Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 @Fubz start a new Brentford team guide thread, I am rubbish at setting them up and I reckon others will follow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 3 hours ago, karanhsingh said: The 3-5-2 formation continues to work well Major understatement, I think . That's a fantastic performance for your first season after promotion. Hope it lasts. 2 hours ago, Catley94 said: I might give some posting of the file a go Jump right in! The more, the merrier, and plenty of advice available re: picture posting. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Fubz said: @karanhsingh Really nice to start to life in the Championship with Rochdale, intrigued as to how the season pans out for you. That's problem most of us have as well with finances at smaller clubs, gate revenue just doesn't cover wages 9 times out of 10 and you're forced to sell to balance the books. All this talk of Brentford is making me want to start a new save with them tbh. Watched them destroy us at the Hawthorns last month and we were very lucky to get a point out of that game. Best team I've seen against us apart from Leeds this season. Thank you. Yes and the TV money in the championship doesn't seem too great. Its going to be really interesting to see which 2 of West brom, Leeds and Brentford get automatic promotion. Leeds seem to be gearing up for their annual bottle job if the Sheffield game is anything to go by! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 @Ronaldo Beckham Wouldn't know where to start bud, don't really know Brentford that well if I'm being honest and would hate to screw the thread up @karanhsingh We've been really poor since we beat Swansea 5-1, 1 win in 7 has me concerned as like you say, Brentford have hit some good form. We desperately need to keep Grady this window and add another CB and ST to the mix. I wouldn't mind another GK either as Sam Johnstone drives me mad at times! I have faith in Big Slav though, finally got us back to actually playing football (although you wouldn't have guessed it from last few games) and his raw passion has infected every one at the club. I love the Championship though, any one can beat any one and away days are some thing else, just don't get that in the Prem these days Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 minute ago, Fubz said: @Ronaldo Beckham Wouldn't know where to start bud, don't really know Brentford that well if I'm being honest and would hate to screw the thread up Yeah if nobody does one by the weekend I think I will attempt to do a thread but I want to make it look as good as some of the others on here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 @karanhsingh What's Robbie Burton like? I'm tracking him in my Carlisle save and hoping I have have a chance of getting him. He's interested it just depends on whether I can get in there before someone else does. Other than that, this talk of a "Breakaway Brentford Super Thread" leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Always wanting more you big club players! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dothestrand Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said: Yeah a few Prem teams are after Benrahma and its only November, I encourage them to buy my players as I will just replace them and make profit. This is the reason why I wanted to be Brentford was the fact I could buy low and sell high. I think we should get a few of us to do a Brentford save and start a thread on it, there hasn't been a big time thread in here for a few years now. I remember a lot of people managing this Bulgarian team and also there was a big Leeds thread a few years a go. Cos of the fact that Brentford is so unique I think it would be a good team guide thread on here and gather interest. Yeah I reckon there would be enough interest. I think once a fair number are doing simultaneous saves, that justifies a separate thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 17 minutes ago, Fubz said: @Ronaldo Beckham Wouldn't know where to start bud, don't really know Brentford that well if I'm being honest and would hate to screw the thread up @karanhsingh We've been really poor since we beat Swansea 5-1, 1 win in 7 has me concerned as like you say, Brentford have hit some good form. We desperately need to keep Grady this window and add another CB and ST to the mix. I wouldn't mind another GK either as Sam Johnstone drives me mad at times! I have faith in Big Slav though, finally got us back to actually playing football (although you wouldn't have guessed it from last few games) and his raw passion has infected every one at the club. I love the Championship though, any one can beat any one and away days are some thing else, just don't get that in the Prem these days I thought Grady was on loan till the end of the season anyway. I've always had a soft spot for Slaven too. Actually I do hope that all these 3 clubs as mentioned come up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 14 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said: @karanhsingh What's Robbie Burton like? I'm tracking him in my Carlisle save and hoping I have have a chance of getting him. He's interested it just depends on whether I can get in there before someone else does. Other than that, this talk of a "Breakaway Brentford Super Thread" leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Always wanting more you big club players! Honestly he was signed by my chairman who is in charge of youth players and came in on a free. His stats are quite impressive particularly passing but he hasn't played much yet. However I think he would be good enough for league one and below. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, karanhsingh said: Honestly he was signed by my chairman who is in charge of youth players and came in on a free. His stats are quite impressive particularly passing but he hasn't played much yet. However I think he would be good enough for league one and below. Cheers! We're League Two so he should be a coup if we get him in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 I might do the Brentford thread tonight when I get home. Anyone got any tips on how to make a decent opening post on here. I assume use a lot of photos etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 20 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said: I might do the Brentford thread tonight when I get home. Anyone got any tips on how to make a decent opening post on here. I assume use a lot of photos etc. I would suggest plenty of research into what makes Brentford the club they are. The 2 posts some one posted earlier in the thread (when talking about the money ball approach) would be a good place to start I think and go from there. If I remember right they have a fairly small first team squad (not at home so can't load FM and check) and without any real youth system in place it should be pretty straight forward. I'll start my Brentford save tonight, in fact, I've already been scribbling down ideas whilst at work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 minute ago, Fubz said: I would suggest plenty of research into what makes Brentford the club they are. The 2 posts some one posted earlier in the thread (when talking about the money ball approach) would be a good place to start I think and go from there. If I remember right they have a fairly small first team squad (not at home so can't load FM and check) and without any real youth system in place it should be pretty straight forward. I'll start my Brentford save tonight, in fact, I've already been scribbling down ideas whilst at work @Fubz I don't suppose you fancy doing it as I worry I will do a rubbish job and you seem to know what you are doing more then me lol. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Just now, Ronaldo Beckham said: @Fubz I don't suppose you fancy doing it as I worry I will do a rubbish job and you seem to know what you are doing more then me lol. I'll have a look when I get home I suppose I'll try and have some sort of thread up by tonight but no promises Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, Fubz said: I'll have a look when I get home I suppose I'll try and have some sort of thread up by tonight but no promises Cheers mate, I will contribute in the thread, I just want the thread to be a really good one cos of the uniqueness of the club etc. If you can't do it then let me know and I will try do one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Actually @Fubz I will do it over the next few days as I was the one who suggested it, I will just spend tonight saving photos etc and then look at doing the post tomorrow night after work. Feel free to contribute after I post it as I am keen to see what you do with Brentford. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dothestrand Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said: I might do the Brentford thread tonight when I get home. Anyone got any tips on how to make a decent opening post on here. I assume use a lot of photos etc. Look at the Athletic Club thread. @bowieinspace did a great job on that one. Here's a number of articles for some guidance (I had these saved in an email and mentioned them earlier in this thread when I first discussed a Brentford save). https://thesefootballtimes.co/2015/08/31/is-brentfords-analytics-revolution-the-future-of-football-in-england/ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/05/brentford-ditched-their-academy-premier-league-outcasts https://www.theguardian.com/football/football-league-blog/2018/aug/08/football-league-blog-brentford-happy-own-way-promotion https://www.sportperformanceanalysis.com/article/2018/6/8/the-history-of-brentford-football-analytics https://footballbh.net/2019/05/28/brentford-championship-tactical-analysis-statistics-analysis/ https://www.itsroundanditswhite.co.uk/articles/are-analytics-working-at-brentford-championship Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catley94 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Right, work done with for the day, now to try and do one of these post things. Starting with what team I am, after many a failed save I have ended up at Forest Green Rovers. I wanted a club with minimal "history" in the higher leagues, and a small infrastructure to build upon. I went on holiday for the first season and noticed that they hadn't got promoted so took over from the second season onward. I often fail with a file as I tend to get a bit meticulous with the details a little too early, whether that be tactical plans, recruitment philosophy, whatever. The board expected promotion first season so I decided to put everything else on my mind into a corner and just aim for promotion any means possible, as the 5 year plans allows me some time to develop whilst in League 1. We confirmed promotion with about 6 games to go, with an lot of rotation at the top throughout the season with ourselves and Scunthorpe, but just edged it at the end. The team itself performed very well, we a few very strong talents for the league which I was able to build around. My main aim for the season was to tighten up the back as the previous manager had shipped a fair few goals, as a defender myself I love nothing more than a clean sheet. We conceded 41 in 46 games which gave us the 5th best defence in the league, good enough for me in my first season! Tactics wise, I opted for a 442. Another reason I struggle to see saves through is my inability to stick with a tactical philosophy and build on it. I decided for this file to worry more about team identity and stuff in the latter seasons, but something I will start to slowly implement in the forthcoming season, as the standard of players is a bit better, so they might actually listen to my tactical rants! Transfer wise, a typical lower league team window. Masses of free's and loans with no real outlay of money spent. I was able to cash in on a few players, many surplus to requirement who also took up a fair chunk of the limited wage bill. I somehow managed to con Fulham into signing Liam Kitching for 600k, with 40% of next sale agreed. He has some good potential but his mentals as a cb just made me uneasy, especially with my aim to tighten up the defence! I opted for a relatively small squad, recruiting players who were capable of playing in multiple positions, another aim to keep the wage bill small. Getting Manchester City as a Parent club was massive, and the signing of Tommy Doyle was most likely the main reason we had such a good season. 10 goals, 20 assists in 39 league games from CM! I have tried many a time to extend his loan but he is not having it, can't say I'm surprised but I am now his favoured personnel, so maybe somewhere down the line. Coincidentally with all the talk about Brentford and the Moneyball approach, once I have got a file going this is often the way I like to run the club. However, in recent FM's that often simply translates to buy low sell high (even mass hoarding regens and hoping one makes you a net profit). This year I want to make it more detailed and actually go into the data analysis of players and recruitment. I will be doing a full review of my squad based on the stats at hand and comparing them to the other teams in my current league and league above (a lot of legwork, good thing I've got the day off tomorrow). Overall, I'm more relieved than anything to be actually enjoying and getting stuck into a file on FM. Been a long time coming, and I feel if I start doing some posts it will keep me from jumping to another file when this one hits a bumpy patch, and also helps me with my inept posting skills Time to get stuck into some deep analysis and searching for some new faces for the team, the board wants top half in league one, allowing me a bit of leeway to start making the club more of my own. (Praying all the images and text comes out how it looks now...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 18 minutes ago, dothestrand said: Look at the Athletic Club thread. @bowieinspace did a great job on that one. Here's a number of articles for some guidance (I had these saved in an email and mentioned them earlier in this thread when I first discussed a Brentford save). https://thesefootballtimes.co/2015/08/31/is-brentfords-analytics-revolution-the-future-of-football-in-england/ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/05/brentford-ditched-their-academy-premier-league-outcasts https://www.theguardian.com/football/football-league-blog/2018/aug/08/football-league-blog-brentford-happy-own-way-promotion https://www.sportperformanceanalysis.com/article/2018/6/8/the-history-of-brentford-football-analytics https://footballbh.net/2019/05/28/brentford-championship-tactical-analysis-statistics-analysis/ https://www.itsroundanditswhite.co.uk/articles/are-analytics-working-at-brentford-championship Thank you for the links @dothestrand Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 25 minutes ago, Catley94 said: We confirmed promotion with about 6 games to go Great start . Good post, too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said: Actually @Fubz I will do it over the next few days as I was the one who suggested it, I will just spend tonight saving photos etc and then look at doing the post tomorrow night after work. Feel free to contribute after I post it as I am keen to see what you do with Brentford. Fine by me fella, means more of my spare time on FM! I will, like I said, I've already been jotting down ideas whilst being bored out of my head at work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 minute ago, Fubz said: Fine by me fella, means more of my spare time on FM! I will, like I said, I've already been jotting down ideas whilst being bored out of my head at work Yeah I am bored at work as well, hence why I am posting a lot in here lol. Yeah I am looking forward to getting the thread done as I think a lot of people will be intrigued by it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Does anyone think this version has a lot more bugs than usual? Just one example is I can’t offer a contract to a target due to a bug. Annoying! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 @Catley94 great start, and Doyle looks way too good for your division! Congratulations on the title Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 (edited) Plymouth: Season 1, September I'd guess the squad is set up to play some kind of 343 system, with flying wingbacks and the veteran Billy Clarke in the AMC role with some versatile forwards giving you plenty of options up front. Unfortunately, there's a major flaw - you start with just three CBs, as Will Aimson is out injured until at least the middle of September. So my first signing was the experienced Remie Streete, available on a free transfer and a solid player at this level. But the 'back three' plan went right out of the window when Streete immediately suffered a foot injury that will keep him out until November, and CB Scott Wooton suffered a month-long calf injury, leaving me with just two fit CBs (and no likely prospect in the u23s). So I went back to the market and signed Brentford youngster Luka Racic on loan. Forced into a system with a back four, I turned to the old favourite 433dm, but while we had three good options in CM, there wasn't much room for rotation/cover. My first choice was former Ipswich man Tom Adeyemi, available on a free, but he wanted more wages than we could afford. Second choice was Tom Thorpe, once of Bolton and also out of contract. We agreed wages with him but were gazumped at the last minute by French outfit FCSM. Other favoured targets were out of our budget and eventually I settled on Charlton's George Lapslie. The final requirement was someone to rotate/cover at AMR. We have several players who are capable of playing there, but the majority are much better at AML, including the existing loan signing, Peterborough's George Cooper. Brighton's Swedish youngster Peter Gwargis joined us for £500 a week wage contribution. Unfortunately, this left us with six loan signings, and I decided Cooper was a luxury we didn't need so his loan was terminated. Early form The 433 turned out to be a good fit for the squad, and we got off to a good start in the league (although it leaves the aforementioned Clarke as a bit of a spare wheel). We were unlucky to draw Championship side Reading in the first round of the Carabao Cup, but we held them to a 1-1 draw before falling to defeat in a close penalty shootout. The only real disappointment so far has been dropping points at home to Walsall, who were firmly at the foot of the table at the time. AML Danny Mayor leads the scoring chart with a stunning 6 goals in 5 starts. Main striker Dominic Telford was scoring for fun in pre-season but has found the net just once in five league games. Also disappointing has been AMR Byron Moore, who also did well in pre-season but has been poor in competitive games, and he's been outshone by the 18-year-old Gwargis. Edited January 13, 2020 by warlock Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 21 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said: Does anyone think this version has a lot more bugs than usual? I have to say I haven't come across any genuine bugs so far. What do you think the contract bug is? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 8 minutes ago, warlock said: I have to say I haven't come across any genuine bugs so far. What do you think the contract bug is? I’ve had it confirmed it’s a bug by SI. Basically the player is interested but the agent says he isn’t and therefore you cannot progress with contract negotiations. There’s a few other things I’ve noticed too in general gameplay that aren’t working correctly. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 22 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said: I’ve had it confirmed it’s a bug by SI. Basically the player is interested but the agent says he isn’t and therefore you cannot progress with contract negotiations. There’s a few other things I’ve noticed too in general gameplay that aren’t working correctly. Had that so many times on my Notts County save and it drove me bananas! Glad to hear it's an actual bug though, I just thought I was going mad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 2 minutes ago, Fubz said: Had that so many times on my Notts County save and it drove me bananas! Glad to hear it's an actual bug though, I just thought I was going mad. What did you do? Just forget about the player and move on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 4 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said: Actually @Fubz I will do it over the next few days as I was the one who suggested it, I will just spend tonight saving photos etc and then look at doing the post tomorrow night after work. Feel free to contribute after I post it as I am keen to see what you do with Brentford. I would definitely follow it after seeing all the interest in this thread I’m tempted to look at doing them I’m the future done a save with them on fm19 and was my favourite save Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 50 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said: What did you do? Just forget about the player and move on? On most of them, yeah. There was one young wonderkid I just kept plugging to the media (as top target) and he eventually sacked his agent which led us to signing him. Whether that was a complete fluke or what I just don't know though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 5 minutes ago, Fubz said: On most of them, yeah. There was one young wonderkid I just kept plugging to the media (as top target) and he eventually sacked his agent which led us to signing him. Whether that was a complete fluke or what I just don't know though. So annoying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 I have just done the Brentford thread so please feel free to have a look and let me know in that thread if you think I can improve it, either the layout or more information on there. I welcome criticism. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 35 minutes ago, Gunner 101 said: So annoying. I feel your pain, there's times I actually wanted to do just that on the save! Only thing I can suggest is to keep tapping them up in the media and hope the player starts getting annoyed when bid's are accepted and agent turns you away. Now, I'm not sure that can actually happen on FM (feel free to put me wrong any one) but it seems the only way to get them to me. I'm afraid even when your rep goes up the agent still says the same thing. I started to wonder if I'd annoyed him (players agent) at some point during the save and couldn't see if I had or hadn't. If that is actually a thing and it stops you from signing players they represent then it's a game changer for sure (for me any ways, I hate every agent on FM!). Be interesting to know if that was the case, it would for sure make me change the way I approach player contracts (and asking them to sack agents). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Sorry to hear about your frustration @Gunner 101 which I had just assumed was player and agent not being on the same page when I suffered it. Great update @Catley94 and well done with Forest Green. A cracking start @warlock despite the injuries forcing the change of formation. Plymouth are a big club for L2 so as you progress you should find things evolve nicely for you. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityAndColour Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 As a real life FGR fan, they are another club that looks to buy prospects from lower leagues , develop them and then look to potentially sell (see Pinnock, Mondal, Godwin-Maliffe, Ebou Adams and most recently Josh March). Mark Cooper has a clear philosophy of using young players and playing passing football. Worth checking for any sell ons you can cash as well, for Brown (Huddersfield) and Stevens (Leeds). Possibly Pinnock as well, although I'm not sure if that carried over from Barnsley. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catley94 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 (edited) Thanks for the feedback on the first post, not sure why I waited almost 6 years to do it but we've finally crossed that bridge! It's been one of those evenings where I've lost track of time and suddenly find myself in the third tier of some random country looking for future talent All signings are now done. Sadly, even though he said he was interested to come on loan, Tommy Doyle does not make his return to Forest Green Rovers for a second season. He will be extremely missed but I feel we have done well overall in recruitment. The two Spurs rejects are on some hefty wages compared to the rest of the team, and Amos also has a pesky 2.2 mill fee release clause (not ideal when his starting value is 1.9 mill) so will try to get rid of that ASAP. Loan market was dreadful so nothing there, will keep tabs on my Parent club Manchester City in case anyone interesting becomes available. I did manage to pick up my first 3 regens of the save, and I've got to say I'm very excited for all 3, especially so early on in the file. Danny Broadbent was picked up for free from Cardiff MET towards the end of last season and immediately loaned out. Whilst his ability is a bit lacking for League 1, with the change in formation his position becomes available and I think I will be utilising him this season. If he doesn't get much game time in the first 6 months I will lean to loaning him out in January. Potential to be good Championship midfielder, I feel he can develop nicely with us or be sold for a pretty penny. Zakaria Bamba is an odd one. He came up in my Scouting Centre but since he is from the Ivory Coast I was unable to scout him. Wondering why he was in there I checked his information and it turns out he has England as his second nationality... I also saw that Leeds were interested in him, and since he was from ASEC, the best Ivorian club team for producing talent I was very interested. I managed to agree terms in January as his contract expired in the summer, he has Premier League potential but I am unsure what his best position would be, so any suggestions would be welcome!! The final regen is Sven Van Gestel (Great name) from Belgium. Like Bamba, he appeared in my Scouting centre but not scouted. He was at a semi pro club so I approached to sign on a pre contract, they wanted 30k for compensation and thought it would be worth the gamble after Bamba turned out to have very good potential in a similar way. He is nearing first team level, and since the board aren't expecting anything ludicrous this season in terms of expectations (I think around mid table / top half) I am tempted to give him some first team action, we will see how pre season goes. In terms of the tactic, I am moving to a 4-1-4-1 flat variation. I've always loved the flexibility of this tactic and the ability to make multiple shapes with it. Nothing set in stone yet so this will be my next job. I'm also going to try and delve into the minefield that is the training page. I've never altered anything to it before but want to give it a shot this time round and become more immersed. Lets hope I don't run all my players into the ground before the opening game! Edited January 14, 2020 by Catley94 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 2 hours ago, Catley94 said: Thanks for the feedback on the first post, not sure why I waited almost 6 years to do it but we've finally crossed that bridge! It's been one of those evenings where I've lost track of time and suddenly find myself in the third tier of some random country looking for future talent We've all been there Those regens look great, the English dual nationality on Bamba is indeed an odd one! Van Gestel definitely looks like he can step into the first team. @warlock - excellent start with Plymouth. Keep up the good work! I have a soft spot for teams with green kits after having long spells with Krasnodar and Sporting Lisbon on FM19, which is also when I did some research and found that barely any teams in England have them. So that's as a good reason as any to hopefully see the Argyle move up the divisions under your stewardship Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51089767 Love it when the lower league team you're managing pops up on the BBC home-page, was great to read up on this interview with record-breaker (both IRL and in-game for me) Luke Matheson! He certainly seems to love the club as well, as he was happy for me to reject bids of up to 4 million from Premiership clubs in the summer and instead renew his contract at the Dale. On reading his interview I can see why. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubz Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 @Catley94 Haha, you did exactly what I did on my Notts County save, I must have spent 24+ hours searching for obscure Newgens in that save (becomes addictive). You've managed to grab some pretty decent ones there, I found Cardiff MET and The New Saints produce some decent English players in my save (picked up a CB from The New Saints for 2k, sold him for 11m+). As for Bamba, if it was me I'd train him as a CB with heavy focus on Marking, Positioning and Heading. Not sure how much more you can improve those with him being close to maxing out though. He has decent mental and physical attributes to pull the position off, even if it's just as cover down the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catley94 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Don't think I've ever seen such strong odds for a league top goalscorer... very encouraging Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 So this just happened.. Spooky! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Bolton - Season 2 Well, it's been a long time coming and not really worth the wait Having picked up the aforementioned long term injuries to both my main strikers, our form dipped despite young Eddie Brown stepping up to the mark However in general terms a lack of goals and inability to play my best players has made me step away from the club ahead of a home FA Cup Round 3 game with West Ham December did see a late win over 2nd placed Sheffield Wednesday and the final game of my reign was a very credible 0-0 home draw with leaders Leicester I leave the club in a good position and hope that they will build upon my foundations Just stay away Ken Anderson... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dong21 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 (edited) Bolton Wanderers - Season 2 - Part 3 Season Update: The greater good Transfers Out Traditionally in long terms saves (which these lower league saves tend to become for me) I look to hang on to my high potential and home-grown players, shunning the much-discussed Moneyball approach in favour of the satisfaction I get from developing players over several seasons. This save is a bit different though, with Bolton's well publicised financial instability present in my thoughts I decided to think of the greater good and cash in on hot prospect Ronan Darcy. When I was able to negotiate Watford up to a bid of £8m rising to £10m, it seemed like a no brainer. I get the additional £2m after he makes 10 appearances for them and he has already made his debut, coming off the bench to see out a shock 2-1 victory over Chelsea - so I expect to see these funds roll in soon. Transfers In With the coffers bolstered from the Darcy sale, I thought I would treat myself to a few additions. £1m landed in my transfer budget, however I decided to be cautious and avoid spending big as long-term stability is my goal. I signed two AMs to replace the outgoing Darcy, perhaps highlighting the importance I placed on him! The first was Welsh teenager Brennan Johnson on loan from Forest, very much a like-for-like as he has very similar attributes and potential to that of Darcy, according to my scouts. The second was the more experienced Albanian Valon Ahmedi who arrived on a free from the Croatian first division. He can also play on the right wing and this versatility has already proven valuable. I have previously mentioned that the wings are a weakness in my squad, so I also brought in right winger Chris Fuhrich, who had great pedigree having been released by Borussia Dortmund. I saw an opportunity to bolster my striking options by signing the talented Filip Suparevic on loan from Watford and balanced the squad out by cancelling the loan of one of my previous signings Dan N'Lundulu and sending Vasco Costa out on loan. No more 'Cupsets' for this season as we fell to defeat against Championship side Cardiff, and I was kind of relieved as January was already looking hectic. I was delighted to see Eddie Brown's form continue on from November and December as he delivered five goals in five games, starting with a brace against Accrington. We took on our toughest test of the season during this period, visiting runaway league leaders Sheff Wed. I was very pleased to secure a draw, particularly as it came from academy graduate King-Harmes. We exited the Leasing.com Trophy, to little disappointment, but otherwise January was a really positive month. My new signings who joined late in the month had an instant impact. Fuhrich scored against Ipswich and Suparevic scored against Peterborough, from an Ahmedi assist. We were deservedly beaten by Rotherham at the start of February but this was followed by good performances against Charlton and Bristol Rovers. A big frustration was Fuhrich going off injured in the Charlton game as he had been in a rich vein of form. The spell of games that came after the Bristol fixture are the ones that have scuppered my hopes of taking an automatic promotion place. For some reason we were unable to score against three poor opposition sides and we dropped seven points. Form of both the team and striker Suparovic picked up at the end of the March and we seem to be on the right track. In the last game of the period Bradford were 2-0 up, before we came back to 2-2, then my left back Boon got send off and we still secured a draw - so I class this as a good battling performance that showed spirit. We have a game in hand after postponing our last fixture due to eight international call-ups. Hopefully we can win that and climb back to 3rd, the position we have occupied most frequently over the last three months. Barnsley and Sheff Wed seem too consistent so I think it would be very unlikely that my young side would be able to catch them. Finishing in the Play-offs would be an achievement I would be very pleased with, so here's hoping I can keep this up. Jimmy Garner has continued to be my best player, but the source of most joy has been the development of young winger King-Harmes who is now up to 8 assists for the season. Edited January 14, 2020 by Dong21 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dong21 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 @Jogo Bonito You wait ages for a Bolton Wanderers update and then two come at once Sorry to hear it didn't work out as you'd have hoped, but look forward to following where you end up next! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 13 minutes ago, Dong21 said: @Jogo Bonito You wait ages for a Bolton Wanderers update and then two come at once Sorry to hear it didn't work out as you'd have hoped, but look forward to following where you end up next! Thanks Dong! A great update from you and things are going very well. I really like the signing of Johnson from Forest (one I have looked at myself when the right team comes along). I confess to not knowing anything about Fuhrich so will keep an eye out for him. For what it's worth, Brown did finally come good for me after prolific returns for the U23 team over my 1.5 seasons, Darcy was really poor and I would have taken even £5m for him. Brockbank, Boon, White and King-Harmes all came on really well for me - it's either a great group of youngsters or they're somewhat over-powered! Good luck with your PO bid. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Dong21 said: You wait ages for a Bolton Wanderers update and then two come at once Ain't it the way? Things looking good for you there, and well in the mix for the playoff places. @Jogo Bonito Sorry you had to give up your save, although I certainly know the feeling. Injuries are taking the gloss off the Plymouth save - might have to find yet another tactical system to work around it (complicated by the fact that I miscounted my loan players - we have six, and none of them is injured. Managerial incompetence!) But good luck with your next venture, wherever that is Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityAndColour Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Might be looking for a new club soon... Was sitting pretty in 4th at about the halfway point, then gave up a 2-0 lead in the last 15 minutes two games running. Which led to this... We're level on points with 13th (who we play next) as well so we're not "situated firmly" in the top half at all. EDIT... Hard to argue. We ended up going 22 games without winning before we won on the final day, and I was then summoned into a board meeting. I couldn't be bothered going through pre-season with a points target on my head, so I just claimed we were unlucky and got the can. Don't think I'll continue with the save tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 6 hours ago, CityAndColour said: Don't think I'll continue with the save tbh. Annoying when your form just drops off the cliff, but when you're done, you're done . Plenty of other prospects are available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 @CityAndColour Much to admire about your spell there, it's refreshing to see stories that don't just see success after success. At that level in the pyramid it's hard to lose your best players and improve at the same time, but hoping to see you back at a new club soon. The board didn't really have any other option after 22 games without a win but fair play to you for battling on until then! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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