Learning while I play - A Career Thread

[Nykav]

After having tried multiple CM and FM versions with mixed success and mixed approaches, I've decided to try to start from the basics. Basically using the TC, learning about the different aspects in the game by reading the various threads here and at some blogs. In order to balance theory with practice I decided to start a career thread.

Basics:

Game: FM2013

Leagues loaded: England (including Blues Square S/N)

Reputation: Sunday League Footballer

Nationality: Dutch

Start: Hayes & Yeading (Blue Square South) - Selected them because they don't have a manager at the start of the season in my game

I will try to touch several aspects of my game in monthly updates and also ask some questions here and there, hopefully some people jump in and give some pointers when needed.

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First day in office I did the following things:

Pre-Season set up: I used to have an approach of playing 5/6 friendlies, in a somehow ascending order of difficulty, but after reading a very interesting thread of Cleon at the tactical forum, I've decided to follow his approach and scheduled 10 friendlies, almost all agains very weak opposition. Main goals: Increasing familiarity with my tactics, improving morale by hopefully consistently beating the bad teams, increasing fitness to "Match fit" and improving team gelling. Therefore I've set training to High Intensity fitness and Match Training to Tactics Only.

I also signed some missing staff members (A scout, A Physio, 2 coaches and an Manager for my reserves, all to one year contracts. Also re-negotiated all my current staff contracts back to ending in 2013 so that I have flexibility to upgrade without having to pay huge penalties at the end of the season.

As you might have guessed from the previous sentence, my financial position is pretty weak, which limits my options in improving the basics of the club. My preference is setting up a good youth structure and mainly build the future team from my own system, but before being able to upgrade some crucial aspects (i.e. junior coaching, facilities etc) I need to get my finances under control. Therefore no signings and carefully trying to move the more expensive salaries for cheap youngsters withou hurting my board promises. I will probably try to sign cheap youngsters available for free for youth contracts to fill up my system and then slowly replace my current first team regulars.

The tactic I will us is a 4-1-2-2-1 (Balanced/Counter/possession based, counter to create more space on the field, but maybe to be adapted into control when my team is gelled a bit better):

GK

DR (S)

DC

DC

WBL (A)

DM - Anchor

AMR - Winger (A)

MCR - DLP (D)

MCL - CM (Auto)

AML - IF (A)

FC - DLF (S)

To summarise my main overall goal is a combination of properly learning the game, trying to get asked for a good club (in the future possibly also international by adding leagues) and having fun. Thanks in advance for following and giving me advise how to improve things!

[b101]

Always nice to see new threads - best of luck with Hayes and Yeading

[Nykav]

Always nice to see new threads - best of luck with Hayes and Yeading

Thanks! :-)

[Nykav]

August Update - End of Pre-Season

The main goals of pre-season were attained: Almost all players are match fit, the understanding of the selected tactic improved, no fluids yet, but a lot of accomplished and only "formation" is still awkward. Only team cohesion is still underdeveloped. Therefore Match Training is still at "Tactics only", but General training is now set to "Team Cohesion" on average intensity.

Training

Besides the above mentioned settings, I've set everyone to individual training on the role I would like them to reach. Next up is studying more on preferred moves per position and slowly implement that in the training program.

Development

Two young players (Jesson (WBL) and Strickland (MC)) are being tutored by respectively Brathwaite (WBL) and Cox (DM). Besides that I've signed several young players (all under 18) to fill holes in my youth set up. Also released a bunch of players that were 3rd (or more) choice in my youth team. Besides the position of DM, I now have basically two players per position in the youth team. This might be a bit too much, but I really would like to have some talent to pick from and also I don't have a lot of veterans playing in my reserve team which bbasically means we have two teams to fill with the youngsters.

1st Team

Veteran DC Pelé was sold to Kidderminster for 4.5k. His contract was due up next year and being 34 already wasn't really in my plans for 2014. Selling him brings some easy to my wage budget, brought in some cash and gives the opportunity to Cadmore to fill in his spot at DC. Because Cadmore was playing DR, it gives youngster Legg (17y) the opportunity for regular first team football. Of course Pelé was a good defender, so we might lose some quality short term.

Besides that several of my current 1st team regulars are considering a contract extension to June 2014, most of them with a lower base wage, but with higher bonussed for appearances.

Current 1st Team:

GK: Hall

DR: Legg

DCR: Bygrave

DCL: Cadmore

WBL: Brathwaite

AMR: McLean (W-A)

MCR: Williams (DLF-D)

MCL: N'Diaye (CM-Auto) - currently injured and replaced by Ekim

AML: Wishart (IF-A)

STC: Oyenuga (DLF-S)

Resuls:

Played 10 friendlies to mainly very weak opposition, mostly the result was below expectations. At this moment I don't care too much about that (friendlies, low team cohesion, average understanding of tactics).

[Nykav]

August Update

To start two screenshots: Current first team and tactics & Overview of Fixtures/Results:

Results August:

I'm pretty happy with the results of the first month considering that the first few matches we weren't completely gelled, tactics aren't fluid yet on most points and that the last match we played with 7 youth players to fill in for tired first team regulars. Also interesting to see the different type of goals that were scored.

Tactics

In the two home games we played with: Push Forward / Push Higher Up / Hassle opponents as shouts which worked pretty well. I added a third tactic to be trained where this high pressure tactic is standard, but player are not familair with that yet.

Morale

Morale is pretty high, partly due to the result, but also because I've spent some more time on the press conferences, player talks and team feedback.

Contracts

Still in contract negotiations with several players: With CM Williams we reached a pre-agreement for an extension until mid 2014, against slightly improved conditions. DLF Oyenuga is not willing to discuss an extension yet after last talks broke down. GK Hall and WBL Brathwaite are still on non-contracts and are not willing yet to sign a part-time agreement, so they stay risks to be lured away.

Finances:

Finances are still in a sorrow state: -27k loss for the month resulting in a negative balance for the first time (-94), but projecting to be -350k at the end of the season.

Development

Better news here, in the away game against Basingstoke several young players got a chance to show what they could do: DR Coleman, DC Kalama, MC Kennet, MC Oneydinma, AMR Cobb, AMR Assare-Addia (playing AML) and SC Wilson. DC Lakin, WBL Gutzmore and SC Bassele got some minutes too.

Personal

The board is satisfied at this moment, being happy about the 4-0 victory against Boreham Wood, but not that happy about the last 1-1 draw at Basingstoke. Job status is "stable at this moment.

Finished third in the Manager of the Month Award of August

[Nykav]

September feedback

Results:

A rather good month for Hayes except the last game which was lost against title candidate Eastleigh away: 0-3. We are now 2nd in the BSS, even a bit above expectations. The first qualification round of the FA Cup was an easy home game against St Albans: 2-0.

Team:

No changes in the first 11, but Ekim still holds the place of the previously injured N'Diaye. The latter is back from injury, but good performances from both Williams and Ekim keep him out of the team so far. AMR McNeal is out for a few weeks, he will be replaced by Asare-Addai, an imported youth player.

Development

Several players got opportunities in the first team: DR Coleman, DC Kalama, AMR Asare-Addai and STC Wilson got playing time last month next to regular assignments in the reserve and U18 team.

Contracts

Basically everyone is now under contract until 2014, except Hall, Brathwaite and Ekim who are still on non-contracts and not willing to move to a part-time contract and STC Oyenuga with who we still can't reach an agreement to our liking.

Financial situation:

-37k loss in the month, so still pretty bad.

Overall

Still very satisfied with how thing go. Tactics are still not completely fluid but it's close now. I'm trying to put a lot of emphasis on the morale of the team, since this seems to have an even higher impact on how my team performs compared to previous versions.

[deltablue]

Looks good, despite Eastleigh.

[Nykav]

Looks good, despite Eastleigh.

Thanks! :-)