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

[Boca1973]

Final update on Season 20/21 which saw us promoted as champions on 100 points.

The loan signing of Brewster paid off in a huge way as his stats below will show. He was the divisions top scorer and the Championship player of the year.

I have a dilemma going into the new season because of the massive contributions of our loan players. Enquiries made to their clubs for permanent deals after the season revealed asking prices that are way beyond our budget despite receiving a considerable transfer kitty from the board (£35m). 

So a lot of holes to fill in a squad that will struggle for survival as it currently stands.

A busy summer awaits.....

 

 

[Ronaldinho Gaúcho 10]

@Boca1973 Wow Brewster blew up! Did you play one ST or two? Congrats on winning the league!

[Boca1973]

7 hours ago, Ronaldinho Gaúcho 10 said:

@Boca1973 Wow Brewster blew up! Did you play one ST or two? Congrats on winning the league!

Cheers.

Played Brewster up front on his own with two supporting wingers.

[Ronaldinho Gaúcho 10]

Season 1 Review: 2019/2020 

So how did we do? - well, .."not great, not terrible." We finished 4th and lost the play-off semi-final vs Reading 1-4 on aggregate. Really disappointed as I thought we'll be in the Prem next season but it just wasn't to be.

Overall performance: We did okay, we were mostly hovering around 5th - 1st place in the league, we had spells of greatness August - November and a period of struggle in December.

Some records: 
 

Spoiler

- Beat Forrest in the league 6-0! In a game where we thought we would struggle. Forrest had a really poor season and just about avoided the relegation zone.
- Lost 0-4 to Leeds away. That was a first real wake up call in our what seemed like a fairy tale start!
- Longest winning streak: 6
- Longest run unbeaten: 14
- Most matches without winning: 8
- Most matches without conceding: 7 
- Most goals in league: Marriott 11 
- Most goals overall : Marriott 14
- Highest average rating: James Garner (loanee) 7.38 (36 apps)
- Most clean sheets: Kelle Roos 27 overall
- Most Assists: Max Lowe 13 overall
- Most goals in a single match by a player: 3 Matt Clark (loanee)
 

I'll briefly rate some players, who played a significant part in our season:
 

Spoiler

Kelle Roos - GK - The Dutchman was my #1 choice all along. Impressed with his shot stopping and his passing was good too. 27 Clean sheets in 54 games. Sometimes he would get beat from strange angles though, will have competition next season for sure. 7/10
Max Lowe - LB - Clocked the most minutes out of all outfield players this season at 3,860. 13 Assists and 3 MoM awards to boot. 8/10
Jayden Bogle - RB - For the majority of our season he was the main attacking threat down the right flank. Averaged 3.13 dribbles per game and is solid defensively. Prem clubs keep sending in bids in for him, I keep rejecting. I also told him to sack his agent and he happily did so. Scored the goal of the season with a sublime volley from outside of the box vs Middlesbrough 8/10
Matt Clarke - CB/LB - Loanee - Star man, especially in the first half of the season, our rock at the back, he even scored a few headers, then he faded off, he played so much I had to rest him as he was jaded towards the end. Brighton wanted silly money for a loan extension so we will definitely miss him.  9/10
Krystian Bielik - CB/DM He did okay, his performances improved as season went on but Chumi came in on loan and stole the show. Krys is our best permanent CB currently, very good on the ball and can still improve.  6/10
Tom Lawrence - Winger/AMC - Tom stood out from the start but lacked final product. He was great at winning the ball back with 4 Tackles per game at 83% success rate. At 30k p/w he needs to raise his game next season to justify his salary. 6/10
Jairo - Winger - Signed from Hamburg for 1.3mil and he returned 9 goals and 12 assists with 4PoM awards. Not too shabby. 8/10
James Garner - DM/CM/CB - Loanee - Another Star man here. James was great at spraying the ball around the pitch from deep. Also useful in the air too. Championship Young Player of the Year, Derby fans Player of the Year and made the Championship Team of the Week 3 times. Is Only on 5k p/w and already agreed to stay on loan for the next season! 8/10
Graeme Shinnie - DM/CM/LB - A grafter and a valuable player in the team. Played more when we used 3 in the middle formations, but his drive and leadership is good for the team when he plays. Will offer him a new contract if he doesn't ask for silly money. 6/10
Jack Marriott - ST - A terrible blow in the beginning of the season when he got injured! He missed 22% of the season as he was out for 3 months in total. Only featured in 24 competitive matches but returned a respectable 14 goals. Hopefully next season he will avoid any long term injuries. 8/10
Wayne Rooney - ST/AMC/CM/DM - The big man is sitting on 50k +10k p/w if he plays and is on the decline, that's no secret. He's also a coach so he helps out with some of the coaching workload. Is also doing his team leader role fairly well. On the pitch his qualities do show, but often he would go missing in games and end up being subbed off. I'm thinking of playing him in an Enganche role next season, so hopefully he can make an impact there. Scored an acceptable 8 goals in 26 appearances. 6/10
 Angel Gomes - Winger/AMC - Loanee - Probably our player of the season in my eyes. He has made an impact in so many games it was a joy to watch. Skill, speed and vision allowed him to deliver 11 goals, 9 assists and 4 PoM awards in a campaign where he was mostly used as a super sub due to his fitness issues holding him back. Agreed to stay on loan next season. 9/10
Chumi - CB - Loanee -  The Spanish centre-back on loan from Barcelona only joined us in January but he has been a sensation since. Solid at the back, in 13 starts he chipped in 2 goals and averaged 7.52 rating in the few league games he played. 9/10

 

Quote

Aim for next season: Improve the squad and get promoted! 

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by Ronaldinho Gaúcho 10

[dido53]

hello to all ı was between leeds and derby but derby looks lıke a fun challenge also.Whats your advices for the beginning with them?ı plan gegenpress 4141 but ım open to any advice for tactics and transfers also 

[Stackalee]

@dido53 the Derby squad is pretty versatile, if you look through the thread you'll see people have approached it with success in a whole load of different ways which reflects this versatility - you can't really go wrong as long as you commit to a sensible strategy and build on it. Your 4141 gegenpress should certainly be doable with this squad.

Main things I'd say:

• Find a way to make use of your favourites among the youngsters early on and you'll be rewarded for it fairly quickly.
• Find a role you're happy with for Rooney first season (I would suggest something that involves more passing than running) and he will repay you. 
• Marriott is capable of really good performances, particularly if you can find a role that allows him to drift around looking for space while the team around him provide structure.

I know that's all quite vague but I think finding your own way is probably where the fun is found, especially given the variety seen in people's saves here.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Stackalee

[dido53]

9 dakika önce, Stackalee said:

@dido53 the Derby squad is pretty versatile, if you look through the thread you'll see people have approached it with success in a whole load of different ways which reflects this versatility - you can't really go wrong as long as you commit to a sensible strategy and build on it. Your 4141 gegenpress should certainly be doable with this squad.

Main things I'd say:

• Find a way to make use of your favourites among the youngsters early on and you'll be rewarded for it fairly quickly.
• Find a role you're happy with for Rooney first season (I would suggest something that involves more passing than running) and he will repay you. 
• Marriott is capable of really good performances, particularly if you can find a role that allows him to drift around looking for space while the team around him provide structure.

I know that's all quite vague but I think finding your own way is probably where the fun is found, especially given the variety seen in people's saves here.

Thanks mate it sounds tempting.i look for gegenpress but maybe adjust somethings.i will use rooney as advanved playmaker i want hım to run the offence by passing:)i m not sure about the youngsters yet

[OJ403]

I've been quiet on here lately, the return of football has cut into my game time significantly. I did get a session in yesterday but not enough for meaningful updates. Lets just say its not all good news anymore...

Firstly I'd like to congratulate everyone on good progress.

@Boca1973, congratulations on the title! Invest well and you should be able to stay up with ease.

I find it interesting how you got success in Brewster. I've had him as a super sub on loan twice and he scored about 3 goals in two seasons

 

@Ronaldinho Gaúcho 10, seems like you gave promotion a good go and were unlucky to fall short at the end. Ultimately its probably a fair reflection of the squad in the early seasons. Fingers crossed you'll make it next year!

I'm intrigued by Roos doing well for you, he's always been a liability for me (both in game and real life) making costly mistakes in big moments. Did you encounter such issues?

And how are you playing Rooney? I for one have enjoyed him receiving the ball deep and floating around in free-er role (e.g. AP-A for me and the various DM strata playmakers for others). Its also worth pointing out that his full wage is paid by sponsors, so in terms of your wage budget he's essentially free.

Finally, I see in your season review screenshot you played a 442. Was this your main system, if so how did you set up? I'm only asking as I also played a 442 for the most part of the save so it'd be interesting to see how we set up differently and similarly.

 

14 hours ago, dido53 said:

hello to all ı was between leeds and derby but derby looks lıke a fun challenge also.Whats your advices for the beginning with them?ı plan gegenpress 4141 but ım open to any advice for tactics and transfers also 

Firstly good choice not going for Leeds... who even likes Leeds? 😂

I think @Stackalee has hit the nail on the head really with everything he's said. I'm not entirely sure we're suited to a full on gegenpress, I'm not sure the midfield are mobile and youthful enough, unless of course you play the kids like many others have. 

I'd say the stand out youngsters throughout the saves in here have been Jason Knight, Louis Sibley, Jayden Bogle, Max Lowe, Morgan Whittaker and Archie Brown. They've not all excelled for all of us so its important that you use your own judgement of ability and potential and stick with it.

Signings wise, I'd recommend going through the thread as a whole and reading people's early season posts. I believe at some point @Stuniverse summarised some key signings that people have made early on so it could be worth finding that post. A lot of it comes down to your opinion, for example I didn't rate Bielik as a centre back due to his mobility, so I signed some instead and played him in midfield; others have done the opposite so it really comes down to your opinion of the squad.

Good luck and keep us posted, if you have any further questions then ask away

[dido53]

6 dakika önce, OJ403 said:

Firstly good choice not going for Leeds... who even likes Leeds?

haha  derby team looks fıne ı dont understand why they expected to finish low ın game.we started out fıne but all of you saıd gegenpress ıs not suıted for derby so maybe control possesıon with tweaks.Team definately needs a gk.ı loaned reis nelson for right wing

[dido53]

İ have a question or critic about the game i started with derby but i realized lately whatever tactic u choose or make team doesnt play like you asked.its just the game decide to do whatever and do it do u feel like too?

[Boca1973]

On 24/06/2020 at 12:25, OJ403 said:

 

@Boca1973, congratulations on the title! Invest well and you should be able to stay up with ease.

I find it interesting how you got success in Brewster. I've had him as a super sub on loan twice and he scored about 3 goals in two seasons

Thanks @OJ403 Brewster was sensational as a pressing forward with two supporting wingers last season. He was so good that I loaned him again for the Premier League campaign. 5 games in to the new season and he's already scored 3 goals.

On the new season I went a bit mad after getting a considerable transfer budget so there was a high turnover of players in the summer. 

We've had a nice start to the season (albeit with a friendly schedule). Some screen grabs below -

 

 

[Stuniverse]

3 hours ago, dido53 said:

İ have a question or critic about the game i started with derby but i realized lately whatever tactic u choose or make team doesnt play like you asked.its just the game decide to do whatever and do it do u feel like too?

No, I’ve not felt like that at all.

I think you’ll get a better response to this question if you raise it on the a General Discussion thread as, like you say, this is more about the game than Derby itself.

https://community.sigames.com/forum/25-football-manager-general-discussion/

Edited June 25, 2020 by Stuniverse

[dido53]

3 saat önce, Stuniverse said:

No, I’ve not felt like that at all.

I think you’ll get a better response to this question if you raise it on the a General Discussion thread as, like you say, this is more about the game than Derby itself.

https://community.sigames.com/forum/25-football-manager-general-discussion/

No problem i just wondered.but i wish i read your thread before derby has lots of potential and already a good team hope it will be fun save it started that way

[Gungner]

So with the latest update, who would be good signings for Derby at the beginning of a new save?

Is Batista Meier and Isaac Success still viable options on loan?

Edited July 2, 2020 by Gungner

[OJ403]

4 hours ago, Gungner said:

So with the latest update, who would be good signings for Derby at the beginning of a new save?

Is Batista Meier and Isaac Success still viable options on loan?

Being as in real life the only player who joined us in the January window was Wayne Rooney, much of the same signings are still good options depending on their own availability. I don't believe we had too many attribute changes as we hit form and introduced the youth after the update was released, but I could be wrong. So I see no reason why Batista Meier and Isaac Success wouldn't be viable signings provided they're available to you

[Gungner]

On 02/07/2020 at 12:26, OJ403 said:

Being as in real life the only player who joined us in the January window was Wayne Rooney, much of the same signings are still good options depending on their own availability. I don't believe we had too many attribute changes as we hit form and introduced the youth after the update was released, but I could be wrong. So I see no reason why Batista Meier and Isaac Success wouldn't be viable signings provided they're available to you

Well... Watford wants me to pay 100% of Success' wages, which I cannot afford. Too bad.

Bayern refuses to loan out Batista Meier. Too bad. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Gungner

[Stuniverse]

FM21 research starts now...
I don’t want to hijack this thread from discussing managing Derby County on FM20, but the research cycle has now started for the database changes for FM21 so if anybody has any thoughts on Derby County changes you’d like to see in FM21 please feel free to send me a direct / personal message.

Many thanks in advance.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Stuniverse

[WillHoward42]

So I started a Derby save two weeks ago (I am now five seasons deep). I have never managed The Rams before and was attracted to the prospect of managing Rooney (who I believe was still good enough for the PL). I will post screenshots when I am home from work of transfers and progress etc.

Off the top of my head (as I am still at work), I will try to update from what I can remember!

I disabled the first window as I feel this adds more realism to the save when starting a new career. I had my experience to Sunday league also (first time I have done this) so I was worried if we got off to a bad start. I downloaded a tactic (as this side of the game doesn't interest me, I enjoy squad building) and I use Instant Results (again, more interested in developing players and building a squad). For the life of me cannot remember if I made any transfers in January for the promotion push. I will check the details later on and update in here.

Season 01 - Championship (Winners)

Season 02 - Premiership (Mid-table)

Season 03 - Premiership (3rd)

Season 04 - Premiership (5th)

Season 05 - Premiership (2nd)

Currently in season 06. We should have won the league last season looking back on it, but still very happy with the progress we have made. We have made some absolutely insane transfers, I will note all 'big' players I have signed have all been transfer listed which I have taken advantage of.

Again, I will post up transfer history for each season later on, but off the top of my head, here are the bigger signings I have made over the years

Fabio Silva, Esposito, Pulisic, Maximin, Bellingham, Eric Garcia, Wan-Bissaka, Tarkowski.

I also have a newgen from the first season, who even now is 4 star CA and 5 star PA. Was also labelled a wonder kid. Very excited to continue developing him and I genuinely see myself staying with this career until he retires. Originally a RB turned into a LB due to the arrival of Wan-Bissaka.

Also, Archie Brown... anyone used/developed him much? I have only kept him around as a fringe player, but he is now worth over £16m. I had an offer of £30m + 50% of next transfer fee (I accepted, but he turned down the contract) Was shocked when I was able to negotiate this offer. He looks bang average to me.

Alluding more to the newgen, Derby are consistently producing decent newgens. Only this wonder kid is a regular starter, but I have two more as fringe players and a few on loan who should make the first team in the future. Also had plenty who have been sold for money+ 50% next transfer fee. Never had such a conveyor belt of talent that regularly get bids on (I never offer them out) Had one 16 year old I sold for at least 8m + 50% transfer fee. Couldn't believe what I was seeing!

But yeah, I have had a lot of fun with this save and it is still exciting to continue playing!

I will continue to update my progress in here too 

[Stuniverse]

Thanks for the update, @WillHoward42. Glad you are having so much fun on your Derby save. Please do keep us posted.

How did Rooney do for you, out of interest? As you are six seasons in, I assume he’s no longer playing...

Edited July 16, 2020 by Stuniverse

[WillHoward42]

18 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Thanks for the update, @WillHoward42. Glad you are having so much fun on your Derby save. Please do keep us posted.

How did Rooney do for you, out of interest? As you are six seasons in, I assume he’s no longer playing...

Rooney was sensational for two seasons tbf to him. Was definitely a step above the championship in my first season, played him in midfield and he assisted so many. Was good enough for my first season in the prem too. But he deteriorated quite soon after that. Think he retired after that.

[Synx]

Just found this topic and as I started a save with derby I thought i might as well post my progress. I'm not a derby fan (not even from England), but I just saw they had a fair amount of young talent and Wayne Rooney which seemed like a good overall squad to begin with.

The first season

I have read some other people opinions on the initial squad that it's a mixed bunch, but I thought the base squad wasn't bad at all; decent amount of good players, hot prospects, and with a fair amount of transfer budget and wage budget left to strenghten some areas. I would say there where a fair amount of older players getting payed way to much for their quality, which was one of the first points I wanted to focus on. I immediately put the players I thought wherent worth their wage on the transfer list, which where Curtis Davies, Martyn Waghorn, Ikechi Anya and Scott Malone. Some of them might have been use to us, but I prefered to give a youngster a chance in the main squade then continue paying their inflated saleries.

That leads to mys second point: Giving all the new exciting youngsters a chance. I promoted Louie Sibley, Morgen Whittaker, Max bird, and Lee Buchanan to the main squade at the start of the league with the intentian to give them all a fair amount of playtime.

After that it was time to dive into the transfer market to strenghten some areas. As I thought the starting 11 was alright for the tactic i had chosen, I focused more on bringing aditional young players to the squad and develop them during the year, then bringing established players. I landed on these transfers (Pictures are from 1.5 season in as I didnt knew about this topic at the start :/). 

Ivan martinez from Iruna for £3.9m. A high potential GK, not far from first team quality when I picked him up.

Spoiler

Rober from Real Betis for £1.1m. A high potenential and fast dribbling winger.

Spoiler

Oumar Solet from Lyon for £4.9M. A young DC player ready for the first time when I signed him with still a lot of potential left.

Spoiler

And Neraysho Kasanwirjo from Ajax for £6.25M. I kinda feel tricked by my scouts as they said he had the potential to be a leading premier league player in the future, but some of his stats are a bit wierd for a central defender (He has 15 crossing for some reason).

Spoiler

And loanded Cyrus Christie from fulham since all the RB players where injured at the start of the season. In hindsight I should have looked for somebody ells as he came with the personal trait 'Cut in from both wings' which made him not the ideal canditate as a wingback RB.

For tactic I went for a 4-1-4-1 tactic using Wayne Rooney as a Regista in the DM position, as its a high influenance position that doesn't really require any mayor physical traits. Perfect for an elite older player with stats for above championship level outside of its physical atributes.

The first half of my first season went extremely well and much better then I expected. Wayne Rooney was a complete monster in its Regista role earning POM's in almost half the matches played. That together with Jason knight being solid in the midfield, and Jack Harriot scoring left and right we were at the top of the league 10 points ahead of the number 2 fullham. Especially the start of the league went really well with a 20 unbeaten record; 15 wins and 5 draws. We had a bit of a dip in december getting knocked out by Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, receaving our first loss this season by Wigan, and drawing the majority of the matches that month.

 

[Synx]

I wasn't planning on doing anything in the winter transfer budget, as I was pretty happy with the team at this moment and I didnt really had any funds or wagebudget left anyway, but the game had different plans. Newcastle put in a bit for Max Lowe which made him unhappy when i rejected it initially. With the team supporting Max Lowe i was kinda forced to accept the second bid they put in; he was gone to Newcastle for £15M. Tom Lawrence also got injured for 2 months (not that he was particulary playing well) and with all the other players in his role being underwelming as well, I had to look for a short team replacement for him as well. And Kelle Roos left for Vancouver, but he didnt really saw any playtime anyway,

Gladly Lee Buchanan was doing fine in the games he played so he got promoted to my starting DL. As backup/rotation I signed James Justin from Leicester on loan. And as replacement for Tom Lawrence i signed Angel Gomes on loan from Man United.

With some money in my transfer budget I started to look for a replacement for Wayne Rooney in the long run. He was doing extremely well but his age is catching up as he started to dwimble a bit. I landed on Andrea Ghion from Sassuolo. While nothing spectacular he has the right stats for a Regista and showes a lot of potential. He unfortonutly not play for us till the summer transfer, but i locked him down anyway.

Spoiler

The rest of the first season went ahead as planned. We stayed ahead of the competition with roughly a 10 point lead, and finished the league as first on a nice 101 points. Wayne Rooney picked up highest average rating player of the league (7.88), the player with the most POMs, and the Championship player of the year. Jack marriot ended as our topscorer with a nice 21 goals over the season.

As for the youngesters it was a hit or miss. Of the initial Derby youngsters Lee Buchanan, Louie Sibley, and Max bird all played fine and had their moment, and all developed decently. Morgen Whittaker had a couple good games, but was overall mediocore at best. His development was far behind the others as well. For the signed players Rober was the same as Morgen Whittaker qua quality, but developed a lot better. Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Oumar Solet, and Ivan martinez  all played well and developed welll, with the latter two being my starting DC and GK for the second half of the season.

The rest of the Derby squad played fine overall. Tom Lawrence was properly the worst of the bunch but even him had his moments. Wayne Rooney, Jason Knight and Jack harriot continued their fine run with Graeme Shinnie and Krystian Bielik stepping up to their level somewhat in the second half of the season as well.

With the premier league came a nice wage budget and transfer budget (compared to the championship that is). I had roughly £250k wages to spend and a nice budget of almost £40m (with some left form the Maw Lowe sell in the winter window). Most older players i put on the transfer list in the first season left as their contract runned out, which included Tom Huddlestone. He played decently in the matches he was in, but he wasnt worth his wage in my opinion.

Then it was shopping time :). My main focus on the attacking side as besides Jason Knight I lacked good performing people in the ST, AML and AMR positions. Besides that I wanted a new GK as while Ivan martinez was fine for a championship team he wasnt ready to be my main GK in the premier league. Same for RB with Lee Buchanan. Lastly if I had the funds left a replacement/rotational player for Rooney. While he was exceptional in the championship he was already degrading at the end of the season, and I wasn't sure he would be able to keep up for another season in a much harder league. Gladly I found this topic and I signed some players others have mentioned before: Wuilker Fariñez as GK for just £1.7m. A complete steal as he was already rated as a good premier league player. And Marco Kana for £20M from RSC Anderlecht as rotational for Rooney while at the same time being a nice rotational player for my DC as the DC we had on lone (forgot his name) got injured for 6 months at the end of the season so wasn't really an option to make his loan permanent.

Marco Kana

Spoiler

With Marco Kana taken half my wage budget finding players for my front was a bit of a challenge. For the AML/AMR position I ended up loaning Angel Gomez for a second season, and as well loaned Carlez Perez from Barcelona, a very fast dribbling player with decent finishing. And with an optional buyout at the end of the season of £19m.

 

Spoiler

The ST was an whole different program. The first player I went for, Arthur Cabral, would have been a complete steal for £3M for his quality, but unfortuntly his work permit was denied. My second choice as a loan target Troy Parrot chose As Saint-Etienne over us. In a desperate move I just offered a loan for the currently best Dutch striker Prospect (I'm dutch myself), Joshua Zirekzee, from Bayern Munchen, and they accepted. Best part? The £20m optional buyout fee at the end of the season. One i already know I will trigger.

Spoiler

After that it was time for my second season and Derbies first in the Premier League. WIth a prediction of 18th my goal is to stay outside of the regulation zone. 13 Games in and we have completely shot over that goal. We are currently 4th with 25 points, 5 points above the number 1 Man United and Liverpool, with 7 wins, 4 draw, and 2 loses so far. Got knocked out by Leicester in the Caraboa Cup in our first  Cup game, but its not the end of the world. In the league we actually FMED the crap out of Man City in our first game (won 3-2 with a nice 6 shots total vs their 23), and managed to draw against other giants like Chelsea and Arsenal so far. Lost against Leicester (played them twice in a row with the Cup game, lost both times) and Man United so far. In our last game against Liverpool Joshua Zirkzee, who was being mediocore so far, was done being mediocore and just scored a hattrick, making us win that game 3-0. Most other games have ended in small wins or draws, with the exception of Newcastle away which we completely smashes 5-1 (and gotten revenge from stealing Max Lowe :p).

Really looking forward to continue this save, wondering how many season it will take for us to win the Premier league and/or the Champions League.

[Stuniverse]

Welcome, @Synx and thanks for sharing.

On 30/07/2020 at 18:54, Synx said:

I would say there where a fair amount of older players getting payed way to much for their quality, which was one of the first points I wanted to focus on. I immediately put the players I thought wherent worth their wage on the transfer list, which where Curtis Davies, Martyn Waghorn, Ikechi Anya and Scott Malone. Some of them might have been use to us, but I prefered to give a youngster a chance in the main squade then continue paying their inflated saleries.

With the exception of Martyn Waghorn, I’d agree with you. I’d also throw Tom Huddlestone into that overpaid senior player mix as well.

On 30/07/2020 at 18:54, Synx said:

That leads to mys second point: Giving all the new exciting youngsters a chance. I promoted Louie Sibley, Morgen Whittaker, Max bird, and Lee Buchanan to the main squade at the start of the league with the intentian to give them all a fair amount of playtime.

Definitely the ones to go for plus Jason Knight, Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe, who should all start game in the first-team squad.

On 30/07/2020 at 18:54, Synx said:

As I thought the starting 11 was alright for the tactic i had chosen

On 30/07/2020 at 18:54, Synx said:

For tactic I went for a 4-1-4-1 tactic using Wayne Rooney as a Regista in the DM position, as its a high influenance position that doesn't really require any mayor physical traits. Perfect for an elite older player with stats for above championship level outside of its physical atributes.

On 30/07/2020 at 18:54, Synx said:

And loanded Cyrus Christie from fulham since all the RB players where injured at the start of the season. In hindsight I should have looked for somebody ells as he came with the personal trait 'Cut in from both wings' which made him not the ideal canditate as a wingback RB.

Some great pick-ups there.

Yes, having Bogle and Andre Wisdom injured are the start of the season is far from ideal. In real-life, Phillip Cocu used left-back Max Lowe as right-back. In FM20, I know of quite a few people who went for Christie, a former Derby County player, usually on loan as a short-term solution until the injured players were back.

How did Wayne Rooney perform?

On 30/07/2020 at 18:54, Synx said:

The first half of my first season went extremely well and much better then I expected. Wayne Rooney was a complete monster in its Regista role earning POM's in almost half the matches played. That together with Jason knight being solid in the midfield, and Jack Harriot scoring left and right we were at the top of the league 10 points ahead of the number 2 fullham. Especially the start of the league went really well with a 20 unbeaten record; 15 wins and 5 draws. We had a bit of a dip in december getting knocked out by Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, receaving our first loss this season by Wigan, and drawing the majority of the matches that month.

Great stuff. Congratulations.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Synx]

On 01/08/2020 at 13:08, Stuniverse said:

With the exception of Martyn Waghorn, I’d agree with you. I’d also throw Tom Huddlestone into that overpaid senior player mix as well.

Ow yeah for sure. I kept Tom Huddlestone around for 1 season as he was at a good level for the team, and was one of the only players that could play as a regista instead of Wayne Rooney. His contract ended after a year and I just let him go. Martyn Waghorn was more in a wierd situation where I didnt know what to do with him. He is fairly old, and while overal has decent stats he just wasnt anything spectacular. With Jack Mariot being an absolute beast in the pre-season (and reading through some of the other peoples post this is quite normal for him) he was my starting ST. Wanted to give the loany guy some fair changes as well to see if he is doing well to make his stay permanent.

On 01/08/2020 at 13:08, Stuniverse said:

Definitely the ones to go for plus Jason Knight, Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe, who should all start game in the first-team squad.

Ow they were already in the starting 11. Lost Max Lowe to Newcastle during the winter break unfortontly but both Jason Knight and Jayen Bogle are still going strong. Jason Knight is actually labaled a wonderkid in my save and is doing absolutely amazing so far.

On 01/08/2020 at 13:08, Stuniverse said:

How did Wayne Rooney perform?

He was amazing during the first season, and did alright in my second season (in the premier league). With his great stats and his regista role he could easily control games in the Championship, ended the season with an average rating of 7.8ish and was actually championship player of the year. In the premier league he started alright but his age just catched up to quickly after the winter transfer. He retired after the second season, which I didnt mind really, as he was still the highest payed player in my squad while sitting on the bank for the last couple months.

 

Anyway an update: Finished the second season somehow managed to get 7th securing Europe league football. Jack Marriot teared it up the second half of the season after coming back from a 2 month injury, scoring 3 hattricks in 3 games. His value skyrocketed as well to 37m. Man united is interested in him, but hopefully giving him a new contract might persue him to stay if Man United throw in a bid. For the other starting Derby players Jayden Bogle, Jason Knight, Krystian Bielik, and Graeme Shinnie are still in the main squad, with the latter two being more rotational players then starting as much games as possible. From the Youngsters most have been a bit dissapointing in their development. Only Lee Buchanan and Louie Sibley are still here as backup/rotational players. They aren't on the same level as the main team but still has a decent amount of potential left in them. Morgan whittaker and Archie Brown are both coming back from loan but I highly doubt they will see much play in the main squad, and both might just go another year on loan. Tom Lawrence is still around as well and while he was pretty bad in the Championsship, he has been pretty decent in the premier league. I will properly keep him for another season as a backup player. All the other derby players all have left, most of them runned out their contract.

For the new signings after two seasons both Joshua Zirkzee and Carlez perez are signed after a succesfull loan. I further increased my squad with Yari Verschaeren from RSC Anderlecht who was transfer listed by request, and Sergino Dest from Ajax who was also transfer listed by request. Mike te Wierik has been a very annoying and nagging player (asked for more playing time, started him for 90% of the games in the next 2 months wasn't enough) and kinda want to get rid of him. He is a pretty good backup with a low wage, but I just dont want him really :p. I got a bit of wage and transfer budget left to most likely look for one or two loan players in some of the areas that could use some more depth (Defense mainly), but hopefully if none of my players gets snatched up (and demanding to leave) I shouldnt see much action for the rest of this transfer window.

[onionbag]

I skipped over FM 2019 but decided to give 2020 a shot when it went on sale on Steam a couple weeks ago. I usually start lower leagues, but this time I decided to start in the Championship. Ran the rule over the choices, and chose Derby County due to what seemed a healthy financial situation -- good bank balance, no loans and good facilities. Having Rooney was a plus, good on a dead ball, penalties, but not really a decisive factor. He retired after second season.

So far it's gone well. Was predicted 14th first season, finished 8th, just three points off the playoffs. Won the league second season, and now am a couple games in to the first Premier League campaign. Started at Old Trafford, and 10-man United was up 3-1 but Derby scored in the 87th and 90th minutes to snatch a morale-boosting draw. Beat West Ham 2-0 in the second week on two headers by Troy Parrot, in each case they were long throws which the keeper failed to reach and the ball looped over him in to the net. Carbon copies. So off to a good start, but just looking to stay up.

Haven't been too active in bringing players in, but a notable signing was winger Sebastian Kerk from Osnabrück on a free for season two, and he went on to be named player of the year, can play on either wing. Another good signing was center back Elio Capradossi from Spezia. Loans have been key. Loaned Troy Parrot second season and his goals sent us up. He had such a fine time he was very eager for a repeat and now is leading the line in the Premier League, again on loan. Dean Henderson was signed on loan to tend the sticks through our title-winning campaign. Good signing. Bought Jack Butland for 3 million once we had the league wrapped up. Good one v ones and reflexes. Should be good enough to keep us up, or if not, I don't think it will be because of him. Another good loan signing was Hiroki Abe from Barca in season two.

Parrot is paired with new-arrival Adam Idah from Norwich, who lit it up in pre-season. Pacey, tall, a good signing so far. I feel I need to strengthen all over the pitch, but have enough now to stay up. I've been quite frugal, spending little, and that should give the club a good base to go big if we survive to a second season in the top-flight. Turned a transfer profit in the first two seasons and won the league on the 15th-highest wage bill. Was handed a 29 mil war chest for the PL, but only spent a net of 8 mil so far (window's still open).

We'll see how we push on from here, but having a good time with Derby County so far.

 

Edit:Sebastian Kerk was actually signed from FC Nürnberg, not Osnabrück.

Edited August 29, 2020 by onionbag

[smplfc123]

Hi guys,

With multiple challenges attempted and countries managed in, I've decided that with FM20 starting to draw to a close, I'm going back to my most enjoyable save this year. I've returned to Pride Park.

My previous save there began with a solid start initially, but a miserable end to our first season saw us end up 16th. However, a fine second half to season 2 saw us finish 4th, where we agonisingly lost to Watford at Wembley. The third season started well, but an enforced break from FM meant that upon my return, I had lost the spirit of the save.

For those that have painfully read some of my game updates in the past, I'm very much a pragmatist in terms of approaching saves. I don't like to overachieve too much, I like the save to be as realistic as possible, with transfers turned off for the first window and my starting reputation set as low.

This time around, I plan on trying to develop the youngsters as much as I can. The aim for the first season is to avoid a relegation battle whilst handing out plenty of appearances to the likes of Whittaker, Bird, Sibley, Knight, Bogle, Lowe etc. Really excited to get stuck back in to The Rams.

[Stuniverse]

3 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

With multiple challenges attempted and countries managed in, I've decided that with FM20 starting to draw to a close, I'm going back to my most enjoyable save this year. I've returned to Pride Park.

Welcome back to Pride Park, @smplfc123.

5 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

My previous save there began with a solid start initially, but a miserable end to our first season saw us end up 16th. However, a fine second half to season 2 saw us finish 4th, where we agonisingly lost to Watford at Wembley. The third season started well, but an enforced break from FM meant that upon my return, I had lost the spirit of the save.

That sounds like typical Derby County to be honest 🐏 and yes, I find an enforced break can do that when you lose momentum / enthusiasm.

6 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

For those that have painfully read some of my game updates in the past, I'm very much a pragmatist in terms of approaching saves. I don't like to overachieve too much, I like the save to be as realistic as possible, with transfers turned off for the first window and my starting reputation set as low.

I like the realism too, in fact I struggle to do long-term Derby saves because as a life-long supporter I lose interest once my FM Derby team / squad has too many changes of personnel.

8 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

This time around, I plan on trying to develop the youngsters as much as I can. The aim for the first season is to avoid a relegation battle whilst handing out plenty of appearances to the likes of Whittaker, Bird, Sibley, Knight, Bogle, Lowe etc. Really excited to get stuck back in to The Rams.

That sounds like a great approach and is definitely the way the club are going in real life (as an aside, I’m really looking forward to FM21 in that respect because those youngsters you mention will have benefitted from a season in and around the first-team and the next batch of youngsters will be in a better position to attempt to follow in their footsteps).

Good luck 🍀 and please do keep us updated with how you get on...

[onionbag]

1 hour ago, smplfc123 said:

 the likes of Whittaker, Bird, Sibley, Knight, Bogle, Lowe etc. Really excited to get stuck back in to The Rams.

I wanted to do the same, but, if you get promoted, some of these are just not good enough for me. Depends on how they develop from save to save I reckon, but for me Whittaker, Sibley and Bird are not up to snuff.  Of those only Whittaker has been sold, now in season three (first in PL). Bird is a useful sub, but not really Premier League quality. Bogle and Knight though are proper top-flight players for me. Lowe makes a good second-choice at left back.

Our first season in the top-flight is in the books, and Derby County finished sixth. Won the league cup over Arsenal, even though the Gunners dominated the match. Got a number of favorable draws, avoiding the giants who fell while I beat up on lower league teams. A perfect storm. New-boy Adam Idah was a machine, 26 league goals and 33 in all comps to grab the boot. He even missed four weeks through injury in the run-in.

Had just two loans, our second season with Troy Parrot who bagged around 15 and also loaned Moussa Wagué from Barca for 100% wages. A right stormer he is. Notched five goals from left back, even though he is a right back really, but this let me play him and Bogle as first choice. I love players who can play on both sides of the formation.

Now on to our second PL season, with European commitments. Having trouble bringing in the sort of quality and depth we'll need to fight on all fronts. Brought in promising goalkeeper Ignacio "Iñaki" Peña on a free from Barca, and managed to get midfielder Carles Aleñá from Barca as well, first season loan at 100% wages with a mandatory buy for 10 million! He has a 60 mil release clause so Barca must really have wanted to see him go. That's a steal for a great player. I still need striker depth with Spurs looking to give Parrot a shot in the first team.  The back four are sorted and central midfield too. It's on the wings where I need to strengthen. Looking for proper PL quality on the wings.

Financially it was a huge success. Derby had by far the lowest wage bill in the league. About 2/3 through the season a message popped in the in-box listing the profit rankings of all sides in the league and Derby topped it with nearly 70 million to date. Bank balance went from 30 mil to 100 mil when all was said and done, after the taxes were paid. Got a war chest of 53 mil for season four (second in the PL).

 

[smplfc123]

3 hours ago, onionbag said:

I wanted to do the same, but, if you get promoted, some of these are just not good enough for me.

This may sound backwards to some, but the aim isn't to get promoted first season, definitely not automatically at least. It would kill the realism of the save for me and as you said, the youngsters won't be ready for it.

[YankeeRam]

Started a Derby save with no cheats and it's going pretty well. With 11 matches in am sitting third on 25 points which is far better than I thought. Loaned in Jed Steer as Keeper because Hamer and Roos just were not cutting it, Rhian Brewster who has shall we say done very little so far. Marriot has been banging them in with 7 goals and 2 assists so far. During the transfer window was able to send Martin out on loan to Aberdeen, Curtis Davies to Al Wahanda (UAE) for 375 K, Hull came in and took Forsyth for free. In as a transfer John Soutter for 8.5 million from Hearts. He has been rock solid at the back. 

Thanks to injuries had to throw a few youngsters in, Jordan Brown as a RWB, Morgan Whittaker as an emergency striker. Bird, Knight, Sibley and Lowe have done well. Playing a 5-2-1-2 Wingback formation and other than getting trounced by Brentford 0-4 it has worked out well. Still need to train up Lowe as a fullback but he is doing well in that role. 

[smplfc123]

So with us just over a third of the way in to our opening season, it's time for an update.

It's not been great. I've struggled to really nail down a style and philosophy I want to play with this Derby squad and that has shown in the results. Part of me wants to ingrain a young, hungry, high-pressing side using the excellent youth prospects I have at my disposal and part of me wants to play a more controlling, possession style, with the likes of Rooney and Huddlestone controlling games. I've since spent the first 16 games trying to find something in between:

A very poor start saw us drop in to the relegation zone, but with me starting to agree on a style for this squad and some key players returning from injuries that had rules them out at the start (Wisdom, Marriott, Holmes, Bogle etc.) we managed to get some more positive results. 

One thing that needs sorting is our inability to keep clean sheets. Just 3 in 16 league games isn't good enough. I've agreed a future transfer for Roos to join Montreal in January, however, loanee Hamer isn't much better. Our defence just seems to be too easily beaten and soft. In that 3-3 draw against Boro, we were 3-0 up at half time and as soon as they got their first goal back, I just knew we had nothing about us to stop the game from ending the way it did.

  

So 16 games in and we're sitting 16th. The board are happy as we're well clear of the relegation zone for now. I'm happy as we're starting to look like we've got a bit more of a plan on the field, but I'm still not fully settled. Bogle and Lowe have signed contract extensions, Bird and Knight have had plenty of game time and Whittaker and Sibley have had appearances here and there. My aim is to grow all of their game time as the season progresses. 

Hopefully an onwards and upwards push now after this international break will see us consolidate a mid-table spot and start to mould the side more to my style using the transfer market.

[karanhsingh]

Sad to see both Bogle & Lowe leave the club IRL!

[smplfc123]

END OF 2019 UPDATE

So with the board just wanting me to avoid a relegation battle this season, I felt there would be plenty of room to experiment and give youth a chance. We've managed so far to do both, although the experimenting is yet to lead to a style and philosophy I can nail down on. I'm still a little stuck on how I want this team to play and what roles to use, but I feel we're getting closer. This is how the table looks now that we're in to January 2020:

So as you can see we're sitting comfortably in 13th, a good 15 points clear of the relegation zone. Scoring isn't a problem, with us sitting 7th in the scoring charts. The goals are evenly spread amongst the team too, with Rooney leading the way on 7. The problem is at the other end. We're too nice and passive for my liking and when the soft defence is beaten, Hamer isn't offering any resistance in goal.

With that in mind, GK is the top priority in January. I've already agreed a deal to Sell Roos to Montreal in Feb and Forsyth is also moving to North America to team up with Cincinati. Another CB and LW are also on my list, but I'm not one for buying many in Jan.

In good news, Sibley, Lowe, Bogle and Bird have all signed new long-term deals. Those 4, along with Whittaker and Knight, have all seen plenty of first team action too, with a couple of them excelling.

The aim is to avoid a second half collapse in this season as it looks likely we'll have nothing left to play for should we go out of the FA Cup in the next round.

[smplfc123]

JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW 2020 UPDATE

As there have been a couple of deals done both in and out, I decided I would provide an update so you can see how i'm looking going in to the final third or so of the season.

I'm not a massive fan of the January transfer window in general. I find players are overpriced and you very rarely find what you're looking for and end up buying just for the sake of it. I was determined to bring in a certain position as we just weren't strong enough there, with the potential options of strengthening elsewhere.

INS:

Sondre Rossbach - Odd - £1.2m - For those of you who know my style, I don't like buying players I've bought before. I've seen this lads name floated about on a few forums, so it did put me off buying him initially, but he turned out to be the stand-out option that was available, with other choices either not for sale or just not interested. The young Norwegian does possess some good stats and his value hs almost quadrupled already. If he's only decent, he'll still be a massive improvement on Hamer and Roos.

Rochina - Vit. Guimaraes - Loan - The attacking midfielder has joined on loan with an optional future fee should we wish to keep him. To be honest there wasn't much choice out there to cover Lawrence at AML and with Curtis Jones being the only other option who I've signed on previous saves, I went for the 24 year old from Portugal.

I was looking for another CB, with Davies 35 and Clarke unlikely to be affordable next season, but there was nothing worth doing.

OUTS:

Lee Buchanan - Brighton - £6.5m (£11.5m) - I didn't want to sell Buchanan, but a flurry of deadline day bids from PL clubs and the player refusing to sign a new contract unless I guaranteed him a spot as 'regular starter' left me no choice but to get what I could. Whilst I have no doubt he'll develop in to a top player on the game, with Lowe signing a new long term contract and Malone an able HG deputy, I think it was probably a good deal. £4M upfront, £2.5m over 3 years and then a series of clauses. Brighton will be paying £240k per appearance for the first 10 appearances, at which point we will also receive a payment of £1.5m. So that'll be £3.9m accumulated in fees for his first 10 appearances. Added to that an extra £1.2m should he go on to earn 1 international cap and 50% of any profit to be made to come our way, I think we've done well for ourselves. The board were extremely happy with the deal. 

Kelle Roos - Montreal Impact - £525k - I don't think there's much to say on this one. Just glad someone was willing to pay for him.

Craig Forsyth - Cincinati - £375k - Again with Lowe and Malone in the squad, there was no room for Forsyth. A trip to the MLS to finish off his career seems a good move for all involved.

So with the transfers sorted, here's how we are looking with February just underway:

 

Still sitting fairly comfortably in 13th. I'm actually closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone, but too far off from either to have anything to play for. With us out of the FA Cup too after a 1-0 loss against Brentford, the final third of the season will be used to focus on giving more opportunities to youngsters and settling on a style and philosophy ready for next season.

 

[Sysiphus]

I've been offered the Derby job in September 2023 after a successful stint with Ascoli in Italy (first season promotion and establishment in Serie A over 2.5 seasons) and an unsuccessful attempt at saving relegation bound Aston Villa from December 2022 to May 2023, resulting in me being sacked. Derby currently sits in the relegation places in the early 2023/2024 season, and I may need to take the step down to the Championship to resurrect my career after my time at Villa. Will give a more thorough update later.

[smplfc123]

END OF SEASON UPDATE

So with us knowing in February that neither relegation or play-offs were a real possibility, the final third was about giving youngsters more game time and working on a style and philosophy for the future.

That didn't exactly start well in February, with me even starting to come under pressure at the end of March with my status showing as 'insecure'. Luckily, a good turn around in form saw us beaten just once in the final 7 games, picking up 4 wins and finally looking like we've got a system in place. This how the table finished:

So 15th on 57 points is how it finished for us. I'm fairly happy with that to be honest. It gives us plenty of room to grow. The youngsters were given plenty of chances and all will be involved in the squad next season. Including sub appearances, Bird made 26, Bogle 25, Lowe 36, Knight 38, Sibley 20 and Whittaker 13.

Moving forward, Wierik should be a solid addition, but Clarke will need replacing and we could do with more depth at CB on top of that. I'm undecided on if some experienced players like Huddlestone and Martin will stay on, but regardless, more depth in midfield and attack will be sourced during the summer.

The aim for next season is top half, with us maybe even flirting with the play-offs if we make the right signings.

[onionbag]

Just finished up the 2025/26 season. Won the league and promotion at the second time of asking, and since then have pushed on to be a contender in the top flight. Struggles and fights for survival make for more compelling reports, but that hasn't been my lot with Derby and we have consistently punched above our weight. I reckon my tactics click well, a high-press flat 4-4-2, and results are better than I might expect considering the quality of the squad through the years.

After gaining promotion we went straight in the the Europa League after the next season, winning one title, with a 4-1 result over Lazio in 2024.  Spent the past two seasons in the Champion's League, with a semi-final appearance this season, but losing 5-0 on aggregate to PSG. Along the way we also won three straight league cups. Not sure what it is, because I had failed to beat Liverpool in about eight tries, except for one league cup final. I always put out a strong side, but the success is hard to explain. A perfect storm I suppose.

Financially it's been fantastic, with a modest wage bill combined with gobs of cash from playing in Europe resulting in plenty to spend. Wages are finally beginning to reflect our top-flight status as we recruit top players (just dropped 88 million on a keeper), but a very solid base had been built. One of the reasons I chose Derby for this save was their financial health -- good bank balance, facilities and no loans at the start. Wage demands are mad sometimes, a player making 2 million per year demands 12 million to re-sign, that sort of thing, but if I want to challenge at the top I don't have much choice.

The starting Derby County squad was good enough to gain promotion with some strengthening, but most of it is not good enough for the top flight of course. I always find it interesting though to see who sticks around. For me, these players remain seven years in:

Krystian Bielek -- Used exclusively as a centerback, he has been a colossus. He is also the one that demanded the massive wage increase mentioned earlier. Would make a stellar DM, but not used in my formation. Worth north of 70 million.

Max Bird -- Not quite good enough, but he has stuck around as a fifth central midfielder. Versatile, on low wages. Utility man used to sub tiring starters.

Duane Holmes -- Same as Bird, not quite good enough, but I like to have these Championship-level players on the squad as emergency options and late-game subs. They fill a need at club-friendly prices. Spent all of last year on month to month contract

Jason Knight -- A proper top-flight midfielder, he is no longer automatic first-choice, but has been vital in our push up the ladder. Reliable, determined, no-nonsense and can bang in the odd long-range screamer. Club legend as far as I am concerned.

Jayden Bogle -- Star fullback, has all the qualities. First-choice right back since day one. Worth north of 70 million as well.

And that's all that remains of the starting squad seven years on.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by onionbag

[smplfc123]

SUMMER 2020 UPDATE

So after finishing 15th this summer was about trying to improve the squad where we could without blocking a pathway for the youngsters to improve. With some big earners leaving on a free, we had plenty in the budget to spend big, but for those of you that have suffered my previous updates, you'll know that's not my style. CB, CM and out wide were the main areas I was looking to improve and this what we did:

Anya and Huddlestone were the only 1st team members released and Curtis Davies retired, thus freeing up extra funds. Holmes' form was awful, when he wasn't injured, so I decided it was the right decision to take the £2.1m. 

With Wierik already agreed, it was finding a left footed partner that topped our priority list. After sniffing around a few, I decided to prise Diego Gonzalez away from Malaga for £700k.  Harry Brockbank was brought in from Bolton as our young 4th choice CB. An injury to Wierik just before deadline day led to us bringing in Tangana on loan. 

Finding the right attacking players to unlock defences really proved to be a struggle. We scouted so many options, but in the end lumped on 2 Portuguese options, Felipe Chaby of Sporting and Fabio Martins of Braga for a combined £3.7m. We also brought in Curtis Jones on loan from Liverpool to add some depth. 

This how the squad is looking for the new season:

GK: Rossbach / Carson
RB: Bogle / Wisdom
RCB: Wierik / Tangana
LCB: Gonzalez / Brockbank
LB: Lowe / Malone / Shinnie
CDM: Bielik/ Bird / Shinnie
CM: Rooney / Knight
CM: Chaby / Sibley
RW: Martins / Jozefzoon
LW: Lawrence / Jones
ST: Marriott / Martin / Whittaker

Overall I'd say I'd rate my squad and transfer business as 7/10. On one hand, I'm glad I haven't stockpiled as there's clear pathways for Bird, Knight, Sibley and Whittaker to get plenty of game time this season. On the other, I'm not entirely happy with my wide attackers on paper and my centre halves are completely untested in this league, so only time will tell if they turn out to be good purchases.

[Sysiphus]

On 12/09/2020 at 14:21, Sysiphus said:

I've been offered the Derby job in September 2023 after a successful stint with Ascoli in Italy (first season promotion and establishment in Serie A over 2.5 seasons) and an unsuccessful attempt at saving relegation bound Aston Villa from December 2022 to May 2023, resulting in me being sacked. Derby currently sits in the relegation places in the early 2023/2024 season, and I may need to take the step down to the Championship to resurrect my career after my time at Villa. Will give a more thorough update later.

The table when I took over:

Current table:

As can be seen, we hit a good run of form and have played very well since I took over. We look like we're going to the playoffs and we're through to the quarters of the FA Cup after having beaten Arsenal in the 5th round. This is the tactic I use, keeping things very simple:

Have not delved into their histories, but I think I have quite a few players who were here in 2019. Mitchell, Bogle, Lowe, Buchanan, Bielik, Brown, Lawrence and Whittaker. McGuire (AMR) and Gard (DM, on the bench) are regens from the academy. McGuire looks good, but Gard will probably not surpass rotational status. Uwakwe (MC) is a regen on loan from Arsenal. I've had my eyes on him ever since he came through at Arsenal in the first season, he's an amazing talent. I managed to get him on loan in January with the hopes of signing him on a free at the end of the season when his contract will run out, as he's unhappy. I couldn't offer him a contract in January but overseas clubs could, and he accepted an offer from Seattle Sounders. Still hopeful of being capable to price him away from there in a season or two. In addition to him I bought in Brewster in January for about 4 million pounds, and trimmed the squad a bit meanwhile:

The three regens I spoke about:

[onionbag]

18-6-3 over 27 matches is promotion form. Nicely done mate.

Of your acquisitions, the only one we share is Curtis Jones. I brought him in on loan in my first season in the top flight. He did well and I loaned him for a second season. Tried to loan him a third time but Liverpool wanted to give him a shot in the first team, which didn't last long and I ended up buying him for 29 mil as he was listed. He is in a rotation with one of my best signings, a Kosovan winger named Edon Zhegrova who has been a revelation. Don't recall what I paid for him at the mo, but whatever it was was a snip considering how well he has done. One of those amazing wingers that goes 20-20 for goals and assists. Pure class and I had never heard of him. That's football manager

 

Edit: I may have conflated the last two posts in to one, apologies to each of you. Derp derp.

Edited September 17, 2020 by onionbag

[Sysiphus]

2 hours ago, onionbag said:

18-6-3 over 27 matches is promotion form. Nicely done mate.

Cheers mate! 18-10-3 actually – but managed to get us into the playoffs!

...where we showed that we deserved to follow the Eagles and the Blades to the top flight:

It was extra sweet to get one over Villa in the final, as that's the team that had fired me the season before. Always nice to get the revenge, love when my saves get a storyline that adds something extra to it. We also managed to get to the semis of the FA Cup, where we were knocked out by Spurs 1-0.

Very excited for the coming season – an already strong squad paired with 41 million pound transfer kitty, bring it on! 

Edited September 17, 2020 by Sysiphus

[onionbag]

I played my Derby save through the 2027 season. In the end we won two league titles (Premiership and Championship), four league cups, one FA Cup and one Europa League. Not too shabby. Got a 10,000 seat expansion to Pride Park in 2026. I'm calling time due to some frustration with the match engine. It's mostly fine, but a few things drive me nuts so I'm going to call it quits.

Derby are a good club, and the healthy financial situation at game start is primed for success, provided you make the right signings and do a job as the manager. The club has all you need to bounce out of the Championship, with good facilities, board (they invested in the youth setup each year without asking for example) and bank balance (and no loans or debt). The weakness for me is there are few young players that can grow with the club if they move up. I like to have a few youngsters that become club legends and top players in the original squad, but it's not the end of the world. None of the reserve or youth team players at game start made any impression in the first team for me. And only three players overall were first team players in the Premiership, Bogle, Knight and Bielek as noted above. One of the early regens though was a fine central midfielder, last name Noon, and formed a partnership we dubbed Noon and Knight

By this stage it's no longer Derby really, well it is, but no longer has any similarity to another Derby player's save, so I would have stopped the updates anyway. I am now managing Leeds in FM13 believe it or not. Good luck to all the Derby County managers.

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by onionbag

[JawZy]

I have been lurking alot over the years.

I usually end up having saves in lower leagues or Newcastle, but ended up trying Derby on a whim.

My first season

I ended up keeping Roos for this season.

I did sign a player called Satrustegui and he played 21 games in championship and could do the job there. And only set us back 215k. Also the Right back issue at the start was resolved by loaning in Victor Gomez from Espanyol he kept Bogle out once Bogle returned to fitness.

Second season so far

I have brought a mixture of expirenced and unproven players at this level

 

[Stuniverse]

THANK YOU!

I just wanted to say a great, big thank you, to everybody who participated on this FM20 Derby County thread. It was great fun and really got going at times with lots of people posting and responding to each other's saves and sharing advice and tips.

I'm sorry I became less active on here around May time  - sadly my dad and my 26 year-old godson passed away, both with covid-19 on their death certificates, so my mind was elsewhere. A sincere thank you to all of you who offered your condolences and best wishes on here or via a message, I really did appreciate it.

Any way, I'm in a much better place now... more than I can say for Derby County who are currently rock-bottom of the Championship. Watching the truly awful display on Wednesday night, in a 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough, I could hear my Dad's words of criticism for the team.

Can you do better?

You might have had enough of Derby County after FM20 but, in case you haven't, I just wanted to let you know I've started a '[FM21] Derby County - Why manage the Rams? / How are you getting on?' thread:

 There's been a lot of changes to the squad since last season...

OUTS:

INS:

If you fancy another go at managing Derby County, a more difficult challenge in FM21 with the current squad than last season, maybe you'll come over and join us on the FM21 thread - you'll be most welcome.

I hope you and your families are all well and keeping safe.

Best wishes.

Stuniverse

Edited November 28, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Tee2]

Thanks Stuniverse, that's a great update. Sorry again to hear about your news in that horrible real life outside the game. Hope all is well.

As you know I had a brilliant time with Derby in FM20. I'm sure there were things I did with the players that Rams supporters would disagree with heartily, but the generous transfer budgets they provide made them something of a sandbox team - that lovely capacity to make changes and shape the squad into what I wanted it to be. By the end of my fourth season in charge, a Premier League winning campaign I'll modestly add, there wasn't much of the original DCFC left. Bogle was still my first choice right-back (I loved his resilience and I hope it works out for him at Bramall Lane; same for Max) and Bielik was busily converting to defensive midfield, but the rest was updated as Derby transitioned from Championship mid-table to Champions League participants. Does the re-signed Will Hughes count as a Derby retainer? What a player he turned out to be - captain, leader, legend. Of other ex-Rams drafted back in, I also had a lot of fun with Harry Wilson, and there were plans afoot to stake an emotional return for Jeff Hendrick, though by the time we could afford him I felt that we had outgrown him.

I'm glad this thread turned into one of the most active in the forum. I think that reflects on just how much fun the Rams were to manage. Lots of ideas and names shared here, it helped me a lot on my own quest to bring the 1970s good times back to Derby. Of the list of departed players that you have posted, I can't think how they will manage without Anya (one of the most terrible looking players I recall in recent times) or Hepburn-Murphy... More seriously, the full-backs are big losses, I reckon, but it's hard to wish them anything but well in their top flight adventures. Mike te Wierik was a perfectly decent signing in the Premier League (in FM20), so hopefully he can help to smash the Championship, and as a Boro fan I'm quite jealous that you landed Jordon Ibe, though his 'previous' at Pride Park lends some context to the move.

To finish on a real-life note, I'm sure things will improve for Derby this season. As you can appreciate the 3-0 against us elicited quite different emotions at this end, but it's good for once to see Boro being managed by someone who knows what he's doing and can get the best out of ordinary players - turns out it helps. It will get better at Pride Park. I've become something of a Rams follower, on the quiet - surely, like the game version they are stuffed with talent and it's just a case of getting the best out of them. I'm tempted to give them another try in the new game, though my real inclination is to go into the actual lower leagues this time around, for the first time in years really. 

All the best to everyone who's taken part in this thread.