[FM20] Derby County - Why manage the Rams? / How are you getting on?

[Impz82]

I submit to your awesomeness @Stackalee. I am not that great of a football manager though. I can only make great players play good football sometimes. Good players just play like dung in mine LOL.

___

It's the 4th season, and I feel like this is the time for us to finally stop being the best of the rest, and in fact challenge for top 4 this season. With 110+ mil in the transfer kitty, I made a huge splash (with a purchase that almost doubled the wages I gave to my top player). I identified the 3 key issues I had with my squad at this point. I don't have quality depth in the central defence (or at least a young player ready to be 4th choice and grow a lot more), my right wing has been criminally under-performing and I do not have a well proven striker that can get goals.

Ins

• Betinho, 18 years old from Internacional, 15.75 mil, AMR fighting for first choice with Harry Wilson
• Amine Gouiri, 22 years old from Lyon, 6.5 mil, ST backup
• Mohammed Ali, 19 years old from Marseille, 30 mil, DC backup
• Ronaldo Vieria, 23 years old from Sampordia, 8.75 mil, DLP backup to Kana
• Kaio Jorge, 20 years old from Santos, 22 mil, ST first choice striker
• Eduardo Camavinga, 19 years old from Rennes, 70 mil, first choice Mezzala/Advanced Playmaker at CM

So the ins are quite explosive, especially with Camavinga destroying my wage budget at 160k per week. However, his stats are absolutely mind blowing and his physicals and mentals are out of this world. When he was listed for 70 mil, I knew he will be my player despite the horrendous wages. Ronaldo Vieria helps to pump up the HG counter and is a very good cover for Kana at DLP as I changed my formation to 4-1-4-1 again. Kaio Jorge was the only human choice that provided an improvement to my current strikeforce, and does not cost more than 100 mil like everyone else.

Mohammed Ali is a regen at 19 years old. He is still developing, and based on my scouts, has a lot of room to develop.

Betinho was another regen I used to initially provide cover for Harry Wilson. His weaker foot is reasonable, which is not ideal as an inverted winger, but we will try. His dribbling also needs a bit more work but he seems like a fast and technical player.

 

Outs

• Thiago Almada, 61 mil to Arsenal
• Rober, 36 mil to Burnley
• Mergim Berisha, 30 mil to Bayer Leverkusen

With so much spending, some players had to leave. Thiago Almada flattered to deceive last year, and I decided 61 mil is worth letting him go. When Burnley came in with the rather crazy offer, I took it. Berisha is also no longer developing and is at his peak. It's time to move him on and 30 mil is a huge profit from the 9.75 mil I spent on him.

Conclusion

I am now having a crazy midfield of Marco Kana at DM, with Camavinga, Tonali, Jude Bellingham, Ronaldo Vieria and Lewis Ferguson vying for 3 spots. This is very quality depth. The defence is still a work in progress and probably will work on it next season. Max Lowe gets injured way more often for my liking. The wingers/strikers are good enough, especially with Kaio Jorge and the Spanish Geoff Hurst, along with Gouiri for depth.  Come on Derby for 4th season!

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Impz82

[Stackalee]

10 minutes ago, Impz82 said:

I can only make great players play good football sometimes. Good players just play like dung in mine LOL.

You play 1 up though right? I don't think anybody is getting a lot out of him as a lone striker. Wasn't criticising at all was just quite funny his differing fortunes in different saves.

 

10 minutes ago, Impz82 said:

Nice, looks like a real fighter.

How is your Geoff Hurst developing?

14 minutes ago, OJ403 said:

Based off the frustrations of real life Marriott this is pure madness! 😂😂 Although it is good to see unexpected stars of people saves long term, especially when its a redemption story of sorts.

The board refused to build a new stadium, I was really hoping to get one named after him.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Stackalee

[Impz82]

14 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

You play 1 up though right? I don't think anybody is getting a lot out of him as a lone striker. Wasn't criticising at all was just quite funny his differing fortunes in different saves.

Yep 1 up front, which means the striker has to be multi faceted.

Quote

Nice, looks like a real fighter.

How is your Geoff Hurst developing?

He's stronger, faster and meaner now. Development since 1 year ago.  Demanded a raise because he's developing so well, and I gave it to him. He deserved it for how hardworking he was.
 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Impz82

[Stackalee]

@Impz82 Monster, does he still have room to develop?

Incidentally, if anybody is interested Karamoko Dembélé developed into a pretty tidy attacking left back, who is definitely preferred to Lowe now. His stats fail to capture his major asset, which is his ability to regularly get in to the box and win penalties. 

He was also second in the league for chances created, while playing 13 less games than the guys in first and second.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Stackalee

[Impz82]

@Stackalee I let the image say the words.

And on a separate note, the chairman suddenly gave me 14 coach slots. I only have 11 filled and I cannot afford any other upgrades to training (I have 4.5 stars in most areas). So, what's the next best thing? Recruit random famous internationals as your coaches :X

Rooney is back!

Edited May 25, 2020 by Impz82

[bendixkunert2]

Great job securing Camavinga. 160k isn't that much for such a talent. I've seen him wanting 250k in 2020/2021 in some saves.

[Impz82]

9 minutes ago, bendixkunert2 said:

Great job securing Camavinga. 160k isn't that much for such a talent. I've seen him wanting 250k in 2020/2021 in some saves.

@bendixkunert2 To me, it is. I try to hold as tight a ship as I can possibly can when it comes to my players financially, so that I can be profitable as a manager (maybe cos I am also a thrifty person in rl). Most of the time, I will not go for a crazy player like Camavinga. But 70 mil and 160k to have the midfield of the future and a global superstar is so worth it. I cannot imagine paying anyone 250k yet. He must be Messi or Ronaldo or a crazy player impossible to imagine for me to pay that much wages.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Impz82

[JaytheGreat]

What's better then winning the Championship? Beating Leeds 1-0 at Pride Park to clinch it. 

[JaytheGreat]

Derby 2019/2020 Recap

Sky Bet Championship: Winner

A season I really can't believe as we only lose 3 games on our to getting 101 points. Luck and a great defense were are keys to success as we won most of our games 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0. We ranked 6th in the Championship in goals scored and 2nd in least amount of goals given up, starting GK Kellen Roos only allowed 27 goals in 36 Championship starts. Marriott was our leading goal scorer with 17 (14 coming in Championship), behind him was loanee striker Rushian Hepburn - Murphy who had 10 (9 in the Championship), followed by Morgan Whittaker who scored 8 (7 in the Championship), Tom Lawrence 8 goals ( and lead the team with 11 assists), and rounding out the top 5 was Duane Holmes with 7. We had pretty good success from set pieces either it be Lawrence, Huddlestone or Rooney on free kicks both indirect and on goal or from corners. The young players really stood out to me which should be a good building block for the future even if the competition will be a lot higher. Bogle, Bird and Bielik all really stood out during the season, while I would like to see more from Knight. 

Caraboa Cup: 3rd Round

It was a short cup run as we were knocked out by Wolves mostly B team 3-2 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates. To get to that point we beat both Leeds and Blackpool at home by a combined score of 6-0.

 

FA Cup: 5th Round

We lasted about just as long as we got demolished by Liverpool's mostly B side 8-2 at Anfield. This might be the worst loss I've ever had, atleast my worst on in quite awhile. It was a very hard game to watch as they scored whenever they wanted and has completely unable to stop it. Leading up to that humiliation we beat Luton at home, and a win over Stoke that took 2 games to get passed.

Future: Clear skies with impending doom on the horizon

We are back in the Premier League along with all of that deliciously crazy Premier League money.  We have 44 mil to play with during the summer transfer window, not including the extra 4 mil I can get by selling Hendrix's sell on clause. plus players will be sold. As for buys I'm going to need a GK, Kellen Roos played fantastic but he's not a Premier League GK, a CB with Clarke more then likely leaving when his loan is up and Curtis Davies for then likely out the door we will need atleast one CB probably 2 because I don't trust Wisdom next to Bielik. Both full backs are fine for now, so is DM. CM I could use an advanced playmaker but I won't chase for one. I really need an AMR because while Whittaker, and Holmes scored they were both very inconsistent and I don't see that changing in Premier League. Lawrence is fine for now on the left. At striker I trust Marriott but I will need a back up and if someone is listed that is too good to be true I may pick him up. Lots of improvement needed with a pretty nice budget to work with we'll have to see who's available during the window. At this moment we definitely can't compete with higher up the table teams and probably not with the middle or lower table teams either, I know I can survive the first season but it will probably be close and will definitely get ugly.   

[smplfc123]

Excellent season @JaytheGreat and congratulations on the Title. Incredible how you got such good performances out of Roos too!

Interested to see who you did bring in to give you a chance of having a good crack at the Premier League.

[Impz82]

On 25/05/2020 at 20:14, Stackalee said:

The board refused to build a new stadium, I was really hoping to get one named after him.

On a relevant note.

Jack Marriot is now the top scorer in Sky Bet with QPR. My loanee, Loyola, is also doing well even with his 8 finishing. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Impz82

[Stackalee]

2 hours ago, Impz82 said:

Jack Marriot is now the top scorer in Sky Bet with QPR. 

Nice, I think my Derby save is the first one where I've paid any real attention to what players do after I sell them. 

After I jettisoned Danny Loader he went on to become Spurs top striker, knocking Harry Kane out of their first team. Oops.

[OJ403]

So I played the first 3 games of the Premier League season, plus an EFL Cup game, last night. Somehow we're unbeaten, I don't think I could've dreamt of a better start!

First up Manchester City away. We drew 1-1. Relentless defending/goalkeeping from Smalling, Gebbie and Sportiello kept us at 1-1 into the final stages. Malinovskyi broke through, squares it.... VIGNATOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! He tapped it into the open net and we took a deserved point. On stats we were outplayed as you'd expect but on endeavour and work rate we deserved a point.

We then drew 2-2 at home to West Ham. We were the better team but sloppy defensive errors from Bielik and Gebbie cost us two goals. We should have won, but such as life. Its more important we dont lose these games to teams like West Ham, however the manner of the goals conceded is disappointing.

Then we someone beat Everton 2-0, with two goals from substitute Archie Brown. This was a really good performance as Everton have a really good side, probably the "best of the rest" outside the traditional top six. The performance was similar to that of the City game. However Bielik has gone down for 7 months with an ACL injury, which is far from good news. Ben Pearson is a good player, but far inferior.

We also beat Plymouth 3-0 in the EFL Cup in a low key affair to advance.

So all in all I'm delighted with our start. The only sour tastes are the injury to Bielik and  performances below expectations from Longstaff and Munteanu (who is still goalless, Brown leads with 4 off the bench). They have still contributed to our performances, but their general output has been disappointing. The seasons long and they're still adapting to a new team and league, respectively, so time will tell...

[smplfc123]

 

That's right guys as it's now just passed the 30th of July deadline, it's time for a transfer update before heading in to season 2. Here is the updated list of outgoings this summer:

Outgoings:

Bennett - Toronto - £3.5m 
Wisdom - Cardiff - £2m
Evans - Milwall - £1.2m
Carson - Huddersfield - £1.1m
Waghorn - Sunderland - £1m
Forsyth - Atlanta Utd - £975k
Roos - Vancouver - £575k
Malone - Swansea - £450k
Jozefozoon - Bristol Rovers - Loan
Shinnie - Portland Timbers - Loan
Whittaker - Oxford - Loan
Anya - Released
Huddlestone - Released
Martin - Released

I'm happy with how many I managed to ship out. I did offer Huddlestone and Martin new contracts at a significantly lower wage as back up options, but neither were interested. Huddlestone is still without a club, whilst Martin has joined Whittaker at newly promoted Oxford. Shinnie was the only unplanned exit at the start of the summer, when he complained to the pres that we couldn't agree a new contract however, it was time to get rid. I couldn't get anyone to take him permanently, so a season-long loan was the next best option. Overall, a solid chunk of money raised and strings loosened in the wage department.

I'm not normally one who enjoys an overhaul, more of a 2/3 signings kind of manager. I felt this Derby squad needed one however and I'm pleased with what I was managed to do:

Incomings:

Marco Sportiello - GK - Atalanta - £500k -  The problem position from last season has been filled by the 28 year old Italian. Looks solid all round and could be a steal at that price.
Darnell Fisher - RB - Preston - £650k - My first signing of the summer, the full back arrives from recently relegated Preston for small fee as back up to Bogle.
Luke Woolfenden - CB - Ipswich - £2.5m (Potentially rising to £5m). Our biggest outlay of the summer, I'm hoping the young CB can make the step up and make that right sided CB spot his own.
Max Kilman - CB - Free - Released from Wolves, this powerhouse was signed to partner Woolfenden, adding height, speed and power to a homegrown back four. 
Mike Te Wierik - CB - Free - Pre-arranged deal from Groingen. Comes in as 3rd choice CB.
Kevin N'Doram - CDM - Monaco - £1.8m - Brought in on deadline day to fill the gap left in the squad by Shinnie. Will compete with Bielik for the DM spot.
Luca Valzania - CM - Atalanta - £1.6m - Following the same path as Sportiello, Valzania was signed to boss the centre of the pitch. Possessing excellent mental and physical attributes, I feel he could potentially turn out to be the signing of the summer. 
Joel Valenica - AML/AMR - Brentford - £475k - At that price, I felt it was worth the risk bringing the tricky Ecuadorian up the M1 to Derby. 
Curtis Jones - AML/AMR - Liverpool - Loan - I don't normally do loans, but unable to find a wide player I was willing to shell out on, Jones was brought in from my beloved Liverpool to help with our creativity.

And that's that. I wouldn't say it's a 10/10 window, bu i'm actually very happy with the outcome. I spent a lot of time this weekend scouting for what I wanted. I did want another striker, with Marriott and Kopke the only natural options, but again, I didn't want to bring one in just for the sake of it when I couldn't find one I wanted. A loan signing in the next window is more likely. With £6m and £100k available in the transfer and wage budgets respectively, there's still plenty of room for us to work with.

As you'll see if you look at these players, I've massively improved the physical side of the squad. With us now possessing more pace, power and natural fitness, I expect us to not fall off the edge of the cliff like we did last season and to add more consistency to our game.

The aim is a top half finish for this season, with the visit of Reading to kick off the season. Wish me luck.

[Impz82]

The first three months of 2022/2023 has gone by fast, and Derby County is now in the top echelons of the league, helped by a relatively benign schedule at the start. We started out with 5 straight wins, before a very angry 0-0 draw with Burnley. Burnley is turning out to be a real bogey team because I also stumbled last year against them. It's quite frustrating. Other than that blip, we had a 7 win streak in all competitions, before crashing down to a very embarrassing 1-2 loss at home against Aston Villa. A few more games in the Europa league (apparently, what I joined last year was the Europa Conference League, because after I include the real names fix, the Cups Winners' Cup got introduced) and I am now guaranteed first in my group.

The most recent match is in fact one of my happiest games. It was just a 1-1 draw, but it was away against Manchester City and for once I wasn't getting destroyed in the game. While Sterling scored, we were always in the game, and we finally hit back in the 82th minute. We also had a clear cut chance in the 91th minute, but it was not converted :(.

With November and December looming, it's the January window again. One of my scouts alerted me to this goalkeeper a while ago but I never bothered because when I sent an offer, they wanted 150 mil (lol what). However, the difference now is that he requested to leave. He is very highly rated as he is already a wonderkid at 17 years old, and potentially can get him for around 12 million. One apparent weakness is his consistency, but I believe that it will improve with time. Another hesitation is that I do have Wulker Farinez who has entrenched himself as first team goalkeeper. He is more of a sweeper keeper which is the style I played. 

However, so so tempting. He also has much higher potential...He is also considered to be a must buy. Arghhh. I might just overpay for him so that he can get a permit. It will also mean the end of Dean Henderson's future here in Derby.

Would you?

 

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Impz82

[Jogo Bonito]

5 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

 

That's right guys as it's now just passed the 30th of July deadline, it's time for a transfer update before heading in to season 2. Here is the updated list of outgoings this summer:

Outgoings:

Bennett - Toronto - £3.5m 
Wisdom - Cardiff - £2m
Evans - Milwall - £1.2m
Carson - Huddersfield - £1.1m
Waghorn - Sunderland - £1m
Forsyth - Atlanta Utd - £975k
Roos - Vancouver - £575k
Malone - Swansea - £450k
Jozefozoon - Bristol Rovers - Loan
Shinnie - Portland Timbers - Loan
Whittaker - Oxford - Loan
Anya - Released
Huddlestone - Released
Martin - Released

I'm happy with how many I managed to ship out. I did offer Huddlestone and Martin new contracts at a significantly lower wage as back up options, but neither were interested. Huddlestone is still without a club, whilst Martin has joined Whittaker at newly promoted Oxford. Shinnie was the only unplanned exit at the start of the summer, when he complained to the pres that we couldn't agree a new contract however, it was time to get rid. I couldn't get anyone to take him permanently, so a season-long loan was the next best option. Overall, a solid chunk of money raised and strings loosened in the wage department.

I'm not normally one who enjoys an overhaul, more of a 2/3 signings kind of manager. I felt this Derby squad needed one however and I'm pleased with what I was managed to do:

Incomings:

Marco Sportiello - GK - Atalanta - £500k -  The problem position from last season has been filled by the 28 year old Italian. Looks solid all round and could be a steal at that price.
Darnell Fisher - RB - Preston - £650k - My first signing of the summer, the full back arrives from recently relegated Preston for small fee as back up to Bogle.
Luke Woolfenden - CB - Ipswich - £2.5m (Potentially rising to £5m). Our biggest outlay of the summer, I'm hoping the young CB can make the step up and make that right sided CB spot his own.
Max Kilman - CB - Free - Released from Wolves, this powerhouse was signed to partner Woolfenden, adding height, speed and power to a homegrown back four. 
Mike Te Wierik - CB - Free - Pre-arranged deal from Groingen. Comes in as 3rd choice CB.
Kevin N'Doram - CDM - Monaco - £1.8m - Brought in on deadline day to fill the gap left in the squad by Shinnie. Will compete with Bielik for the DM spot.
Luca Valzania - CM - Atalanta - £1.6m - Following the same path as Sportiello, Valzania was signed to boss the centre of the pitch. Possessing excellent mental and physical attributes, I feel he could potentially turn out to be the signing of the summer. 
Joel Valenica - AML/AMR - Brentford - £475k - At that price, I felt it was worth the risk bringing the tricky Ecuadorian up the M1 to Derby. 
Curtis Jones - AML/AMR - Liverpool - Loan - I don't normally do loans, but unable to find a wide player I was willing to shell out on, Jones was brought in from my beloved Liverpool to help with our creativity.

And that's that. I wouldn't say it's a 10/10 window, bu i'm actually very happy with the outcome. I spent a lot of time this weekend scouting for what I wanted. I did want another striker, with Marriott and Kopke the only natural options, but again, I didn't want to bring one in just for the sake of it when I couldn't find one I wanted. A loan signing in the next window is more likely. With £6m and £100k available in the transfer and wage budgets respectively, there's still plenty of room for us to work with.

As you'll see if you look at these players, I've massively improved the physical side of the squad. With us now possessing more pace, power and natural fitness, I expect us to not fall off the edge of the cliff like we did last season and to add more consistency to our game.

The aim is a top half finish for this season, with the visit of Reading to kick off the season. Wish me luck.

A great transfer window in my opinion. A very definite improvement in defence, with added competition across the board. Even before I saw you wrote it, I was thinking there is more strength and power in those players, the midfield also looks to be much better after those signings. The two wide players, I'm a bit meh about, but you will probably prove me wrong. Enjoy the next season, but don't worry if you lose the opener 

[Jogo Bonito]

5 hours ago, Impz82 said:

The first three months of 2022/2023 has gone by fast, and Derby County is now in the top echelons of the league, helped by a relatively benign schedule at the start. We started out with 5 straight wins, before a very angry 0-0 draw with Burnley. Burnley is turning out to be a real bogey team because I also stumbled last year against them. It's quite frustrating. Other than that blip, we had a 7 win streak in all competitions, before crashing down to a very embarrassing 1-2 loss at home against Aston Villa. A few more games in the Europa league (apparently, what I joined last year was the Europa Conference League, because after I include the real names fix, the Cups Winners' Cup got introduced) and I am now guaranteed first in my group.

With November and December looming, it's the January window again. One of my scouts alerted me to this goalkeeper a while ago but I never bothered because when I sent an offer, they wanted 150 mil (lol what). However, the difference now is that he requested to leave. He is very highly rated as he is already a wonderkid at 17 years old, and potentially can get him for around 12 million. One apparent weakness is his consistency, but I believe that it will improve with time. Another hesitation is that I do have Wulker Farinez who has entrenched himself as first team goalkeeper. He is more of a sweeper keeper which is the style I played. 

The new keeper must be a sure thing to be rated that highly at 17, but I wouldn't sign him. If you have a good number 1 (which you do) and a reliable English understudy in prime years (which you do), I just can't see why it would justify that kind of fee for a non-essential purchase.

[OJ403]

6 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

Marco Sportiello - GK - Atalanta - £500k -  The problem position from last season has been filled by the 28 year old Italian. Looks solid all round and could be a steal at that price.
Darnell Fisher - RB - Preston - £650k - My first signing of the summer, the full back arrives from recently relegated Preston for small fee as back up to Bogle.
Luke Woolfenden - CB - Ipswich - £2.5m (Potentially rising to £5m). Our biggest outlay of the summer, I'm hoping the young CB can make the step up and make that right sided CB spot his own.
Max Kilman - CB - Free - Released from Wolves, this powerhouse was signed to partner Woolfenden, adding height, speed and power to a homegrown back four. 
Mike Te Wierik - CB - Free - Pre-arranged deal from Groingen. Comes in as 3rd choice CB.
Kevin N'Doram - CDM - Monaco - £1.8m - Brought in on deadline day to fill the gap left in the squad by Shinnie. Will compete with Bielik for the DM spot.
Luca Valzania - CM - Atalanta - £1.6m - Following the same path as Sportiello, Valzania was signed to boss the centre of the pitch. Possessing excellent mental and physical attributes, I feel he could potentially turn out to be the signing of the summer. 
Joel Valenica - AML/AMR - Brentford - £475k - At that price, I felt it was worth the risk bringing the tricky Ecuadorian up the M1 to Derby. 
Curtis Jones - AML/AMR - Liverpool - Loan - I don't normally do loans, but unable to find a wide player I was willing to shell out on, Jones was brought in from my beloved Liverpool to help with our creativity

I'd say this is incredibly close to 10/10 myself! Especially cause most of these players I've either scouted or signed myself at some point - hopefully thats not a precursor for how long it'll take you to go up... My particular favourites of them in my save are Sportiello and Jones, two real high quality, potentially Premier League, players.

5 hours ago, Impz82 said:

 

However, so so tempting. He also has much higher potential...He is also considered to be a must buy. Arghhh. I might just overpay for him so that he can get a permit. It will also mean the end of Dean Henderson's future here in Derby.

Would you?

I'd echo what @Jogo Bonito said really - I probably wouldn't no. Henderson and Farinez should, and you say are, good enough. Another thing is Inan isn't consistent. I never said inconsistent players or ones who don't like big matches. Even if it can be corrected, I can never trust these players and if I can't trust them I don't want them. He's definitely good though, just not needed in my opinion

[smplfc123]

4 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

A great transfer window in my opinion. A very definite improvement in defence, with added competition across the board. Even before I saw you wrote it, I was thinking there is more strength and power in those players, the midfield also looks to be much better after those signings. The two wide players, I'm a bit meh about, but you will probably prove me wrong. Enjoy the next season, but don't worry if you lose the opener 

Thanks @Jogo Bonito I'd agree, attacking wise is where we probably didn't strengthen as well as i'd like, but i'm a stickler for not buying for the sake of it, so if a loan and a £425k signing don't work out then at least it's not too much lost. Also, with the defensive and midfield reinforcements, i'm hoping I can pick up more points from being more solid this season, time will tell I suppose  

3 hours ago, OJ403 said:

I'd say this is incredibly close to 10/10 myself! Especially cause most of these players I've either scouted or signed myself at some point - hopefully thats not a precursor for how long it'll take you to go up... My particular favourites of them in my save are Sportiello and Jones, two real high quality, potentially Premier League, players.

Thanks @OJ403 I've seen Jones excel on numerous threads in this forum, so tend to stay away from him as I like to go for less 'common' players. But as I mention above, I failed to really find the wide players I wanted to splash the cash on, so i'm hoping he can be as good for me as he seems to be for most. Sportiello I feel could really take us up the table, I really do think he's going to be a good 8-10 point advantage on Roos from last season.

It's taken me all of pre-season and about 3/4 of the opening games to finally nail down something close to the playing style I want. The early results show that and once the first month is over, I'll post the update.

The major concerns are that both Lowe and Bogle are starting to consider their position at the club, with both homegrown talents feeling they may need to move to a bigger club. I have them locked down for now and both signed new contracts last season, so I hold the cards in that aspect at least, but it could be a problem in the future.

Edited May 27, 2020 by smplfc123

[Stackalee]

9 hours ago, Impz82 said:

However, so so tempting. He also has much higher potential...He is also considered to be a must buy. Arghhh. I might just overpay for him so that he can get a permit. It will also mean the end of Dean Henderson's future here in Derby.

Would you?

I probably wouldn't, but only because I rarely bother with regens these days. I'm gonna buck general trend and advocate the signing though. Unless I'm misreading your updates your squad building doesn't seem to be about any sort of slow steady progression, it's about bringing in the most exciting young talents available to you. He looks incredible and fits with that policy better than your current options do. Given the crazy budgets I'm assuming the cash wouldn't hold you back in other areas.

[smplfc123]

AUGUST 2020

So with the transfers all done and dusted, it was time to get the new season started. Here's how the first month went:



We opened our account with a frustrating draw at home to Reading. We amassed 15 shots and 59% possession, but Max Lowe's misplaced back pass for Puscas to cancel out an early Tom Lawrence strike was enough for the visitors to take a point back to the Madejski. Rooney missed a pen on the hour mark.

We followed that up with our first away win. This is where I was still having trouble working out the difference between my overall philosophy and how I can tweak it to approach away/tough matches. At first it worked, 0-0 at HT and then 1-0 up when Lawrence struck early in the second half. However, an all too familiar quick collapse saw us concede 2 within the space of 8 minutes. On the plus side, we didn't completely collapse to 4-1/5-1 as we did on times last season and Hull are actually top, the only team to win 6 out of 6 in August.

The reserves/fringe players were played against Stoke, the less said the better.

I had a good think, took some time out and finally nailed down my style and tactics and we definitely benefited during the rest of the month. A 3-0 hammering of gobby Nigel Pearson's Owls was a joy to watch. We even had the luxury of missing another penalty (Marriott this time). Marriott did score from open play, with Lawrence adding to his seasons tally and N'doram with the 3rd. Cameron Dawson had a rating of 7.8 in goal for the visitors, which shows how dominant we were.

We followed that up with an away game that was surely going to test our mental and physical resolve, a trip to the den. We matched them physically and were unlucky not come away with all 3 points, but i'm happy with how we handled ourselves. I was even happier with the next away game, a trip to newly relegated Norwich. Yes they had lost Aarons and Godfrey for large amounts, but they still have the likes of Lewis, Pukki, Buendia and Cantwell and when new signing Ollie Norwood smashed one in from 25 yards on the 40 minute mark, I'd have bitten your hand off for us to snatch a point. We managed more than that. Forwards Kopke and Marriott combined to get a goal each and sent the travelling fans home ecstatic.

Could we follow that up with the tricky home game against Brentford, a team who always seem to do well on this years FM. Well we absolutely dominated them. Rooney came off the bench to make sure our domination finally paid off and I'm thrilled with how we've grown in to seeing games out.

Watford and Villa joinied Norwich in dropping down a division, whilst quite surprisingly, Oxford, Gillingham and Blackpool earned promotion from League 1. The Gills unfortunately look way out of their depth already.

I'm delighted with the start. Not just because we've won a few games, but I feel the squad is much better than this time last year, we've got a lot of wages off the books and I've finally started to piece together what it is I want from this team and how to get it. 

 

[Jogo Bonito]

17 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

AUGUST 2020

So with the transfers all done and dusted, it was time to get the new season started. Here's how the first month went:

I'm delighted with the start. Not just because we've won a few games, but I feel the squad is much better than this time last year, we've got a lot of wages off the books and I've finally started to piece together what it is I want from this team and how to get it. 

Things seem to be coming together, good work mate.

[warlock]

2 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

I've finally started to piece together what it is I want from this team and how to get it.

That's when a save starts to come alive, for me, so you're in a good place. Keep it up .

[Impz82]

@Jogo Bonito @OJ403 @Stackalee Thanks for the comments, deeply appreciate it.

I did put in a bid but in the end, I withdrew the bid. I think @Stackalee captured quite a bit of how I want to play FM 2020. It's definitely not slow steady progress but I believe it has to be realistic. Derby County is not going to win the league within 1-2 seasons after promotions. I mean, if I put my mind to it, and really abuse the ME, sure it's possible. But that is not fun because it's about the journey heh. My general football manager experience is quite simple:

- Buy good young-ish players cheap and sell them for profit to big clubs

- Play a pleasing attractive football and ensure good working conditions by not over-playing them (less injuries, more development, more $)

- Take advantage of a good deal, but not to the extent of squad harmony

Think the Ajax mode where the player is almost always available, only at what price. I know many play to be the very best, or use the current squad at the start to the maximum of their ability, but for mine, I do believe that it's almost impossible and it reduces the immersion level for me. If possible, i want to be how Monaco, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund is, a very good team but not top dog in the league.

With those principles, I decided that buying such a good goalkeeper is likely to change the dynamics way too much because Wuilker is more than sufficient for a top 4 challenging team. He's consistent, seldom makes glaring errors and is reliable. In addition, goalkeeper isn't my squad weakness, The goalkeeper is also inconsistent, which makes him extremely unreliable as a goalkeeper. A striker can somewhat afford to be inconsistent, but not a goalkeeper.

it's more left-back and central defence if I want to challenge for the title. It's just very hard to find a good quality left back, and I am expanding my search to left wingers or inverted wingers who are not more than 30 mil. Haha.  Let me try to find the next bargain. 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Impz82

[OJ403]

Sounds like a good decision in the end really. As much as he has going for him it was never really necessary, which is a shame to be fair. 

17 minutes ago, Impz82 said:

it's more left-back and central defence if I want to challenge for the title. It's just very hard to find a good quality left back, and I am expanding my search to left wingers or inverted wingers who are not more than 30 mil. Haha.  Let me try to find the next bargain. 

Full backs are something I struggle to find too. Wingers are a good option, I'd aslo recommend central midfielders too. A good box to box or mezzala with strong mentals should be more than competent. Depending on your Brexit, Argentina and Brazil are often where I get my full backs from long term. Fingers crossed you'll find your man

[Stackalee]

29 minutes ago, Impz82 said:

has to be realistic. Derby County is not going to win the league within 1-2 seasons after promotions. I mean, if I put my mind to it, and really abuse the ME, sure it's possible. But that is not fun because it's about the journey heh.

I mean, your squad is already better than the Leicester side that did this - so maybe don't rush to delete the save if you find yourself riding high! 

[smplfc123]

Thanks @Jogo Bonito and @warlock, really enjoying this save, probably more than any other I've had on FM20 so far. 

[Impz82]

15 hours ago, Stackalee said:

I mean, your squad is already better than the Leicester side that did this - so maybe don't rush to delete the save if you find yourself riding high! 

It will be at least two more seasons to play lol. C.league will be tough to win =). If i do win a c. League, then perhaps my work is done heh.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Impz82

[Impz82]

15 hours ago, OJ403 said:

Sounds like a good decision in the end really. As much as he has going for him it was never really necessary, which is a shame to be fair. 

Full backs are something I struggle to find too. Wingers are a good option, I'd aslo recommend central midfielders too. A good box to box or mezzala with strong mentals should be more than competent. Depending on your Brexit, Argentina and Brazil are often where I get my full backs from long term. Fingers crossed you'll find your man

ya. Honestly, in my 4th season, my first team defence is still made up of the key players in championship: jaygen boyle, blielik, von dronghelen and max lowe. They aint bad, but they are not exactly championship quality to be blunt.

Right back is starting to get replaced with my egypt regen who is doing good. Problem area is really left back so ya. I did buy a left back regen who is excellent mentally and defensive, but only 7-8 in the offensive area (i.e. dribbling, crossing). Depending on how much he develops, he can be better..

Edited May 29, 2020 by Impz82

[Impz82]

On 28/05/2020 at 18:17, Stackalee said:

I mean, your squad is already better than the Leicester side that did this - so maybe don't rush to delete the save if you find yourself riding high! 

And because I manage to save the money from the unnecessary purchase of the talented gk, I might have found my left full back of the future! A total cost of 22 mil for a 18 year old English footballer might be excessive (but hardly surprising), but I can afford it with 25 mil in the bank. It is also good that Fulham is in the Championship, which always makes things much easier to bargain. That said, what is with Fulham and their ability to churn out insane youth both in rl and in game?

He has a lot going for him. To start off, he has a hell ton of potential and he is definitely not a typical defensive midget with his jumping reach. I love the fact that he has crazy work rate, bravery, teamwork and positioning. Scout reports him to be a very consistent player, which is yet another plus.

Offensively he is not great and general physicals are not great. It is also not great that he is light hearted and only has 12 determination (can be fixed with mentoring I guess?). At least he has a lot of room to grow and he will be my backup. What I probably will sell off Toni Herrero who has not developed much and keep Max Lowe next season. Now this is imho money well spent on the next left back of England.

On the actual season, we are the frontrunners now, though I can never escape from the mighty Liverpool. They seemed to be outright OP with their players. Just got destroyed 1-6 by Liverpool, and it was so bad that the players refunded the ticket fees for the travelling fans.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Impz82

[Stackalee]

53 minutes ago, Impz82 said:

And because I manage to save the money from the unnecessary purchase of the talented gk, I might have found my left full back of the future!

My mistake!

On 27/05/2020 at 23:37, Stackalee said:

Given the crazy budgets I'm assuming the cash wouldn't hold you back in other areas.

 

[Impz82]

2 hours ago, Stackalee said:

My mistake!

 

I actually only had 24 million left, so I could really just afford one player @Stackalee. Its a good thing I waited.

[Stackalee]

Yeah, it just hadn't occurred to me that as I've had more money than I know what to do with in my Derby save. 

[OJ403]

3 hours ago, Impz82 said:

 

On the actual season, we are the frontrunners now, though I can never escape from the mighty Liverpool. They seemed to be outright OP with their players. Just got destroyed 1-6 by Liverpool, and it was so bad that the players refunded the ticket fees for the travelling fans

Well it was definitely a good call to not sign that goalkeeper! This lad looks like the future for sure. 

I'm yet to manage at the upper end of the Premier League yet this FM, but Manchester United and Liverpool do seem to be somewhat overpowered in this years game. Fingers crossed you'll be able to pull it off! Good luck

[OJ403]

I always post these updates after turning off for the night, either that night or the morning after, hence the lack of screenshots. I find it a really useful reflection tool and people's comments are like my backroom staff coming into my office after training. So without further ado...

So I played through September and up to the first international break of the season last night. We've now played the first 6 Premier League games and 2 in the EFL Cup. Somehow we're still undefeated in all competitions, with a 100% record in September, and sit 3rd in the league. Safe to say this wasn't the start I expected at all. I fully expect us to fall away to mid table, maybe even the 16th-12th as this is probably our ability anyway, however to start this well has given me confidence we'll avoid relegation.

We played and beat, with relative ease, Norwich, Reading and Wolves twice (once in the cup then immediately after in the league). The Wolves games were particularly pleasing as they're a side Id expect to finish as one of the "best of the rest" outside the top 6. We've drawn Manchester United in the next round of the EFL Cup, so I fully expect us to crash out there, and our next game in the league is Liverpool, so I expect the unbeaten run to come to and end there. However if the 1-1 against Manchester City on the opening day is anything to go by you never know.

Since my last update Louis Munteanu and Sean Longstaff, as well as Ruslan Malinovskyi who I didn't mention, have picked up form.

Longstaff's performance have picked up as he's gelled into the side and he's started getting assists, as well as lots of pre-assists which the game doesn't track.

Malinovskyi is now chipping in with goals and assists from AM-A in our 4411 as he did in the Championship.

Munteanu now has 5 goals from 8 games in all competitions so far, which I'm delighted with.

Outside of those players mentioned, Chris Smalling and Graeme Gebbie are forming a good partnership at the back, as the latter is adapting to the highest level he's played at. I'm really glad I opted not to splash out on a centre back and loan of Gebbie.

Ben Pearson is playing well in cover of Bielik, who's down with an ACL injury; Pearson's superior mobility has been really useful too. Interestingly Bielik's acceleration and agility have both gone up a point since his injury, which is very odd and something I can't make sense of - has this happened to anyone else?

Finally, Archie Brown has stepped up and starts as the IW-A on the left, scoring 7 in all competitions so far, such that he's our top scorer. He replaced Oliver Batista Meier early on, as he complained about a pay rise as I've mentioned before, and hasn't looked back. His attributes are still rising and my staff reckon he has the potential to be a good Premier League player one day, which I agree with.

On the injury front Jack Marriott went down for a month or so, however he's due back after the internationals so he only missed the one game against Wolves. However my squad is thin with the injuries piling up. Outside the match day 18 I only have two or three players, including two young players who'll neve make it here long term, with Ricardo Ferreira and Bielik long term absentees. In January I plan to get in some reinforcements, including cover in the right back department as Bogle is my only real option there. Fitness permitting one of Ferreira and Jon Stankovic will likely leave, as well as Batista Meier, who will then be replaced with someone to compete with Brown.

All in all I'm delighted with our start to the season, I know its early days but when you know you know. We've definitely got the quality to establish ourselves as a Premier League side with relative ease.

[Stackalee]

16 minutes ago, OJ403 said:

Interestingly Bielik's acceleration and agility have both gone up a point since his injury, which is very odd and something I can't make sense of - has this happened to anyone else?

Sorry if I'm being dense but by this do you mean they have risen while he is injured, or in the recovery period?

I've not had anybody gain physicals during injury that I'm aware of, but during recovery it seems common, especially with any attributes that were lost on the initial injury.

Glad to hear Pearson getting on well for you, always liked him as a player - even if he can be a bit naughty in the tackle (or maybe because of it).

In other news, I've just been told my fans are unhappy because of the sale of a player I've never heard of... Maybe I shouldn't be leaving my HoYD to his own devices.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Stackalee

[OJ403]

18 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Sorry if I'm being dense but by this do you mean they have risen while he is injured, or in the recovery period?

I do indeed. He went down in a game. I checked back on his profile a week or so later to send him on a leadership course (he's out for 6 months seems like an ideal time to do one) and both stats and gone up by one each. I've never seen it either and it really doesn't make sense. Especially given the context that he's done his ACL. Maybe its a bug, but I'm not complaining. Pearson's extra mobility has been really useful so hopefully Bielik will continue to improve and come back a new man, bug or not...

21 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

In other news, I've just been told my fans are unhappy because of the sale of a player I've never heard of... Maybe I shouldn't be leaving my HoYD to his own devices.

Haha, what do they know anyway? To be honest my fans and board talk rubbish about transfers. Apparently releasing Ebosele, who's not progressed at all even a tiny bit, is bad finances. As is Chris Smalling on a free apparently

[Stackalee]

I've looked in to it and honestly I think the fans are mad. The HoYD deserves a new contract for this. Signed the guy and flipped him for a 30m profit in a year without me even knowing about it.

Also I'm faced with something of a dilemma regarding Lowe...

[OJ403]

5 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

I've looked in to it and honestly I think the fans are mad. The HoYD deserves a new contract for this. Signed the guy and flipped him for a 30m profit in a year without me even knowing about it.

I tell you what I don't know what the fans are. Thats a brilliant deal!

6 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Also I'm faced with something of a dilemma regarding Lowe...

I'm a huge Lowe fan, both real life and FM, but thats almost impossible to turn down. However Sessegnon's defensive stats are abit of a concern for me, but this is coming from the guy who converted Matt Clarke into a left back so you can see what I value highest in my full backs! I'd be very tempted though

[Stackalee]

1 hour ago, OJ403 said:

However Sessegnon's defensive stats are abit of a concern for me, but this is coming from the guy who converted Matt Clarke into a left back so you can see what I value highest in my full backs! I'd be very tempted though

Hah, I'm kinda the opposite especially with my left back. Bogle at RB is already very defensive and I prefer to have one as a more attacking player.

Also my Derby side have become kind of a rehabilitation facility for English youngsters who got mistreated by the AI's horrible player development so he'd fit right in. The money on Lowe is good but I'm certainly under no pressure to sell, the club are £300m in the black currently. But, he's only really still around because he's part of the original squad, otherwise he'd have been shipped out a season or two ago.

[Impz82]

8 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Hah, I'm kinda the opposite especially with my left back. Bogle at RB is already very defensive and I prefer to have one as a more attacking player.

Also my Derby side have become kind of a rehabilitation facility for English youngsters who got mistreated by the AI's horrible player development so he'd fit right in. The money on Lowe is good but I'm certainly under no pressure to sell, the club are £300m in the black currently. But, he's only really still around because he's part of the original squad, otherwise he'd have been shipped out a season or two ago.

Honestly, I find Max Lowe much more reliable than Bogle at the full back area. Bogle has major issues with injuries on my save, and cannot get fit. I was so pissed off after his latest injury, I ship him off to another club on loan. He promptly got injured in that club too. Lowe on the other hand might stay quite a bit longer and might be one of two last survivors (Bielik being the other mainstay) from the original Derby team. Knight is really a bit part player in my squad now. I put him when there is some cup match.

Objectively, for that kind of money, I will sell if I can get a replacement easily. Now that Derby is a bit more established in my save, I am grabbing up all the English young players or English players that are kicked off for prettier foreign players.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Impz82

[OJ403]

27 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Hah, I'm kinda the opposite especially with my left back. Bogle at RB is already very defensive and I prefer to have one as a more attacking player.

I use Bogle as my more complete player, perhaps this is down to my real life experiences of the two players

28 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Also my Derby side have become kind of a rehabilitation facility for English youngsters who got mistreated by the AI's horrible player development so he'd fit right in. The money on Lowe is good but I'm certainly under no pressure to sell, the club are £300m in the black currently. But, he's only really still around because he's part of the original squad, otherwise he'd have been shipped out a season or two ago.

I find it really difficult to know what to do with players when sentimentality comes into it. Is he useful for his homegrown at the club status? If so that could be the deciding factor for me.

[Impz82]

We have hit squeaky bum time in March 2023 and surprisingly, Derby is still in 1st position, 3 ahead of Manchester United with United having a game in hand. I must say that my change to a 4-1-4-1 has paid dividends in general this season, especially because of my Tonali, Jude Bellingham and Camavinga trifecta midfield creating all sorts of havoc to premier league teams. While still prone to heavy defeats once in a while (the 1-6 defeat, arghhhhhhhhh!), I have been dishing out my own smackdowns to many other teams. The improvement is definitely away where I have played a more reactive game and it definitely pay dividends when top teams try to swarm me with possession, and I destroy them with lightning quick counters from the wings.

Some of the great wins since the turn of the year included a 7-0 hammering of Leicester at home, a 5-1 win against Norwich at home, a 4-0 win over Bradford away and the last game I played, an astounding 4-0 win against Liverpool at home. That, to me, was the most shocking result considering how my team got absolutely smashed in the away game. Not true in this game. We pinned them down from start to finish despite having less possession, had 4 goals from 4 different scorers, and we have 10 more games to go.

I still need United to lose some games as they have a much better goal differnce. It does not help that I still have tough games such as Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea to go, but it is a real chance to win the Premier League in the 4th season.

Even if it turns out that I cannot win the league, I will still consider this season to be a success because my purchases had been anchoring the great performances. Betinho, the regen, has been tearing the right wing a good one and giving me no reason to play Harry Wilson on the big games (Harry always seems to disappear in the big games). Muhammed Ali has developed to be the second best central defender in a single season. Camavinga, nuff said, that man is a beast. Kaio Jorge might not have scored many, but he has performed well in the big games and scored some important goals.

All in all, great progress and I look forward to the last 10 games of the season. Tottenham in the Europa quarter finals await us next.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Impz82

[smplfc123]

MID-SEASON UPDATE 2020/2021

 

So 6 months in to the 2nd season, here's how the table is looking:

So just like last season at the halfway point, I'm exactly where I wanted us to be. My aim for the season, having finished 16th last year, was to finish in the top half, with the realistic aim of being anywhere from 7th to 12th. We've improved dramatically in the defensive department, with only 5 teams having conceded less goals than us so far. Attacking wise we've suffered a little and I'm still struggling to find the right attacking formula. Better wide players (especially on the right hand side) are what needed to help with our attacking intent. 

5 players currently sit on an average rating over 7. 3 of those are Bielik, Woolfenden and Kilman. It's extremely pleasing that the 2 new home-grown centre halves have slotted in perfectly, with Bielik sitting just in front of them forming a solid trio.  The other 2 are Marriott, who has 10 goals in 21 games and Lawrence, who has 8 goals and 4 assists in 18 games.

We're too inconsistent to realistically challenge for those play-off spots and with the way we finished last season in the back of mind, I'm keen to just cement our top half finish, with anything on top of that a bonus.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, smplfc123 said:

MID-SEASON UPDATE 2020/2021

 

So 6 months in to the 2nd season, here's how the table is looking:

So just like last season at the halfway point, I'm exactly where I wanted us to be. My aim for the season, having finished 16th last year, was to finish in the top half, with the realistic aim of being anywhere from 7th to 12th. We've improved dramatically in the defensive department, with only 5 teams having conceded less goals than us so far. Attacking wise we've suffered a little and I'm still struggling to find the right attacking formula. Better wide players (especially on the right hand side) are what needed to help with our attacking intent. 

5 players currently sit on an average rating over 7. 3 of those are Bielik, Woolfenden and Kilman. It's extremely pleasing that the 2 new home-grown centre halves have slotted in perfectly, with Bielik sitting just in front of them forming a solid trio.  The other 2 are Marriott, who has 10 goals in 21 games and Lawrence, who has 8 goals and 4 assists in 18 games.

We're too inconsistent to realistically challenge for those play-off spots and with the way we finished last season in the back of mind, I'm keen to just cement our top half finish, with anything on top of that a bonus.

Going well there in the second season, good to see. As we discussed, it looked like your defence and central midfield were improved, and that seems to be the case. We also probably aren't surprised to see your wide attackers struggling a bit, but overall, very satisfying 

[Luke6]

@smplfc123 mate good going. You wanted realistic improvement you've certainly got it. You are in the mix for a play off place come the end of the season mind you. You shouldn't rule it out, but there is still a long long way to go. Look forward to your updates buddy, keep em coming! Hows the youngsters for contracts? Lowe and bogle seem to expect one every 6 months with me. I'm in my third season, theyve played genuinely around 90-95% of all my games but still only sit on the 3 star mark but still expect more! Cheeky b******s

[smplfc123]

17 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Going well there in the second season, good to see. As we discussed, it looked like your defence and central midfield were improved, and that seems to be the case. We also probably aren't surprised to see your wide attackers struggling a bit, but overall, very satisfying 

Cheers @Jogo Bonito Yes it's exactly how we suggested it might go. Lawrence is producing in fairness to him, but Valencia and the forever-injured Holmes aren't really offering anything down the right hand side. Hopefully I can bring someone in during the window. On a positive note, a nice turn in form from Pascal Kopke who initially struggled to settle has seen him net 8 goals in 11 starts. 

12 hours ago, Luke6 said:

@smplfc123 mate good going. You wanted realistic improvement you've certainly got it. You are in the mix for a play off place come the end of the season mind you. You shouldn't rule it out, but there is still a long long way to go. Look forward to your updates buddy, keep em coming! Hows the youngsters for contracts? Lowe and bogle seem to expect one every 6 months with me. I'm in my third season, theyve played genuinely around 90-95% of all my games but still only sit on the 3 star mark but still expect more! Cheeky b******s

Thanks @Luke6 Yeah I'm very pleased with the realism of the save. They both signed new contracts last season, but both are starting to think that they may need to move to a bigger club, so i'm fully expecting both to request a move if we don't somehow get promoted this season. Sibley hasn't really kicked on from his impressive form last season, whereas Knight has stepped up a little bit. 

[Luke6]

2 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

 

Thanks @Luke6 Yeah I'm very pleased with the realism of the save. They both signed new contracts last season, but both are starting to think that they may need to move to a bigger club, so i'm fully expecting both to request a move if we don't somehow get promoted this season. Sibley hasn't really kicked on from his impressive form last season, whereas Knight has stepped up a little bit. 

No worries, it's good to see a real hardworking genuine crack at this! Sibley I've sold this season to Fulham, he was saying he wants to be a star player or he will leave. See ya mate. Whittaker I do genuinely like, I feel he does a job when called upon. Just into my 3rd season, struggling a little now. Finished 16th in the prem, 5 points above the drop but believe it or not, I managed to stay up although we only amassed 31 points. The gap from 14th above was something else. I see a struggle this season aswell tbh but I cant knock myself for keeping the rams in the prem I guess! 

[smplfc123]

Yeah I'm really enjoying it. Whittaker is out on loan and starting games with fellow Championship side Oxford, which hopefully will benefit him in the long run.

Any sort of survival in the Prem is a great result mate, hopefully you can improve your points total and position from the previous season.

[JaytheGreat]

20/21 Summer Transfer Window 

 

Ins: 25.5 mil

1. GK Wiulker Farinez 3.5 mil - Millonarios 

2. CB Scott McKenna 11.75 mil - Aberdeen 

3. CM  Will Hughes 9 mil - Watford 

4. AMR Tahith Chong Loan - Man Utd

5. ST Troy Parrott Loan - Totthenham 

 

Outs: 110k

1. Curtis Davies 110k - Maccabi Tel Aviv 

 

Review:

Pretty happy with the summer transfer window as we picked up 4 starters and improved on all of our trouble areas. Looking back I should have waited a little longer to address CB as better options then McKenna became available, but I stand by my transfer and I think he'll do fine next to Bielik. Hughes is a good playmaker in the midfield. Farinez looks like he can be a stud GK and play between the posts for We are pretty deep at most positions except RB. I tried to sign Portugese RB Cedric on a free but he turned me down to play in Russia. Parrott will split time with Marrott and provide some goals. I have 18 mil in reserve for the Winter, I'm usually not very active during that window but maybe someone will catch my eye. Starting the season we are projected to finish last but we all have the same odds as Leeds, West Brom, Crystal Palace.