CarltonBanks Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Hello everyone! I'm not only new to the forums, but also new to the FM series as well. I bought FM13 on a whim soon after it came out, wanting more depth than console footballing games could provide me. I've played through a few years on a couple different saves, mainly as low level teams. I've become enamored of this forum and the amazing tales it creates, so I've decided to hone my fledgling skills in a journeyman game/thread. I'm also using a few files from the editor's forum, mainly England down to level 9, and some expansions for the US/Canada. Leagues Loaded Argentina: Primera B (view-only) Belgium: Division III Brazil: Serie B (view-only) Canada: PLSQ Denmark: Second Division England: Regional and County Primary Leagues Germany: 2.Bundesliga Italy: Serie C2 Mexico: Ascenso MX (view-only) Sweden: Superettan II USA: USL-3 Using a medium database, the ends up with 47,000 players loaded. July 2012: Unemployed We begin our journey in England in July 2012. A former amateur footballer decides to head into management. After sending out job applications for a few promising vacancies, I open my inbox to find: What better way to start a managerial career than being an unknown American taking charge of a lower league English team? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 July 2012: Lancaster City Lancaster City F.C. is an English football club based in Lancaster, Lancashire. The club are currently members of Northern Premier League Division One North and play at Giant Axe. Giant Axe, huh? Pretty nifty name for a stadium. Not exactly the image that the name conjures, but it doesn't look bad at all for this level. The board expects me to push for promotion, and there's only 150pw spare wage budget, so let's see what I have to work with here in Lancaster. Eh, I guess things could be a lot worse, but pre-season has already started and I don't have much wage room to maneuver. Still, I'm optimistic. It looks like maybe with a few key signings and some good tactics I should be able to do fairly well. On to the pre-season! 2012/2013 Preseason Before I could even get started with my first preseason match (which was actually the day after I signed on), I came to realize while I was setting tactics and building my squad that some of my best players were out injured for 1-2 months. I had to dig through my non-contract reserve team to scrape a bare-bones squad together, since I had a match before I could even hope to get anywhere in the transfer market. Not exactly a stellar preseason. The only two results were the first two matches, played before I took over the squad. Liversedge and Maine Road were close matches against much lower level opposition, most like lost due to trying to force an unorthodox 5-2-3 formation on the team. For the final match against BSP side Barrow, I switched the side back to a more conventional 4-5-1. The scoreline really doesn't reflect how we played at all, we had at least two real chances that were near misses, a disallowed goal, and a non-contract backup keeper due to my number 1 being injured in the previous match. Six days to go before the first league match of the season. Not as many transfers as I'd like yet, only one signing and two loans. I"m hoping to add to that list over the next week, so I'm going to hold off on posting my transfer list until the next update. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 2012/2013 Season August The regular season kicked off with a pretty uneventful draw away to Trafford FC. A few days later, we hosted Ossett Town, and an early goal from midfielder Swarbrick was all it took to grab our first win of the season. The following week, we traveled to Curzon Ashton and were looking even better. The squad was starting to become familiar with the modified 4-5-1 formation, and one of our new newly loaned players, attacking mid Adam Farrell grabbed an early goal. Striker Zach Clark put up our second shortly before the half. We were riding high with 7 points from our first three games, sitting in the playoff places as the squad seemed to come together. After only a short rest, Garforth Town came to Giant Axe, and the lack of squad depth hit us hard. A better start than I was expecting after the preseason, but our squad depth issue looks like it'll be sticking around for a while. Summer Transfer Window Between the three free transfers and the signing of a non-contracted goalkeeper to fill in for our injured number 1, I'm currently about 100pw over my wage budget. Most of my transfers were simply to give the team a little bit of depth, with the exceptions being Adam Farrell and Kingsley Francis-Reynolds. Farrell is currently looking good as our AMC, but also could fill in any other midfield position. Francis-Reynolds was a fairly late signing, but he looked incredibly solid for only 45pw, and he can play on either wing. I'm thinking that both of these guys could end up being key players for me this year. Next time As we head into September and October, I'll find out if the squad can keep up with the fixture congestion, and two key players return from injury. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Welcome to the forum.Good luck at Lancaster and it's good to see you've made a good start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Welcome to the forum, fella. Best of luck at Giant Axe. Absolute corker of a stadium name, that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Welcome to the forum.Good luck at Lancaster and it's good to see you've made a good start. Thanks! I hope it keeps up. Welcome to the forum, fella. Best of luck at Giant Axe. Absolute corker of a stadium name, that. Thanks! I was certainly surprised when I saw the name. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 2012/2013 Season September/October September started off with a bang as we bounced back from defeat with a 3-0 thumping of Burscough. Midweek saw us lose a close tie away to Prescot Cables, conceding very late in the game. Again, we bounced right back, looking solid away at Harrowgate Railway. But someone clearly forgot to load up the goals when we were packing up to leave Harrowgate. The next three league games saw zero goals scored for us, though not for a lack of shots. All three matches had us putting up 10+ shots a piece. However, not a single one of those matches saw more than 2 or 3 of those shots on target. Our last fixture of the month was a home tie in the Northern Leagues Cup, hosting Romulus FC. After conceding two goals in the first half hour, the team finally started to look a live for the first time in weeks, knocking two back for us in just two minutes. Despite keeping the pressure on for the rest of the match, we just couldn't keep the shots on target. Feeling cautiously optimistic, we traveled to Romulus for the replay a few days later but just didn't show up. With the cup out of the picture, I was hoping we could head into October more focused and regain our early season league form. Man, was I wrong. We kicked off with a draw away to struggling Mossley, then hosted Farsley at home for a 1-2 defeat. The following week started a little better, fighting back on the road for a draw, but ended poorly against Ramsbottom at home in a match that really should have seen many more goals for the visitors. A fixture heavy month that saw us winless had us sinking quickly in the league, dropping from the playoff places to just three points above the drop zone. I knew there was the potential to challenge for promotion in the squad, but I was feeling more and more that I did not have the skill set to make that happen. Perhaps I had started my managerial journey too low on the totem pole? I appreciated Lancaster giving me the chance to start my career with them, but couldn't bear to see my inability drop them any further down the table. Resigned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Hook Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Resigned after 14 games?!? Uncle Phil will not be best pleased! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 Resigned after 14 games?!? Uncle Phil will not be best pleased! Yeah, I know, only 14 games, but it was clear the direction the team was headed under my management. Uncle Phil will have to wait to be pleased Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 2012/2013 Season December After my resignation from Lancaster, I put in a few job applications to interesting looking vacancies and went on holiday until Boxing Day. I returned from my time off to find my inbox filled with clubs laughing off my interest. It seems an unknown American with only 16 games of experience in England's regional divisions isn't exactly the most in demand manager. But I kept my spirits up and applied to a few more openings, mostly in Italy's Serie C. It seemed like reaching for the sky, but sometimes confidence can win out over experience. This proved to be true when an offer I could never have imagined came to my inbox. I couldn't even believe it. I'd just resigned from a 45pw part time job in England, and some mad Italian was offering me nearly 2000 pounds a week for a full time, professional post. I contacted the club immediately, but tried to talk them down to a contract only until the end of this season. The chairman countered with his original offer. I seriously considered it, but wasn't ready for quite a commitment, so made an offer for one year, but with pay reduced to 1,700 pounds a week. The chairman found that to be an acceptable compromise, and I was on a plane to Italy. Sorrento Calcio Sorrento Calcio is an Italian association football club from Sorrento, Campania, the club was founded during 1945. Currently the club plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione after starting a promotion streak in 2005–06 when they were promoted from Serie D, followed by promotion from Serie C2.The club has spent most of its history in the lower regions of the Italian football system. Sorrento reached as high as Serie B during the early 1970s, where they recorded their overall highest finish with a 19th place in the 1971–72 season. In addition to this and the championships they have won at lower levels, Sorrento have also won the Serie D Italian Cup. My new home would be Stadio Italia in the town of Sorrento, with a capacity of just over 3,000, all seated. All in all, it seemed a very nice place to gain experience and possibly make a name for myself. The club currently sat pretty much dead on mid-table in what was a very tight league. The club is a fair bit over the board's wage budget, and even putting all my remaining transfer budget into the wage pool didn't really help too much. The transfer window opening almost immediately after I get to Italy isn't really ideal, as I'm not going to have a good idea of the squad. I decided to see out the rest of the season with the players currently at Sorrento. Strangely, it seems almost half the first team squad is in on loan. The youth squad isn't very large either, so I'm quite puzzled how they managed to get so far over the wage budget. Then again, they hired me, so maybe the board isn't entirely sane. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Not the best of times in England Hope Italy goes better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 2012/2013 Season January/February My first two months at Sorrento saw us play only seven matches, with a two week break in the middle. January didn't go too badly for a team with a new manager. The defense looked solid, only giving up a goal each game. At the other end of the pitch, it was slow going, grabbing only two goals in the the three matches. Once February came around the forwards finally started getting it together, especially with the return of N'Suki, one of our star players who had been on international duty. The defense that had been looking so good fell apart against Perugia but quickly pulled themselves back up against Latina. I can't really fault the squad for the Pisa result, it was a very close match against a top of the table team and if it wasn't for their keeper being a wall, we could have walked away with at least a point from it. We have slipped a little bit in the table, but I feel the squad are starting to become familiar with my tactics and with the league as close as it is, even a small run of good form will see us back to mid-table. I did end up making one signing in January, despite our wage situation. Mark De Man is a solid looking DM/DC that I picked up on a free to add more depth and quality to the back third. One thing that has surprised me in my first two months in Italy is how much more physical the game is, at least at this level. Nothing shows this more than our match against Barletta, especially the last half hour. And finally, after telling my assistant to keep tabs on my old club Lancaster, I found this in my inbox in February. Next Time As the season starts winding down, can I pull the club together and get up out of the drop zone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 It seems you manage like Carlton Banks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Hook Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Mark de Man? Really? Classic . . . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 7, 2012 Author Share Posted December 7, 2012 Mark de Man? Really? Classic . . . About his name? Or is he well known or something? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Hook Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 About his name? Or is he well known or something? His name is what he ought to be doing on the pitch? In the words of Kramer when finding out the library cop's name was Bookman, "that's like an ice cream man named Cone!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 7, 2012 Author Share Posted December 7, 2012 His name is what he ought to be doing on the pitch? In the words of Kramer when finding out the library cop's name was Bookman, "that's like an ice cream man named Cone!" Thought so, haha. When I signed him, i was thinking "he better live up to his name". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 I was going to wrap up the season tonight, but my computer just will not agree with FM today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarltonBanks Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 2012/2013 Season March/April/May No, we could not turn things around. We finished the season out with only four points from six games. We've been plagued by injuries all season, having to switch between 4-1-3-2 and 4-3-3 depending on who was healthy at the time. Almost as soon as we got N'Suki back from international duty, he picked up a bad injury, keeping him out of the final four matches. All of our attacking mids were out injured at the same time as well, meaning almost all of our class in the final third wasn't playing. We finished out being the third seed in the relegation playoffs. A pretty poor finish to be sure, but with a gap of only five points off of automatic relegation things could have gone a lot worse. Relegation Playoffs We drew Catanzaro in the playoff semi-finals, playing at home in the first leg. I felt pretty confident, having beaten them in our second to last regular season game. We came out of the home leg up two goals to one, although we really should have had a few more. The strike in the 65th minute had us ahead 2-1 and looking comfortably in charge. We kept the pressure on, but as I'd seen all season, there were five shots going wide or high for every one that was on target. As the match drew to a close, our pressure just disappeared, and after a few near heart attacks for me the whistle blew at last. We'd have an entire week between legs, and all I could hope for was the squad showing up next week in their form from the beginning of this match. Of course, they didn't. I should have learned by now. If this team plays well and wins, they will without doubt stop trying for at least a week or two. Another case of the scoreline not really telling the story, as they had a number of good looking chances. Our goalkeeper was the only one on the squad who even looked awake. With the score tied at 2 over both legs, we were eliminated due to being the lower seed. This was not a rule that I was aware of, but we would have been out on away goals anyway. 2012/2013 Season End of Year Report The jump from regional league English football to a professional Italian club proved to be too large. Sorrento started dropping down the table as soon as I arrived, and nothing I tried really made any difference. After the relegation playoffs, the club simply let my contract run out at the end of June, to no one's surprise. I'm still not entirely sure how it went so wrong in Italy. The squad looked to have some quality players, and my fairly conventional tactics played to the squad's strength. I was going to compile a complete report on the squad's season, but disgusted with my performance knowing I wouldn't be around next season I decided not to. I was also going to do a write up on how Lancaster City did following my early season departure, but these two messages from my inbox over the tail end of the season tell the whole story. What's Next? I spent a fair bit of the summer sending in job applications, and most of them were understandably laughed off. I did end up getting a fairly surprising offer, and I'll fill you all in on my new job shortly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRL88 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Welcome to the forums dude and good luck with this save. Shame how things have gone so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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