Your experience of managing in the Championship?

[Kingerm1]

So I’m wondering guys, how many of you have taken up the opportunity/challenge of getting out of the Championship and into The Premier League?  
 

I’ve tried my hand with Brentford, the board requires play offs at a minimum,  which I thought is a pretty decent challenge given the competition of the Championship on paper, however I sit 2nd in the table at Christmas time with the January window about to open and feel relatively confident I can probably get the automatics, that’s as long as I avoid injuries to key players for long periods of time.

So who else has ventured into the Championship and how are you finding it? 

 

 

[Maccabist]

I started with Mansfield in league two. Managed to finish first in league two and league one. Now I'm in the championship in mid November and I'm first with 5 points ahead.  I play 451 with gegenpressing.  I find fm 20 quite easy this year. 

[kiwityke1983]

58 minutes ago, Kingerm1 said:

So I’m wondering guys, how many of you have taken up the opportunity/challenge of getting out of the Championship and into The Premier League?  
 

I’ve tried my hand with Brentford, the board requires play offs at a minimum,  which I thought is a pretty decent challenge given the competition of the Championship on paper, however I sit 2nd in the table at Christmas time with the January window about to open and feel relatively confident I can probably get the automatics, that’s as long as I avoid injuries to key players for long periods of time.

So who else has ventured into the Championship and how are you finding it? 

 

 

Started with Barnsley who as a fan IRL I can confirm are so bad I think even pushing 40 and never having played pro football I'd get a game. 

Won the league with over 100 points in the second season. Poor MK dons had 3 points at Christmas. 

Newcastle finished 2nd also with over 100 points behind me in 2nd.

[craiigman]

It’s a long long save. 46 league games, plus cup games. Can be a bit of a slog if results aren’t going your way. Drop in form can last lots of games.

[Kingerm1]

On 17/11/2019 at 06:30, kiwityke1983 said:

Started with Barnsley who as a fan IRL I can confirm are so bad I think even pushing 40 and never having played pro football I'd get a game. 

Won the league with over 100 points in the second season. Poor MK dons had 3 points at Christmas. 

Newcastle finished 2nd also with over 100 points behind me in 2nd.

3 points 😂😂 dear oh dear Mk dons

[Kingerm1]

On 17/11/2019 at 07:18, craiigman said:

It’s a long long save. 46 league games, plus cup games. Can be a bit of a slog if results aren’t going your way. Drop in form can last lots of games.

Agreed it is definitely a long save in the Championship. I’m still 2nd with 10 games left but my once 10 point gap from 3rd is now 4 points... praying I can hold off as I can’t bare another season in the a Championship 

[ajt]

Agree with the others I hated the Championship, took forever!

Got Southampton straight back up then sacked the following season after not getting Europa League football 

[kiwityke1983]

4 hours ago, Kingerm1 said:

3 points 😂😂 dear oh dear Mk dons

They ended on 11 points. But yeah. It's the worst I've ever seen a team do in FM. 

[emil_sbn]

Just promoted here with Bolton after two seasons in league one, only played 2 matches but its tough.

first game lost 1-0 against huddersfield had more possession but they had the better chanses.

second game away at sheffield w and 4-0 down after an hour but managed to score 2 in the end atleast.

😀

Edited November 20, 2019 by emil_sbn

[Tinkerman84]

championship is really depressing  I think.. Started with Fulham to lift them to PL again, as we were predicted to finish 1st by the media.. I could only get two wins , in first five games, with many injuries in hand. 

it will be very diffcult challenge for me to meet the expectations..

[Kingerm1]

15 hours ago, Tinkerman84 said:

championship is really depressing  I think.. Started with Fulham to lift them to PL again, as we were predicted to finish 1st by the media.. I could only get two wins , in first five games, with many injuries in hand. 

it will be very diffcult challenge for me to meet the expectations..

If I’m honest I wouldn’t quote as my first 5 games ended in 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses, although it was against opposition who 4 of ended up finishing in the top 6.

i went on to finish the season in 1st place with 106 points, after being 12 points behind 1st place Leeds at one point! They ended up on 94 points, think they won one game out of the last 5 of the season, really bottled it.

I’m now about to try recruit some new players for the first season in the prem, however it is proving difficult to cover all areas with enough strength in depth and also quality with £40m as my budget 

[Kingerm1]

15 hours ago, emil_sbn said:

Just promoted here with Bolton after one season in league one, only played 2 matches but its tough.

first game lost 1-0 against huddersfield had more possession but they had the better chanses.

second game away at sheffield w and 4-0 down after an hour but managed to score 2 in the end atleast.

😀

First season promotion with Bolton.. impressive 

[Angus Osborne]

On 17/11/2019 at 18:30, Kingerm1 said:

So I’m wondering guys, how many of you have taken up the opportunity/challenge of getting out of the Championship and into The Premier League?  
 

I’ve tried my hand with Brentford, the board requires play offs at a minimum,  which I thought is a pretty decent challenge given the competition of the Championship on paper, however I sit 2nd in the table at Christmas time with the January window about to open and feel relatively confident I can probably get the automatics, that’s as long as I avoid injuries to key players for long periods of time.

So who else has ventured into the Championship and how are you finding it? 

 

 

I have played through the 19/20 season with Leeds. The board wanted me to win the league, but we came 2nd. Brentford absolutely crushed the rest of the league finishing 13 points clear of 2nd place

[emil_sbn]

9 hours ago, Kingerm1 said:

First season promotion with Bolton.. impressive 

Oh meant promotion second season so perhaps not quite as impressive =)

sitting at 12 place now WBA is having a nightmare season so far at 21 with 14 games played.

 

[Lempicka]

Haven't tried in in FM20 yet, but generally relish a season or two in the Championship. I usually play a journeyman save and start in the Conference, so depending on my career trajectory, I usually arrive in the Championship after more than a few seasons into my save.

I can be a tough but rewarding season (even if you miss out on promotion) as by the end of it give you a better idea about your squad and who has what it takes for the next step. Regarding the other teams, I usually find half the of them will battle it out for a place in the top six, alongside a free-falling recently relegated EPL team and at least one promoted team - who are  clearly going to struggle (sometimes me).

It's good fun - give it a go!

 

 

 

 

  

[Cegidog]

On 19/11/2019 at 08:14, emil_sbn said:

Just promoted here with Bolton after two seasons in league one, only played 2 matches but its tough.

first game lost 1-0 against huddersfield had more possession but they had the better chanses.

second game away at sheffield w and 4-0 down after an hour but managed to score 2 in the end atleast.

😀

Got Bolton up in season 1. Just glad that the data was locked before the EFL deduct another 12 points. Minus 24 would have been a bit too steep. 

Everyone’s contract was up so let them all go. Just about to start season 2 with a practically new squad. The oldest player is 26. Should be a fun season. 

[gibson147]

8 hours ago, Angus Osborne said:

I have played through the 19/20 season with Leeds. The board wanted me to win the league, but we came 2nd. Brentford absolutely crushed the rest of the league finishing 13 points clear of 2nd place

Brentford were really strong in my save as well, finished second to me playing as Leeds but we were both well ahead of the pack. Boro won the play off final.

Leeds were unbeaten in the league up until March and then had a dip in form of a couple of defeats and and some draws, missing a hatful of chances... so getting far too realistic for my liking  However, we steadied the ship and finished 5 points ahead of Brentford with 4 losses. 

Had a great run in the FA Cup including beating Spurs 3-0 at home!! I changed my tactic for this one, I trianed on set pieces leading up to the game and switched to balanced instead of positive and dropped deeper and looked to hit them on the break and play for set pieces. Scored a headed goal from a free kick and then Costa scored a 1v1 after a break. Third goal came from a corner kick so was very happy with how that played out. Made it to the semi-final and got well beat 2-0 by Man Utd though... 

It is a long season, particurlarly if you end up having a good cup run as well, but enjoyable. Just about to enter pre-season of the Premiership campaign so will see how we do there, avoiding relegation is what the board have asked for but I've told the players we are aiming for mid-table...

[Tinkerman84]

On 20.11.2019 at 03:11, Kingerm1 said:

If I’m honest I wouldn’t quote as my first 5 games ended in 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses, although it was against opposition who 4 of ended up finishing in the top 6.

i went on to finish the season in 1st place with 106 points, after being 12 points behind 1st place Leeds at one point! They ended up on 94 points, think they won one game out of the last 5 of the season, really bottled it.

I’m now about to try recruit some new players for the first season in the prem, however it is proving difficult to cover all areas with enough strength in depth and also quality with £40m as my budget 

I have also amended the bad start, but am still 5th place way behind Leeds..

Is there any tycoon takeover in the first or second season with Fulham? There were some rumours about at the begining of the save but then no news heard..

[Mike J]

My first save every year is with Boro and I've just finished my first season with automatic promotion. Leeds were way ahead at Christmas and I was just in the playoffs but the season ended with Leeds scraping though via the playoffs and Brentford finishing ridiculously well to end up 2nd, just behind me. Brentford seem really good this year going by what everyone else has been saying here.

It's definitely a long slog in the Championship. I had a tough December/January but also went on a really good run in March and April. The sheer number of games can put a strain on any squad and Boro lack depth in a number of positions which made it even harder. I may have struggled to make the playoffs at all if I'd had a serious injury to either a striker or right-back.

[Jonthedon26]

My first save is always with Birmingham City. Finished my first season in 3rd place (yes Brentford got promoted) but lost in the semi finals of the play offs to Swansea (on penalties after winning the first leg away 3-1). Back to the grind again in the 2nd season where I am 2nd after 10 games. Had a great run of 7 league games without conceding a goal however I have stuttered last couple of games and drew 0-0 against Leeds and 1-1 against a newly promoted side (can't remember who it was off the top of my head). The championship can be really long winded but I enjoy it, much more so than when I get to the Premier League. 

[Dagenham_Dave]

It's brutal, but not as brutal as the Vanarama North/South league from season 2 onwards where it's expanded to 24 teams. 46 games and ONE automatic promotion spot. I finished first season on 96 points and still never went up. 

[Brentford Alan]

5 hours ago, Mike J said:

My first save every year is with Boro and I've just finished my first season with automatic promotion. Leeds were way ahead at Christmas and I was just in the playoffs but the season ended with Leeds scraping though via the playoffs and Brentford finishing ridiculously well to end up 2nd, just behind me. Brentford seem really good this year going by what everyone else has been saying here

 

Interesting, during the beta I ran some unemployed soak tests and Brentford were always mid-table or flirting with relegation and sacking Thomas Frank around christmas. The only significant difference between Brentford's last beta database and release database was an increase in TF's board confidence to decrease the occurances of him being sacked and a swapping of his favoured formations to match the changes made irl after our indifferent start to the campaign. Will have to run some more soaks pre-winter update

[Mardy]

Playing as Leeds, currently 14 points clear in February, second is West Brom then Brentford. 

 

Brentford started incredibly, with 11 straight league wins, but have struggled for form since.

 

A few gems across the league ready to make the step up 

 

And Mitrovic is a machine!

[Jonthedon26]

1 hour ago, Mardy said:

Playing as Leeds, currently 14 points clear in February, second is West Brom then Brentford. 

 

Brentford started incredibly, with 11 straight league wins, but have struggled for form since.

 

A few gems across the league ready to make the step up 

 

And Mitrovic is a machine!

Mitrovic finished top scorer in my first season as well

[Spengler1974]

I've just finished the first season playing with Birmingham in the Championship. Bit of a slow start but then got on a bit of a roll before a nervy ending and ended up finishing 5th. Then beat WBA in the play off semis before beating Middlesbrough in the final to get promoted (thankfully they had a man sent off v early!)

Like others Brentford were good in my game too, going up in 2nd behind Fulham. Leeds finished 3rd.

I enjoyed it, a lot of teams can beat each other no matter where they are in the league - Wigan stuck 5 past winners Fulham at Craven Cottage at one point.

Ended up with my striker - Jutkiewicz being the divisions top scorer with 20 goals and Maxime Colin getting the most assists. Bit nervous how they're going to do in the PL though....

[dylg]

Its long and drawn out but a good chance to develop a squad and make them into a prem side, ive had several championship saves over the years, wolves, brentford, villa, your sick by the end of the season but really rewarding if you clinch promotion  

[Jonthedon26]

4 hours ago, Spengler1974 said:

I've just finished the first season playing with Birmingham in the Championship. Bit of a slow start but then got on a bit of a roll before a nervy ending and ended up finishing 5th. Then beat WBA in the play off semis before beating Middlesbrough in the final to get promoted (thankfully they had a man sent off v early!)

Like others Brentford were good in my game too, going up in 2nd behind Fulham. Leeds finished 3rd.

I enjoyed it, a lot of teams can beat each other no matter where they are in the league - Wigan stuck 5 past winners Fulham at Craven Cottage at one point.

Ended up with my striker - Jutkiewicz being the divisions top scorer with 20 goals and Maxime Colin getting the most assists. Bit nervous how they're going to do in the PL though....

Glad to see someone else managing Birmingham City!

[Johnny Ace]

@Spengler1974 & @Jonthedon26 brave!!! I'm historically terrible as the Blues manager so only mess around with them now nowadays. I lost in the playoffs in FM19 & still barely had two pennies to rub together so quit   

[Gross_Ballon]

On 19/11/2019 at 00:44, kiwityke1983 said:

They ended on 11 points. But yeah. It's the worst I've ever seen a team do in FM. 

derby 9 points

[kiwityke1983]

43 minutes ago, Gross_Ballon said:

derby 9 points

Ouch! 

[warlock]

4 hours ago, Jonthedon26 said:

Glad to see someone else managing Birmingham City!

I'm doing it, too. We have a dedicated thread for the Championship, League One and League Two over here:

 

It's been one of the most popular threads on the forum for a few years now - new faces always welcome!

[Jonthedon26]

15 hours ago, warlock said:

I'm doing it, too. We have a dedicated thread for the Championship, League One and League Two over here:

 

It's been one of the most popular threads on the forum for a few years now - new faces always welcome!

Excellent, thank you. Actually one of the threads I stalked daily when I got FM19! I will jump on over now