[FM20] Irchester Utd. Tier 10. England. Home. Youth Only.

[RoguPL]

Your academy is making history

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Summary. May 2040. 

Conference North Table. Really pleased to have won this title because I thought we had blown it. We're going to be much weaker next season with our 3 best players leaving, but in a save like this, that just opens the door for someone else to come in and improve. 

FA Cup. I was hoping for another good run in the Cup after last season, but we were short up front against Coventry and they were predicted to finish 6th in League 1, (and are previous winners), so it was a big ask. 

FA Trophy. As we were hoping to go up, I knew that this was possibly our last go at adding the FA Trophy to the FA Shield in our trophy cabinet. Unfortunately we crashed out in a pretty lacklustre fashion.

FA Youth Cup. I'm annoyed about this one. I had too many of the last 2 intakes in the Senior squad and hadn't made them available for the U18's. Especially in attacking positions, (where they became starters for the Senior squad), we left them really light. With competitive games next season, (I think), this should make it easier to manage. 

Goal-scoring keepers. As mentioned by @rodesireearlier in the season, it looked like we might be on for a 20 goals a season GK, but the early promise soon fizzled out and he finished with a meagre 9 goals with 9 penalties from 11 attempts and 0 free-kicks. He's significantly our best keeper at the moment, but he's not very good at scoring goals. I might have to see if there is a better GK who has left and we might be able to re-sign. 

Overall Best XI. He might not be 1st choice any longer, but (27i) Steph Lewis (WAL) (NIR) keeps adding to his appearance record all the same. With (34d) Ritchie-Smith (Bal) * leaving it might push him back in contention for a starting berth, but I think I have to give the youngsters preferential treatment even though is a better player right now. 

The other elder statesman on the list who was still playing this season is (29m) Robbie Nash (F.Pro) who scored 5 goals in 9 appearances early in the season before I decided that we needed to play the youngsters even if they weren't quite up to it. He won't be adding to his 214 appearances or 139 goals. 

Awards. It seems strange that (32c) Declan Barry (IRL) * won both the Player of the Season and the Young Player of the Season. He seems like an elder statesman in the squad but is obviously still only 24. Unless someone passes him in the Playoffs, (do they count?) he will win the Conference Golden Boot, again (27 goals last season and 20 more this season). I'm not sure he's ready for League 2 if I'm honest, but basically he will have to be. 

Squad by Appearances. The 3 players who were sold and then came back in on loan have obviously made more appearances than that, but this shows only appearances after the loan. 

Discipline. 924 fouls is a new record for us I think. We have never beaten 1,000 in a season. I think with promotion to League 2 next season I think there is the potential for some truly big records in this area. 132 yellows is down on last season, but obviously we finished top of the league so it's going to be harder. We did well with 8 reds, but Kingstonian really knocked it out of the park with 12. That's astonishing work. Well done them. 

(36d) Rey Thomas (BEL)(F.Det)* is in the middle of serving his 3 game suspension for 15 yellows, but he's played quite a few games less than the 2 players above him. I'm sure he would have beaten them had I played him more. 

Finances. It's really nice not having to worry about this anymore. 

The only thing I do have to remember to do is check what clauses we have arranged deals for. Remember that we have sold 3 players who are back here on loan. When they are no longer on loan I expect a deal to be done for their 50% share. That could be interesting. 

I opted to keep (34b) Sam Siddons (Pro) * before but AFC Wimbledon are about to be relegated back to League 2 and there is nobody in for him so I'm going to accept the £141,000 I think. 

I'm hoping to get (34c) Guy Bacon (Driven) * in on loan next season and if we do that there will either be an increase in interest in him or we will buy him ourselves. Because of that I'm holding onto the clause in case we might have to pay over the odds for him. He only scored 1 goal in 1(6) appearances this season, (but that was in League 1). He would score loads of goals for us again. 

Facilities. I'm still not able to negotiate the link with Norwich, (which is purely for loans at the moment), but I will try and do that when possible. I'm going to hold off on a new stadium for a little while. I'm going to hold off on requesting a new stadium for now. We don't need it as yet and generally I've found the AI pretty on the ball in this area. I'm a legend now so there is a chance that a new stadium could be named after me, but when I check, that option isn't yet ticked, (although I am now permanently on the list). I will keep an eye on it. As soon as the current upgrades are finished I will add new ones. 

[Edit]

2 hours and 50 minutes in game, I receive the following message. 

Spoiler

We're moving back to Irchester, (without me even asking)! 

Has this come just too soon to be named after me though? 

We will be ground-sharing with Northampton during the build. 

Wow this Chairman is good at spending money. 

Transfers. By the way, to put these deals in perspective, the real life record for a player sold by a Conference club is the Jamie Vardy deal that took him from Fleetwood Town to Leicester City for a reported £1.0M rising to (£1.7M). I believe the next highest Conference transfer is the Jack Taylor deal that saw him move from Barnet to Peterborough Utd this season for a reported £0.5M rising to (£1.0M). These bids are significant at this level.

Tracker. In hindsight, I think it's quite remarkable that we managed to get the Youth Recruitment to Level 20 within 8 seasons. That's basically been the basis of this save so far and has given us a pretty huge advantage over other clubs. Now we are in the Football League though, I think the focus might be more on our Training Facilities, (or lack thereof), and the worm might start to turn a little. 

Records. 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

I've just realised that it's very easy to miss the "hidden" section in the previous post. It's important. You might want to go back and have a look in case you missed it. 

[deez0r]

Great job @Jimbokav1971!

[_Ben_]

54 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I've just realised that it's very easy to miss the "hidden" section in the previous post. It's important. You might want to go back and have a look in case you missed it. 

I missed it and, when opened it, was definitely hoping to see the O'Kav Arena!

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Pompeyboyz said:

Woooooo Hoooooooo

Haha. Thanks very much but there is a LONG way to go. 

2 hours ago, rrozek93 said:

Your academy is making history

We are doing ok. The only problem is that they have just spent most of my money. 

We're down to £5M straight away and the last Facilities upgrade isn't paid for yet. 

2 minutes ago, deez0r said:

Great job @Jimbokav1971!

Thanks very much. 

1 minute ago, _Ben_ said:

I missed it and, when opened it, was definitely hoping to see the O'Kav Arena!

I don't think it's going to happen. First I think I have to be permanent and then I have to do something to trigger the "can Name Stadium after person" and I haven't done so yet. 

Worse than that, I have just checked and now that (29m) Robbie Nash (F.Pro) is ahead of me, even if we both trigger the "can name stadium" option, he is ahead of me on the list. I'm about to release him, but I don't know if that will drop his score for leaving, or my score for releasing him. 

[Jimbokav1971]

New confusing rule. Jun 2040.

This seems straightforward. 

We can't spend more than £38,800 pw and we are currently spending £18,667 pw? 

That sounds great except that we are actually spending £33,873 pw. Well that at least means that we have £4,927 to spend, but isn't ideal and doesn't give me much to work with. On the plus side I have just negotiated new 2+2 contracts for all of our best players. 

I have a feeling that in real life the League 2 wage budget is based on turnover, so the "busier" we are then the more we will have to spend. I'm not sure if income generated via transfers is part of this but it should be right? The other thing is, we've just gone up to League 2 and that should have a significant impact on it's own. I haven't even looked to see what clubs are at this level but I bet there are some monsters. 

MK Don's, AFC Wimbledon, Southend & Blackpool were all relegated into League 2 last season, Gillingham were promoted with us and Swindon, Exeter, Wycombe and Fleetwood are all here too. 

I'm going to have to keen an eye on wages and finances because I'm not 100% sure how it works at the moment. 

 

[-Jef-]

First of all - lovely thread. Love every bit of it!

 

Also, it's 18k cos u21 HG players are not counting towards that wage cap

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, rosque said:

First of all - lovely thread. Love every bit of it!

 

Also, it's 18k cos u21 HG players are not counting towards that wage cap

That's brilliant news. Thanks you. 

Glad you're enjoying it. 

[Nobby_McDonald]

Well done winning non league Jimbo.

[Jimbokav1971]

6 minutes ago, Nobby_McDonald said:

Well done winning non league Jimbo.

Cheers @Nobby_McDonaldI think it's about to get a little harder. 

[Jimbokav1971]

What's all the fuss about? Aug 2040. 

League 2. (39a) Harri (Pro) * has been the star of the show with 7 goals from our 4 league games so far. Maybe @rodesirewill be proved right this time and we will have a 20 goal a season GK on our hands as (33e) Lee Ward (NIR) (Bal) * has 3 goals in the opening month.

Cup games. 

Transfers. (29i) Jordan Barron * and (28i) Jirasek. (CZE) were sold for nominal fees because they wanted to go, but (40c) Paul Stovell (F.Amb) was nicked by Notts County before we could get him on a pro contract and we only get 15% of any profit they make on him. NOT happy. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

1st fine of the season. Sep 2040. 

7 yellows and even a 19th minute red card couldn't stop us from extending our winning run to 11 games. 

[Edit]

I feel like I've turned on [EasyMode] by accident and I'm hoping that by mentioning it the game will return to normal. 

I like winning. I just don't like winning this easily. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

24 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

1st fine of the season. Sep 2040. 

7 yellows and even a 19th minute red card couldn't stop us from extending our winning run to 11 games. 

[Edit]

I feel like I've turned on [EasyMode] by accident and I'm hoping that by mentioning it the game will return to normal. 

I like winning. I just don't like winning this easily. 

5 yellows and 2 reds in the next game is still not enough to stop us winning. 

Maybe if we get 3 players sent off we won't win? 

[Edit]

No, giving the opposition a penalty, missing a penalty of our own AND having a player sent off is the recipe for losing a game it seems. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[rodesire]

you finally learnt how to lose, nice one 

also, expecting 23 more years of this save to get a stadium named after you now

[deez0r]

I do find the difference between Conference and League 2 isn't that great and even up to League 1 isn't that big a jump. Tends to be when you hit the Championship that the jump becomes much more apparent. 

[Jimbokav1971]

14 minutes ago, rodesire said:

you finally learnt how to lose, nice one 

also, expecting 23 more years of this save to get a stadium named after you now

I know it's not normal to complain about losing, but I hope you know what I mean. I was rotating the whole starting XI and we were still winning! 

I think what happens is that there are loads of competitive games in League 2 and the U18's have competitive fixtures for the 1st time too, so squads are usually a little threadbare, and the fact that we have such a large squad, (even if it's lacking in quality), means that we were able to manage the starting condition of our players MUCH more effectively than the opposition. We were just in much better shape than them. 

6 games in August and then 9 games in September. 

I think it's fair to say I'm happy with how it's going in League 2. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[rodesire]

3 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I think what happens is that there are loads of competitive games in League 2 and the U18's have competitive fixtures for the 1st time too, so squads are usually a little threadbare, and the fact that we have such a large squad, (even if it's lacking in quality), means that we were able to manage the starting condition of our players MUCH more effectively than the opposition. We were just in much better shame than them. 

I know that feeling.  I always seem to roflstomp my opposition after every break which then means my morale is high, so I start riding that wave to keep winning.  A fairly gratuitous circle!

[Jimbokav1971]

3 minutes ago, deez0r said:

I do find the difference between Conference and League 2 isn't that great and even up to League 1 isn't that big a jump. Tends to be when you hit the Championship that the jump becomes much more apparent. 

It's been a while since I did something like this so I can't really common. 

In any case this season is all about consolidation. We lost 3 of our best 4 players, so now we need to put some game-time into our youngsters. With so many games, (and so many red cards), it's easy to give opportunities to players, but we still seem pretty weak in some areas. 

Left back is a problem area. We have sold (28i) Jirasek. (CZE), (who isn't getting in the Gillingham team who were promoted with us), and we look short of depth here.

Up front is another problem area. We have 3 players that I would call "decent", (or at least decent prospects), but when you expect all 3 of those to feature in your match-day squad every week, it's pretty hard to rotate, because everyone is still in the match-day squad. 

[Jimbokav1971]

I've just signed a new 2 year contract at the club. It should keep the interview offers down to a minimum because they were starting to come thick and fast. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sept 2040. 

League 2. What a start to our 1st season in League 2. 8 wins on the bounce!  As mentioned previously, I finally worked out against Blackpool that if you give away a penalty, miss 1 of your own and then have a player sent off, it's a decent recipe for failure. Against Accrington I rotated the whole outfield starting XI, (so no complaints there), and the only "poor" result was the MK Dons game, (which bothers me even more because it's against them and is relatively local). Really pleased with how things are going. In the main we are scoring lots of goals and not conceding many, (which is a decent pattern for success). 

Cup games. I rotated all outfield players against Southampton, (to give them a whole weeks rest, or at least rest from starting because some of them had to be on the bench), and although we lost, we were decent, and "won" the 2nd half after subs were made. Southampton are in the Championship, so not quite the force they were, but you know the facilities they have and the quality they will be producing so any game against them is going to be tough. 

I don't really know what to make of this trophy. We're not trying to win the league, (although if we keep winning games that might change), so we might be able to focus more on Cups like this. Chelsea U23's shouldn't be beatable, but then again they shouldn't lose to Exeter so you never know. Maybe Chelsea are not the Abramovic powered behemoth that we know now. 

Discipline, (or lack thereof). In the last 6 games we have received 5 red cards. I have seen absolutely nothing like it. (34j) Harvey (NIR) (Unamb) and (38a) Usman (SWE) Bal * have both been sent off twice. To make matters worse (34j) Harvey (NIR) (Unamb) got a 4 match ban for the 2nd red. 

* Please note that I am in absolutely no way complaining about red cards. I completely appreciate that this is a product of my creation and I absolutely love it! We are going to set all sorts of ridiculous records this season. I tried to count how many players at the club have the PPM "dives into tackles", but lost count at 15 and couldn't be bothered to start again.

[Thebaker]

29 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

* Please note that I am in absolutely no way complaining about red cards. I completely appreciate that this is a product of my creation and I absolutely love it! We are going to set all sorts of ridiculous records this season. I tried to count how many players at the club have the PPM "dives into tackles", but lost count at 15 and couldn't be bothered to start again.

I take it you are training all your players in this or are they simply coming through with this PPM.

Do staff have ppm's as i can't see any but i did notice that many of  my youth players had the same ppm.  54 players at my club and none have 'dives into tackles'

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. Oct 2040. 

I tried to get the board to improve the Youth Recruitment. (It's currently at Good Level 15). 

The problem isn't so much that they refused me, (I'm used to that), but that they gave "club's present financial situation" as the reason. 

While we currently have £4.4M in the bank, they are probably starting to wonder where all the money has gone, (with recent upgrades and the stadium build cost). 

In addition to that we have both Training and Youth Facility upgrades in the pipeline, and I'm not sure if we have paid for these already. 

I can't believe it but we are not selling enough players! 

Clauses. What we really need to happen is for the DoF to do a deal for some of the players we sold last season. 

The problem is that there are only 3 clauses available to sell and none of them are particularly rewarding. 

I'm still really annoyed about Notts County nicking (40c) Paul Stovell (F.Amb). 

(33d) Jim Hanna (NIR)(F.Pro) * is playing in Conference National and I'm considering buying him. 

(34c) Guy Bacon (Driven) * has 3 goals in 3(6) League 1 appearances this season and he looks like he has finally found his feet at this level. I would love to re-sign him because we are so short up front, but I don't think now is the time to splash the cash. 

(34d) Ritchie-Smith (Bal) * has made 2 Championship appearances this season, and while he's available for loan, they don't want to loan him to us. He would be a big player for us, (as he was before he left), but I need to resist the urge to get him back and focus on developing our own players. We have a 50% sell-on clause on him, but I don't think he's worth amazing money. He's 23 already and is only contracted until the end of the season. I would be tempted to accept anything at all the DoF could arrange for this clause. He's not good enough for the Championship and was signed when they were still in League 1. 

(35a) Liriano (NED)(DOM)Pro * is still playing for our Landlords Northampton and I REALLY like the look of him. He's playing regularly in League 1 and will still improve. The only clause we have for him is a small fee for his 1st Cap for Holland. 

(36d) Rey Thomas (BEL)(F.Det)* is at scumbags Notts County but he isn't playing. I'm tempted to get him back in on loan just to keep his development going I think, (and because he would be 1 of our best players). Oh. I forgot that I can no longer loan players outside the transfer window. It's different in non-League. In any case, I don't think there is much profit to be had from his 50% clause. 

(37b) Júnior (POR) F.Det * has developed into a very tasty little player and is playing every week in the Championship after being loaned out to League 1 last season. The only problem is that we have already had the money for the 50% clause .  He's going to be a big player and I'm sure someone will be in for him soon. 

(37c) Komba (TAN) * is another who we have already had the 50% clause cash for unfortunately. Palace have loaned him out to League 1, (where he is at least getting games), and I'm sure he will continue to develop. He did make his debut in the Premier League last season though. 

(39b) JFC (ESP) (Perf) 5'10" * is the clause we want to sell. It's the clause we need to sell. He's not available for loan and nobody is interested. He's not playing in Spain and we need him to play! 

[Jimbokav1971]

8 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

I take it you are training all your players in this or are they simply coming through with this PPM.

Do staff have ppm's as i can't see any but i did notice that many of  my youth players had the same ppm.  54 players at my club and none have 'dives into tackles'

Yes, I'm getting all defenders and central midfielders to learn the PPM and other assorted players if appropriate. 

I don't think you can see staff PPM's but yes it does have an effect. I think as the save progresses and I'm able to sign players as staff this might help. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. Oct 2040. 

I tried to get the Training Facilities upgraded too but they wouldn't have it. (Finances again).

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2040. 

League 2. I feel like we are aquaplaning at the moment. I didn't like that we were winning too much before, but now we're losing I'm still not happy. We seem to win when I weaken the side and lose when I go full strength. It could be that I don't know my best XI, but it still doesn't feel right. I'm going to push on through and see if I can get past it.

Cup games. We had a player sent off after 26 mins against Chelsea U23's so it's unfair to look into this result too much. 

[Edit]

Having said that, maybe the fact that we have so many kids, (and I mean proper kids at the moment, teenagers), playing, means that we are just more inconsistent than your average side might be. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Academy players at 30 years old. 

This is something I've had in my head to do for a while, but I know that @_Ben_ is interested in it too. 

As the Academy players reach the age of 30, I'm going to record their CA, (at that time), their PA, the level the club was at when they came through the intake, the facilities at the club at that time and the highest level the player played at. Obviously where players move abroad into non-active leagues the highest playing level can't really be compared. 

I know doing this at 30 means that I miss the twilight of their careers, but if I do it later I risk missing too many players who retire early because I had them in the Senior side as teenagers. 

Something I have long considered, (and I would appreciate your thoughts), is that, (and let's use (27d) Unwin as an example here). He comes through the Youth Intake in Mar 2027, but actually he has been at the club for much longer than that. 

According to his "milestones", he joined the Academy in Dec 2023. So while I'm tracking what the facilities are like at the club when they moved from the Academy to the Youth Team, actually, in my head I think I need ton go back and see what the facilities were like while he was developing at the Academy. I have often tried to explain this to people who want instant results from their Academy, but it often falls on deaf ears. What do you think? 

(27d) Unwin.

(27c) Dent-Carpenter 6'2".

(27h) Gary Gorman (IRL).

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Thebaker]

i'm amazed the first 2 on that list made it to 30 (Duckett and Black) considering their lack of ability. I'm also assuming Dent- Carpenter used to be a lot higher in CA and has declined a lot.

What positions do they play?

Edited August 4, 2020 by Thebaker

[Jimbokav1971]

22 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

i'm amazed the first 2 on that list made it to 30 (Duckett and Black) considering their lack of ability. I'm also assuming Dent- Carpenter used to be a lot higher in CA and has declined a lot.

What positions do they play?

I've edited the table to show positions. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

2nd fine of the season. Nov 2040. 

Once again the yellows are not a problem, but a red card in the 19th min it tough. We still only lost 1-0 AND missed a penalty, so we are doing something right. (Maybe we're just getting used to playing with 10 men). 

That's 7 red cards already this season I think. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2040. 

League 2. We win at home and we lose away. We've dropped to 4th, but the 3 teams above us are in great form. I'm just delighted to still be in the playoffs. 

Cup games. I'm not sure how you can score 5 goals and still lose by 2 goals, but we did. 

[_Ben_]

3 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I support a Premier League club so I must admit that my knowledge of League 1 is a bit sketchy but I can't say I know of any/many tier 9 players that have made it to tier 3 - so your work on that must be commended.

Also - this tracker could be absolutely pivotal in really seeing how the level of PA increased as your club got bigger - just a shame that so few of your players have made it this far (but obviously realistic). Can you remind me if you kept all players from intake (20) onwards? 

[Jimbokav1971]

19 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

I support a Premier League club so I must admit that my knowledge of League 1 is a bit sketchy but I can't say I know of any/many tier 9 players that have made it to tier 3 - so your work on that must be commended.

Also - this tracker could be absolutely pivotal in really seeing how the level of PA increased as your club got bigger - just a shame that so few of your players have made it this far (but obviously realistic). Can you remind me if you kept all players from intake (20) onwards? 

I support a Conference club so have a bit more of an insight. 

Barnet are between a Conference and League 2 side, (but currently in the Conference). They have produced at least 18 players who have gone on to play in the Football League for either them or someone else, (and I'm not talking about youth players that play once and are never heard from again). The Conference is Tier 5, but that's still a LONG way away from where we are with Irchester. 

With regards to how many players I signed, I had a discussion in the thread about poor personalities and in particular I don't like Unambitious linked with Low Det. Unambitious on it's own isn't good but ok, and Low Det on it's own isn't good but ok. Combine them together and no thank you. I think there was 1 particular year where I threw a mini strop and refused to sign 2 of them like this, but by the next intake I had talked myself round and signed all of them again. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2040. 

What do I want? A left winger and 2 strikers. 

What have we got? A centre-back and a left winger. (So that's not a disaster). 

[Pompeyboyz]

6 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2040. 

What do I want? A left winger and 2 strikers. 

What have we got? A centre-back and a left winger. (So that's not a disaster). 

And I think for the first time it is not a Golden Generation too 

[Jimbokav1971]

15 minutes ago, Pompeyboyz said:

And I think for the first time it is not a Golden Generation too 

I hadn't noticed that. Good spot. @deez0rwill be happy. 

[_Ben_]

47 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Barnet are between a Conference and League 2 side, (but currently in the Conference). They have produced at least 18 players who have gone on to play in the Football League for either them or someone else, (and I'm not talking about youth players that play once and are never heard from again). The Conference is Tier 5, but that's still a LONG way away from where we are with Irchester. 

As a borough of London, I imagine the pool that Barnet gets to work with is far greater than what Irchester, in Northamptonshire, would.

I think that it shows just what a job you've done with your youth academy!

[Jimbokav1971]

3rd fine of the season. 

We won. 

[Jimbokav1971]

9 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

As a borough of London, I imagine the pool that Barnet gets to work with is far greater than what Irchester, in Northamptonshire, would.

I think that it shows just what a job you've done with your youth academy!

Yes of course. 

Barnet are able to take the cast-offs from the likes of Spurs, Arsenal and even Watford slightly further afield. 

Irchester has a population of less than 5,000 and the nearest Towns are Wellingborough, (rubbish football side), and Rushden, (Phoenix football side in the form AFC Rushden & Diamonds). 

[Thebaker]

36 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Yes of course. 

Barnet are able to take the cast-offs from the likes of Spurs, Arsenal and even Watford slightly further afield. 

Irchester has a population of less than 5,000 and the nearest Towns are Wellingborough, (rubbish football side), and Rushden, (Phoenix football side in the form AFC Rushden & Diamonds). 

I presume by now you are raiding Northampton's youth which is actually a fair size town

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, Thebaker said:

I presume by now you are raiding Northampton's youth which is actually a fair size town

I include the place of birth in all Youth Intakes and I've only noticed 1 from Northampton come through but just let me have a look now. 

We've got 39 players born in Irchester. 
3 from Northampton.
2 from Kettering.
1 from Rushden.
2 from Wellingborough
1 from Bedford. 

The only other English born player we have was Born in Bath. 

Everyone else is from outside England. 

Of the players still playing that have left the club 2 are from Northampton, including (40c) Paul Stovell (F.Amb) (who was recently nicked by Notts Co), and (34d) Ritchie-Smith (Bal) * who was sold last season. Everyone else is either from Irchester or outside England. Considering the population of Irchester, and the proximity of both Wellingborough and Rushden, (and their relative size), I would be expecting many more players to be coming from there. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2040. 

League 2. We're still a but hit and miss but it no longer feels like aquaplaning. We're struggling with only having 3 proper strikers at the club. 2 teenagers and a 25 year old. Ideally I would have 6. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2040. 

League 2. 

[Jimbokav1971]

4th fine of the season. Feb 2041.

We won. 

[Jimbokav1971]

5th fine of the season. Feb 2041. 

We won.

[Jimbokav1971]

Ill-discipline record. Mar 2040.

We haven't finished yet. There are still 7 games left. 

[Pompeyboyz]

2 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Ill-discipline record. Mar 2040.

We haven't finished yet. There are still 7 games left. 

[Jimbokav1971]

18 hours ago, Thebaker said:

i'm amazed the first 2 on that list made it to 30 (Duckett and Black) considering their lack of ability. I'm also assuming Dent- Carpenter used to be a lot higher in CA and has declined a lot.

What positions do they play?

Sorry, I missed the 1st part if your post. 

The only reason that Duckett and Black made it this far in their careers is because they are Welsh and Scottish and moved home for just about their whole careers. Not having other Nations active and also using a small database really lowered the players coming through in these areas and those willing to move there to play. It's very skewed by the way I set the game up I'm afraid.

[Jimbokav1971]

15 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2040. 

What do I want? A left winger and 2 strikers. 

What have we got? A centre-back and a left winger. (So that's not a disaster). 

Youth Intake day. Mar 2041. 

@Pompeyboyzmade the point after the Youth Intake preview that this was the 1st intake in...... actually it could be since the very start of the save actually, where it wasn't said that we were getting a Golden Generation come through the ranks. Despite that, it still is classed as another Golden Generation.  That being said, (and this might be down to just a lack of Nationalities never mind about new Nationalities), the intake leaves me a little under-whelmed. 

Squad by PPA. I said I was looking for a left winger and 2 strikers, (greedy yes I know), but let's see what we have actually got. 

Nationals already represented in previous Youth intakes. 

New Nations represented in this intake. None.  Still no French or Poles is a real surprise. France are our nearest neighbours and most of Poland seems to be over here. 

Birth City. There has been some discussion recently about players where players are being born and while I think the initial question was about is "raiding Northampton", my reply was actually that I was surprised that we weren't recruiting more from Wellingborough and Rushden, (Towns on each side of us while Northampton is some distance away). Straight away in this intake, (it's almost as if the FM Gods see and hear everything), we get 6 players through who were born in Northampton and 4 players through who were born in Wellingborough, (so both predictions were actually correct). There is also a player from Kettering, (which is on the other side of Wellingborough). With just 1 single player from Irchester and the 4 non-English Brits, that brings us to 16. That is a significant change from what we have been getting, (largely Irchester born with foreign Nationalities making up the numbers). I wonder if that has caused to falsely boost our intake quality during the early period of the save? 

(41a) Jack Henry (Resil) is the left winger I was looking for, (and looks decent), but I also wonder if he might be able to cover up front on occasion? There is only 1 left winger in each side but we play with 2 strikers, so he is probably more likely to get early game-time up front rather than out wide. 

(41b) Fitz (N.Ire) (F.Det) looks decent and I look at him now and think that he's not too far away from challenging for our MCR slot. I would certainly put him on the bench immediately.

(41c) McNeill (SCO) (F.Pro) is a right winger but is actually a "lefty", (which means that he is a left winger to me). Again I quite like him, (albeit he's a little raw), but I wanted a left winger and I potentially have 2 in the top 3 so I can't complain. 

(41g) Matousek (CZE) (Cas) is getting a mention because he is both a striker and Czech. I hate the personality but we are desperately short up front and maybe this is just the time to see what I can get out of a (Cas) personality. Of course he's under-cooked, but physically he's decent and (I am partial to a decent balance attribute which I don't think I have mentioned in this thread), his balance is a shame. I think it's likely that he will play senior games before too long. 

What I wouldn't give for a proper clinical striker with decent physicals. 

[_Ben_]

6 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Birth City. There has been some discussion recently about players where players are being born and while I think the initial question was about is "raiding Northampton", my reply was actually that I was surprised that we weren't recruiting more from Wellingborough and Rushden, (Towns on each side of us while Northampton is some distance away). Straight away in this intake, (it's almost as if the FM Gods see and hear everything), we get 6 players through who were born in Northampton and 4 players through who were born in Wellingborough, (so both predictions were actually correct). There is also a player from Kettering, (which is on the other side of Wellingborough). With just 1 single player from Irchester and the 4 non-English Brits, that brings us to 16. That is a significant change from what we have been getting, (largely Irchester born with foreign Nationalities making up the numbers). I wonder if that has caused to falsely boost our intake quality during the early period of the save? 

I wonder if this jump in reputation has allowed you to now start 'stealing' those players from further afield? We were always told it was youth recruitment that did that - and I remember @Makoto Nakamura purposely not improving it at St Buryan to try and get as many Cornish lads as possible - but I wonder how much reputation comes into play?

Would be interesting to see how the Northampton intakes change now when, before, they had the pick of the area, but now have that little bit of competition for players...