 

End of season team

 

Same formation deployed. Kyle McFarlene started off as striker, but after a slow start in front of goal he was dropped for Sambou who took his chance. McFarlene still contributed with big goals off the bench, with Olley/White once again a perfect partnership in the middle and still looked decent despite the rise in footballing level. Callum Morton on loan was immense on LW.

Transfers

 

 

Silly amount signed, with a high turnover, but I had to find the players that would help us the following season. Big shoutout to Lucio coming in for the LOLs, and becoming the oldest outfield player in Gateshead history. After his loan spell, we also secured McFarlene on a permanent deal.

Best signings: Bassala Sambou, Liam Mandeville and Nathan Phillips.

Duds: Alfie Payne and El Mizouni.

 

[pearcey_90]

League Table 20-21

 

 

The rise shows no sign of stopping! The aim was get a solid mid table finish, however half way through the season we were sitting in the play offs so attention started to turn towards promotion. Wigan were breaking away as we went into the new year, but 2nd place was up for grabs and a great Feb/March saw us move into 2nd and close the gap down to Wigan within a win, with Wigan going for a monumental choke having been top from the 1st game. As we move into April we start to crumble, with big games against sides also in promotion/play off push and us losing them. However, despite this going into game away to MK Dons, we still could go up if we win and Birmingham lose. Up step Birmingham, they lose! We however draw, but that should be good enough, only for P'Boro to score late on to win and take the final place on GD!

Into the play offs we go, and we got Luton who scrapped through in what was a tight season. Close encounters saw us come out on top 4-3 on AGG before we faced big spenders Birmingham. Upsetting the odds, we took the win thanks to Shodipo and an own goal, which sees us go up. Best part being Sunderland are still in League One and we've now overtaken them! 

End of season team

 

Same formation with Sambou once again leading the line and being even more prolific. Tom White still continues to boss the midfield, and you may be wondering where's Gregg Olley? Unfortunately he had an injury hit season so didn't feature as much, however Adam Phillips stepped up to the plate. Nathan Phillips was a rock at the back, with Jamie Sterry finding his level.

Transfers

 

 

Little less incomings this time, as we knew what we needed with others being great back up players to keep the quality consistent. We hit the jackpot with Leeds pouncing for one of our youth prospects, John Harvey. I didn't want to sell him as was slowly eding out Sterry at RWB, but after turning down £300k, they eventually came back with a negotiated offer of £800k which I had to accept  As you will probably see from this save, he may still be the best player we've produced...

Best signings: Shamal George, Regan Poole and Adam Phillips.

Duds: George Smith and Nando Wormgoor.

 

[pearcey_90]

League Table 21-22

 

Unbelievable scenes, as little Gateshead secure the big prize and join their neighbours on Tyneside in the money league.

Start

 

Season started off well, with our defensive tactics  meaning we didn't lose many games, but at same time not really rattle up the wins. The Sheff Wed game was a sign of things to come towards end of the season.

Run in

 

Moving into the new year we shifted the tactics away from a 5-2-1-2 (post below) to a 4-2-3-1, with the simple change being moving the CB to the AP role, simply because of the signing of Gribbin and having to get him into the side somehow. This meant the opposition couldn't read us moving further into the season and resulted in us pushing for automatic promotion all the way to the final game of season.

Going into final game we had to better Fulham result to go up, and with us against relegated Bolton a win was a banker, so i thought. So when Fulham drew it was nothing more annoying then the fact we did too and blew automatic and having to go through play offs, again.

Here we met Sheff Wed, where just like at start of season the game at Hillsborough was end to end, with goals all over. Having avoided defeat, it put us in a great position to see the job done and meet money bags Wolves in the final.

This was a classic, and a game that was minutes away from going so different. Going behind, we responded on half time thanks to Sambou. Defending hard and looking for the counter, we conceded again and it looked like it would stay that way till a moment of madness from Wolves. Roberts fouling from a corner saw him get a 2nd yellow and us a pen to send it to ET, which Lewis took, suddenly we were on the front foot and Wolves holding on. In ET Sambou scored the winning goal, before another Wolves headloss saw us promoted to the money league and Sambou added to the HOF list for his heoroic season.

End of season team

 

Sambou magical up top yet again, scoring goals from L2 to the Championship. Some great loan signings including Reynolds helped immensely, with Gribbin a crucial signing because he gave us that added quality in final third and from set plays. Gregg Olley came back to fitness and was a good rotation with Phillips, showing he can play at this level, with Tom White unfortunately losing his place to Martins Pereria, however both will be added to the HOF list

Transfers

 

 

We made our first money signings now we were in a position where a profit would be recorded, with O'Hara arriving to rival Sambou and others in defence. However, ironically having spent for the first time, they were all terrible and wasted money! Hoey was a superb free transfer, and Premier League Middlesborough swopped to sign him in a club record sale after 6 months at the club.

Best signings: Daniel Hoey, Mark Smith and Ben Reynolds.

Duds: Connor O'Hara and Matthew Moore.

Tactics for this season

 

Extra

As a result of going up, the stadium didn't meet league standards, so club announced plans to build the James Curtis Park, with us having to play at nearby Burnely...for the 22-23 season before we move into our new stadium.

[pearcey_90]

League Table 22-23

 

With a wage bill under £10m per year, we defied pre season predictions and stayed up after a long battling season. Meanwhile, Simeone wins his 2nd consecutive title at Man Utd, setting records along the way.

Start

 

We had a terrible start to the season, largely down to the 2022 World Cup and it shifting the fixtures for the season. This is something I forgot about and meant we only played 2 friendlies before travelling to Stamford Bridge  

After positive results at start of August, it would look like our home form would be key as shown by further results. Our first derby with Newcastle (that wasn't their u23s) saw the points shared in a classic, a tie that would in years to come be noted as a constant classic. We had a great cup run in the EFL Cup, to get Arsenal in the semi finals. Unfortunately with it being just the one leg, we lost 2-0 and went out.

Run in

 

Going towards end of February, we were comfortably in the bottom 3 and heading down, before we ditched the defensive tactics (did this before Brighton game) and opted to go more attacking to get some goals in the side. This must have suprised the opposition as we rattled in the goals against high defences and record 5 consecutive wins and pretty much double our points tally. Big results against teams around us in the battle for survival saw us stay up, before losing to Huddersfield who came up with us. Ironically, at start of season I said Huddersfield would go down to the media, and they ended up qualifying for Europe...

End of season team

 

As you will see, we went back to the defensive tactics that we started with in the Championship, and despite the massive step up in quality, Sambou produced one of his best seasons to date. 

Transfers

 

 

With the guranteed money to come, we opened the purse strings and splashed the money. Emphasis was on players under the age of 23 so they were hungry for success, room for improvement and most importantly, profit to be made to help the club grow.

Best signings: Airam, Paul Colclough and Mathais Telga.

Duds: Gary Delacoe.

[pearcey_90]

League Table 23-34

 

We really kicked on this season thanks to certain signings, and we produced a great 7th place finish. Was hoping it would be enough for Europe, but Arsenal went on to win the FA Cup meaning we missed out  

Start

 

Once again, our home form looking solid and the key to our success, whilst our attacking play which we continued from last season was at times a complete mess away from home.

Run in

 

Good ending to season, which I thought was great to get Europe, but it turned out not to be. However, we did finish above Newcastle meaning we are now the top dogs in the North East.

Highlight of season

 

First big result at the new stadium, and against last seasons champions! Both goals from the CB via corners.

Lowlight of the season

 

The attacking method backfired miserably here as we suffered our worst defeat in my spell in charge.

End of season team

 

Despite his great season before, I had to play record signing Tom White and he didn't disappoint, which meant Sambou was edged to the fringes. Airam progressed further and became a key player with the CB signings meant we were a bit more solid then last season overall.

Transfers

 

 

We started to go a bit more crazy with the spending as we set about stabalising in the money league. Tom White was signed from local rivals for a club record deal, but his potential and current ability made it a no brainer. We also signed a number of other talented prospects, with a number having to be loaned out because they didn't get a work permit such as Sanchez/Garcia. Of which, Northern Ireland probably had one the best players to grace their league as a result of my mix up and poor concentration  Colclough on loan again was a great piece of business. Signed Mahrez for the name, and moved him on before he met his number of appearances that would have trigged an extra year.

Best signings: Fernando, Tom White and Johannes Trapp.

Duds: Jonathon Sellick.

Other

James Curtis Park will be expanded, so next season we play at the Riverside, thankfully this is a bit closer then Turf Moor this time...

[pearcey_90]

League table 24-25

Almost a fairytale season, as we almost did a Leicester. We just had periods where win after win was coming in, even against the big boys, but ultimately fell short at the end as Simeone claimed his 3rd title in 4 seasons in charge of Man Utd.

Start

Opening game of the season set the tone as we dismantled West Brom. One of the early signs a great season was potentially on was the hammering of eventual champions Man Utd at home.

Run in

Going into start of March we were actually top of the league, however we started to have a little wobble and this coincided with Man Utd going on a rampage of wins and didn't let up meaning even when we won 4 games in a row towards end of season, it meant little as they matched that.

Highlight of season

There was many to pick from with us beating many big teams, but this was the best mostly because of Foden. I tried to get him at start of season on loan but City wanted too much of his wages paying. Roll on January and he was transfer listed for £12m so I signed him, and managed to get him to take a major pay cut by offering a release clause of £45m. Was more sweet when he returned to the Etihad to score past them.

Lowlight of season

As you would have seen above, we lost in the EFL Cup final and as a result our first major piece of silverware  Despite being 2-1 up, we couldn't contain Vlasic who played like he was Messi and single handly destroyed us.

End of season team

Last season signings from El Tunis (Al-Awadi and Amine Marzouki) stepped up, most notably Marzouki who led the line great. This meant White was moved to RW and having two players equally capable of scoring was what helped us push for the title. Colclough again on loan for the 3rd season in a row was superb in the middle, with new signings in defence of Franco and Montes being superb.

Transfers

(Removed loan deals because we loaned out a large amount now we're a Prem club)

We added just a few key players as we had a settled squad, and just wanted to add some quality in key areas, notably in defence along with a few youth players. Foden was the first transfer that signalled we are a club that's ready to stay at the top end.

Best signings: Rafael Franco, Phil Foden and Pablo Montes.

Dud signigns: None

Other

After the finished expansion of James Curtis Park, we move back into there for the first taste of European football next season. We also continued to invest in the training and youth facilities, as we still yet to produce a player capabale of being a squad player since John Harvey when we were in League Two.

[pearcey_90]

Three Lions on the shirt...

When the country comes calling, you have to say yes.

 

After they lost in the Euro 2024 Semi Finals to Italy, Garthe Southgate stepped down. He also guided them to the final of Euro20 to lose on penalties on home soil to France, then lost to France again in QFs of 22 World Cup. So what can I do...

Nations League 24-25

LOL

Tried to play same tactics as I had going at Gateshead, but first game, high line and Mbappe ran riot as we got a thumping, followed this up with a trong performance against Belgium, but just couldn't score before Lukaku scored at the death.

Next was France again, and just like the Belgium, again we dominated but couldn't score with Mbappe again scoring. Going into final game, we had to win to stay up, but got destroyed and as a result relegated.

2026 World Cup Qualifying

Going into the World Cup Qualifiers I knew I had to change things, so I went to a 4-2-3-1 which meant playing Foden in his best position and allowing more creative freedom since we had the quality to do this. This resulted us in winning every single game in the qualifying group, including a massive 13-0 win over Gibraltar. No friendlies played during the year as I just focussed on competitive games.

Tactics

These are the tactics I switched to, with as much creativity as possible and players wanting the ball.

[pearcey_90]

League Table 25-26

After the highs of last season, we dropped of majorly this season as teams adjusted against us and as a result of losing Tom White which will be posted below  No repeat UCL football, but will be European football again, this time the Europa League.

Start

After losing Community Shield, the season started of well with 3 wins, but as soon as we were outplayed against the better sides it was clear how the season would go. Better then the teams outside the big 6, but below the quality needed to compete with them.

Run in

With title hopes over and shortly afterwards UCL hopes too, it was all about qualifying for Europe and finish above Newcastle. A poor result last game of season meant Newcastle finished above us.

End of season team

As you can see, a real lack of goals this season as Marzouki struggled infront of goal. Foden was superb at LW though and new signing Giarrizo settled in well at RW replacing White. A few other signings such as Diego will prove to be crucial in the future.

Highlight of season

Without doubt it was us claiming our first major piece of silverware. First 45 minutes we were all over the place, and in truth should have been further behind. Chelsea must have done an AC Milan at HT, because in the 2nd half we came back into the game thanks to a penalty before Foden levelled things up. 

Penalties, Chelsea just crumbled  2 missed target with Diego saving one.

Lowlight of season

This was the lowlight, simply because of how close we came to our first win in European football. Leading into injury time, things was looking good till Varela scored a beauty of a free kick to snatch a point.

Transfers

The major part was the losing of Tom White. Liverpool came in and activated his release clause and he didn't want to stay  Money was spent on Giarrizo, Ricardo and Diego to strengthen key areas, with a few signings coming in and going straight out on loan such as Perujo.

Best signings: Dante Giarrizo, Paulo Ricardo and Diego.

Dud signings: Martem Miguel.

[pearcey_90]

Footballs Coming Home 

World Cup 2026 Group Stage

Well the new format for the World Cup is a farce  We played two friendlies in March, which were arranged before the draw, so obviously the draw gave us one of them. A terribly boring easy group saw us win both games to go through. Worse thing of all Togo went through in 2nd despite not scoring a goal. They drew final game 0-0 with Paraguay so went through courtesy of Paraguay losing 3-0 to me instead of 2-0, of which the 3rd goal came in 93rd minute  

Knockout stages

Onto the knockout round and we had what was effectively in my eyes the last group game against Turkey which was another comfortable win and win number 15 in the row. Onto Spain it was a game that should have been much more then 1-0, but all that matters at the World Cup is to get through. Onto the QFs we got the easiest tie against another side we played in a friendly  I rested a number of players confidence was that high, and we again won with ease moving onto the Semi Finals...

Could we go one further then 1990 and 2018, you bet we can. Great performance from the word go saw us win 2-0 thanks to Sancho and my old man Tom White before we move onto the final against GERMANY!

World Cup Final

What Geoff Hurst can do, Tom White can do, and one better. My word, we destroyed Germany from the first whistle and didn't let up. Sancho/Sterling on the wings, with Foden behind White was too much for Germany, and with his 4 goals it meant he ended up as Golden Boot winner with 9 goals overall. Oh how I miss him at Gateshead  

Nations League 26-27

Down in Division B, we bounced back at the first time of asking with 4 easy wins. Felt a wasted time as should have been competing for the Nations League, but instead it was basically 4 friendlies. 

Takes the winning run from when we were relegated to 23 games.

[pearcey_90]

League Season 26-27

Championes! 

After falling short 2 years ago, we went one better this season as a free flowing scoring season saw us beat Man City to the title. Large help was Simeone - after winning 4 titles in 5 seasons - randomly leave end of season to go to Napoli, which saw Man Utd drop like a stone with Marcelino doing a poor job. Huddersfield secured European football by beating Man City 1-0 in FA Cup Final, scoring in the 121st minute  

Start

Once again we lost the Community Shield, but started well in the league. Hopes of winning the league look to be dashed when we were embarrassed by Man City, but we quickly sorted that out with some emphatic wins later on, including 7-2 at Stoke, with Giarrizo scoring a hat trick inside the opening 10 minutes!

Run in

We didn't go top till the final few games of the season, but once we did we didn't give it up. Despite smashing Bayer 04, we had a wobble in the league so in the return leg I sent out largely my u18s and fringe players and we tried our hardest to blow the lead, but it had a positive impact on our league form.  Credit to Man Utd for throwing away a lead to not hand an advantage to Man City  

Europa League Final

2 weeks after the end of the season, we played the Europa Final with a fully fresh team back from injuries, notably Foden. Twice we took the lead, and both times we blew it however we were always in control. Despite this I thought we would go to ET, but Cordoba came off the bench for Foden, who played poor and probably should have started on bench, to score the winner  

League Cup Final

After losing in the final a few years ago to Everton, we went one better this time and lifted the first piece of silverware in the season courtesy of MAM coming off the bench with fresh legs and scoring the winning goals in ET.

Lowlight of season

Don't need to say much. Game summed up when we scored to make it 4-1. Just to concede within 10 seconds of the restart...

Team of the year

Fernando put in some magnificent performances at LB, but the real players were the two wingers, Alvarez and Giarrizo. Both not only scored a lot but set up a lot too. Machado arrived in Jan for a low fee, but if he keeps up this scoring he could actually be our main striker next season, despite me spending £75m on bringing in a huge prospect this season!

Transfers

Start with the outgoings. We lost two players annoyingly due to their release clauses  Airam the captain and a guy that has been here since we've been in the Prem, left us for Bayern. He could have eventually joined the HOF, but as a result will sadly miss out. Franco is an immense CB so was a major blow to lose him, however it gave a chance to the younger CBs of Palko/Ricardo to step up.

Incoming, Alvarez was a big signing and a move I had to make early on because I didn't want to miss out on him. He would have been rotating with Airam, but after Airam left he was the man dog. Club record, and silly money was spent on 16yr old Lowe. After scouting the u18 league, scout came back showing him 3* with 5* potential, so I had to spend what ever money it would take to get him. £75m was the fee, but he's going to be a guy that's here till the day he retires hopefully! Quite a few signings came in as back up and to meet the quota needs such as Nelson and Thompson.

Best signings: Alvarez, Machado and Rodriguez.

Dud signings: Pereira.

End of season awards

Couldn't be any other guy. Giarrizo also won PFA Player and Young Player of the year awards. Could be in with a chance for a Balon D'or shout if he starts season well in UCL.

Commercial

Increase all over the board, after a small decline last season. The new stadium sponsor is the main deal, helping bring our sponsorship up further which is needed as we try and compete with the big boys in Europe now.

That man again! But also Foden  What a guy.

Plans for next season

Aim now moving forward is to start producing our own players. Still to date the only player we've produced was Harvey when we were down in League Two! I'm going to put my aims in the opening post to what I want to achieve, but from here on it's:

• Back to back titles
• Champions League
• Produce a son
• Produce homegrown talent from acadmey that make up some of our squad

I aim to stay at Gateshead for around 20 seasons max. Which after that, aim will be to win the top division title in each home nation to make me the greatest British manager of all time!

[pearcey_90]

England 2027 Year

A near faultless 2027 as we won the Euro Qualifying group to qualify for Euro28, where we'll look to add that to the World Cup we won. On this run we went into the Germany away game having won 32 on the trot!!!

And as you will see from the game, it should have been 33, but for a late collapse

Squad of 2027

Resonable spread of goals around the team as we fazed out Kane/Alli in 2027 with my striker Lowe hitting the International stage well (against the Cannon Fodder sides). White should eventually go on to become all time top goalscorer, which Kane has on 73, if he remains fit.

[pearcey_90]

Manager record till June 2027

500th game was the Europa League final  

Players of the past

Tom White (Midfielder)

Shamefully retired after he left Gateshead  

Gregg Olley

He has one year left with me still. Going to keep him and give him a farewell send off next season in final game as a thank you for his record in our early days.

Bassala Sambou

How quick his career nosedived  Legend though for his goals in getting us to the Prem and keeping us there!

Kyle McFarlene

Another player that shamefully retired far too early! Could have easily scored goals in the Nationa League if he wanted to drop down a league.

[pearcey_90]

Squad for start of 27-28 season

Starting XI

Diogo

Luiz Gustavo

Paulo Ricardo

Jakub Palko

Fernando

Diego Rodriguez

Borna Kovacec

Dante Giarrizo

Phil Foden

Augustin Alvarez

Nicolas Machado

Subs

Marijan Salka

Chancel Makengo

Antonio Macedo

Claude Miath-Castry

Cristian Cordoba

John Lowe

Mohamed Amine Marzouki

Others

Lee Thompson

Mathias Telga

Tomas

Mohamed Al-Awadi

Ricky Scullion

Matty Hugh

Ones in red are Home Grown for club. Next season and year after, Palko/Saka/Lowe/Scullion/Hugh will all be Home Grown for club too, which will help for European Quotas.

I've had to give big new contracts to Diogo, Gustavo, Alvarez and Giarrizo to ward of interest and keep them happy  In seasons to come I may need to move a couple on because for our size we can't have too many big earners otherwise we'll start losing money.

Miath-Castry a big money signing this summer as I look to add some depth in the CM area to help us compete on multiple fronts. Since the start of the save, the team has always been very young, averaging an age around 20-21, but in years to come this will increase as I look to keep most of the squad together.

[ToMexico!!]

Great read and great work with Gateshead and England. 

Looking forward to seeing some of the players above. 

[Nobby_McDonald]

Making it look very easy.

[pearcey_90]

Pre season odds.

Amazed to see ourselves above Man Utd in the odds, considering the powerhouses they are and regardless we're the current holders. Should be a good competitive season though.

Top goalscorer odds

Player of year odds

Young player of year odds

Not sure why despite winning the awards last season Giarrizo isn't in contention  If I was a betting man I'd be backing him!

Transfers

Only one first team signing, with rest being youth players to beef out u18s, with Hugh hopefully progressing to be a good squad back up CB in years to come. Everyone sold was youngsters I signed a few seasons ago and moving them on. Nelso we didn't need so I decided to cash in whilst he had some value, and Pereira was being an idiot. Didn't need him so offered him out for £30m, had a bid of £22m so happy days. Guy then turns down that club  So after offering him out loads, the next highest bid I got in the end was just £7.5m. Bargain for Frankfurt.

 

[pearcey_90]

On 10/01/2019 at 09:23, ToMexico!! said:

Great read and great work with Gateshead and England. 

Looking forward to seeing some of the players above. 

Cheers. Posted all the players should you want a look.

On 10/01/2019 at 22:02, Nobby_McDonald said:

Making it look very easy.

Found this FM a lot more simpler to get up through the leagues then previous ones IMO :/ Took the challenge out of it, but still been enjoyable. Just now want to produce a son, and my own homegrown talent instead of having to buy any. Must be some talent up here in the North-East  

[pearcey_90]

Alvarez goes out on the drink start of October and misses training so I fined him 1 weeks wages. He kicks off saying I treat him like rubbish and he wants out (he signed a new 5 year contract last month  and this was the 2nd time he has done this).

Roll on next game, Chelsea away and we lose 4-1. He plays a 5.9 and I get this news item...

What an idiot  Going to have to drop him for a while now, despite him clearly being one of my best players.

[ToMexico!!]

13 hours ago, pearcey_90 said:

Alvarez goes out on the drink start of October and misses training so I fined him 1 weeks wages. He kicks off saying I treat him like rubbish and he wants out (he signed a new 5 year contract last month  and this was the 2nd time he has done this).

Roll on next game, Chelsea away and we lose 4-1. He plays a 5.9 and I get this news item...

 

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What an idiot  Going to have to drop him for a while now, despite him clearly being one of my best players.

The lure of the toon for a night out is just too strong! 

[pearcey_90]

10 hours ago, ToMexico!! said:

The lure of the toon for a night out is just too strong! 

Just loaded save up for a few games...

I've dropped him now from the squad. Not going to sell him though, guy can rot till someone pays his £110m release clause.

[pearcey_90]

Things haven't progressed well with him. Guy needs to go into rehab I think...

He's unhappy, yet won't hand in a transfer request, and I refuse to openly put him out for sale because I won't get the bids his quality deserves, so he's just rotting away atm.

[pearcey_90]

League Table 27-28

Championes!!

Back to back titles secured, despite the season being far from top level stuff. The fact Man Utd are still poor ever since Simeone left has been a major help because there's no way 84 would have been winning the league with Simeone in charge. Could be on for a period of domination domestically, but Europe is where we now need to improve.

Start

Fans got their money worth in the Community Shield in a 9 goals thriller  Neither side knew how to defend and set the tone for the season in terms of our defensive display. A slow start saw us having to play catch up in the league, with a shocking 5-2 defeat away to Spurs making me think we would come up short in the league.

Run In

After going out of the UCL too early, it helped us domestically as we were able to rattle in the wins and with a small squad cope with little injuries. Title was wrapped up after the 2-2 draw at Leeds, with a 17 GD swing required on last day a drab 1-1 draw saw us mathmatically win the title.

Super Cup Final

Good close game in normal time, but as soon as we went down to 10 men, it was just a case of hanging on till penalties which we unfortunately fell short. Lesson learnt to shut up shop a bit more in Europe when needed.

FA Cup Final

Our second FA Cup, and one that was a fairly easy win for a cup final. After wasting numerous chances in the first half, big money summer signing Miath-Castry opened the scoring, before MAM added a 2nd and Maith-Castry scored a beautiful effort to blow Chelsea away and end the season with a double.

Lowlight of season

1-0 win away to Porto, you'd think we had one step in the QFs giving our impressive form in Europe leading to the 2nd leg. After going 1-0 up after 8 minutes and entering HT 2-1 up it felt like job done almost with us being in control. However that wasn't the case, a cagey 2nd half saw Porto equalise, and having learnt from the Super Cup I decided to shut up shop and take the draw. Then with 4 minutes added on, referee still gave a free kick outwide in the 95th minute which saw it swung in and jubilant scenes in the away end  Heart break.

Team of the year

Good spread of goals which I like to see, with Machado really looking like a class finisher. Alvarez been carted out to back up LW after going out EIGHTEEN times during the season. He still won't hand in a transfer request, and I refuse to sell without one. He's got 4 years left on his contract so could be a long stalemate this...

Only transfers I will be looking at is bringing in a couple of defenders to replace the current back up ones I have to keep things fresh.

End of season awards

Show, Giarrizo sweeps up the awards  Said at start of season it was heard how despite winning them last year he wasn't even in the top odds to win again. Easy money though if you backed him  

Plans for next season

Keep building what we're doing with this young team and start to look at making our mark in Europe. Facilities are now up to the top level, so it's about time we started producing our own players with every intake we get being all players that will never make it into our squad.

Once we start producing players that can be part of of our squad, I can start moving on a few players and getting a more home grown Northern core to the team  

[pearcey_90]

STALEMATE OVER!

£5M below his release clause, I'll take that every day. Bet he rejects them...

[pearcey_90]

Euro 2028

 

A dream run to the Semi Finals in all honesty. Playing every home nation at a major tournament is once in a lifetime sort of stuff, and we kept on winning to take our unbeaten record to 40 games, but then disaster struck...

3-0 up after 23 minutes, and the England fans are in party mood as we look to go 41 games unbeaten and make it to another final, but we concede straight away to a 45 yard free kick, then with 2 minutes added on Doni goes on a Maradona run to pull another back. 2nd half then completed the Asensio show as we never  got a grip of the game 2nd half and that's my time at England over  

[pearcey_90]

Tom White

3 years after losing him for his release clause, he goes and becomes 2nd most expensive player in world football behind Neymar. Was hoping I'd be able to get him back in years to come, that dream is over.

[pearcey_90]

League Table 28-29

Championes!!

We've not reached Sir Alex Ferguson peak Man Utd times with now 3 titles in a row, this one culminating in our most points and goals to date so far in the Premier League. Yet again it wasn't an easy title, with Spurs for 2nd season in a row pushing it all the way to the final 2 games of season, and even though it went down to the final game of season, our superior GD meant it was won, and another win coupled with Spurs losing at Man Utd makes the gap look bigger then it was. 

Elsewhere, Man Utd continue to do badly since Simeone left, and Arsenal/Chelsea are slowly falling away as no longer being top 4 clubs and are in danger of slipping into a mid table side.

Start

Season started with an exciting Community Shield clash with Spurs which set the tone for our battleS to come this season. Moving into the start of the league, things did not start off cracking, with just one win and a shocking defeat at home to Bournemouth. I started the season with droping Palko for a new CB signing (see further down), and after the poor start I reversed on that decision, restoring Palko despite him stats wise being poorer but our form picked up and he remained in side ever since  We had a big defeat in the UCL, but that was just to turn out to be just a one off...

Run In

As you can see from the run in, the 8 wins in the league was what sealed the title, fantastic squad depth from the talented youngster proving crucial alongside the UCL run, with fitness being great and minimal injuries. Spurs collapse (they were leading league by 5 points) can probably be attributed to the embarrassing defeat they suffered at our ground in the UCL, this meant in return league we could send out our 2nd side and play a fresh full strength side against Arsenal away to move top on GD and remain ahead from fair on in.

FA Cup I sent out the 2nd string because of the UCL, and this didn't end well with Chelsea easily bossing the game  Chelsea went on to lose in the final for the 3rd time in last 4 seasons.

In the UCL, our great form continued by dispatching Real Madrid who had lost in the last 2 UCL finals, meaning we would face the holders, Peps PSG, wonder how that goes...

League Cup Final

The continued battles with Spurs in the league cup, and I've also got to say, the week before this we played in the league at their ground and lost 1-0, so after going down 1-0 at HT I was fearing the worst. However a double change around the hour mark saw us spring into life, and our two main goalscorers this season delivered the goods to ensure we won our 2nd League Cup  

Champions League Final

Bloody money bags PSG and Pep  Nothing we could do on the day, their extra talent and depth was just too much for us to contain. Was an evenly balanced game, but when it came to creating the crucial chances, they were more clinical and deserved the trophy. We just have to regroup and hope to go one better next season.

Transfers

Huge profit made this summer, largely down to Alvarez which you will have seen in a few posts up. His constant going out partying last season meant I had to get rid of him, and without him not handing a transfer request, I blinked first when Porto came enquiring. They initally came in at £65m, but after a few negotiations, we ended up with a huge sale where every party was happy with the outcome. 

I went into the season without replacing him, but knew after window shut if we are to go far in UCL we need to replace him, so I agreed a deal to sign Baltierra at the start of the winter window. Etoundi was a transfer I agreed 18 months ago and only now just moved, with the two Kansas signings coming after I added the MLS to the save and a few players appearing. Whitney was the CB that started over Palko before being dropped.

Biggest signing was Roura. Had my eyes on him last season, and after Arsenal missed out on Europe I made a move to unsettle him and managed to pick him up for a bargain! Went on to be a key player, and even came 2nd in the Balon D'or.

We also brought back Harvey just for the nostalgia. Despite being a decade on, he's still the best player our acadmey has produced  

Jean Etoundi

Brandon Whitney

Genis Roura

Mathias Baltierra

Team of the year

Even spread of goals across my main 6 attackers (2 strikers, 2 ACMs and both wingers) helped to this great season. Midfield duo are settled with Rodriguez pushing Kovacec close to take his place and is a good healthy battle. Back four also settled with Palko regaining his place of Whitney. Foden lost his place to Roura, but still a key player with rotation key there, and with him having 2 years left on his contract, I may run it down and let him go on a free because I can't see his physicals staying high when he's 31. I might give him a one year extension if his wage demands are not excessive. Lowe is progressing very well as a teenager and again another healthy battle with Machado.

Plans for next season

It'll be business as usual as the team continues grow as it matures with age. Only signings I will be targeting are a CM and CB, with Wald and Ricardo moving on to keep squad fresh and increase depth. Rest of the sigings will be u18 players because yet again we had another dreadful youth intake where not a single player will progress to be a Gateshead player.

Our stadium is maxed out at 33k, and after being there a few season and with plenty of cash in bank, I'm hoping sooner rather then later we'll get an option to build a new one because we need it. With the team maturing, they're now demanding contracts in excess of £150k a week, and we need a bigger stadium to allow us to offer those deals to as many players as possible. We may be good for another 24 months, but after that, wage bill could become an issue or players will need to be sold  

[pearcey_90]

Overall Best Team to date

 

11 seasons in, the overall team to date.

Still some cult players in there that helped the club raise, most notably Sambou. Still our top goalscorer for what you'd expect to be just for a couple more games. Airam is there, and we had a chance to resign him for £10m, however he wanted over £150k pw  so I had to back out as that's silly money for a back up LW.