[FMT20] Sunshine on Leith.

[Jimbokav1971]

 

I've never played a full game of FMT, (in fact I have never managed more than a single season I don't think), and mainly due to my dissatisfaction with a couple of bugs in FM, I have decided to give FMT a proper go and play a save that isn't really something you would expect of me. 

• It's not going to be Youth Only. 
• It's not going to be Journeyman, (because I expect that the issues with FM20 are likely to exist in FMT20 too). 
• I will not be starting at the very bottom of the structure I start in.
• The save is inspired by a song, (or at least a fans version of a song that blew me away).
• Because this is FMT, I will be embracing some of the FMT style benefits, (I already knew that I had the ability to purchase a son in the game and now I also understand that I can "buy a Golden Generation", but what's the betting they are all absolutely pish anyway!). 
• I'm really just playing this until the boffins at SI can sort out the things that are bugging me about FM20. 
• The 1st aim as always is to not get sacked. 
• The 2nd aim is to absolutely bury Hearts. 
• The 3rd aim is to separate the Old Firm and become better than Rangers. 
• The ultimate aim is to topple Celtic. 
• Where as I would usually start with no badges and a Sunday League reputation, in this save I am starting with an automatic reputation and I don't think badges are in the game because I didn't get an option in that respect. 
• There is however 1 feature that I will absolutely NOT be using.  It's a downright abomination. 

 

Start of save. Jul 2019. 

• We have £8.8M in the bank, but a transfer budget of £0.00. 
• Our wage budget is £67,952 and that's exactly what we are spending. 
• Our Training Facilities are "Great" (at least that's what it says), and part of the reason for playing FMT is that I have no way of checking. 
• Our Youth Facilities are also "Great" and as above we will just have to take their word for it. (There is no  separate Youth Recruitment which is the big problem in FM20 at the moment).

This is a new screen to me and it says that we don't have a Chairman. Are Hibs fan owned? 

I was actually looking to delegate stuff to the Chairman, (like hiring/firing all staff), so I might have to do that myself, (which is a pain, and not very FMT-like).

Oh ok. Here it is. It is here, it's just quite limited but no problem. 

I never knew this feature existed.  I won't be using it. (Another abomination). 

I also hadn't heard of this feature either but not sure if it's new or not. This might get used at some point but I will talk you through it if and when I use it.  The idea would be that this would just be for a players who has done something special that deserves special recognition. (I'm assuming that this is for a player and not for me by the way?)

I've just come across "Dream Transfer" and I'm not sure what this is at all.  Let's have a look and see if I can work out what it is. 

Oh, it actually creates a pop-up with a description for all of them. 

No loan restrictions. This doesn't really appeal because I tend not to use in-coming loans, but if I was able to unlock it in-game then I might be tempted to take advantage of it just for the hell of it. I certainly won't be purchasing it though.

No transfer windows. I won't be purchasing this or using it when I activate it in-game. I am very used to transfer windows and couldn't bring myself to abolish them.

No sacking. While I won't be purchasing this, I would like to think I will be unlocking it in-game and that it might be a decent reward to activate it. It might also allow me to them go for more risky strategies without risk of getting shown the door. 

Board over-ride. I won't be purchasing this, but it does say that it's unlockable even if it doesn't say how. I would expect that I get one of these to use if I get the board to change their mind about something. Either way I look forward to using this, (maybe even multiple times depending on what unlocks it).

No Work permits. Although I won't be purchasing this, what makes it appealing to use if un-locked in-game is the trigger of "showing a commitment to developing home-grown talent". I would definitely use this. Brexit has been announced and it's a medium Brexit.

Son generated. This is the big one for me. I would have been tempted to pay money for this, but as it's triggered by a player retiring after 10 years service rather than me being at the club for 10 years then I might hold off. It also means I am about to go and re-sign some players who I was prepared to let leave. (I wonder if loan deals screw with this?)

All players interested. I'm not going to be purchasing this and I also don't think there is much chance in me unlocking this either. This might be more suitable in a Journeyman save, but is it restricted to 1 club or does it follow the Manager around? 

Foreign Influx. Although I wouldn't purchase, if I manage to go undefeated for a full season, then I bloomin well deserve this as a prize. 

Unlimited scouting. Oh yes, if this save lasts 10 years then this is definitely getting used once I unlock it.

New Stadia. I would pay good cash money to have a stadium names after me, (because I still haven't managed it in any FM), but I can't see myself using this even if I somehow trigger it. SI please note I am happy to pay to rename a stadium though. Pretty please. 

Attribute masking. Not sure about this one. If you asked me if I wanted to play with the FoW lifted then I would have said no, so I'm definitely not purchasing this, but if it was an earned reward to show me every players determination level for example then that might seem more reasonable. I will have to think about this one nearer the time and will discuss in more depth if and when it happens. 

Spoiler

ok. So this is the 1st one which I have unlocked, (which is a shame). 

I'm tempted to have a look and see what's what. I wonder if I can have a look and then back out again at the last minute. I would be quite happy to be able to select 1 single attribute that becomes visible. I would be significantly less happy if it completely removed the FoW.

Oh ok. It seems like you can remove it later if you don't like it so that's good. I'm still not sure if it's everything or not though. 

This is strange though. Nothing seems to have changed...... 

 

£1M boost. Nope. I'm not using this. 

£5M boost. Nope. I'm not using this. 

£10M boost. Nope.

£50M boost. No no no no no. 

Morale boost. I'm not purchasing this, but if I unlock it then I will use it. Would have been better if you could keep it in your back pocket for a rainy day though, (like a Cup Final or a big league game). 

Magic sponge. 

Dodgy Lasagne. 

Lifetime Player contract. I'm not purchasing this, but I would use on someone like a son if I unlock it.

Unsuspend player. No, not using this. 

All job Applications. If I was playing a journeyman save then I might be tempting, but no.

Design a son. Oh I see. This isn't the same thing at all as "Generate a son". I will "try" not to buy this and will instead try to earn it.

Golden Generation. This sounds right up my street. I would love to unlock this, (by having a product of my Academy win some accolade or something), but I can see me purchasing this. The only reason I'm not purchasing immediately is partly because I don't even feel like the club is mine yet, (and I've just finished the 1st season), but also because I want to be financially viable so that the board don't sell them off and that they can stay at the club long-term. I also want to see what a normal intake is like 1st. 

Dream Transfer. The idea of bringing in Messi or Ronaldo doesn't appeal in the slightest, but the idea of perhaps bringing back a previous product of our Academy might be more appealing. Only if I trigger it though. I'm not buying this. 

I don't actually know if we qualified for Europe last season. We will have to wait and see. 

The Youth Intake Preview is appalling and possibly suggests that the issues with FM20 are also in FMT20. I haven'y worked out how to force through a Golden Generation. I also can't work out how to give myself a son in the game, (although I think it auto-triggers after 10 seasons).

Spoiler

I just couldn't resist. This was going to be such a pants Intake and I'm still annoyed about the Nordicland save and the bugs, so I treated myself to a Golden Generation.  Yes I know I've sold out, but I'm also trying to embrace FMT as much as possible. (Magic Sponges and Dodgy Lasagne's are not going to happen). So anyway, there is a reason that the Intake which will be added below this later is "hopefully", significantly better than the Intake Preview above. 

Spoiler

This is a ridiculously good intake, even though there are only 4 players. What I was expecting was a boost in PA. I wasn't expecting at all that they were going to have their CA boosted too. It's a little bit of a shame that they are this good actually. They are almost too good. 

(20a) Brian *.

(20b) Johnston *.

Something that I have noticed however is that this button is available......  I'm not sure if this is going to try and get me to pay for a son, (I'm not going to), or if it's has been triggered because I have players at the club who have been here for more than 10 years, (although not exactly 10 years). Anyway, let's press it and see what happens.....

Spoiler

It took me to the Steam store, so it's a prompt to try and get me to spend money rather than something else. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. Going into the last game of the season we were 3rd, level on points with Rangers and only behind by 1 goal difference and ahead on goals scored. We just need 1 point more than them to finish in 2nd and 4th placed Aberdeen were almost 20 points behind us. Hearts, with 1 game remaining were only ahead of St Mirren in the relegation zone on goal difference. How I wish I was playing them to send them down. Celtic have obviously romped the league, although it was close for much of the season while they had games in hand. 

Forget that bit above. We have just been given 5 more games to play. I had forgotten about that. 

In the end, we didn't finish 2nd and Hearts didn't get relegated. 

Betfred Cup. We progressed through the Group stage and then somehow crashed out to Alloa. 

Scottish Cup. As if losing to Alloa wasn't bad enough, we made it a double by also losing to Morton.

That's more like it. 

I had nothing to do with this at all. The board just announced it. 

How Mallan has not been called up to the Scottish side I have no idea. I'm playing him as a DLP(s) and he is absolutely smashing it. 

Finances. 

Anyway, so I know some of you will be disgusted by all of the above and still others might demand to know who am I and what have I done with Jimbo. Don't worry, I'm not changing the way I play and this is just some light entertainment to pass the time while the SI lads get on with some bug-fixing. 

 

[ManUtd1]

[Jimbokav1971]

Transfer strategy. Jun 2020.

I obviously have a personal preference for signing younger players, but the club I'm managing and the situation that we find ourselves in suggest that I also need to sign some more experienced players in order to flesh out the squad a little more for our European campaign next season, but also so that they are able to step in immediately and replace any players who I receive a reasonable offer for, (because we are hugely a selling club at the moment). 

A lot of the players that my scouts are recommending are at either Celtic and Rangers and while I'm happy to sign anyone released by them on a free, (or before their contract expires), I'm very reluctant to to give them even a penny in transfer fees. I need to do every little thing I can to close the enormous financial chasm between them and us.

[Edit] 

I have actually decided to delegate responsibility for new signings to the DoF. In full fat FM I usually reserve the right to veto this, but I don't have that choice. I will see how the DoF gets on with it this season and then maybe take over next season if he's rubbish.

European Qualification.

It seems that the EC2 places is another bug. 

This is what it actually looks like. 

Qualification direct for the Group stages of the Champions League is great for Scottish football, but not quite so good when it guarantees Celtic a huge wedge of cash each season. That being said, I expect that it's their performances that have boosted the coefficient in recent seasons. 

Last season in Europe. 

Celtic won the Ladbrokes Premiership last season, (by 13 points), winning the Betfred Cup made it a double and the Scottish Treble made it another treble. They beat Linfield of N.Ireland, Nõmme Kalju FC of Finland, Rosenborg of Norway and Young Boys of Switzerland as they progressed to the Group Stages of the Champions League last season, where they recorded wins against Zenit of Russia, R.Madrid & Genk of Belgium as they finished 2nd in the group. Unfortunately they came up against Man City in the knockout stages and lost both legs. That's a pretty impressive campaign though. 

Rangers beat AS La Jeunesse d'Esch-Alzette of Luxembourg, Vit. Guimarães of Portugal, and Spartak Moscow of Russia on the way to a EURO Cup Group stage containing Sporting Lisbon, Feyenoord of Holland and Young Boys of Switzerland. Usually a 3rd place finish in a EURO Cup group would mean the end of European football for another season, and it did this season for Rangers despite the fact that I thought that the 3rd place team in the EURO Cup group would drop into the EC2 knockout stages, (but obviously not). 

[Edit]

There was no EC2 last season. That's why it didn't happen. 

Aberdeen got as far as the Group stages of the EURO Cup, but came badly unstuck in a tough group. 

Kilmarnock progressed past FK Liepaja of Latvia but were well beaten by Torino of Italy in the EURO Cup. 

This season in Europe. 

We have been drawn against Urartu Yerevan of Armenia in the 1st Round Qualifying of the EURO Cup. I will be busting a git to get to the Group Stages of the Europa league and then I will probably be trying to engineer a 3rd place finish if I can, so that we drop into the EC2 knockout stages. 

The next round has paired us with opposition that we should be easily seeing off. 

TV Deal.

Edited November 24, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Jul 2020.

There is no ability to filter out or in different competitions in FMT I'm afraid, so you get all the competitions in 1 during this save. Sorry. 

As impressive as a debut in Europe at the age of 15 is, it's nowhere near as impressive as growing a different coloured beard. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

Edited November 24, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[scousevasey]

On the subject of the different unlockables/purchases, I think there are some that are cash purchase only, and don’t get unlocked bu achievement.

 

Those you unlock through performance have the phrase ‘this can be unlocked by...’ or some variation (e.g. by being at the same club for 10 years).

Those that say ‘this unlockable is single use’ are ones you pay for, with the phrase informing you that once it is used, it wears off, and you have to buy it again to use it again. So if you use the stadium building one, it builds a new 35000 seater stadium, but if 5 years later you have maximum attendance, buying it again will just add another 35000 seater stadium.

 

There were a couple that you mentioned you would consider using if unlocked, that I don’t think are unlockable through achievements, but the phrase ‘unlockable’ makes it hard to know until you have played it for a while

 

N.B. Based on playing FMT a couple of editions ago, so it may have changed, but the details look the same

[Jimbokav1971]

Transfer policy continued. Jul 2020.

I have signed 2 youngsters, (each for £100,000 cash and no add-ons), and asked the DoF to arrange the free signings of 2 other players, but the signings of the DoF have been a little mixed. 

Semple has come in for a flat £100,000 fee and will offer some much needed depth in the coming seasons. 

Hanratty has come in for a flat £100,000 fee and will be a decent future prospect. I like the look of him at this early stage.

Husband (ENG) was signed on a free from Blackpool and immediately becomes our 1st choice left back and is valued at £825,000. My plan is to sell him after 1 season.

Coyle (ENG) is a VERY good player. We have signed him on a free from Fleetwood and he immediately becomes out 1st choice right back and is valued at £3.9M That's a huge signing for the club and as well as his playing ability he will have a significant saleable value after a season with us, (and yes I plan on cashing in and re-investing). 

The DoF paid £1.3M rising to £1.6M for Shankland, but while my initial impression was that he had done very well, I was less happy when I saw his PPM's. 

I don't want him to come deep and I certainly don't want him to play with his back to goal, but I'm unable to influence this in FMT. I will play him and see how it goes, but again I will be looking to sell him for a profit next season. 

The DoF has had a bid of £1.8M rising to £2.2M for Kiko Fermania of Watford. He's currently valued at £3.3M and is a good player, but is he still going to be values at £3M+ in the Scottish Premiership? This is a lot of money to pay for a player about to hit 30, but I also think it's a decent signing. I was all set to agree the deal but He is going to want approx £15k per week in wages and that equates to £780,000 over 1 season. That's a big chink to come out of any future transfer fee and I think I might struggle to make a "real" profit on him if we consider wages. Deal off. 

Thompson (WAL) has joined on a season long loan from Shrewsbury, and he looks really quite decent. Well done the DoF.

The DoF did really well to arrange a deal for Robson-Kanu (WAL) for £875,00, but his wages are going to be somewhere in the region of £650,000 per season and I just think that's too much for us at this stage. I would rather build our finances first. 

The DoF has outdone himself with this one. A £1.8M deal for Fernandes (ESP) from Man City. Great business. 

Lyon was a more modest signing at just £33,000 but we need this sort of depth if we want to compete in Cup competitions and the league at the same time.

I'm not sure if Leko (ENG) is going to play up front, right or left, but the DoF has pulled off a master-stroke getting him in on loan from West Brom. If he goes well I will see if I can convert it into a permanent deal. 

Mújica (ESP) was a last minute loan signing from Barca B. Looks very very handy indeed. Well done again Mr DoF. 

I almost didn't let the DoF sign James (ENG) for £425,000 because there might be injury issues with him, but he played 37 games last season in English League 1 so he can't have struggled that badly. 

Hepburn-Murphy is another who has come in on loan. Not quite sure about this one actually. Overkill perhaps?

When you take into account that Celtic splashed out £74M on 5 players, it puts into perspective our modest purchases. 

[Jimbokav1971]

7 minutes ago, scousevasey said:

On the subject of the different unlockables/purchases, I think there are some that are cash purchase only, and don’t get unlocked bu achievement.

Those you unlock through performance have the phrase ‘this can be unlocked by...’ or some variation (e.g. by being at the same club for 10 years).

Those that say ‘this unlockable is single use’ are ones you pay for, with the phrase informing you that once it is used, it wears off, and you have to buy it again to use it again. So if you use the stadium building one, it builds a new 35000 seater stadium, but if 5 years later you have maximum attendance, buying it again will just add another 35000 seater stadium.

There were a couple that you mentioned you would consider using if unlocked, that I don’t think are unlockable through achievements, but the phrase ‘unlockable’ makes it hard to know until you have played it for a while

N.B. Based on playing FMT a couple of editions ago, so it may have changed, but the details look the same

Thanks for that.  I did wonder about that very thing, but the "unlockable" things suggested that they could be unlocked. No worried either way to be honest. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2020. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. We've had a decent start with 3 wins from 4, and only dropped points away to Rangers who finished above us last season so technically is that even points dropped? 

EURO Cup. I think we were really really really unlucky to draw Bayer 04 Leverkusen. There are some REALLY rubbish clubs still in the competition and it's just the way it goes unfortunately. I mist admit that I'm a bit gutted. 

Betfred Cup. I have serious designs on getting to at least a Final this season.

Confidence. 

FInances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2020.

Ladbrokes Premiership. I don't mind losing to Celtic at the moment. They are on a completely different level to us if I'm honest. What I did last season was rest players against them, but in this game at least we had a go, but still lost 1-0.

Betfred Cup. The only thing worse than losing in the Cup is losing to Hearts in the Cup. REALLY not happy. 

Confidence.

Finances. 

[Deisler26]

Ouch. Hate a derby loss

[Jimbokav1971]

25 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Ouch. Hate a derby loss

What derby loss? I am refusing to acknowledge that it even happened. Christ only knows what I will do if they get into Europe by virtue of getting to the Final and playing one of the Old Firm.  I am seriously going to start prioritising the Hearts games above absolutely all else and I'm also going to try and poach their best players, (even if I have to pay over the odds to do so). I want them relegated. I want them dead. I want them out of business. I want them..... ok, well all that is a bit much, but it would be good to see them relegated for a couple of seasons. Alternatively, it might be good if they started to do really well and were ultra-competitive, (but that's after relegation and then promotion again). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Question. 

Our Reserves have just lost on penalties in a competition called the Tunnock's Wafer Cup. I wanted to manage them in this Micky Mouse Cup so I changed the settings giving me responsibility for friendly matches but this didn't work. There seems to be no way that I can control reserve matches in FMT. Does anyone have a suggestion? 

I've given responsibility of friendlies back to the Staff, but there doesn't seem to be anything Reserves related anywhere. 

Any ideas? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Another question. 

How do I find how good a player is on each foot? I've got a player who is listed as either, but I can't find anywhere on FMT that shows the info broken down to left and right foot. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Leading Development clubs. Oct 2020. 

I suppose it could be worse. We might not actually be on the list at all. 

I'm going to scout the Scottish aged group squads, and Aberdeen and Hearts Youth Teams and see what I can pick up. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2020. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. We've been in good form in the league after last months loss to Celtic and the debacle against Hearts in the Cup. Last season if we ignore losses against Celtic, we lost against Rangers, St Johnstone, Aberdeen & Kilmarnock. Assuming we lose against Celtic again, my aim is to lose less than 4 other games. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[scousevasey]

48 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Question. 

Our Reserves have just lost on penalties in a competition called the Tunnock's Wafer Cup. I wanted to manage them in this Micky Mouse Cup so I changed the settings giving me responsibility for friendly matches but this didn't work. There seems to be no way that I can control reserve matches in FMT. Does anyone have a suggestion? 

I've given responsibility of friendlies back to the Staff, but there doesn't seem to be anything Reserves related anywhere. 

Any ideas? 

Have you looked in the Development Centre.  That is where my reserves are on full fat.

 

not on FM currently, so I don’t know if that contains their staff list are responsibilities but it is worth a look 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2020.

Ladbrokes Premiership. We're not scoring as many but we are bossing games a bit more and seem a little bit more secure after I went full "Inverted mode". (Yeah I know, I know, I know). The thing is, it just allows us to retain possession much more effectively and just gives the opposition too many bodies to defend against, (with the wide players cutting in and the full backs offering the width). Also, as much as I wasn't keen, Shankland's link up play is proving enormously effective despite the fact that I don't like the PPM's "comes deep to get ball" and "Plays with back to goal" in an AF. He's now got 6 goals and 6 assists this season. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

Edited November 24, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

28 minutes ago, scousevasey said:

Have you looked in the Development Centre.  That is where my reserves are on full fat.

not on FM currently, so I don’t know if that contains their staff list are responsibilities but it is worth a look 

Of course it is. Thank you. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Edinburgh Derby. Dec 2020. 

That's more like it. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Just can't get away from Brexit. Jan 2021. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2020.

Ladbrokes Premiership. We had a slow start to the month, but a thumping victory in the derby against Hearts got us back on track. I chose not to even compete with Celtic and rested the whole starting XI. We bounced back well with 3 victories to finish the month 12 points clear of Dundee in 3rd, (with Rangers languishing in 5th). Celtic are averaging more than 3 goals per game, (we are averaging 2 goals per game). 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2021. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. Another unbeaten month in the league takes us 14th points clear of Dundee in 3rd. We are a massive 11 points behind Celtic and they are on a different level at the moment. 

Scottish Cup. I have no idea what is going on with us in the Cups. With the exception of the EURO Cup where we were always going to struggle against Bayer Leverkusen, we have gone out of all the other Cups against poorer teams. If Celtic beat us then I can have no complaints, but we are losing to rubbish. I'm going to have to start doing something about it. On the plus side, if we finish 2nd then we should have a much easier route to the EURO Cup group stages next season. Rangers progressed to the Group stages this season having only to beat teams from Switzerland, Czech Republic and Portugal. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2021. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. We've really gone off the boil recently. Forget the Celtic game, (where I played the kids again), we dropped points away to Hearts,  and at home to St Mirren. We need to get back on track on the hurry-up. We are still 13 points ahead of 3rd places Rangers, but Celtic are so far ahead it's ridiculous. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

Youth Intake preview. Where as I used one of the FMT "features" to improve the intake last season, this year I have not done anything at all and it looks much better. Really excited about this one. A GK, centre-half and 2 centre-mids. I really want a striker though. 

Edited November 24, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2021.

Ladbrokes Premiership. 3 wins is 3 wins, but we are still not firing on all cylinders. We're conceding too many goals and I want to be smashing the bottom half of the table more regularly. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

New Record. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2021.

Ladbrokes Premiership. Dundee had 40%  possession and 1 single shot of any type. They won 1-0. In actual fact though, we looked better this month at both ends. We were more solid at the back and looked decent going forward. The Dundee result was just one of those things and not that important in the grand scheme of things. We're 16 points ahead of Rangers in 3rd place and 13 points behind Celtic at the top. With 3 games left, (1 of which is against Celtic), it looks like we are going to fail in my target to only lose 4 games this season. We have qualified for the Champions League and seeing as we haven't won the league since 1952, this will be our Champions League debut, (as the European Cup didn't start until 1955/56).

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2021. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. 

Overall Best XI.

Facilities. I asked the board to improve either the Training Facilities or the Youth Facilities but they declined and there seems to be no option to go back to them to argue in FMT, (because SI want you to pay for an over-ride that I'm not prepared to do). No sooner had they declined my requests, than they announced off their own back that they are improving our Youth Recruitment. 

Goal-scoring GK is back and Marciano (ISR) has notched 3 times this season, (all from the spot). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Achievements. May 2021.

I don't know if this means that I can apply for International jobs or if Nations will now approach me. Either way I'm not hugely keen. 

Youth Intake. This is better than last season's intake and it wasn't "improved". If anything I think this intake is too good. The players are simply stupendous. They don't look "real" if that makes sense. The PA is fine. That's not the issue. But the CA at age 15 is ridiculous. 

(21a) Docherty *.

(21b) Miller *.

(21c) Laird.

(21d) Robertson.

(21e) Graham.

[Jimbokav1971]

Headhunted. Jun 2021.

[Deisler26]

Tempting IMO

[Jimbokav1971]

Jun 2021. 

2020 Sponsorship. 

2021 Sponsorship. We finished 3rd in 2020 and 2nd in 2021. Is this increase because of our improved performance or because of a general rise in Scottish football?

Expectations. The big news here isn't that we only have £3.7M transfer budget to spend, but that we have a wage budget of £180,000 per week. (Currently spending £98,417).

Affiliations. 

Jul 2021. 

Aug 2021. 

Champions League. We met Bayer Leverkusen last season and now we come up against Sporting Lisbon at the 1st hurdle. I'm thinking we would be better off playing in the EC or EC2, but we are comfortably the 2nd best team in the league now. It's really frustrating that as we have progressed the Nations coefficient ranking has improved at just the wrong time and we keep getting shafted. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. Unbeaten is great, but 2 draws from 4 not so great. 

Betfred Cup. I'm taking the Cups more seriously this season, Hence the 5-0 away demolishing of Alloa, but we have been given Celtic in the Quarter Finals so it's largely irrelevant. 

Confidence. 

Finance. 

Transfers. 

New Records. 

GK (21d) Robertson * is now a goal-scoring GK and has trumped everyone by becoming the youngest goal-scorer not only in the club history, but also in the leagues history. 

Surprise!. I wasn't expecting this. I didn't realise we were at the stage that allowed us to drop straight into the EURO Cup. What a result that is. 

Celtic Tranfers. They have just bought Scott McTominay for £20.5M. Last season they bought Salomón Rondón for £19.25M. It's impossible to compete with that sort of quality right now. 

[Jimbokav1971]

11 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Tempting IMO

Even more so because I had a really enjoyable hot-seat save managing Stoke with my son managing Spurs back on about...... FM09 or FM10. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sept 2021.

Ladbrokes Premiership. What an awful start we have had in the league. 7 games played and 3 draws and a loss mean 9 points dropped already. Celtic only dropped 17 points in the whole of last season to put that total into perspective. Despite that, we drew at home to Celtic and I think that's the 1st time we have earned a point off them. 

EURO Cup. Schalke are the big favourites in this group and they took us to the cleaners in the 1st game. We bounced back well with a win at home to Lille in the 2nd game. I'm hopeful of finishing 2nd in this group as I thought that 3rd would drop into the Knockout stages of the EC2, but now I'm not so sure. 

Betfred Cup. A historic moment in the save as we beat Celtic for the 1st time to earn our place in the Semi's. Rangers are also already out and the other 3 remaining sides are Livingston, St Mirren & Motherwell. It's far from a done deal, but we are in with a shout of our 1st silverware. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[Deisler26]

I'm on tenterhooks! COME ON YOU HIBEES!

[deltablue]

Good luck challenging Celtic.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Deisler26 said:

I'm on tenterhooks! COME ON YOU HIBEES!

I'm trying to calm myself so that we don't bottle ANOTHER Cup game. 

[Jimbokav1971]

37 minutes ago, deltablue said:

Good luck challenging Celtic.

Thanks. I can't think of many harder challenges in Football at the moment. We've beaten them for the 1st time which is a start, and then also taken points off them for the 1st time too...... Oh, just looked at history and apparently we beat them in my 1st season too. (I don't remember that).  

I played a full strength team against them in the Betfred Cup recently, but even the 3-3 draw was done with a weakened squad and this probably isn't going to change short term. They are an absolute juggernaut at the moment.

In 2019/20 they beat Rangers by 13 points. 
In 2020/21 they beat us by 16 points, (and we also beat Rangers by 16 points), so Rangers have really fallen away in the save so far. 32 points between Celtic and 3rd placed Rangers is huge. It probably hasn't helped that we completely have the sign over Rangers so far in this save. 

EURO Cup Group stage is a big step towards at least being competitive against Celtic but of course they are getting to the Champions league Group stage every year now and the riches that brings, so if anything the save has got harder. Although I have an intense dislike for Rangers, it would actually be good for them, (and even Hearts), to start to become a force again. Aberdeen also need to pull their finger out.

At the moment this is looking like a LONG term challenge but the AI is strange sometimes but even FM AI can't screw up a club that has this much of an advantage over it's domestic competition. Can it? 

[Edit]

While I am showing the Head to Head against the Old Firm, I might as well show you how we are getting on against Hearts too. I still can't believe that they beat us in the Cup last season. 

I've achieved the 1st part of the challenge which is to completely dominate Hearts, (except in the league), but as I've said before I would love to see them relegated. 

The 2nd part of the challenge is to separate the Old Firm and although we have done that once, I think we have to do that regularly for this to be classed as being achieved. 

The 3rd part is just to close the gap to Celtic, (to within 10 points would be a start), but I can see the gap getting bigger at the moment if anything. 

Edited November 25, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2021.

Because of the way I play, (IR button), changing or adapting a tactic is often quite a slow and laborious process. This month however I have decided to be bold/brave/stupid/whatever and rather than changing just 1 single aspect of the tactic, I have opted to change 2 things at once. As well as asking the back line to not hold quite so high a line, I have also changed the role of the left-sided AF to a DLF(a). I'm confident that not holding quite so high a line is a good decision, but I am less sure about dispensing with double AF's. They have worked well for me in recent years and I'm not really sure how the change in role is going to work. At the moment we are looking better defensively, but we have also lost something going forward. I think part of the problem is that the DLP(a) is now moving into similar areas to the left-sided inverted winger, and although I don't like inverted anything, it;s actually working and I don't have a proper left sided winger anyway, (although I must keep an eye out for one). The other option is to convert the left winger into a wide playmaker or something similar. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. We're unbeaten this month, but 2 draws is more points lost and we are already 9 points behind Celtic and 5 points behind Rangers. 

EURO Cup. An away win against Zorya of Ukraine has put us in a good position to qualify but we will need to take advantage of the return at home and the away game against Lille. If we can get anything out of the home Schalke game then that would be great. 

Betfred Cup. We are in our 1st Final.  We also have a great record against Motherwell since the game started, unbeaten in 8, having won 6 and drawn 2. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2021.

We are a little inconsistent at the moment. I have reverted back to the double AF's for a while because I want to see the effects of the deeper defensive line. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. We were a little unlucky against Rangers. It was an even game but they needed a penalty to get a draw, The next game against Ross County was really frustrating as we battered them but they scored a 95th min penalty, which was only their 2nd shot on target. the Aberdeen game was more even, but of course our morale had taken a beating by then. 

EURO Cup. I expected to beat Zorya, but was really hoping for a draw against Schalke. The goals kept flying in and it;s probably our best performance to date. Shankland was particularly effective instigating counters as his PPM's really came to the fore and I didn't need a new role to do this. We have qualified already and it's even probable that we will top the group.

Confidence.

Finances.

[Jimbokav1971]

Betfred Cup Final. Dec 2021.

Turn the volume up and just enjoy this. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2021.

A pretty decent month all things considered. Our 1st trophy, 5 wins out of 6 in the league, (the loss is against Celtic so I'm not concerned about that), and the only loss was away in Europe, by a single goal, (which while disappointing was not a huge upset). 

Ladbrokes Premiership. We've been in great form this month and have closed the gap on Rangers to 2 points with a game in hand. Celtic are off in the distance somewhere. 

Betfred Cup. Champions!  We have finally broken the Celtic stranglehold on something. I know it's only the Betfred Cup, but we have to start somewhere right? 

EURO Cup. I thought we might sneak top of the group, but Schalke only lost 1 and drew 1 so fair play to them. 

The only problem is who we have drawn against in the 1st Knockout round.....  

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2022. 

Lots of green. That's what we like to see. 4 clean sheets too. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. Now this is what we need. 4 wins from 4 games with 3 clean sheers. We have overhauled Rangers, (who have dropped 8 points this month), but are still a ridiculous 17 points behind Celtic who have only dropped 6 points in 24 games. 

Scottish Cup. A good performance and a good win. All that matters is that we are in the next round though.

Reputation.

Finances.

Facilities. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Unlockable achieved. Feb 2022. 

[Edit]

When I started this save, I wasn't really sure how many of these FMT "features" I was going to use. To be honest I didn't even know that half of them existed. As this is likely to be my only FMT save, (it's ok but it's just doesn't feel as immersive as full-fat), I'm trying to give the save the fill FMT treatment. I can't bring myself to use the Magic sponge or the dodgy lasagne, and I won't be repeating the Golden Generation boost, but I think I'm going top use whatever it is that becomes unlocked within the game. 

I'm mainly going to be using domestic players I think, but where I find someone suitable, this is going to come in handy. Thinking about the way this whole "unlockable" thing works, I think you should be benefited in the same area. eg I "showed a commitment to develop home-grown talent", and rather than unlocking something that isn't really linked to that at all, (not needing work permits for foreign players), the benefit should have been something more appropriate, (such as the Golden Generation trigger). The "not needing work permits" thing could have been triggered as a reward for the successful buying and selling of players.

Anyway, if I find someone suitable I will report back. 

Edited November 25, 2019 by Jimbokav1971

[Deisler26]

[davehibb]

Just got caught up with this. 

I started an FMT19 save, to try it out before purchasing FM20, which will probably be after christmas, I might even wait until the Jan update. Anyway, I've done a couple of seasons with Atalanta and I'm enjoying it so far but it was interesting to see how you're getting on.

I fell for the 'Apply design a son' or whatever too. I thought, cool, clicked on it and then groaned as the steam store loaded up. I thought that was cheeky.

I'm trying/looking at different saves in FMT19 to keep me going. South America is on my radar but I need to get the right vibe for a team. I was thinking of Vasco De Gama, as I'd been watching some clips of Romario and I even watched the Copa Libertadores on Saturday but nothing is taking my fancy so far. Anyway, enough of me waffling. It sounds like you're not fully sold on FMT. Not sure I am either but I do find myself delegating almost everything in full FM and the mentoring/youth development seems to be dialled back to me from previous versions, so I'm not ruling FMT out totally.

Edited November 26, 2019 by davehibb

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, davehibb said:

Just got caught up with this. 

I started an FMT19 save, to try it out before purchasing FM20, which will probably be after christmas, I might even wait until the Jan update. Anyway, I've done a couple of seasons with Atalanta and I'm enjoying it so far but it was interesting to see how you're getting on.

I fell for the 'Apply design a son' or whatever too. I thought, cool, clicked on it and then groaned as the steam store loaded up. I thought that was cheeky.

I'm trying/looking at different saves in FMT19 to keep me going. South America is on my radar but I need to get the right vibe for a team. I was thinking of Vasco De Gama, as I'd been watching some clips of Romario and I even watched the Copa Libertadores on Saturday but nothing is taking my fancy so far. Anyway, enough of me waffling. It sounds like you're not fully sold on FMT. Not sure I am either but I do find myself delegating almost everything in full FM and the mentoring/youth development seems to be dialled back to me from previous versions, so I'm not ruling FMT out totally.

I'm not fully sold at all. I have thought for a while that I need to give FMT a proper go, (and I am), but it just doesn't feel right. I delegate a lot of stuff in FM and that would suggest that I'm a good fit for FMT, but i like keeping control of individual training while delegating team training so in order to delegate one I have to delegate both, and that's quite an issue for me because I don't want to control general training but I dod want to control individual training. 

The Youth Development aspect is tough because I have seen 4 and 5 players promoted, and despite the fact that I boosted the ability of the players in the 1st intake, the players in the 2nd intake seem FAR too good. I guess it's early to be making a decision about stuff like this though. 

I'm hoping I will get 10 seasons in to "design a son" and I will definitely get a son promoted after a player is here for 10 years, so there are some long term targets to look forward to in that respect. 

[Maw74]

On 24/11/2019 at 05:02, Jimbokav1971 said:

 

Golden Generation. This sounds right up my street. I would love to unlock this, (by having a product of my Academy win some accolade or something), but I can see me purchasing this. The only reason I'm not purchasing immediately is partly because I don't even feel like the club is mine yet, (and I've just finished the 1st season), but also because I want to be financially viable so that the board don't sell them off and that they can stay at the club long-term. I also want to see what a normal intake is like 1st. 

 

 

Welcome to FMT.

Didn't know about the Golden Generation DLC, now that has made me question my saves now, at the moment though all the bloody purple is putting me off, wish I could find a skin for FMT.
Always tempted to try the challenge of youth only but the intakes on FMC/FMT have been the problem.
 

A lot of the DLC I never touch, previously used cash boost, no sacking, generate son, design a son.

Dream Transfer? Could cripple club with wage or would Messi join for pennies? lol

 

[Jimbokav1971]

48 minutes ago, Maw74 said:

Welcome to FMT.

Didn't know about the Golden Generation DLC, now that has made me question my saves now, at the moment though all the bloody purple is putting me off, wish I could find a skin for FMT.
Always tempted to try the challenge of youth only but the intakes on FMC/FMT have been the problem.

A lot of the DLC I never touch, previously used cash boost, no sacking, generate son, design a son.

Dream Transfer? Could cripple club with wage or would Messi join for pennies? lol
 

I think there is lots to be said for FMT and a lot of us poo-poo the idea without ever really giving it a chance. That being said it's hard to find a balance that suits. I think the future of FMT might be really opened up with giving us more choice with regards to what to delegate. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2022.

The draw against Celtic in the EURO Cup brought to an end a run of 13 successive victories. They knocked us out of the EURO Cup, (as expected), but we did at least draw the home leg, (albeit after leading 2-0), and then they went and beat us in the league too, but..... we managed to turn them over in the Scottish Cup and we will play Hearts in the Semi. (The Cup double is on!)  4 games in a row against Celtic in 11 days is a tough schedule for anyone. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. The winning run came to an end with the loss to Celtic, but as mentioned before I'm not overly concerned about losing to them. Any win or even draw against them will be memorable at this stage of the save. We are 10 points ahead of Rangers who are in terrible form, but Celtic just keep winning. They have now dropped just 6 points from a possible 81 and 5 of the 8 goals they have conceded have been scored by us. 

EURO Cup. We were really unlucky to meet Celtic in the 1st Knockout round, and if anything I'm surprised that they didn't finish in the top 2 in their Champions League Group. They did have a tough group though so maybe it's not such a surprise. 

Scottish Cup. We beat Celtic in a bad tempered game that saw 11 yellow and 1 red card, (to them). We were leading when it was 11v11 so I'm not saying they it changed the game, bit it certainly helped. A win against Celtic is sweet, that it was in the Cup especially so. 

Confidence. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2022.

We're in good form and seem more able to rotate the squad now without paying the price. Our young players are developing nicely and we are becoming far more consistent as a result. 

Ladbrokes Premiership. Rangers are in awful form and have only won 2 of their last 9 league games while also crashing out of the EC2 to Olympiakos on away goals. Celtic on the other hand have only lost 6 times all season. Bayern & Lyon both beat them twice in the Champions League Groups stage and we beat them in both the Betfred and Scottish Cups. 

Confidence. 

Finances.

[kevhamster]

Good stuff.  It's obviously very tough to break the stranglehold of Celtic but you're doing a grand job there.