The FM21 Youth Academy Challenge

[OlivierL]

1 hour ago, Braumiller said:

What resources are you folks using for personality guides currently?  The two links I have in my favorites are from 2012 (very out of date) and 2019

 

In other news, always a concern for us all and I just got my first instance of it 

My own lists based on that kind of topics. 

[Shankly84]

SEASON 8 - 2028/29 - ICELANDIC PREMIER DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE - FIXTURES - FIXTURES - PLAYER STATS - TEAM STATS - COMPETITION REVIEW

MANAGER PROFILE - CHARACTERISTICS - ATTRIBUTES

CLUB PROFILE - GENERAL - FACILITIES - HONOURS - FINANCES - TRANSFERS

LEAGUE CUP

Through the group in a quite easy manner, with 4 wins and a draw. Easily beaten 2-0 by KR in the semi-final. 

LEAGUE

Really slow start in the league, with just 1 win in the opening 7 games. The 7th game being a 6-0 defeat at Fylkir. Really dissapointing. I had worried that it was going to be another relegation scrap, but the 6-0 defeat seemed to spur us into gear. Of the following 8 league games, we would win 6 and draw 1. Really good form ending with the cup final (see below). I don't know if we were still drunk, but we followed the final up with two very poor games which resulted in two 2-0 defeats. The league is so tight and at any stage a few bad results can really make you drop, I thought we may fizzle out, but we managed to bounce back winning 3 on the bounce, then finished the season with two respectable draws, resulting in a 3rd place finish. It probably should have been 2nd, but I am very happy with the league season. 

ICELANDIC CUP

A non- league draw for the 3rd round allowd me to completely rest the first 11. We scrapped to a 1-1 draw with FH in the 4th round and completely dominated extra-time to come out 4-1 winners. This was the turning point for the whole season really. A good 1-0 win over Breioablik meant that we were into the semi-final to face First Division Fram. A great performance saw us back into the final were we would meet Grindavik. A close game looked to be heading for extra-time when Marteinn Bergsson popped up at the back post to smash home and put us 1-0 with just 4 minutes remaining. Don't do nothing stupid and cup is ours (again)! Well, we did do something stupid. Just three minutes later the normally reliable Oskar Sigporsson (GK) came out for a cross and took it perfectly. Only to throw it straight to an opposition player who rolled it into an empty net. Extra-time. I was worried that we would be deflated, but I shouldn't have been. There was only going to be one winner in extra-time and goals from Bergsson again and 2 from forward Kjartan Stefansson, meant the cup was coming back to Haukar for the 2nd time in 3 years and the 3rd time in my 8 years with the club!

THE PLAYERS

So a much better season this year. Brynjarson was completely moved aside to allow some of the younger players the game time they need and only made 1 appearance. He will move on, on a free transfer, but what a player he was for us. I decided to give Marteinn Bergsson a run as the left sided striker (either footed) and he stepped up scoring 17 in 30. He had been out in the cold and probably thought he'd missed the boat, being 22 at the start of the season. Kristofer Hinirikson carried on last seasons form with 17 in 23. It would of been more, only he missed around 10 games representing Iceland's U-19s and U-20's. So frustrating!! My favourite player, Gylfi Sigurjonsson had another solid season (7.23 av rating) and Illugi Por Ludvigsson had made the right back spot his own, by the end of the season. 

THE YOUTH INTAKE

Every intake has been pretty similar so far and this was no different. Amar Por Ingvarsson has a lot of similarities with Hinriksen, so I am hoping he can be re-trained as a striker for the coming season. He did snaek in at the end of the season and scored on his debut to become the leagues youngest ever scorer.

OVERVIEW

An excellent season overall, 3rd place and a cup win, which also brings Europe next season. I would take the exact same season for the next few years if offerered.

Off the field the youth recruitment was upgraded to Exceptional and junior coaching was increased to Excellent. Hopefully we will see the benefits in the coming seasons. Going semi-proffesional didn't seem to impact much in the end. Every player renewed contracts on to a part time basis when their current deals were almost up. They have also allowed me to continue my badges and so I am in the process of gaining a continental A licence. And finally, I was named Manager of the Year :-)

[holidaysong]

FC United of Manchester ; season 2021/22

My manager ; i.e me.

League Table ; A first season beyond even my most optimistic expectations as we won the National League North as we were 100/1 odds for the title. The end of the season couldn't come soon enough, as my form went quite erratic as the lack of squad depth really began to take it's toll with lack of fit players. Thankfully York and Chester weren't consistent enough to overtake me.

Squad ; The lads that got me there. Still not sure how I managed it with this group of misfits. An honourable mention to Calum Woods who was my 34 year old right back and hung up his boots at the end of the season before I screenshotted. You can see also a couple of my youth intake you I put in at the end of the season for a few games.

Starting 11 ; This is how we set up and the stand out performers. 

Transfers ; I lost Curtis Jones before a ball was kicked as he was transfer listed on reset day and on a non contract so couldn't unlist him. I thought this would completely kill my chances but thankfully not.

Youth Candidates ; a very decent bunch, although too unambitious. A new HOYD has already been hired to see to that going forward.

The stand out player is Derek Hardy, who is already in my first team and was capped at u19 level by Ireland within a month of appearing in the game. Hopefully he doesn't do a Declan Rice in the future.

Next season expectations ; As expected, it's to fight bravely against relegation. Let's see what we can do.

[DazRTaylor]

Youth Candidates

Season 2026/27

FC United of Manchester

So have we managed a fourth straight year of terrific intakes?  No.  Unfortunately not, though still a decent intake by normal standards.

[Cheez3y]

Like I said, I wasnt feelin france and GOAL FC. I didnt really enjoyed it.

We secured promotion and put the save straight in the bin.

 

We are now heading to Luxembourg....eh Belgium! Wait its still Luxembourg!

My manager will be my favorite newgen player from  my Okinawa SV / Hamburger SV save in FM20.

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by Cheez3y

[Cheez3y]

I took over a decent team with 24 players and already got a little gift.

Driven!

[Crayam99x]

9 hours ago, JLAB said:

From tomorrow onward I plan on joining you guys for my journey after the full release update happens. I haven't decided on what country I plan on managing in yet, but I'll try and give myself a few options to decide on.

How do you guys decide what country you want to manage in?

Good question. I like the other answers but I do it differently. The first decision I make is if I want to be in a poor country where it's easy to win the league, but hard to win CL, or a country where winning the league basically means you've already won the CL. Then I choose a country that seems like a bit of fun, or where I've never managed before. If you just want to beat this challenge I think 1. Germany and 2. England are the best placed to do so though. Good luck!

[keeper#1]

South Shields August 2023 Update

Off to another hot start.  Trying to go with the high-pressing 4-4-2 that we used exclusively the last two seasons only in home games this season and going with 4--1-2-2-1 on the road.  It seems to be working thus far.  Only three goals allowed in five matches.

Some mixed results in our early mentoring thus far.  Need some better older mentors to help the younger players.

[OlivierL]

43 minutes ago, Crayam99x said:

Good question. I like the other answers but I do it differently. The first decision I make is if I want to be in a poor country where it's easy to win the league, but hard to win CL, or a country where winning the league basically means you've already won the CL. Then I choose a country that seems like a bit of fun, or where I've never managed before. If you just want to beat this challenge I think 1. Germany and 2. England are the best placed to do so though. Good luck!

I agree, one more important thing for me is.. can i play 10/20/30 seasons with that team if I use a mix from instant result and playing important games myself.

I if would play every game myself on 3d.. i wouldn't play 5 season.

Instant resulting in a small country feels ok.. instant resulting in Germany or Engeland hmm

[OlivierL]

Nicknaming is not fixed  

[JLAB]

Alright, found 5 different teams from 5 different countries that's caught my interest. 

Germany - Sportfreunde Lotte - Predicted to finish in 16th, are projected to make a profit of £2.31M a year, meaning that I could increase their facilities easily enough, they've never gotten higher than 3. Liga. Their wage budget is only £64K a week.

France - Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne  - Predicted to finish in 11th, are projected to make a loss of £720K a year, and they have a small budget of just £20K a week. They've never made it out of the Championnat National.

England - FC United - Predicted to finish 19th, are projected to make a profit of £232K a year, and not enough to cover upgrades to facilities. A club founded over the Glazer's takerover of Manchester United, they've never made it out of the National League North. They have just £5K to spend on wages and will need to get 5 promotions instead of the 2 that is required in Germany, France and Italy. 

Italy - Siena - Predicted to finish in 16th, are projected to make a profit of £2.99M, a team that was in Serie A in 2012 and had to file bankruptcy in 2020 just 6 years after it had originally refounded in 2014. They have a wage budget of £32K a week, of which they are only spending £16K at the moment. Taking them back to the Serie A would make this side be something that their fans who have had to go through 2 resurrections in less than a decade.

Spain - Real Jaen - Predicted to finish in 9th, are projected to make a loss of £2.27M. A side last in La Liga back in 1958, the years have not been kind to this team having spent the last 4 seasons in the 4th tier of Spanish football. They have a wage budget of £67K, a stadium of 12,569 seats, and adequate facilities all round, with their average academy coaching being the only thing standing out from there. The finances are a scary sight, but they will be needing a promotion sooner rather than later. 

Will admit, that I'm leaning towards Siena at the moment, but I'll make a decision after a night's rest. 

Edited November 24, 2020 by JLAB

[Baker]

This sounds like a fun challenge from reading through these updates, so I think I'll pick this up with Worthing (a local team to me IRL) and see how it goes!

Edited November 24, 2020 by Baker

[danielclouston1]

Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls...

Now, this is a story all about how

My life got flipped, turned upside down

And I´d like to take a minute

Just sit right there

I´ll tell you how I became the boss of Chemnitzer FC

 

 

Manager Profile

So who´s the new kid on the block, I hear you ask? Well I´m Dan, a Scottish guy who is currently lost in a sleepy corner of mainland Europe.

I haven´t picked up an FM since 2016 so this could be fun. I´ll try to keep updates yearly unless  there´s something I feel

needs to be updated immediately. Below is my avatar, because why not? And my manager profile for starting out, and yes, I am fluent in German.

 

Club Info

Chemnitzer FC had a couple years of yo-yoing between leagues but after a horrendous 2019-2020 season

they were relegated out of 3. Liga and found themselves back in Regionalliga Nordost. A promotion in 2020-2021

has seen them bounce straight back but the club chairman has decided the they need to go in a different

direction to try and maintain their 3. Liga status. They have fairly ok youth and training facilities for this level

however the first task for the new boss will be to trim the wage budget as they are currently spending 63k pw.

 

Thanks for reading, I´ll be back with you at the end of 2021-2022 season at the latest.

[keeper#1]

Had a great save with Chemnitzer a couple versions ago.  Good luck!

[danielclouston1]

Just a small update for the sake of clarity, I had 3 pre-arranged transfers that I couldn´t cancel. It´s a pain

because I can´t ship anyone out and I´m over wage budget.

 

 

[Bruce Drundrige]

For those playing in Scotland, what additional leagues have you loaded? Is it Highland and Lowland Leagues only, or anything below that?

And has anyone seen any teams come up that aren't Kelty Hearts, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, East Kilbride or Brora Rangers?

 

[OlivierL]

4 hours ago, JLAB said:

Alright, found 5 different teams from 5 different countries that's caught my interest. 

Germany - Sportfreunde Lotte - Predicted to finish in 16th, are projected to make a profit of £2.31M a year, meaning that I could increase their facilities easily enough, they've never gotten higher than 3. Liga. Their wage budget is only £64K a week.

France - Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne  - Predicted to finish in 11th, are projected to make a loss of £720K a year, and they have a small budget of just £20K a week. They've never made it out of the Championnat National.

England - FC United - Predicted to finish 19th, are projected to make a profit of £232K a year, and not enough to cover upgrades to facilities. A club founded over the Glazer's takerover of Manchester United, they've never made it out of the National League North. They have just £5K to spend on wages and will need to get 5 promotions instead of the 2 that is required in Germany, France and Italy. 

Italy - Siena - Predicted to finish in 16th, are projected to make a profit of £2.99M, a team that was in Serie A in 2012 and had to file bankruptcy in 2020 just 6 years after it had originally refounded in 2014. They have a wage budget of £32K a week, of which they are only spending £16K at the moment. Taking them back to the Serie A would make this side be something that their fans who have had to go through 2 resurrections in less than a decade.

Spain - Real Jaen - Predicted to finish in 9th, are projected to make a loss of £2.27M. A side last in La Liga back in 1958, the years have not been kind to this team having spent the last 4 seasons in the 4th tier of Spanish football. They have a wage budget of £67K, a stadium of 12,569 seats, and adequate facilities all round, with their average academy coaching being the only thing standing out from there. The finances are a scary sight, but they will be needing a promotion sooner rather than later. 

Will admit, that I'm leaning towards Siena at the moment, but I'll make a decision after a night's rest. 

Great post. how do u know about the ' projected ' loss?

[witticism]

I don't think the AI likes my chances despite my team not being remarkably worse than last season

[Diego D10S]

 

Decision have been made  

 

GL ALL !!  

[yowg8ynwa]

Season 1 - 2022 - First Youth Intake

The first youth intake is in through the hallowed doors of the Campos Deportivos Ricardo Keller!  The sight of two sixteen year old centrebacks lost in the welcoming hall might allay the fears that the squad might be lacking in depth in that position, while Joel Salgado is immediately given the illustrious title of "22A."

For a team who have only used 13 players regularly, the fresh blood is well appreciated.

[OlivierL]

5 hours ago, JLAB said:

Alright, found 5 different teams from 5 different countries that's caught my interest. 

Germany - Sportfreunde Lotte - Predicted to finish in 16th, are projected to make a profit of £2.31M a year, meaning that I could increase their facilities easily enough, they've never gotten higher than 3. Liga. Their wage budget is only £64K a week.

France - Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne  - Predicted to finish in 11th, are projected to make a loss of £720K a year, and they have a small budget of just £20K a week. They've never made it out of the Championnat National.

England - FC United - Predicted to finish 19th, are projected to make a profit of £232K a year, and not enough to cover upgrades to facilities. A club founded over the Glazer's takerover of Manchester United, they've never made it out of the National League North. They have just £5K to spend on wages and will need to get 5 promotions instead of the 2 that is required in Germany, France and Italy. 

Italy - Siena - Predicted to finish in 16th, are projected to make a profit of £2.99M, a team that was in Serie A in 2012 and had to file bankruptcy in 2020 just 6 years after it had originally refounded in 2014. They have a wage budget of £32K a week, of which they are only spending £16K at the moment. Taking them back to the Serie A would make this side be something that their fans who have had to go through 2 resurrections in less than a decade.

Spain - Real Jaen - Predicted to finish in 9th, are projected to make a loss of £2.27M. A side last in La Liga back in 1958, the years have not been kind to this team having spent the last 4 seasons in the 4th tier of Spanish football. They have a wage budget of £67K, a stadium of 12,569 seats, and adequate facilities all round, with their average academy coaching being the only thing standing out from there. The finances are a scary sight, but they will be needing a promotion sooner rather than later. 

Will admit, that I'm leaning towards Siena at the moment, but I'll make a decision after a night's rest. 

For me , and i'll decide this afternoon.

Iceland - Njardvik -Media pred 10th in 2th tier : This team is not from Reykjavik but from a small peninsula 'Reykjanesbær'. They have great facilities and a beautiful logo. Iceland is a competition where you can become champion relatively quickly (last year at men IR save also succeeded). but getting something european is very difficult. Last year I was tired after 8 seasons because we always met the same opponents and the strange long names

England - Scarborough Athletic FC - 6th tier : FC United or South shield seems to have the most spectators for these facilities, but they are popular here, so they are not an option for me. That is why I am going for one of the following 'best' options. Scarborough. Nice location , new field and nice fanbase where I already found a nice banner to use. England is a doubt for me because you start so low and small squad.

Italy - Siena - 3th tier :  History, nice league, love the names. But i don't think u'll gain a lot of prize money in serie B or C .. so difficult.

Germany - Alemmania Aachen  - 3th tier : a big stadium, 30k . they played a few years in the bundesliga but building this big stadium costed them money and saw them fall down the leagues. U'll get a lot of money in Liga 2 , this seems to be the challenge if u want to go fast.

and .. a 5th team but don't know where and who.

 

 

[OlivierL]

1 hour ago, Bruce Drundrige said:

For those playing in Scotland, what additional leagues have you loaded? Is it Highland and Lowland Leagues only, or anything below that?

And has anyone seen any teams come up that aren't Kelty Hearts, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, East Kilbride or Brora Rangers?

 

yes at least two of them.

[elazulreal]

On 15/11/2020 at 00:10, XaW said:

Well, I loaded up all 4 tiers to start with, but only the two highest tiers are played for the 2020 season in Norway, so I just holidayed past it. Then, after the season rollover, the third division starts, but you can't manage in it. So what you do is just essentially "save scum" up the team you want. Just save and reload to ensure the team wins their subdivision in the 4th tier. Since it's viewable and everything, just not possible to take over clubs there, it's the best way to make sure you get the team you want. It's kinda the same as reloading season rollover in other leagues, except you can force it.

I'd like to give a try in Norway but I did not understand the save scum thing entirely. Why do we pick a team in 2021 then try to get them promoted instead of directly holiday to 2022 and then pick a newly promoted team to lowest playable league (PostNord-ligaen)? Are there new teams promoted to the 4th division even the division is cancelled in the opening season? 

 

[jmonfu]

8 hours ago, OlivierL said:

Nicknaming is not fixed  

That's annoying!

How are you guys going about renaming the players?  I could not "cut" the name directly from FM and paste it. I had to write everything manually in Notepad, adding the YP_22a, and then copy paste. 

[XaW]

2 minutes ago, elazulreal said:

I'd like to give a try in Norway but I did not understand the save scum thing entirely. Why do we pick a team in 2021 then try to get them promoted instead of directly holiday to 2022 and then pick a newly promoted team to lowest playable league (PostNord-ligaen)? Are there new teams promoted to the 4th division even the division is cancelled in the opening season? 

 

Well, in Norway only the top two tiers run the first season in FM, the reason for this is because all non-professional sports are stopped here this year, for obvious reasons. So if you look at tiers lower than the 2nd (OBOS-ligaen), then the game will inform you that the competition haven't started yet. So after you holiday for a season and come to January 13th, it will start. The reason I say pick a team and save scum them into promotion, is because the lowest tier (4th - Norsk Tipping ligaen) visible is not available to take over teams in. It's like it's "viewable", but not playable.

If you want to pick a random promoted team you are free to do so, it's just often players are looking for a specific team, and reloading from the day before the reset won't help in Norway.

[XaW]

1 minute ago, jmonfu said:

That's annoying!

How are you guys going about renaming the players?  I could not "cut" the name directly from FM and paste it. I had to write everything manually in Notepad, adding the YP_22a, and then copy paste. 

You can mark the name from the top bar when you are in a player profile and press CTRL+C, then open the nick name prompt and CTRL+V to paste it in. I've found it sometimes doesn't work, but just try again and it will... There is no way I'm typing all of that!

[jmonfu]

1 minute ago, XaW said:

You can mark the name from the top bar when you are in a player profile and press CTRL+C, then open the nick name prompt and CTRL+V to paste it in. I've found it sometimes doesn't work, but just try again and it will... There is no way I'm typing all of that!

Hmmm tried that several times @XaWbut was not successful. Very annoying.  Well I'm lucky its Belgium, cannot imagine Poland or Scandinavia for example

[XaW]

5 minutes ago, jmonfu said:

Hmmm tried that several times @XaWbut was not successful. Very annoying.  Well I'm lucky its Belgium, cannot imagine Poland or Scandinavia for example

For Scandinavia it's easy for me, I have ÆØÅ on my keyboard!

Similar to this:

[thomas_e]

@JLAB, isn't it three promotions required in France?

As for the other choices i would say that Siena has quite high avg squad age if im not mistaking. That could be trouble. 

Go Real Jean! 

[shaunvamos]

Excelsior Maassluis 2023/24 Season Review

 

 

 

 Kenny Lipman - Ravi Yates - Youri de Winter 
 

A season that once again defied expectations (both the media and mine) ad this challenge continues. Our youth are beginning to feature more prominently, and one even made the Best XI this year!

 

 

Youth Intake

Alfons Kuyt 3A - Nelson Waterberg 3B - Gilberto Sedney 3C

 

On paper, this doesn't look like an immediately strong intake in terms of CA. But the attributes don't lie. Waterberg slotted straight into our starting backline, and several others were unused subs. So there's definitely plenty to like here. We still have enough money to upgrade junior coaching and youth recruitment, and probably one more training facility upgrade.

 

 

Transfers

 

Progress

 

[JLAB]

2 hours ago, OlivierL said:

Great post. how do u know about the ' projected ' loss?

I literally made 5 different saves with where I took over the teams in question at the end of the season 1 in the same save file. So if I was to be sacked by one of the teams, I could just jump to another save and pick up from there. All of the teams chosen are from the same save too.

16 minutes ago, thomas_e said:

@JLAB, isn't it three promotions required in France?

As for the other choices i would say that Siena has quite high avg squad age if im not mistaking. That could be trouble. 

Go Real Jean! 

We can't start in the 4th tier in France, can we? Sure they're visible, but that doesn't mean we can take over one of the teams in the French 4th tier. So we can only take over a team in the French 3rd tier.

[OlivierL]

10 minutes ago, JLAB said:

I literally made 5 different saves with where I took over the teams in question at the end of the season 1 in the same save file. So if I was to be sacked by one of the teams, I could just jump to another save and pick up from there. All of the teams chosen are from the same save too.

 

So u picked them and runned a holiday season and then u checked their finances etc ? That what i did with a few team after my Belenenses disaster.

[thomas_e]

23 minutes ago, JLAB said:

I literally made 5 different saves with where I took over the teams in question at the end of the season 1 in the same save file. So if I was to be sacked by one of the teams, I could just jump to another save and pick up from there. All of the teams chosen are from the same save too.

We can't start in the 4th tier in France, can we? Sure they're visible, but that doesn't mean we can take over one of the teams in the French 4th tier. So we can only take over a team in the French 3rd tier.

Ok, I thought you could start in the 4th tier in France. My bad then 

[weepube]

So after last years attempt getting through 11 seasons I managed to finally topple TNS off top spot with Port Talbot in the Welsh league the two seasons i spent in Europe I managed to reach the group stages of the Euro Conference League and that was as far as I got before real life got in the way and I had less time to play. So moving in to FM21 I have decided to take the challenge of getting the 1986 European Champions back to their former glory.

Steaua Bucharest

 

[Cheez3y]

23 minutes ago, weepube said:

So after last years attempt getting through 11 seasons I managed to finally topple TNS off top spot with Port Talbot in the Welsh league the two seasons i spent in Europe I managed to reach the group stages of the Euro Conference League and that was as far as I got before real life got in the way and I had less time to play. So moving in to FM21 I have decided to take the challenge of getting the 1986 European Champions back to their former glory.

Steaua Bucharest

 

Good luck.

After my FM20 save I got a softspot for the real Steaua.

Go put FCSB in the dust!

[weepube]

21 minutes ago, Cheez3y said:

Good luck.

After my FM20 save I got a softspot for the real Steaua.

Go put FCSB in the dust!

Thanks.

Its a fascinating story! First came about the history in a book and have been keeping an eye on them ever since! there are a few good video on YouTube about it as well after watching I knew they were going to be my save! 

[DazRTaylor]

End of Season Review

Season 2026/27

FC United of Manchester

League Table - An excellent campaign from start to finish where we finished on top of the pile and promotion, finally, to the Vanarama National League.  In the end, we won the league by ten points.

League Fixtures 1, 2 & 3 - We went off like a train again, winning our first five matches.  This time we maintained the pace and won the league title quite comfortably.

F. A. Cup - We made it to the first round proper for the first time in five years before being well beaten by a strong Oxford United side, who play in League One.

F. A. Trophy - We finally had the cup run I have long craved and made it all the way to the final, where we met Bradford City.

Pre Season Friendlies - A fantastic pre season, with just the one defeat.

Squad - We have a squad that I feel is strong enough to challenge for a play off spot in the National League.

Squad Dynamics - As you would expect.  Everyone wants everyone else's babies.

Transfers In - None.

Transfers Out - Quite a few departures, mainly youngsters who will never make the grade.

Youth Candidates - Overall, another good intake, with Barry Powell YP27B82 looking like the pick of the players.

 

Finances - A great cup run in the F. A. Trophy means we have a healthy bank balance.

Key Players

Andrew Camacho YP23D20 - Another fabulous season from the centre back.

Keith Phelan YP24F38 - The Irish striker was a sensation all year.  He scored an incredible 65 goals in his 54 games.

Owen Carpenter YP24I41 - Central midfielder who was the key to our good season.

Roberto Santamaría YP26C67 - Still aged only sixteen, the Spanish right winger played virtually the whole season.

Brian Prescott YP24H40 - Playing on the left wing, he bounced a lot of balls off of Phelan's head into the goal.

Next Season

I think we are good enough to challenge for a play off place next season.

Personal Coaching Data

Season     Reputation            Qualifications       Att   Def   Fit   GkD   GkH   GkS   Tac   Tec   Men   WWY   Ada   Det   PlK   YoK   LoD   MaM   Mot
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start   Minimal   (0.25*)     None                   1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     4     1     1     1     4     1     1     1
2021/22    Minimal = (0.50*) ↑   None =                 4 ↑   4 ↑   1 =   1 =   2 ↑   1 =   4 ↑   4 ↑   4 ↑   6 ↑   1 =   4 ↑   4 ↑   5 ↑   1 =   4 ↑   4 ↑
2022/23    Minimal = (0.75*) ↑   National C ↑           6 ↑   6 ↑   3 ↑   2 ↑   4 ↑   2 ↑   6 ↑   6 ↑   6 ↑   6 =   1 =   5 ↑   5 ↑   6 ↑   5 ↑   7 ↑   7 ↑
2023/24    Nominal ↑ (1.25*) ↑   National B ↑           8 ↑   8 ↑   4 ↑   3 ↑   4 =   3 ↑   8 ↑   8 ↑   8 ↑   6 =   1 =   7 ↑   7 ↑   8 ↑  10 ↑  10 ↑   9 ↑
2024/25    Nominal = (1.50*) ↑   National A ↑           9 ↑  10 ↑   5 ↑   3 =   4 =   3 =  10 ↑   9 ↑   9 ↑   6 =   1 =   8 ↑   8 ↑   9 ↑  13 ↑  10 =  11 ↑
2025/26    Nominal = (1.50*) =   National A =          10 ↑  10 =   5 =   3 =   5 ↑   3 =  10 =   9 =  10 ↑   9 ↑   1 =   8 =   8 =   9 =  13 =  12 ↑  12 ↑
2026/27    Minimal ↑ (1.75*) ↑   National A =          10 =  10 =   5 =   3 =   5 =   3 =  10 =   9 =  10 =   9 =   1 =   8 =   8 =   9 =  13 =  13 ↑  13 ↑

Club Facilities

3Season     Training Facilities  Youth Facilities  Youth Level  Corporate Facilities  Junior Coaching  Youth Recruitment  Club Reputation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Start   Basic                Basic                  4       Adequate              Average          Fairly basic       Local   (1.00*)
2021/22    Basic =              Basic =                4 =     Adequate =            Good ↑           Adequate ↑         Local = (1.00*) =
2022/23    Basic =              Below average ↑        4 =     Adequate =            Excellent ↑↑     Good ↑↑            Local = (1.00*) =
2023/24    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional ↑    Exceptional ↑↑     Local = (1.00*) =
2024/25    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Local = (1.00*) =
2025/26    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Local = (1.00*) =
2026/27    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Local = (1.00*) =

Season Record

Season     Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22      60        33       12       15         126              84                 +42
2022/23      51 ↓      22 ↓     11 ↓     18 ↑        89 ↓            77 ↓               +12 ↓
2023/24      51 =      24 ↑     13 ↑     14 ↓        97 ↑            84 ↑               +13 ↑
2024/25      52 ↑      25 ↑      9 ↓     20 ↑       105 ↑            89 ↑               +16 ↑
2025/26      56 ↑      31 ↑     12 ↑     13 ↓       127 ↑            82 ↓               +45 ↑
2026/27      60 ↑      42 ↑     12 =      6 ↓       171 ↑            72 ↓               +99 ↑

Overall Career Record

After Season   Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Time At Club
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22          60        33       12       15         126              84                 +42              316 days
2022/23         111        55       23       33         215             161                 +54              673 days
2023/24         162        79       36       47         312             245                 +67            1,048 days
2024/25         214       104       43       67         417             334                 +83            1,408 days
2025/26         270       135       55       80         544             416                +128            1,780 days
2026/27         330       177       67       86         715             488                +227            2,160 days

Trophy Haul

Season     Competition Won
--------------------------
2026/27    Vanarama National League North
2026/27    F. A. Trophy

Trophy Cabinet

League Titles
-------------

1 x Vanarama National League North (2026/27)

Cup Competition Victories
-------------------------

1 x F. A. Trophy (2026/27)

Career Overview

Season     Champions League    Europa League    Europa Conference League             League                             Position     F.A. Cup                    League Cup        Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        3rd       Third round                     N/a           Lost in semi final of promotion play off.  Quarter final of the F. A. Trophy.
2022/23           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North       10th ↓     Fourth qualifying round ↓       N/a           Mid table mediocrity.  Third round of the F. A. Trophy.
2023/24           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        6th ↑     Fourth qualifying round =       N/a           Lost in first round of promotion play off.  Second round of the F. A. Trophy.
2024/25           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        8th ↓     Fourth qualifying round =       N/a           Missed out on promotion play offs on the last day.  Third round of the F. A. Trophy.
2025/26           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        5th ↑     Fourth qualifying round =       N/a           Lost in semi final of promotion play off.  Fourth round of the F. A. Trophy.
2026/27           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        1st ↑     First round ↑                   N/a           Promoted as champions.  F. A. Trophy winners.

Record Number of Appearances (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Appearances
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    Ross Holland YP22A1                       6
2022/23    Scott Jones YP22F6                       40
2023/24    Scott Jones YP22F6                       56
2024/25    Ryan McCormick YP23C19                   89
2025/26    Andrew Camacho YP23D20                  127
2026/27    Andrew Camacho YP23D20                  165
           Brian Prescott YP24H40                  165

Record Goal Scorer (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Goals
---------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    Scott Jones YP22F6                     1
2022/23    Scott Jones YP22F6                    13
2023/24    Scott Jones YP22F6                    14
           Ryan McCormick YP23C19                14
2024/25    Keith Phelan YP24F38                  29
2025/26    Keith Phelan YP24F38                  72
2026/27    Keith Phelan YP24F38                 137

Record Number of Assists (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Assists
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    No one                                  0
2022/23    Scott Jones YP22F6                      1
           Tim Barker YP23L28                      1
2023/24    Ryan McCormick YP23C19                  5
2024/25    Ryan McCormick YP23C19                 15
2025/26    Brian Prescott YP24H20                 26
2026/27    Brian Prescott YP24H20                 44

Record Number of Clean Sheets (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Clean Sheets
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    No one                                     0
2022/23    Scott Mason YP22G7                         1
2023/24    Scott Mason YP22G7                         5
2024/25    Johnny Connerton YP24J42                  11
2025/26    Johnny Connerton YP24J42                  15
2026/27    Zak Foster YP23I25                        35

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by DazRTaylor

[Bruce Drundrige]

4 hours ago, Bruce Drundrige said:

For those playing in Scotland, what additional leagues have you loaded? Is it Highland and Lowland Leagues only, or anything below that?

And has anyone seen any teams come up that aren't Kelty Hearts, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, East Kilbride or Brora Rangers?

 

Boom, just like that... Inverurie Locos!

 

Edit: and here he is https://imgur.com/cVTYZDF

 

Quick tip for anyone trying this in Scotland, if you holiday to 1st there's usually still one match to play and it's 4th of May before you know who is in the play-off. to be safe, I holiday to 1 May then see when the last fixture is and holiday to that date and save again (on a new file if you like).

Edited November 24, 2020 by Bruce Drundrige

[OlivierL]

15 minutes ago, DazRTaylor said:

End of Season Review

Season 2026/27

FC United of Manchester

League Table - An excellent campaign from start to finish where we finished on top of the pile and promotion, finally, to the Vanarama National League.  In the end, we won the league by ten points.

League Fixtures 1, 2 & 3 - We went off like a train again, winning our first five matches.  This time we maintained the pace and won the league title quite comfortably.

F. A. Cup - We made it to the first round proper for the first time in five years before being well beaten by a strong Oxford United side, who play in League One.

F. A. Trophy - We finally had the cup run I have long craved and made it all the way to the final, where we met Bradford City.

Pre Season Friendlies - A fantastic pre season, with just the one defeat.

Squad - We have a squad that I feel is strong enough to challenge for a play off spot in the National League.

Squad Dynamics - As you would expect.  Everyone wants everyone else's babies.

Transfers In - None.

Transfers Out - Quite a few departures, mainly youngsters who will never make the grade.

Youth Candidates - Overall, another good intake, with Barry Powell YP27B82 looking like the pick of the players.

Finances - We are still in the black but only just.

Key Players

Andrew Camacho YP23D20 - Another fabulous season from the centre back.

Keith Phelan YP24F38 - The Irish striker was a sensation all year.  He scored an incredible 65 goals in his 54 games.  He won't sign a new contract so may be leaving on a free transfer.

Owen Carpenter YP24I41 - Central midfielder who was the key to our good season.

Roberto Santamaría YP26C67 - Still aged only sixteen, the Spanish right winger played virtually the whole season.

Brian Prescott YP24H40 - Playing on the left wing, he bounced a lot of balls off of Phelan's head into the goal.

Next Season

I think we are good enough to challenge for a play off place next season.

Personal Coaching Data

Season     Reputation            Qualifications       Att   Def   Fit   GkD   GkH   GkS   Tac   Tec   Men   WWY   Ada   Det   PlK   YoK   LoD   MaM   Mot
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start   Minimal   (0.25*)     None                   1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     4     1     1     1     4     1     1     1
2021/22    Minimal = (0.50*) ↑   None =                 4 ↑   4 ↑   1 =   1 =   2 ↑   1 =   4 ↑   4 ↑   4 ↑   6 ↑   1 =   4 ↑   4 ↑   5 ↑   1 =   4 ↑   4 ↑
2022/23    Minimal = (0.75*) ↑   National C ↑           6 ↑   6 ↑   3 ↑   2 ↑   4 ↑   2 ↑   6 ↑   6 ↑   6 ↑   6 =   1 =   5 ↑   5 ↑   6 ↑   5 ↑   7 ↑   7 ↑
2023/24    Nominal ↑ (1.25*) ↑   National B ↑           8 ↑   8 ↑   4 ↑   3 ↑   4 =   3 ↑   8 ↑   8 ↑   8 ↑   6 =   1 =   7 ↑   7 ↑   8 ↑  10 ↑  10 ↑   9 ↑
2024/25    Nominal = (1.50*) ↑   National A ↑           9 ↑  10 ↑   5 ↑   3 =   4 =   3 =  10 ↑   9 ↑   9 ↑   6 =   1 =   8 ↑   8 ↑   9 ↑  13 ↑  10 =  11 ↑
2025/26    Nominal = (1.50*) =   National A =          10 ↑  10 =   5 =   3 =   5 ↑   3 =  10 =   9 =  10 ↑   9 ↑   1 =   8 =   8 =   9 =  13 =  12 ↑  12 ↑
2026/27    Minimal ↑ (1.75*) ↑   National A =          10 =  10 =   5 =   3 =   5 =   3 =  10 =   9 =  10 =   9 =   1 =   8 =   8 =   9 =  13 =  13 ↑  13 ↑

Club Facilities

3Season     Training Facilities  Youth Facilities  Youth Level  Corporate Facilities  Junior Coaching  Youth Recruitment  Club Reputation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Start   Basic                Basic                  4       Adequate              Average          Fairly basic       Local   (1.00*)
2021/22    Basic =              Basic =                4 =     Adequate =            Good ↑           Adequate ↑         Local = (1.00*) =
2022/23    Basic =              Below average ↑        4 =     Adequate =            Excellent ↑↑     Good ↑↑            Local = (1.00*) =
2023/24    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional ↑    Exceptional ↑↑     Local = (1.00*) =
2024/25    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Local = (1.00*) =
2025/26    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Local = (1.00*) =
2026/27    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Local = (1.00*) =

Season Record

Season     Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22      60        33       12       15         126              84                 +42
2022/23      51 ↓      22 ↓     11 ↓     18 ↑        89 ↓            77 ↓               +12 ↓
2023/24      51 =      24 ↑     13 ↑     14 ↓        97 ↑            84 ↑               +13 ↑
2024/25      52 ↑      25 ↑      9 ↓     20 ↑       105 ↑            89 ↑               +16 ↑
2025/26      56 ↑      31 ↑     12 ↑     13 ↓       127 ↑            82 ↓               +45 ↑
2026/27      60 ↑      42 ↑     12 =      6 ↓       171 ↑            72 ↓               +99 ↑

Overall Career Record

After Season   Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Time At Club
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22          60        33       12       15         126              84                 +42              316 days
2022/23         111        55       23       33         215             161                 +54              673 days
2023/24         162        79       36       47         312             245                 +67            1,048 days
2024/25         214       104       43       67         417             334                 +83            1,408 days
2025/26         270       135       55       80         544             416                +128            1,780 days
2026/27         330       177       67       86         715             488                +227            2,160 days

Trophy Haul

Season     Competition Won
--------------------------
2026/27    Vanarama National League North
2026/27    F. A. Trophy

Trophy Cabinet

League Titles
-------------

1 x Vanarama National League North (2026/27)

Cup Competition Victories
-------------------------

1 x F. A. Trophy (2026/27)

Career Overview

Season     Champions League    Europa League    Europa Conference League             League                             Position     F.A. Cup                    League Cup        Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        3rd       Third round                     N/a           Lost in semi final of promotion play off.  Quarter final of the F. A. Trophy.
2022/23           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North       10th ↓     Fourth qualifying round ↓       N/a           Mid table mediocrity.  Third round of the F. A. Trophy.
2023/24           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        6th ↑     Fourth qualifying round =       N/a           Lost in first round of promotion play off.  Second round of the F. A. Trophy.
2024/25           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        8th ↓     Fourth qualifying round =       N/a           Missed out on promotion play offs on the last day.  Third round of the F. A. Trophy.
2025/26           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        5th ↑     Fourth qualifying round =       N/a           Lost in semi final of promotion play off.  Fourth round of the F. A. Trophy.
2026/27           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        1st ↑     First round ↑                   N/a           Promoted as champions.  F. A. Trophy winners.

Record Number of Appearances (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Appearances
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    Ross Holland YP22A1                       6
2022/23    Scott Jones YP22F6                       40
2023/24    Scott Jones YP22F6                       56
2024/25    Ryan McCormick YP23C19                   89
2025/26    Andrew Camacho YP23D20                  127
2026/27    Andrew Camacho YP23D20                  165
           Brian Prescott YP24H40                  165

Record Goal Scorer (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Goals
---------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    Scott Jones YP22F6                     1
2022/23    Scott Jones YP22F6                    13
2023/24    Scott Jones YP22F6                    14
           Ryan McCormick YP23C19                14
2024/25    Keith Phelan YP24F38                  29
2025/26    Keith Phelan YP24F38                  72
2026/27    Keith Phelan YP24F38                 137

Record Number of Assists (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Assists
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    No one                                  0
2022/23    Scott Jones YP22F6                      1
           Tim Barker YP23L28                      1
2023/24    Ryan McCormick YP23C19                  5
2024/25    Ryan McCormick YP23C19                 15
2025/26    Brian Prescott YP24H20                 26
2026/27    Brian Prescott YP24H20                 44

Record Number of Clean Sheets (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Clean Sheets
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    No one                                     0
2022/23    Scott Mason YP22G7                         1
2023/24    Scott Mason YP22G7                         5
2024/25    Johnny Connerton YP24J42                  11
2025/26    Johnny Connerton YP24J42                  15
2026/27    Zak Foster YP23I25                        35

 

 

 

Good job - promotion !

[Wavelberry]

Okay, I'm in and I didn't even have to reload once to get them 

[thomas_e]

@shaunvamos, what kind of personality does your HOYD have? Rarey seen so many unambitious personality types in a single intake. 

[Winski]

I wanted to start a youth only in Holland, but I think they disabled the relegation from the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. I holidayed for one year and nobody relegated/promoted from the Tweede Divisie. IRL you cannot relegate from the KKD in the next three seasons. I will holiday for two more seasons, to check if it's possible then.

[DazRTaylor]

You remember that beast I had come through my academy a few years ago?  Well, he is officially a Wonderkid now and has quite the value.  I still have a 50% sell on clause.  He has a £91,000,000 release clause too.

[shaunvamos]

4 minutes ago, Winski said:

I wanted to start a youth only in Holland, but I think they disabled the relegation from the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. I holidayed for one year and nobody relegated/promoted from the Tweede Divisie. IRL you cannot relegate from the KKD in the next three seasons. I will holiday for two more seasons, to check if it's possible then.

That's weird, I was able to find a team after holidaying a year, and one team has been promoted/relegated each season.

[shaunvamos]

33 minutes ago, thomas_e said:

@shaunvamos, what kind of personality does your HOYD have? Rarey seen so many unambitious personality types in a single intake. 

Funnily enough, he has a professional personality! So maybe it was just a bad batch.

[thomas_e]

Just now, shaunvamos said:

Funnily enough, he has a professional personality! So maybe it was just a bad batch.

Must have a personality disorder!! 

Good intake anyway though! 

[Winski]

3 minutes ago, shaunvamos said:

That's weird, I was able to find a team after holidaying a year, and one team has been promoted/relegated each season.

But did you start your save in the Beta? Because it was indeed possible in the Beta version of the game.

[witticism]

90th Minute, first goal of the season by a < 10 long shot midfielder. Jokes really do write themselves.

[shaunvamos]

2 minutes ago, Winski said:

But did you start your save in the Beta? Because it was indeed possible in the Beta version of the game.

Yes I did, so I guess I got lucky!

[danielclouston1]

This definitely isn't going how I expected it to go...after 20 games in 3. Liga we're sitting in the automatic promotion places. I'm going to change to a defensive tactic and put out a side of u-23's because I don't want promoted this season.