[FM19] Derby County - Director of Football Challenge

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 24 June 2021

WHO WILL DERBY FACE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

With the 2021/22 Premier League fixtures due to be released tomorrow, RamsFanzine would like to remind you who Derby County will face this season.

Replacing relegated Crystal Palace, Fulham and Huddersfield Town in the Premier League this season will be Sky Bet Championship winners West Bromwich Albion, runners-up Watford and play-off winners Norwich City.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 25 June 2021

DERBY COUNTY'S 2021/22 FIXTURES ANNOUNCED

 

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 28 June 2021

INJURY WOE FOR WISDOM

RamsFanzine: Derby County's 28-year old centre-back Andre Wisdom has twisted his ankle against the US Virgin Islands in Jamaica's final warm-up game ahead of the Gold Cup. Wisdom, who has 13 caps for Jamaica, could be out for up to  six weeks and will miss the Gold Cup.

Wisdom's current contract with Derby County runs out in two days time and this injury only adds to the uncertainty surrounding his future.  Rams Director of Football Igor Stimac has offered Wisdom a new contract but the player has yet to put pen to paper. Wolverhampton Wanderers are reported to be keen on signing Wisdom but will this injury set-back change things?

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 29 June 2021

ROOS OFF TO TURKEY?

RamsFanzine understand that Director of Football Igor Stimac has accepted a £325K bid from Trabzonspor for 29-year old goalkeeper Kelle Roos. The Turkish Super League club are discussing personal terms with Roos and his agent but, with reported interest from Bristol City, Ipswich Town and Exeter City, it's by no means certain Roos will be heading for Turkey.

Roos - who has had loan spells at Rotherham United, Wimbledon, Bristol Rovers, Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle - made nine Championship appearances under manager Stuniverse in 2018/19. Roos was unable to kick-on after that and hasn't made a Rams league appearance since; he was unable to overtake Orestis Karnezis (2019/20) or Pau Lopez (last season) in the pecking order.

The arrival of Luigi Sepe this January, pushed Roos down to #3 goalkeeper and the time seems right for the Dutch goalkeeper to continue his career away from Pride Park.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[kidthekid]

I haven't really commented on this thread but I've followed it. I really enjoy it. It's very detailed and really replicates real life. Keep up the good work.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 29 June 2021

EXCLUSIVE: STUNIVERSE SPEAKS TO US

RamsFanzine are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Derby County manager Stuniverse ahead of the Rams first pre-season fixture at home to Zorya Lugansk.

 

RamsFanzine: First of all, congratulations on winning the Premier League Manager of the Year award last season.

Stuniverse: Thank you. Have we not spoken since then? But, as I said at the time, it's not a reward for me, not really, and I don't view it that way. It's reward for an amazing Derby County season and the award should really go to my players and the coaching staff. They worked so hard last season and affected what happened on the pitch, where it really counts, far more than me. 

RamsFanzine: The season before you defied the odds by staying up on goal difference on the last day of the season. Then you go on and finish 7th and qualify for the EURO Cup. Nobody saw that coming. When you reflect on last season, how do you see it?

Stuniverse: I look back on it with an incredible amount of pride. As our owner, Mel Morris, has repeatedly said, it really was an unbelievable achievement.  We honestly thought it was going to be another season fighting relegation. We knew we'd improved as a squad, we knew we'd benefit from that first season's experience, and we were confident of staying up more comfortably than the previous season. But never in our wildest dreams did we expect to be top half challenging for EURO Cup qualification.

RamsFanzine: How do you explain it?

Stuniverse: Momentum. Momentum and confidence. Igor Stimac gets a lot of stick in the media and on the SI Forum sometimes, but he made some very good signings for us in the summer. We lost our skipper and club legend Richard Keogh early, even though we wanted him to stay. Igor said, "Don't worry, I'll replace him with Chris Smalling." That seemed somewhat of an outrageous claim at the time, but Igor was straight on the phone and Chris became our first signing.

Then Igor followed that up by bringing another club legend Will Hughes back to the football club. We caught a break there, because Watford got relegated allowing us to take advantage of the relegation release clause in his contract. If Watford had stayed up, I'm not sure we'd have been able to afford him.

We had both Chris and Will in before pre-season started, plus Mason Mount and Harry Wilson back on loan, and they were quickly joined by Pau Lopez, who went on to become an outstanding goalkeeper for us. At times I'd bemoaned the world class goalkeepers we faced in the Premier League who kept us out almost single-handedly, and now we have a world class goalkeeper of our own.

Before the season started we also had Kenedy and Shinji Kagawa with us. Losing Domingos Quina for the season after four games was a big blow, but we got some good results early in the season. We won four of our first six matches. Two months in and we'd only lost to Man Utd and Liverpool. That gave us confidence very early on and the momentum grew from there.

RamsFanzine: It was an amazing season. I thoroughly enjoyed reporting on it.

Stuniverse: Thank you.

RamsFanzine: Before you knew it, as I understand, you were getting invited to interviews in the Bundesliga and La Liga. Were you tempted?

Stuniverse: Look, it's flattering to know Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid wanted to talk to me but I declined the interviews. I've been a lifelong Rams fan as you know. It's an honour and a privilege to manage this great club. This season I get to manage Derby County in Europe. Why would I want to leave?

RamsFanzine: Can you repeat it this season?

Stuniverse: [Laughs] That would be a big ask. We had a meeting before the players went on their holidays with the players and the coaching staff. We discussed going for European Qualification again but agreed that we probably overachieved in finishing 7th. We agreed we'd look to finish in the top half. Everybody was happy with that. And they were still happy with that when they reported back for pre-season.

I'm very happy that Mel [Me Morris - owner] and the Board have been realistic as well and not got carried away. As a club, our expectation is mid-table, although we'll be doing our best to overachieve again.

RamsFanzine: How's the transfer window going so far?

Stuniverse: Positive. Very positive so far. Harry Wilson and Mason Mount are back again and I'm thrilled about that. Rafael Toloi looks to be a great addition at centre-back. It'll be good to welcome Fikayo Tomori back to the club on a permanent basis next month. Igor still has money left to spend in his transfer and wage budgets and he's working on more deals. But, as we've seen with Kenedy, they don't always come off.

RamsFanzine: Wisdom?

Stuniverse: If I'm being honest, it looks like he's leaving as a free agent. I'm sad, about that. I want him to stay. Andre was absolutely outstanding last season. The whole squad really stepped up last season but nobody epitomised that more than Andre. I'll be honest, I had some doubts when he picked up four yellow cards in his first four matches to be one booking away from suspension, but he didn't pick up another yellow card until the new year. For me, Andre was the most improved player of the season. I want him to stay, but I don't think he will.

RamsFanzine: Where would you like Igor to strengthen in the remaining window?

Stuniverse: Defence still. I'd like a left-back. Ideally I'd like Kenedy back but, as it looks like we can't match his wage demands, somebody else. We only really have Max Lowe and it'll be a big ask for Max to play there all season. If Andre does leave, as I expect he will, then another centre-back, although we are training Jayden Bogle to play there.

After that, Jack Marriott could do with some help up front. It's asking a lot for Jack to lead the line over a full season. We have Mason Bennett and  Martyn Waghorn but I think we'd really benefit from adding a tall, strong striker into that mix.

RamsFanzine: Any bids for any of your players?

Stuniverse: Yes. We've knocked back bids for Jack Marriott and Tom Lawrence and we hope that's the end of it. We've accepted a bid for Kelle Roos. Igor says there's interest in other players but so far, as far as I'm aware, those are the only bids we've received.

RamsFanzine: Thank you for your time. Good luck this season.

Stuniverse: My pleasure.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

44 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

I haven't really commented on this thread but I've followed it. I really enjoy it. It's very detailed and really replicates real life. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, @kidthekid. I'm really pleased you're enjoying it. I am too. After the season just gone, I'm loving it.

I like the detailed nature of it too, I like to be able to talk about the save match by match, and the journalistic style complements that I think.

The interaction on here really helps my motivation to continue the save and keep posting.

Thank you for commenting.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Tuesday 29 June 2021

Pre-season (1) - Derby County (1) 1-0 (0) Zorya Lugansk

Unavailable:

• Max Lowe (groin)
• Andre Wisdom (Jamaica duty - ankle)
• Jayden Bogle (England U21 duty)
• Max Aarons (England U21 duty)

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 30 June 2021

RAMS ANNOUNCE RETAINED PLAYER LIST

RamsFanzine can confirm that Derby County have released 11 players after their contracts expired today, including centre-back Andre Wisdom, and George Evans and Josh Grant, two players who provided centre-back cover last season.

Kenedy's loan has also expired and he's returned to his parent club AS Roma. Kenedy gained Enhlish nationality whilst on loan at Derby last season.

Director of Football Igor Stimac repeatedly offered Wisdom a new contract but the Jamaican international wasn't interested in putting pen to paper. Stimac also tried to sign Kenedy on a permanent deal without success.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[coady]

It looks like Igor is working very hard to address the issues at the club. Rafael Toloi takes me back to FM11 I think it was, where he was a superstar for me at Blackpool. He looks a really good signing and Tomori will be useful enough in Europe and the cups too. Despite that, keeping Mount & Wilson was still probably the most important business this summer. Things are looking very good for the upcoming season so far, with plenty of budget still left too! 

[Stuniverse]

1 minute ago, coady said:

It looks like Igor is working very hard to address the issues at the club. Rafael Toloi takes me back to FM11 I think it was, where he was a superstar for me at Blackpool. He looks a really good signing and Tomori will be useful enough in Europe and the cups too. Despite that, keeping Mount & Wilson was still probably the most important business this summer. Things are looking very good for the upcoming season so far, with plenty of budget still left too! 

Thanks, @coady. Yes, Igor seems to be doing a very good job this season. I’m happy with how the squad is shaping up.

I’m disappointed we couldn’t bring Kenedy back, but I guess you can’t have everything.

Also, I’m not sure I need another right-back in Damian, although he can cover right across the backline, which could prove useful.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 1 July 2021

WAITING GAME PAYS OFF

RamsFanzine: Derby County Director of Football Igor Stimac had to play the waiting game in his pursuit of AS Monaco's 31-year old defender Matteo Darmian. An £11M bid from Derby was accepted a while ago but the player’s agent kept stalling negotiations around Darmian's personal terms. 

In the end though, Stimac's patience was rewarded as Darmian was granted a work permit and the Italian signed a contract that runs until the summer of 2023.

Darmian is primarily a right-back, but can also play left-back and centre-back.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Thursday 1 July 2021

Pre-season (2) - Burton Albon (0) 0-2 (2) Derby County

Unavailable:

• Max Lowe (groin)
• Will Hughes (thigh)
• Harry Wilson (ankle)
• Jayden Bogle (England U21 duty)
• Max Aarons (England U21 duty)

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 1 July 2021

AARONS EXTENDS CONTRACT

RamsFanzine: Derby County's 21-year old right-back Max Aarons has extended his contract until the summer of 2025.

The contract negotiations were handled by Director of Football Igor Stimac and include the following release clauses:

• £61M - clubs in European Champions Cup
• £30.5M - relegation

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 3 July 2021

DERBY REJECT LOPEZ BID

RamsFanzine: Director of Football Igor Stimac has rejected a loan bid from AS Roma for 26-year old goalkeeper Pau Lopez.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Saturday 3 July 2021

Pre-season (3) - Bohemians 1905 (1) 3-1 (0) Deby County

Unavailable:

• Max Lowe (groin)
• Will Hughes (thigh)
• Harry Wilson (ankle)
• Jayden Bogle (England U21 duty)
• Max Aarons (England U21 duty)

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 5 July 2021

SLIGO LOAN BALLO

RamsFanzine: New signing Thierno Ballo has joined Sligo Rovers on loan until the end of the season.

Director of Football Igor Stimac signed 19-year old forward Ballo on an U23 work permit, meaning he's not able to play for the Rams first team for the duration of his contract which runs until 30 June 2022. Loaning Ballo out to play Irish Premier Division football should aid his development.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 5 July 2021

INTER WANT LOPEZ

RamsFanzine: Reports in Italy suggest Inter Milan are targeting Derby County goalkeeper Pau Lopez this transfer window.

Club sources inform us that the Rams have received no bids for Lopez as of this morning.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 6 July 2021

TRABZONSPOR SIGN ROOS

RamsFanzine: Derby County's #3 goalkeeper, Kelle Roos, has joined Turkish Super League club Trabzonspor for a £325K fee.

We reported last week that Bristol City, Ipswich Town and Exeter City were interested in Roos, but none of them submitted a bid.

[karanhsingh]

Great updates! Are you happy with Darmian? Seems like a solid short term signing for the squad but a fair bit of money for a 31 year old. 

Have you added any more transfer targets or letting Igor do his stuff?

[Stuniverse]

35 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Great updates! Are you happy with Darmian? Seems like a solid short term signing for the squad but a fair bit of money for a 31 year old. 

Have you added any more transfer targets or letting Igor do his stuff?

Hi, @karanhsingh, thank you. It seems like there's a lot going on this window and Igor has the budgets to operate in the way he wants this time.

Very good questions.

I'm really not sure about Darmian. I have Max Aarons and Jayden Bogle at right-back already and I'm very happy with both of them. Add to that Tomori, who can also play right-back, and I don't think I needed another right-back. Darmian can provide cover across the back-four. I've played him at left-back in a couple of pre-season games and Darmian has looked no more than ok. Nothing, so far, to suggest he can nail down the left-back spot for me. Right now, he'll be in competition with Max Lowe (groin), Max Aarons (England U21-holiday) and Louie Sibley at LB.

Igor is pretty much doing his stuff on his own. The only other player I've added as a transfer target is Kenedy. I really would like him back as he'd solve my left-back problems. Igor keeps trying and failing so I don't think I'll see Kenedy in a Rams shirt again. Shame as he's now an English national as well.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Thursday 8 July 2021

Pre-season (4) Neutral - Derby County (0) 1-0 (0) Lincoln City

Unavailable:

• Max Lowe (groin)
• Will Hughes (thigh)
• Harry Wilson (ankle)
• Jayden Bogle (holiday)
• Max Aarons (holiday)

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 9 July 2021

KENEDY RAMS RETURN - HOPES FADING

RamsFanzine understand that Director of Football Igor Stimac has failed in yet another attempt to agree personal terms with AS Roma's left-back Kenedy, after AS Roma accepted bids of £18M (earlier in this window) and then £22M (recently).

A club source has informed us that Stimac has advised Mel Morris (Owner), Joe McClaren (Cheif Scout) and Stuniverse (Manager) that he believes any deal with Kenedy is unlikely to happen. Despite playing 38 times for the Rams on loan last season, the player's agent has informed Stimac that Kenedy only wants to leave Roma for a club playing in the European Champions Cup.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 10 July 2021

LOPEZ DEMANDS TO LEAVE FOR CHELSEA

RamsFanzine understand that Chelsea lodged a bid of £17M (rising to £21M) for 26 year-old goalkeeper Pau Lopez, which Director of Football Igor Stimac rejected as it didn't meet the £30M release clause in Lopez's contract for clubs in the European Champions Cup.

 Sources at Derby County inform us that Lopez was furious that a move to Chelsea was blocked and had heated talks with manager Stuniverse.

For now, we understand, the club are sticking to their guns and holding Lopez to the release clause in his contract. It remains to be seen if Chelsea will return with a £30M bid.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[samboing]

Damn @Stuniverse having a largely new, untested defensive unit is very frustrating! I find it rather annoying when players leave (wisdom) even though you wanted him and play him and then join teams lower in the table, but with any luck the new boys get straight away!

Do you have a replacement keeper in mind that you may offer to Igor or leave it up to him?

[Stuniverse]

31 minutes ago, samboing said:

Damn @Stuniverse having a largely new, untested defensive unit is very frustrating! I find it rather annoying when players leave (wisdom) even though you wanted him and play him and then join teams lower in the table, but with any luck the new boys get straight away!

Do you have a replacement keeper in mind that you may offer to Igor or leave it up to him?

Hi @samboing. Yes. It doesn't help that my right-backs Max Aarons and Jayden Bogle were both away with England U21s and haven't been in pre-season training yet. They are currently back from international duty but I've given them both a week off.

Last I heard, a Russian Premier Division club had offered Wisdom a contract. I'll update on here if anything happens regarding Wisdom. To be fair to Andre, he would've been 4th choice behind Smalling, Toloi and Tomori.

When Igor gave me the heads-up about Lopez he suggested Alexander Nubel as a replacement goalkeeper so I added him as a transfer target (not sure if the AI DoF would pick up on it otherwise) and we'll see what happens. In true FM DoF style, the goalkeeper Igor recommended hadn't been scouted. I also have more confidence in Sepe (#2) than I did Roos.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Saturday 10 July 2021

Pre-season (5) Notts County (0) 0-1 (0) Derby County

Unavailable:

• Max Lowe (groin)
• Will Hughes (thigh)
• Harry Wilson (ankle)
• Jayden Bogle (holiday)
• Max Aarons (holiday)

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 12 July 2021

ROMA LOPEZ BID REJECTED

RamsFanzine understand Derby County's 26 year-old goalkeeper Pau Lopez is a wanted man. Hard on the heels of rejecting a £17M bid from Chelsea,  Director of Football Igor Stimac has rejected a £20M bid from AS Roma.

Clubs playing in the European Champions Cup can activate the £30M release clause in Lopez's contract. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea, Roma or anybody else will do so.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Tuesday 13 July 2021

Pre-season (6) Neutral - Derby County (1) 4- (0) Doncaster Rovers

Unavailable:

• Max Lowe (groin)
• Will Hughes (thigh)
• Harry Wilson (ankle)

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Thursday 15 July 2021

Pre-season (7) Southend United (0) 0-3 (3) Derby County

Unavailable:

• Will Hughes (thigh)
• Harry Wilson (ankle)

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 15 July 2021

RAMS OFF TO ISRAEL

RamsFanzine: Derby County will play Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Be'er-Sheva in the Euro Cup Best Placed Second Qualifying Round after the Israeli side secured a 4-1 aggregate win over KS Flamurtari Vlore of Albania.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 16 July 2021

NUBEL JOINS THE RAMS

RamsFanzine: Derby County Director of Football Igor Stimac was delighted to announce the signing of 24 year-old German goalkeeper Alexander Nubel for a fee of £9.75M. Nubel joins the Rams from Schalke 04 on a contract until 30 June 2021.

The signing of Nubel, opens the door for the departure of Pau Lopez should a club in the European Champions Cup be prepared to match his £30M release clause. Interestingly, Nubel has a similar release clause for £33M.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 17 July 2021

DERBY RETURN FOR FIELDING

RamsFanzine: Derby County Director of Football Igor Stimac has signed his second goalkeeper in two days after snapping up  33 year-old free agent Frank Fielding on a contract running until the summer of 2022, with the option of a further year.

Fielding is no stranger to Pride Park after playing for the Rams for four seasons between 2010 and 2014 under former manager Nigel Clough.

With Alexander Nubel, Luigi Sepe and estranged Pau Lopez almost certainly ahead of Fielding in the pecking order this seems a strange move to RamsFanzine.

[enigmatic]

Since Stimac insisted on wasting all that money on Darmian, I'd retrain him as a backup centre back as well

[Stuniverse]

14 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

Since Stimac insisted on wasting all that money on Darmian, I'd retrain him as a backup centre back as well

Thanks, @enigmatic. Good suggestion.

[JaytheGreat]

Seems Igor has gone a little GK crazy although Nubel is a pretty good pick up. Well I hope Darmian turns out to be  a better LB then Rodrigues turned out to be, and it's good to see Mount and WIlson back in the fold. 

[Stuniverse]

37 minutes ago, JaytheGreat said:

Seems Igor has gone a little GK crazy although Nubel is a pretty good pick up. Well I hope Darmian turns out to be  a better LB then Rodrigues turned out to be, and it's good to see Mount and WIlson back in the fold. 

Igor has indeed gone GK crazy, @JaytheGreat, although Pau Lopez isn't exactly helping in that respect. Trouble is, nobody wants him for his £30M release clause. Frank Fielding had been in the pipeline for a while; he had other offers so I was somewhat surprised when he chose us.

Matteo Darmian has had a couple of good games at LB so it looks like a battle between him and Max Lowe for the starting spot.

Always good to see Mason Mount and Harry Wilson here.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Saturday 21 July 2021

Pre-season (8) Derby County (2) 2-1 (0) Borussia Dortmund

Unavailable:

• Will Hughes (thigh)

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 17 July 2021

LOPEZ FACING UNCERTAIN FUTURE

RamsFanzine: Derby County's 26 year-old goalkeeper Pau Lopez is facing an uncertain future after falling out with Director of Football Igor Stimac and manager Stuniverse after a bid from Chelsea was rejected.

Despite signing 24 year-old Alexander Nubel as Lopez's replacement, the Rams are holding out for the £30M in his release clause and, so far, no club has bid more than £20M for Lopez.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 19 July 2021

FORMER RAM WISDOM MOVES TO RUSSIA

RamsFanzine: Former Ram Andre Wisdom has joined Russian Premier League side Krylja Sovetov. Wisdom turned down the chance to stay in England by rejecting contract offers from Derby County and Preston North End.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 20 July 2021

DERBY MISS OUT ON AMANKWAH

RamsFanzine: Director of Football Igor Stimac's hopes of signing 20 year-old centre-back Yeboah Amankwah on a free transfer ended today when the former Manchester City youngster signed for Newcastle United.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 21 July 2021

VILLARREAL SIGN KAGAWA

RamsFanzine: Derby County Director of Football Igor Stimac confirmed that Villarreal have signed midfielder Shinji Kagawa for £8.5M. Kagawa joined the Rams on a free transfer, about this time last year, and went on to make 30 appearances, scoring four goals and three assists, with an average rating of 6.81.

Although some fans will be sorry to see Kagawa go, an £8.5M profit on a 32 year-old entering the final year of his contract could also be seen as good business by Stimac.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Stuniverse

[dap1987]

Just caught up ...

 

Congrats on the Manager of the Year, it's nice to see the game recognise a Club doing far more than expected and not just giving it to the league Champions.

 

Igor seems a lot more active this window, which is a good sign, a couple of CBs have arrived which can only help, hopefully still another one, or two, at some point?  I'm not sure Darmian is really the answer though.

 

Tough draw in the Europa though, didn't they knock Celtic out of CL a few years ago?  I know we are a few years on in your save but it isn't a great trip either.

[karanhsingh]

Good work again. Are Mount and Wilson still on loan at the club? That is some good dealing by Igor if so. 

Regarding your LB issue, I reckon you could play Aarons there too as an IWB, which is a role that seems to work very well on FM19 if used correctly. That way could get Bogle & Aarons both into the first team as well, maybe just something to consider. However, it would work best with a conventional winger on the left flank in my experience.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: Thursday 22 July 2021

Pre-match v Hapoel Be'er-Sheva (a) - EURO Cup Best Placed 2nd Qualifying Round (1st Leg)

Match Preview

RamsFanzine: This is your first competitive match of the season but you've not completed pre-season yet. How does it feel?

Stuniverse: Strange. Very strange, to be honest.

RamsFanzine: How is pre-season going?

Stuniverse: Overall, pretty well. We've played a number of matches, we've involved some U23 players, and we've won every game except for the loss in Czechoslovakia to Bohemians 1905. So, I'm pleased with that but it's also been disjointed and it's been difficult to build momentum.

RamsFanzine: Disjointed how?

Stuniverse: Well we've had new signings joining us at different times. We've had niggling injuries to Max Lowe (groin), Will Hughes (thigh), Harry Wilson (ankle), Matteo Darmian (thigh). Shinji Kagawa was part of our plans and now he's gone to Villarreal. Max Aarons and Jayden Bogle were away with England U21s, then we gave them a week off, so they've only started with us this last week. Martin Naylor was away before that with England U20s.

All in all it's been far from ideal and now we have this unfortunate goalkeeper situation that really needs to resolve itself sooner rather than later.

RamsFanzine: What's the latest?

Stuniverse: Let's discuss that another time shall we. I'd rather focus on our EURO Cup-tie right now.

Team Selection

RamsFanzine: OK. You've gone for Sepe tonight though, arguably your number three goalkeeper. Why's that?

Stuniverse: For a number of reasons really. Pau Lopez's head isn't right at the moment. Alexander Nubel has only just arrived, is still settling in, and is learning the language. Luigi Sepe, arguably, has been unsettled the most by all this and I think it's important to show him he still has our faith and trust.

Post-match: Hapoel Be'er-Sheva (0) 0-6 (5) Derby County

RamsFanzine: Congratulations. To travel all this way to Israel and turn in a performance like that... You must be very pleased?

Stuniverse: Yes, I am. I thought everybody played very well under the circumstances. Luigi Sepe and Rafael Toloi did well on their debuts. Max Lowe and Max Aarons were brilliant at full-back. But everybody played well, particularly with the ball where we looked very impressive to be honest. Tom Lawrence will grab the headlines for his hat-trick, but let's not forget Mason Mount's stunning two goals and the clever finish by Domingos Quina.

RamsFanzine: Bennett limped off. How is he?

Stuniverse: Mason Bennett's bruised his ankle, but he should be ok for the second-leg.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, dap1987 said:

Just caught up ...

Congrats on the Manager of the Year, it's nice to see the game recognise a Club doing far more than expected and not just giving it to the league Champions.

Igor seems a lot more active this window, which is a good sign, a couple of CBs have arrived which can only help, hopefully still another one, or two, at some point?  I'm not sure Darmian is really the answer though.

Tough draw in the Europa though, didn't they knock Celtic out of CL a few years ago?  I know we are a few years on in your save but it isn't a great trip either.

Thanks, @dap1987. Yes, I was amazed when I saw I’d won PL Manager of the Year. I really hadn’t expected that.

Igor is very busy and I’m wondering if he’s more active because he’s got more money in the budgets to work with but, also, I’m keeping an eye on the balance between transfer budget and wage budget and I’m adjusting to give him around £150K-£200K in wages to play with.

I remain to be convinced by Darmian either. At the moment he’s looking like defensive cover which, at £11M and, I think, Igor’s most expensive signing so far, he’s an expensive utility player to provide defensive cover.

First leg of the Europa Cup game against Hapoel Be’er Sheva has been played. Post above this one.

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, karanhsingh said:

Good work again. Are Mount and Wilson still on loan at the club? That is some good dealing by Igor if so. 

Regarding your LB issue, I reckon you could play Aarons there too as an IWB, which is a role that seems to work very well on FM19 if used correctly. That way could get Bogle & Aarons both into the first team as well, maybe just something to consider. However, it would work best with a conventional winger on the left flank in my experience.

Thanks, @karanhsingh. Yes Mount and Wilson are on loan for the season again. We’ve been able to loan them every season of the save so far so this is their fourth season playing for us. They seem like permanent players right now, but cheaper wages than if we were to try and sign them permanently. It’s an odd situation really. They are both doing very well for us in the PL yet their parent clubs don’t want to give them a chance and no other clubs seem interested in them. Maybe Mason and Harry love being a 🐏 that much they’re not even interested in other clubs? lol.

I’ve never tried an IWB to be honest. It wouldn’t work with Tom Lawrence as he plays best as IF but Harry Wilson, Mason Bennett, and Martyn Waghorn can all play as a traditional W on the left. To be honest, I’m thinking of giving Max Lowe the chance to claim the LB spot - he played an 8.8 against Hapoel - but I also need to keep Max Aarons and Jayden Bogle happy. Your suggestion is a good one for getting both Aarons and Bogle into a starting 11.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

TRANSFER VETOED

In the interests of transparency I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I blocked a transfer bid by Igor Stimac for Serge Aurier. It's the first time I've vetoed a transfer in this save.

Why?

Simple really. Aurier is a RB who can also play LB and CB (like Darmian) and I don't need another RB. We have Max Aarons, Jayden Bogle and Matteo Darmian already, plus Fikayo Tomori who can play there comfortably as well. Arguably, we already have twice as many RBs than we need.

I've even seen an in-game message where our Fans think we're overloaded at RB.

So it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Hope you wonderful people reading and following this Career Update don't mind.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 23 July 2021

PREMIER LEAGUE 2021/22 - BOOKMAKER'S ODDS

RamsFanzine: The bookmakers have Derby County finishing 13th in the Premier League this season.

[Stuniverse]

Game date: 24 July 2021

DERBY COUNTY ANNOUNCE SQUAD NUMBERS

RamsFanzine: Derby County released their squad numbers ahead of the 2021/22 season today. In total, manager Stuniverse has handed out 25 squad numbers.