FM20: The English Football League thread

[Jogo Bonito]

Nice update from Coventry, a very good season although ultimately not the ending you desired. It's good how you have built the club up solidly over time, hopefully you can get over the line next year.

[torquayfmer]

Things have gone quite well with Plymouth so far, and after a few tactical changes, the team are starting to get into quite a good rhythm. The transfer window is now shut, and our 'ins' look like this...

Man City became our parent club, which was worth it just to get Eric Garcia in. He has been fantastic so far, is great on the ball and looks like a real good player. I'm hoping I'll be able to re-sign him a couple of times over the next couple of seasons, but I suppose that'll all depend on how he develops. 

Also joining on loan was Dara O'Shea, who has joined as part of my back three, along with Remi Streete, who joined on a free transfer. Billy Gilmour joined us for the season from Chelsea and has been really good so far, his passing is way too good for this league and he'll be a massive player over the course of the season. Leif Davis joined from Leeds as competition for McFadzean at left wing back, but hasn't made much of an impact so far. Our other loan signing was Jake Scrimshaw, who joined on the last day of the transfer window from Bournemouth. He had scored six goals in five games for their under 23's and I felt he would be good competition up front.

Thomas Oualembo has struggled in front of goal so far, but the last couple of games he has scored in both and has started to show why I kept the faith in him. I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops. Jamie Mackie rejoined the club from Oxford, giving us experience up front, The other signing was Callum Nicell who came in as competition in midfield and in the couple of games he has played so far, he is looking good.

[jonathan44]

@Jogo Bonito - Real nice work with Hull but I agree, with Grosicki and Bowen leaving it feels slightly odd. I have the same with Jordan Thorniley, he left to join Blackpool at the start of Jan so I sent him out on loan in the first season, and now everytime I play him it doesn't quite sit right.

So I'm in January 2021, the target for the season is to get in the playoffs and it's going well, although my form of late has been really poor with only 2 wins in 7. Burnley and Southampton both have incredible squads so I think the best I can do is the playoffs. I don't have much money to strengthen in January but I'm trying to find a new GK, as Dawson and the now-retired Westwood have been poor.

[Jogo Bonito]

4 minutes ago, jonathan44 said:

@Jogo Bonito - Real nice work with Hull but I agree, with Grosicki and Bowen leaving it feels slightly odd. I have the same with Jordan Thorniley, he left to join Blackpool at the start of Jan so I sent him out on loan in the first season, and now everytime I play him it doesn't quite sit right.

So I'm in January 2021, the target for the season is to get in the playoffs and it's going well, although my form of late has been really poor with only 2 wins in 7. Burnley and Southampton both have incredible squads so I think the best I can do is the playoffs. I don't have much money to strengthen in January but I'm trying to find a new GK, as Dawson and the now-retired Westwood have been poor.

Yes, I agree on the players you know have departed. Going well there with The Owls, hopefully you can find the GK you need and make that top six finish.

@torquayfmer Nice to see your signings with Plymouth. I think you've done well there, and the squad has been strengthened a lot for only a very small outlay.

[warlock]

Good updates from Coventry, Plymouth and Shef Weds.

@torquayfmer Some good players there, and Streete was still a regular starter for me when we won promotion to the Championship.

@jonathan44 Tough league having to compete with the likes of Burnley and Southampton. Hope you can make it through the playoffs.

[warlock]

Ipswich: Season 1, first half

Having determined that we'd be playing with a narrow diamond system, my first job was to assess the squad and how well the players fit. And the answer was 'pretty well'. Which was just as well as there was no transfer budget and very limited flexibility in wages. We didn't start with too many wide players and I hoped to lose as many as possible to free up some cash, but with limited success.  Antony Georgiou, on loan from Spurs, was returned to his parent club. Gwion Edwards was transfer listed, but only attracted a season-long loan from Aberdeen who are paying his £3k a week wage. Initially, I was going to keep AML Danny Rowe since he looked capable of playing at AMC, but a series of poor performances saw him listed before the window closed but no offers were forthcoming. AML Jordan Roberts looked a better prospect as a striker, so he was retained.

Tactically, the goal was to play a 4312 and things got off to a flying start, but presented me with a problem: Alan Judge was never as effective at AMC as in central midfield, and I had no natural backup for him. And after a run of poor results in October, I decided it made more sense to switch to a more secure 4132 setup. It required a fair bit of tweaking of roles and instructions, but the results in November and December have been spectacular.

A good start to the season - everyone playing well, defence was solid and the strikers were scoring. Well, Will Keane and James Norwood were - they had 5 apiece at this point. Kayden Jackson, on the other hand, was terrible and went for weeks without finding the net. And then no-one could score...

That run in October had me tearing my hair out. Keane and Norwood couldn't buy a goal, until I had no option but to drop them and start Roberts and Jackson instead. And bingo! Jackson found the net against Southend, then against Exeter, and both goals against Oxford. Since the Southend game he's scored 10 in as many appearances. Moving Judge back to a CM role has transformed his game, resulting in 5 goals, 5 assists and 6 PoM awards. Generally, since making the shift to the 4132, everyone is playing at a much higher level, as the results show.

At Christmas, the halfway point of the season, we sit atop the league with a fairly comfortable margin over Wycombe and Fleetwood. There's no room for complacency but we go into the new year in high spirits.

[karanhsingh]

Good updates all around guys! 

@goonergez - very solid season with Coventry and bad luck in the play-off final. Hopefully you can do one better next year! 

Excellent season at Hull @Jogo Bonito especially from that man Bowen. Would have liked to see you continue on in the EPL. Where to next?

Also great work at Ipswich so far @warlock I like the choice of club especially with their abundance of academy talent. Good to see the tactical experimentation as well, what roles are you playing in midfield? Width mostly coming from the wing-backs I suppose?

I have some updates coming up from Wearside as well.

[karanhsingh]

SUNDERLAND 2011/22 SEASON UPDATE

Last update was right after the Jan transfer window and a major blip of form that saw us crashing out of both cup competitions. However we bounced back in the league and put together some wins. February was a great month for us as reflected in the below. 

We eventually held off the challenge from both Birmingham clubs to seal promotion and the Championship title as well. In the process I also won manager of the year, while the most pleasing thing was EIGHT of our players getting into the team of the year.

The Player of the Season though was without a doubt Michael Obafemi, who took the league by storm after joining from Southampton. He finished as top scorer quite a way ahead of Cassidy in second place. His development has also been excellent and is now valued at well in excess of 10 million. Definitely the biggest star of the team. 

Quick look at the club vision update after gaining promotion:

I tried to remove the best youth system in the country requirement, but they weren't having it. They have also given me a pretty large transfer budget of 37 million along with a wage budget of 550k/ week for our first year back in the big-time, but as you will see from the next post I actually didn't end up using all of it.

 

[karanhsingh]

SUNDERLAND 2022/23 PRE-SEASON UPDATE (back in the Premiership)

Invariably promotion to the Premier league is followed by a busy summer with a lot of transfer activity and money being spent. However, I studied my squad thoroughly and realized we actually only needed a couple of signings. This was helped by the fact that we didn't have any key players on loan the previous year. The only senior departure was to be Will Grigg who didn't sign a new contract, so he would have to be replaced (as it turns out, by another striker from Wigan). I am also against having a bloated squad, and I didn't want to sell anyone off who had played a role in our promotion. 

A lot of the off-season activity was also about renewing player contracts, which we have done for a large majority of the squad. However, I am following a self-imposed wage cap of 30k/ week max as I don't want to go crazy handing out huge contracts. The 30k cap has also been hit only by Obafemi, most of the other players are now between 10-20k per week. 

In terms of the transfers, the two positions I really wanted to strengthen were up top (to replace Grigg and provide some competition), and an extra wide player again to compete with Maddison, McKay and Honeyman. For the striker position, we moved pretty quickly to secure promising young forward Joe Gelhardt from relegated Wigan, coming off a decent season in terms of goal & assist contribution. We were also able to secure him pretty cheap. In the first season I see him rotating with Clarke-Harris as the partner for Obafemi before hopefully taking over. 

The wide position turned out to be more complicated as my large scouting team struggled to find the right player. We had bids accepted for Noah Okafor and Emi Buendia but both fell apart due to their massive wage demands. Finally we had two options, both paid loan deals with an option to buy. After some careful analysis, we decided to not go for Mikey Johnston from Celtic, instead picking up the Italian Nicola Dalmonte from Man United with an option to buy him for 5.6 million at the end of the season.

Two other senior signings to talk about - our starting GK MacGillivray got injured for a couple of months so in comes Lee Nicholls on a short-term loan till January, you may recall I had him at MK Dons before selling him to Derby. The last signing is a bit of a luxury, 35 year old Jamie Vardy on a 12 month contract as impact sub, his stats still look good and I am hoping his perfectionist personality can rub off on some of the youngsters.

This leaves our squad looking like this, 22 man squad including 3 keepers. We are starting off the season with the same XI we used last year, and will probably slowly introduce Gelhardt & Dalmonte into the team depending on how performances go.

As above I am trying to be pretty strict with the finances and particularly the wages, so was pretty pleased when the following news came through.

Surprised by how much both Derby and WBA are already spending after coming up with us though. An interesting side-note, Derby actually got relegated first season in-game so after that they have had successive promotions, which is a great job by the AI manager!

I shall update again when we reach Christmas, need to check the fixtures as this is the World Cup year so there may be that large winter break as well!

[warlock]

3 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

promotion to the Premier league is followed by a busy summer

Impressive - and inspirational - achievement. Love the careful thought process behind your post-promotion strategy. 

4 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

what roles are you playing in midfield? Width mostly coming from the wing-backs I suppose?

Yes, width from the WBs, supplemented by a Mez on the left switching between support and attack as necessary (the forward ahead of him is usually on support so they combine well). AP-S beside him, B2B on the right, with a simple DM screening the defence. Taken a fair bit of tinkering to get it all to work but I'm happy with it right now.

[Jogo Bonito]

Great updates @karanhsingh and @warlock

Some very careful thought going in to your approaches. Your ideas at Ipswich have already been very successful @warlock and as a club I enjoyed managing, I hope you continue to do well.

I'm not by any means as keen on Sunderland, but you deserve credit for keeping your squad largely unchanged after a fantastic promotion @karanhsingh. I especially admire utilising a small pool of players, it keeps your options more simple.

I think I am ready for my first L2 experience on FM20. I'm pretty much decided, and it's a club with a low media prediction and budget. It will probably be on create a club mode again, solely for saving time on getting rid of the players I don't want to keep or manage. New signings will be modest and realistic for the level of club, and most will probably be free transfers or from lower reputation leagues.

I also need to nudge forward with Brentford now that they signed Shandon Baptiste (as I expected) because that means I only have two rogues in my squad and one of them is a 4th choice centre back.

Shall we have a new game of guess the club for my hopefully jolly L2 adventure? I can't think of too many clues really without giving it away. As far as I can recall, nobody has managed them on this version, and I might actually be the only one ever to take the role on 

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I might actually be the only one ever to take the role

That would seem to narrow it down pretty tightly. I'm sure I can remember saves for almost all of the L2 clubs except... Leyton Orient? 

[warlock]

Well, this sucks:

End of his season, and I'll have to try to find a loan/free replacement. Luckily the January window is just about to open.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

That would seem to narrow it down pretty tightly. I'm sure I can remember saves for almost all of the L2 clubs except... Leyton Orient? 

I've managed Leyton Orient before actually. IIRC it was the year after their promotion near-miss in League 1. But then I didn't say it was a club I have never managed before, so a fair guess anyway.

Maybe you were fishing for clues? OK, so they have a teenage defender son of an ex-Middlesbrough midfielder on the books, and a 16 year old full-back who is the son of one of their own star strikers from yesteryear (not that his stats will ever see him near the first team squad).

Very unlucky with the injury to Kenlock, but fortunate if the window is about to open. Can you not move Garbutt back there? He started as a natural left-back in his earlier career. Or maybe Nydam might be able to do a job (Ipswich love giving their youth a chance). I'm missing my Ipswich job that I lost when my old laptop died, so will enjoy reading your progress as you continue.

 

[warlock]

28 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

they have a teenage defender son of an ex-Middlesbrough midfielder

I'm afraid you over-estimate my knowledge .

29 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Can you not move Garbutt back there?

Garbutt has been playing WB rotation with Kenlock all season (and very well, too). Nydam has been out all season with a broken ankle, with around another month to go, and I'm guessing won't be match-fit until March. I could play Vincent-Young on the left since we have two CBs who are OK at RB but we've had injuries there, too, so I was a bit worried about being over-stretched. In the end, I've brought in someone you might know - young Brandon Fleming on loan from Hull. He has decent attributes in the right places, and with his contract due to expire in June I might be able to hang on to him if he plays well. And, in the end, he was about all I could afford.

Still trying to move out some of the deadwood to free up some wage budget (we're right at the limit) but it's proving difficult. The only problem area is up front, where Jackson's scoring streak has come to an end, Keane and Norwood still haven't found any form, and Roberts just isn't good enough. I've promoted Ben Folami from the u23s and he's done well, scoring twice in four starts, but I'd love another option. The good news is that the defence has been rock-solid and we're on a run of 1-0 victories with goals from midfield, but I don't think that's sustainable.

Big game next: we held Brentford 1-1 away in the FA Cup R3, with the prospect of a money-making tie at Spurs if we make it through the replay 

[Jogo Bonito]

Ah yes, KVY is more than capable both sides. Fleming is a decent young player and should serve you well (now on loan at Bolton IRL). I recall struggling with Norwood originally, then changed his role to one that was 'not as green' and he performed considerably better. I also took Connolly (Brighton) on loan in the first season and Forss (Brentford) on loan in the second,. Both did well. so goals were not a problem for me. Judge was my major player though, with goals and assists aplenty. Good luck in your replay.

[warlock]

40 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I recall struggling with Norwood originally, then changed his role to one that was 'not as green' and he performed considerably better

Ah... thank you for that! I remember that conversation and how he played much better as an AF... must give that a try 

[karanhsingh]

Thanks for the kind words guys! And I look forward to hearing about your new career @Jogo Bonito - will not bother trying to guess as I really don't know much about league two. 

I may take a break from this save for a bit, having returned Sunderland to the premier league. Feel like managing outside of England for a bit as that's all I've done so far on FM20. 

[Jogo Bonito]

6 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Thanks for the kind words guys! And I look forward to hearing about your new career @Jogo Bonito - will not bother trying to guess as I really don't know much about league two. 

I may take a break from this save for a bit, having returned Sunderland to the premier league. Feel like managing outside of England for a bit as that's all I've done so far on FM20. 

Understandable to want a different experience. Are you managing in Sweden by any chance?

My new League 2 club is set up, and narrowly lost the first friendly 1-0 to the mighty Hull of all teams (kept Bowen quiet which was a surprise). I'll be changing formation a few times in pre-season as I haven't quite worked out what will suit best. Tactics will be much more direct due to the striker types I have and I'm also using longer goal kicks and play for free kicks which is the first time I tried either on FM. These fresh ideas could go horribly wrong, but then avoiding the drop will please the board so nothing to lose.

[warlock]

12 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I'm also using longer goal kicks and play for free kicks

Will be interested to see that. I don't always play from the back, but otherwise get my GK to distribute to the flanks (or to the FBs in this narrow system). I've been using 'play for set pieces' a lot this year as part of a system to see out games - disrupts the AI gameplay and keeps the ball at their end of the pitch, and for that it works well. Looking forward to the reveal 

Edited February 4, 2020 by warlock

[karanhsingh]

35 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Understandable to want a different experience. Are you managing in Sweden by any chance?

My new League 2 club is set up, and narrowly lost the first friendly 1-0 to the mighty Hull of all teams (kept Bowen quiet which was a surprise). I'll be changing formation a few times in pre-season as I haven't quite worked out what will suit best. Tactics will be much more direct due to the striker types I have and I'm also using longer goal kicks and play for free kicks which is the first time I tried either on FM. These fresh ideas could go horribly wrong, but then avoiding the drop will please the board so nothing to lose.

Yes started a journeyman save with all new leagues and got IFK Goteborg as my first club. Quite enjoying it so far. 

Good luck with your new adventure! I like the tactical changes and if you have quick strikers theres no reason why it won't work 

[karanhsingh]

24 minutes ago, warlock said:

Will be interested to see that. I don't always play from the back, but otherwise get my GK to distribute to the flanks (or to the FBs in this narrow system). I've been using 'play for set pieces' a lot this year as part of a system to see out games - disrupts the AI gameplay and keeps the ball at their end of the pitch, and for that it works well. Looking forward to the reveal 

I often do play for set pieces as well towards the end of games to disrupt the flow of the game while leading. Along with maximum time wasting of course

[goonergez]

Coventry City: 2024/25 Season Preview

So after last season's play-off heartbreak, this season it was all about building to achieve the same goals this time around. For me reaching the play-offs again is an absolute must, and i'd actually like us to attempt to fight it out for the automatic promotion spots instead. That won't prove particularly easy though, As there are some clubs much bigger than us hovering in this division. Fulham and Nottingham Forest being two of the recently relegated sides, and the former of which spent £67,000,000 in an attempt to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. In contrast we spent just £700,000, and adding our sales into it as well, we ended the summer with a net spend of just £250,000. A pretty significant contrast.

For the first time under my leadership, the summer passed without any truly major departures. Long time servant Jordy Hiwula was the highest profile to exit, leaving for Hull City in a £300,000 deal. He didn't feature very regularly for us last season, and when he did he didn't impress. The only other cash departure came on deadline day, and was a deal I really didn't want to do. Young right back Lee Moore moaned about wanting first team football and I simply couldn't promise it to him with Dario Miranda performing much better. He went to Crystal Palace in a £325,000 deal. Not too bad considering we brought him to the club for £150,000 and he'd only made a handful of first team appearances for us. Another long time squad member departed as Brandon Mason moved to AFC Wimbledon at the end of his contract with us. When I arrived he was first choice left back, but over the last couple of years he'd fallen into more of a squad role and wasn't a part of my longer term plans here.

Youngster George Burroughs and veteran Ralf Fahrmann had both never made a first team appearance for us, although Fahrmann was number two goalkeeper last season. They left for Grennock Morton and FC Nuremberg respectively, both on free transfers. Youngster Alan Currie was sent to Hamilton on loan for the season for game time, as was young central midfielder Omar Banton (who has risen through our youth system). Both of them would've been on the fringes of the first team here, so to give them regular fist team football seemed a sensible decision. I really do have high hopes for Banton, who scored a hat-trick on debut for Jamaica over the summer, and made ten first team appearances last season. He will be spending the season on loan at Exeter City in League Two. Joao Vasques went to Nacional de Madeira and Cian Cosslett to AFC Fylde both on loan deals, albeit less interestingly or excitingly.

Arrival wise there were seven new faces coming into the Ricoh Arena, although two of them were youth prospects for the future. 20-year old left back Graham Dutton came in on a free transfer from Leeds United, and Gareth Chambers also came for free from Liverpool, both as promising prospects. Alexis Sanchez did complete his pre-contract agreement with us, and will offer squad depth for his one year deal here. His quality has significantly dropped, but he could be helpful around some of the younger players.

After impressing me during his loan with us, I decided to bring Harvey White in from Tottenham on a £250,000 deal. He will play a similar roe as cover for us, but at 22-years of age still has plenty of time to progress and develop. Fellow central midfielder Yang Mingyang was also picked up, from Swiss side Aarau on a free transfer. He's 29-years of age, but offers further cover to our midfield. Defensively the departure of Lee Moore left us a little short on numbers, and it forced me to move in the market just days before the season began. I decided to bring in left back slash centre back Jack Iredale from Huddersfield. The Australian international won't be a regular starter but will offer some cover to our squad. 

Finally was my most pleasing and surprising deal. Joel Coleman had performed solidly for us in goal last season, but not exceptionally. I was always on the lookout for a stronger option, although not particularly actively. Over the summer an option came forward completely out of the blue. 27-year old Slovakian Marek Rodak is a significant upgrade on Coleman, and was snapped up for just £300,000 from Norwich City. We fought off a lot of competition for his signature, but he completed an unexpected but very exciting transfer.

Although i'm confident and excited about our abilities this season, my enthusiasm isn't matched. The media predict us to finish way down in 18th, and the bookmakers offer much better odds for us to be relegated than to win the league. I don't think by any means we will win the league, but we should definitely be able to compete in the top-half of the table. My contract is up at the end of the season, and without promotion i'd seriously have to consider my future. I'd like to further my career, although preferably in charge of this squad which I've built up.

Edited February 4, 2020 by goonergez

[Jogo Bonito]

58 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Yes started a journeyman save with all new leagues and got IFK Goteborg as my first club. Quite enjoying it so far. 

Good luck with your new adventure! I like the tactical changes and if you have quick strikers theres no reason why it won't work 

We have a Swedish revolution underway then! Perhaps we need a minor European leagues thread...

My strikers are a mix of big strong powerful lumps and younger sharper lighter ones. Hoping it will work.

[karanhsingh]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

We have a Swedish revolution underway then! Perhaps we need a minor European leagues thread...

My strikers are a mix of big strong powerful lumps and younger sharper lighter ones. Hoping it will work.

Yes I saw that you have a save with Hammarby going! Definitely a minor leagues or Scandinavian thread would be a good idea. 

The old little and large combination then, would love to see your tactic once you have it settled. 

[Jogo Bonito]

6 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Yes I saw that you have a save with Hammarby going! Definitely a minor leagues or Scandinavian thread would be a good idea. 

The old little and large combination then, would love to see your tactic once you have it settled. 

Currently trying large and large with the younger ones on the bench. Early days. 

Two of my signings for League 2 were from Sweden. A left back I took from Malmo youth ranks and a  promising young striker released by Malmo. They both came to Hammarby but will take time to hit the main squad there. In League 2 they're in my squad from the start...

[karanhsingh]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

Currently trying large and large with the younger ones on the bench. Early days. 

Two of my signings for League 2 were from Sweden. A left back I took from Malmo youth ranks and a  promising young striker released by Malmo. They both came to Hammarby but will take time to hit the main squad there. In League 2 they're in my squad from the start...

Good to hear! The wage budgets in Sweden are tiny, struggling to find anyone who I can afford. I think I made a mistake not loading up the Norwegian league as a number of the so called bargain players aren't showing up on my save. 

[Jogo Bonito]

Are you still in the transfer window? I made the mistake of starting early 2019 so it's a slow burner! Will give you same names later if you specify the most pressing positions.

Great update @goonergez and good luck proving the media muppets wrong!

Edited February 4, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

24 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Great update @goonergez and good luck proving the media muppets wrong!

Yeah - outperforming media predictions and the bookies is all part of the fun.

[karanhsingh]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Are you still in the transfer window? I made the mistake of starting early 2019 so it's a slow burner! Will give you same names later if you specify the most pressing positions.

Great update @goonergez and good luck proving the media muppets wrong!

Nope, I started in July 2019 itself, that's why the Goteborg job became available because they weren't doing too well. Managed to recover and finish the season in 3rd place, now just entered 2020. Also getting used to the Swedish calendar! Let me know if you're starting that thread 

[Jogo Bonito]

 

34 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Nope, I started in July 2019 itself, that's why the Goteborg job became available because they weren't doing too well. Managed to recover and finish the season in 3rd place, now just entered 2020. Also getting used to the Swedish calendar! Let me know if you're starting that thread 

I see. You're already ahead of me then! I thought by the time I got home you would have the thread done and it would include a detailed analysis of the best clubs to take on, the best players to sign etc. I cannot tell you how disappointed I will be if it isn't ready.... 

[karanhsingh]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

 

I see. You're already ahead of me then! I thought by the time I got home you would have the thread done and it would include a detailed analysis of the best clubs to take on, the best players to sign etc. I cannot tell you how disappointed I will be if it isn't ready.... 

 you seem to have pretty lofty expectations my friend!

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

 you seem to have pretty lofty expectations my friend!

I need this level of ambition for my new League 2 club. Speaking of which, the tactic and striker choice is working like a dream. Two friendlies so far, both lost 1-0. Opposition was tough in Hull and Lincoln so hoping I will find the right solution by the season opener. All should (might) be revealed later if I am lucky.

[pedromanuelpinto]

Hi,

I usually start a save at England second or third division.

 

I'm a Leeds fan, but I'm having difficulty to start a save with them... They look to strong.

I like to have a little bit of fight at first season, but that I could manage to be promoted. 

 

Thinking of Brentford (stadium size should be a problem?), I like the transfer policy (don't know if it can be done in the game), or Portsmouth. Also Leeds it's on the list. 

 

What you suggest? I like to be promoted every season, don't be fired, have some money to transfers, buy players with 23 or less. 

 

Thanks. 

[karanhsingh]

Pompey sounds like a good fit for you, or Sunderland. Maybe Posh? 

[goonergez]

theres some really good saves going on in here and it’s great keeping up with every bodies progress. Loving it.

My spell with Coventry feels like it’s coming to an end. A huge winless streak dropped us off promotion pace and as January is about to open we haven’t won in months and are well off play off pace. I’m keen to stick with it for now, but frustration is starting to kick in after we started the season really well.

I don’t know whether to stick with the save if I do leave or kick off a new one altogether. I have been linked with a whole host of jobs, so I’d pick a new one up easily enough, it’s just whether I want too. I’m keen to have a save with Bradford City at some point, and Shrewsbury are another one I’m keen to have a go with. We shall see.

[warlock]

12 hours ago, pedromanuelpinto said:

I like to be promoted every season, don't be fired, have some money to transfers

There's a catch this year - clubs that are likely to be promoted tend to have very demanding boards, so failure very often does mean the sack. Having transfer funds available tends to mean Championship clubs - there's not much money below that.

Brentford is a popular save this year (and they move into a new stadium in 2020), and a couple of us have got Birmingham promoted first season. Bristol City is also a possibility. Of the richer clubs, Fulham will expect automatic promotion, and Stoke and WBA are possibles.

[Jogo Bonito]

32 minutes ago, goonergez said:

theres some really good saves going on in here and it’s great keeping up with every bodies progress. Loving it.

My spell with Coventry feels like it’s coming to an end. A huge winless streak dropped us off promotion pace and as January is about to open we haven’t won in months and are well off play off pace. I’m keen to stick with it for now, but frustration is starting to kick in after we started the season really well.

I don’t know whether to stick with the save if I do leave or kick off a new one altogether. I have been linked with a whole host of jobs, so I’d pick a new one up easily enough, it’s just whether I want too. I’m keen to have a save with Bradford City at some point, and Shrewsbury are another one I’m keen to have a go with. We shall see.

Contrary to what I would do myself, my advice is to ride it out and see the season through. Walk away if you haven't enjoyed it again by then, but your enthusiasm for what you have built up and the effort you have put in to it with progression year by year makes me think you have a little bit more to offer there.

However, it's a game made for fun (hence this year I have been doing mine on create a club mode) so if you're enduring rather than enjoying, you should perhaps follow through with your exit plan. If that is the case, you can look back fondly on what you have done with Coventry anyway. If it was me, i would want to start at a new club from 19/20 rather than try and put your own stamp on what the AI manager has done in those years. Having said that, do you want a new club just weeks before the data update comes out...

Edited February 5, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

my advice is to ride it out and see the season through

Yes, this!

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

it's a game made for fun so if you're enduring ... you should perhaps follow through with your exit plan

And this!

(Hope we've helped, @goonergez )

[Jogo Bonito]

Pre-season results for my new side were pretty grim, but a 3-1 win over Hibernian in the last of them (my side were 1-0 down and with 10 men from a 25th minute penalty that VAR would have overturned) give some confidence. I've also been reminded why I should never venture in to L1 or L2 - the draw has been made for the Leasing.Com Trophy!

[warlock]

9 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

the draw has been made for the Leasing.Com Trophy

Yeah, it's tedious. Unfortunately, I'm still in it - the final to play in a couple of weeks. Between the Tin Pot and the FA Cup replay, we played 9 games in January, and 8 in February (roughly, a game every three days), and it takes its toll. For the last 8 games of the season, I have Kenlock and Dozell missing for all games, Huws out for the next 4, Norwood for at least 3.

I wish you an early exit 

[goonergez]

You guys have helped and I think I will try and stick it out. I’ve just won, a first win in thirteen. Hopefully that’ll be the start of a revival. January is about to hit and we really need a goal scorer.

[Jogo Bonito]

2 hours ago, goonergez said:

You guys have helped and I think I will try and stick it out. I’ve just won, a first win in thirteen. Hopefully that’ll be the start of a revival. January is about to hit and we really need a goal scorer.

Nice one, good luck with the (possible) revival!

@warlock As you're in the final, finish the job man! Hopefully you can overcome the absentees. I've been landed a group where I am clearly 4th seed, so hoping my squad players will duly oblige with an early exit. Club reveal will follow later as nobody picked up on the subtle clues in my last few posts 

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

subtle clues

They were, indeed, subtle .

I'll certainly do my best to win the Tin Pot having endured this far. In other news... just won automatic promotion, and I think one more win will seal the title. And loving the new ME - only played one match, but Jackson (who had gone 12 games without scoring) bagged 4!!

[Jogo Bonito]

6 minutes ago, warlock said:

They were, indeed, subtle .

I'll certainly do my best to win the Tin Pot having endured this far. In other news... just won automatic promotion, and I think one more win will seal the title. And loving the new ME - only played one match, but Jackson (who had gone 12 games without scoring) bagged 4!!

Nice one! Is this the public beta ME or something else?

[warlock]

18 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Is this the public beta ME or something else?

New ME release as per this thread:

My earlier post was very much tongue-in-cheek... it does look good, but I wouldn't judge it from one match.

[Jogo Bonito]

Cheers, I'll be playing my season opener on it so that might be interesting!

[Jogo Bonito]

I'm back in the game and at a familiar old haunt.........

Oh, no that isn't right. How about this instead?

Yes, I am back at Grimsby - and I didn't even need to move house after ending my spell in charge of Hull City

My new club are predicted to finish 17th in League 2 this year, and there is no pressure whatsoever from the board

At the end of the five year plan, the board have included a line about moving to a new stadium though

This has been in the pipeline for around 25 years now, but in the last week the club has announced it will happen within the next 3-5 years

The new 14,000 all-seater community stadium at Freeman Street will be a multi-purpose venue and could look something like this

Until then, the Blundell Park home will be better than average at this level (itself an all-seater ground)

I've shown the door to all those that I didn't want to be managing and assembled my 25-man squad as below

Plucked from English clubs were Ben Garratt (Burton), Festus Arthur (Stockport), Jamey Osborne (Solihull Moors), Rumarn Burrell (Middlesbrough) and Chuma Anene (Crewe)

Recruited from further afield were Jamie Hamilton (Hamilton, Scotland), Yahya Kalley (Malmo, Sweden) and Alex Marshall (Cavalier, Jamaica)

Free agents Sam Habergham, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, Jordan Cox and Kevin Harletun were also welcomed to the club 

Inherited injuries prevent Habergham, Vernam and Rose being available from the outset so it was effectively a 22-man squad  before pre-season injuries were added 

The final tactical choice hasn't been nailed down just yet in the attacking areas, but should be something similar to this

The back four is there to stay, but two strikers may become a better option (or possibly two wingers)

Pre-season was hard to read as some good performances against Hull & Lincoln ended in 1-0 defeats, but the Motherwell game was disappointing

The non-league opponents were seen off comfortably, and the best result by far was the 10-man victory over Hibernian

The League 2 campaign starts with a glamorous road trip to Morecambe. How exciting is that?

Edited February 5, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[pedromanuelpinto]

Hi,

Thanks all. Will exam Portsmouth and Brentford team. One of this will be the chosen. 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Yes, I am back at Grimsby

Well, I didn't see that coming. Unfinished business, or so enjoyable you had to do it again?

Whatever the motivation I wish you well