[FM17] Not another Millers thread?!

[johnstonpickle]

Now I can't help but notice there are two other Millers threads going in here, so apologies for starters!

 

INTRO

Well, in reality - I am a Sheffield United fan, but i've always had a soft spot for Rotherham United and it has always been a bit more of a friendly rivalry between the Blades and the Millers. Definitely more so than the rivalry they have with Wednesday anyway! I remember not so long ago at the Blades games we sent a bucket collection round for them when they were in financial trouble. We also lent them a few players for free back when Warnock was in charge (Stephen Quinn was one of them if I recall). I don't remember our blue and white neighbours being quite so supportive...!

Also, I have just purchased a house in Rotherham, so they are now officially my second club by default!

Back to the current day then. As I post this, Rotherham have just sacked Alan Stubbs (a questionable appointment in the first place IMO) and are currently flirting with the idea of Kenny Jackett. That would be a wise move I believe.

Personally, I used to really enjoy the days that Ronnie Moore was in charge. An absolute legend at finding rough diamonds, younger players that are surplus to requirements at bigger clubs and turning them into top quality players. A bit like my hero Mr Warnock, Ronnie had an eye for a journeyman too. A responsible approach with by far the lowest wage budget in the league. Ronnie managed to keep the Millers successful for a number of years at Championship level.

With the new money that has somehow found its way into the second tier in recent seasons, it's hard to believe that something like that could be achieved again.

This is the approach that I want to take though. The aim for season 1 of this save is as follows;

• Meet/exceed the minimum objectives set by the board.
• I want to strip back the wage budget and have decided that by the end of the first year the wage budget at the club doesn't exceed £100,000 per week. Trying to balance this cloth cutting with good performances is not going to be easy. We are going to need generosity of Warnock-esque proportions from Premier League clubs, allowing us to borrow their talented youngsters. We are going to have to play hardball with players and agents, without compromise.
• Build a team with character, grit and a true togetherness and underdog spirit. No big time Charlies. How can i tell if I've achieved this? It's hard, but a good rule of thumb is pre-game, when it tells you that you'll be the outsider. I like that. Team talks are so much easier that way. If I can win my fair share, we might just be OK. Another good way of weening out the pansies - anyone who complains about lack of game time is going to get transfer listed. My squad will be tight enough for everyone to get their fair share of games. I think it's gonna have to be to be in order to meet the financial objectives i've set.

 

THE GAME

So i've decided to go with the full English set up - right down to the Conference North/South plus a few other significant European leagues.

My previous experience is Sunday League footballer (realistic) but I have the badges that are the equivalent to the size of the club. At least the players won't hate me too much!!

First look at the squad:

Now maybe this is my advantage of coming into the club with no real preconceptions about certain players. The only player who I really know anything about is Greg Halford. An absolute legend in his one season on loan at Bramall Lane. I've never seen such a dangerous long throw, and he was exceptional on the right side of midfield with Kyle Walker on the overlap. I will certainly be looking at set pieces, and how to get the best out of his long throws. The wages of £8k per week need to be justified though, so hopefully he still has the ability.

I've noticed that we have 3 central midfield players in on loan, all taking some decent money home with them too. Let's see if they are any good...

Adeyemi - Looks OK. But worth £8k per week in loan fees? I'm not sure. I think I might cancel the loan deal, and have a look for someone else.

Allan - Those mental and physical attributes... is this the kind of player you want in a relegation battle? I want the spine of my team to.. well... have a spine. This kid doesn't cut it, he's going back up north.

Forster-Caskey - Average. Is he really any better than what we've got? His bravery, leadership and tackling attributes are making the little men in my head shout "GET HIM OUT, HE DOESN'T HAVE THE BOTTLE!". Reckon he'd probably do a job, but the wages are pretty steep for somebody i'm not too fussed about keeping! He goes back.

Fry - I like the look of fry. 18 years old, 6 foot 4, already looks capable of playing at this level. Wages are reasonable, I'll keep him. Got visions of him connecting with one of Halford's long throw ins... could be a future star.

Izzy Wizzy - Kid's here free gratis, and I know Millers fans rave about him in real life. What's to lose?! I know I sound obsessed, but he could be a good little runner up front as a strike partner for Halford, getting on the end of his flick ons! Finishing could be better, will have to work on that.

REST OF THE SQUAD

Patently obvious that I need another left back, and will have to get on the lookout for replacements to all the loan players i've just sent back... But i've just reduced the weekly wage bill from £135k per week, to £115k in a day. Good start, but obviously don't want to be left short.

GOALIES

Camp and Price, decent enough choices in goal. Always liked Camp as a shot stopper, Price is ex-Owls and the World's second longest serving backup keeper, behind Richard Wright.

DEFENDERS

When they're all fit, a decent looking bunch. Broadfoot, Wood and the injured Belaid look like they would bleed for shirt with their bravery stats. I like it. Luckily we play in red. I remember Richard Wood from his Wednesday days, always had a stormer against the Blades so he will get the nod purely for that reason. Kelvin Wilson looks a bit more of cultured, so could be nice to have someone with decent ball skills back there, not just the classic hoof it merchants. Decent options then.

WING BACKS

Fisher and Mattock are obvious first choices. Both decent going forward, but don't fancy relying on them as the last line of defence. Might consider playing with more attacking wing backs to play more to their strengths.. will need to compensate for this though. No other left backs, so need to get on that. T'old Kelly is a dependable enough deputy at RB.

MIDFIELD

Well we've just sent 3 back, so currently short on numbers. But I want guts and nuts in here. Frecklington looks good, but more as an attack minded player, as does Newell. Currently wanted by NYCFC though, so we'll see about that one... Vaulks is the other natural CM, and with tackling of 11 he looks like he'll only put a foot in when he feels like it. Could Ball step up? Don't know if he's got the technical ability. Gonna have to carefully look for suitable replacements here. Possibly someone with the versatility to play in more than one position too.

WINGERS/ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Somewhat of a relative abundance. Newell and Frecklington fall into this category too, but we have Forde, Ward, Taylor, Izzy. All very similar types of player by the look of it. I believe some of these could be retrained to play up front. Taylor, Brown and Ward all have decent finishing attributes. This could mean a few square pegs in round holes for a bit.

STRIKERS

We are crying out for someone like Alan Lee or Darren Byfield. A proper goalscorer. I always like to have a focal point to the attack, so someone with a special ability such as great in the air, or lightening quick. Well, step forward Greg Halford! Big man. Good teamworkd. Perfect target man material. The only other recognised striker that's not been mentioned yet is Dexter Blackstock. Injuries look to have taken their toll on his pace, but he clearly is a player who can score goals. Best finisher at the club with an attribute of 14, but maybe not first choice. Still excited by the Brown/Halford partnership idea.

Not even going to bother with the under 23s/ under 18s. Embarrassingly poor. Although i'm confused as to WHY Richie Smallwood and Tom Thorpe were let out on loan? Baffling by Stubbs.

 

FORMATION

I'm looking to make the most of what I believe to be our strength, and what i'm glad we've got - a brave bunch of central defenders and some good solid leadership, teamwork and determination through the middle of the team. It will hopefully utilise the attacking qualities of the wing backs, whilst putting both midfielders on defend duty makes them drop in to help the central defenders out when they have to cover the wide areas. The roles of the front 3 might need to change, I've not managed to get a target man to work effectively on previous games, although I want Halford to play that role. Will have to play a few friendlies first, see how it goes on. Also, i'm unsure if there's anyone suited to the AP role behind the front two. I guess it will depend on who comes in.

Well this is it for now. I'm going to get some scouts (as we currently have none!) and on the lookout for a few players.

My shopping list:

• Tough tackling midfielder, young enough to develop.
• Experienced CB. Maybe a loan.
• Left wing back. Defensive quality desirable, but not essential.
• Midfield playmaker.
• Utility man. Preferably one who can play CB, DM, CM capably.

Cheers for reading! (sorry if it's not great haha).

 

 

 

[BoxToBox]

Good luck, they seem well popular this year!

*adds Rotherham to list of teams to play as*

[deltablue]

Who'd have thought Rotherham was the place to be?

[johnstonpickle]

Well i've advanced quite a bit during the game, so here are a few updates.

PRE SEASON

I like pre-season to be fun, which means a lot of easy games and one big game for the fans. Doesn't really give much insight tactically, but gets the fitness levels up and the morale a boost!

Results were OK.

Took a 2-1 lead against Everton and looked solid to be fair! Made 11 subs though, which kinda upset the balance and resulted in throwing it away! Won't lose too much sleep over that though.

So come the end of pre-season, i'd already made a few reinforcements... mission almost complete RE the shopping list!

Newell leaving gave me a bit of manouevrability in the transfer market. Managed to get a 25% sell on clause snuck in there too, so i reckon that's probably going to be good business!

The incoming lads:

Williams - Mr Utility, as required! Not much better than any of the players i sent back, but came for free for the season. Don't mind letting him sit on the bench most weeks if it's not costing me owt! Plays more or less anywhere in defence and midfield, so a capable deputy in numerous positions.

Zelalem - A bit of a flamboyant midfielder. Nice first touch, can see a pass, and take a decent corner. Couple of assists already, hoping for at least 10 from him this season. He's fit into the AP role quite nicely when needed, also think he could do a job as a DLP. Also, no wages. Bang on.

Randall - I'm retraining him as a BWM. Been a revelation in the cup games, but i don't feel confident yet to play him in the league regularly. Made a few sub appearances, but this kid has potential. Got him for £205k from Liverpool, most of that is in future fees, so the budget didn't take too much of a pounding. Happy with his development so far! Has the mental attributes that I think could make him a key player here.

Booth - Mattock got injured in pre-season, so it meant i really had to step up the search for a LWB. At £275k, a bit of a pricey signing for us. If we'd have not got the Newell deal going through I might have looked elsewhere.. Booth has only started the one league game, where we got annihilated, hence the poor rating. I think he has the attacking attributes to have a decent season though, given time. Still believe Mattock will be my first choice.

 

AUGUST

So on we move to the start of the season. Unfortunately, we racked up the injuries in pre-season, meaning we were starting a little bit short in certain areas. As mentioned, Mattock was ruled out. Wood and Broadfoot were added to the injury list, as well as Halford and Blackstock!   I had to change my philosophy a bit for the first game vs Wolves. Danny Ward deputised for Halford which meant I had to abandon the target man role. I changed the target man role to Defensive Forward.. figured this was quite suitable for Ward. I decided to change the mentality to Counter, as I felt as though we needed to try and negate Wolves' attacking threat.

It didn't work. We were absolutely destroyed. Woeful, abysmal.

We just invited far too much pressure. Yeah, we were a weakened team due to the injuries, but that was just unacceptable. I think i need to change the mentality a bit. Let's fancy ourselves a bit more. I know we have the ability to actually do some damage so let's go for it a bit!

The next 2 games - I put a strong team out against Blackpool, if only just to get a win on the board. The change in mentality to Control seemed to work. I added the additional instructions Drop Deeper, Shorter Passing, Play Much Narrower, Lower Tempo, Whipped Crosses. I'm thinking that this might keep the majority of the play through the middle, but retain the width of the wing backs as an attacking outlet. Lower tempo will help to retain the ball a bit better, and drop deeper should keep a bit of space between our players and theirs, creating a bit more room to play our own game in. Will it work? What do I know.

The win against Blackpool was actually a good performance, but then against a strong Villa team, we were terrible again. Lucky to keep it at 2-0!

Next up - Away at Brighton. Great.

Same starting tactics as before... Encouraging performance! Yeah, we conceded a few shots against us. But the positives - we came back into the game after being behind. Mattock and Wood are back! I believe that definitely helped the team. Also our first league goal of the season. Not many sides will go down to Brighton and get a result so we will take that.

THE NEXT 4 GAMES

Well the team must have got a new rush of confidence. The last 4 games have seen us pick up maximum points in the league, and progress to the 3rd round of the EFL cup with a nice little upset!

We were RAMPANT vs Brentford. Brown, Taylor (in the AM position) and Vaulks were the goalscorers here. We created chances from wide positions, and through the middle. Was great to watch. We let them in a few times, but only for half chances. Was never concerned.

The Everton game was a tight affair. I actually put a weakened team out, but so did they. We nicked a winner in the 89th minute winner through Connor Randall, after a long throw by Vaulks resulted in a scramble after a flick on by Wood. The back three for this game was Wood, Williams and Fry, and they were outstanding.

Against Barnsley - We went a goal down to a Morsy strike, although we bossed possession we couldn't quite get into the right areas. Eventually Izzy Brown equalised, and Dexter Blackstock came back from injury to score a header after the ball was pumped in to the box. 92nd minute, get in! Deserved it though.

The Bristol City game was Halford's first game back after his injury, and he had to settle for a place on the bench. He was influential for the winning goal though! A long throw in the 84th minute was only partially cleared, then this happened... (26 seconds in, sorry for the poor quality!!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLCQQknZ5V8

Danny Ward - doing something for the first time this season! Get in!

So at this point, I am sitting in 9th. Enjoying the good form, but certainly not taking anything for granted. I know as much as anyone that this game can bite you in the backside if you get complacent.

The team is looking healthy once again now though at least, only an injury to Lee Camp on international duty is preventing us from having a fully fit squad.

Hopefully we can continue in the same vein with the additional depth.

[SpillBlood]

Good luck!  I was thinking of a wingback tactic last night with Newell and Taylor as wingbacks.  Not sure how it'd work but was interesting to think about ^_^.

Doing well so far :).

[Bedese]

The Millers are taking over this board  Very interested to see how your 'typical Rotherham' approach fares - you've started off like a house on fire!

[johnstonpickle]

Cheers everyone! Expecting the form to dip though, but will be interesting to see if we can keep it going with a full strength team.

4 hours ago, Jupjamie said:

The Millers are taking over this board  Very interested to see how your 'typical Rotherham' approach fares - you've started off like a house on fire!

I think typical Rotherham is the best kind! Warnock last season brought some of that back I think, as is Wilder with our lot.  

[johnstonpickle]

UPDATE - OCTOBER, NOVEMBER (and some of DECEMBER):

Well, as expected the form dipped, but not as bad as I thought.

The game against Rovers was particularly disappointing though. We were 2-0 up at half time, and looking good for the win. The hardest possible teamtalk is when you're 2-0 up in my opinion. You don't want the players to get complacent, but you don't want to be critical as they've played well. I went for the 'say nothing' approach. It sometimes flies! Anyway, not this time. They pulled it back to 2-2. Then we went 3-2 up, get in! Then Richard Wood scored an unlucky O.G to equalise for them. The game ended up being pretty even.

IN the EFL: Brentford have won one game all season, and are rock bottom of the Championship, so this game was another breeze, but didn't really give us a boost league form wise...

The humbling defeat to Hudds was pretty convincing on their part. They are having an equally impressive season as in real life, so this was always going to be tough, but we weren't in it.

Next up was a bit of a sticky patch against some tough opposition. We did well to hang on to draw the games we did, but probably deserved to lose when we did too. I'm fairly happy with the fact that we're still picking points up here and there in games that we are unlikely to get anything out of. Every little helps!

FINALLY we started to turn the corner with a win against Reading. This was a game that we were really in control of, but made it harder work than it needed to be. Despite having the best of the game, we went 2-1 down after 70 mins. An equaliser from Halford got him a brace, and Dexter Blackstock won it for us in the 87th. I was happy with that, but disappointed that we had to face Leicester in the EFL. You really just want a nice easy league game to continue the run!

We did huff and puff against Leicester, but the Champions' quality shone through. They didn't let us in, except for set pieces. To be honest i'm happy to focus on the league from now on. At least the board are pleased that we got so far! Bizarrely we hit the woodwork 3 times with our only 3 attempts, so it could have been a very different story!

The next 4 league games were pretty sweet. Including the Birmingham game, that made it 6 unbeaten in the league, with 3 wins and 3 draws. We started playing well and actually started to believe we could push on up into the top half of the table.

Well, back to earth with a bump vs Burton. An own goal after a shot deflected off Williams, meant we lost a tight game agains relegation fodder. Didn't hit the same kind of form as previous games, and struggled to get into our groove. Never mind.

Table still looks OK though! Elsewhere, Villa have sacked Steve Bruce. Really having a mare - look at that form?!!

THE PLAYERS

Well our top scorer is Izzy Brown, but he's currently on a bit of a poor run. 6 hours without a goal now. Halford has been pretty good as a striker, which is what i'd hoped for.

Other than that, there's not really been any stand out performers.I think the niggling injuries, coupled with players being out of form has resulted in the squad being rotated far more than I anticipated, which has probably contributed to this. Only A few have averaged over 7.00 so far.

Special shout out to Price though. Really thought he would be a disappointment after Camp's injury, but I've been happy with him so far. Think his form has dipped slightly recently though, so it might be time for Camp to come back in. Bless.

When the transfer window opens i'm going to be looking at the out of contract players and seeing if any of them are worth cashing in on. Hopefully will be bringing people in to freshen things up too, as I still have over £1m to spend.. Really don't want to go mad though. If we do manage to scrape into the top half by new years, it might be too tempting to resist....

[johnstonpickle]

2016/17 Review

Well I was enjoying the save so much, I couldn't find the time to update - so here goes!

The first season has now finished. We finished in a magnificent 9th Place.

A point above Newcastle!! Winning!

We started to struggle with the 3-5-2 formation, the centre backs inexplicably just lost all ability to play together, and we kept getting isolated badly out wide so I brought in Adarabioyo and Oxford on loan to freshen things up. A bit of a bold move, as they are both young and inexperienced, but they really made a difference. Our best run of victories and clean sheets came about when they were at the heart of the new 4-4-2 that I decided to implement. My scouts picked up a few real gems from the continent, and for the right price they have come in and given us a bit of an 'X Factor'.

A lot of the impressive players early on in the season found themselves right on the fringes of things. Halford, Wood, Blackstock, Ward, Ball, Vaulks, Fry and Mattock all found it hard to get into the starting eleven due to failing to stay fit for any length of time. Camp eventually gained his place back, but won't be here next season after refusing a new deal. Randall - who I didn't think I could trust early on, ended up being the first name on the teamsheet. A really good season for him, as the ball winner in CM. Booth and Fisher were my preferred fullbacks, they produced a good number of assists and actually defended pretty well when called upon. Slightly disappointed in Zelalem for only getting 6 assists. I will look to get a bit more creativity in his position for next season. Izzy Brown was probably the main goal threat, even though most of the time he was not even involved in the game, and Jonson Clarke-Harris came back from injury and looked like a real beast up top! Played well enough to earn a new deal anyway. I don't think there was any ultimately stand out performers though in this team, just a good group that actually could play a bit.

These are the key players who came in in January, and they really helped us push on.

Reece Oxford, some great performances, hopefully i'll be able to take him on loan again next year.

Andrea Russotto - came in and played as a RM in my 442. Not the best defensively, but offered some great movement and set a few up. We didn't really have a winger, so this guy was a bit of a steal at £150k.

Tosin Adarabioyo - Can hardly say his name, but again - came in and forged a great partnership with Oxford.

Joao Patrao - Signed for £130k. Actually played him out on LM as a WP, and he somehow got voted our player of the season after only 17 starts! The fans must love him . He was impressive, kept the ball well and helped start a few moves that led to goals.

The form in the second half of the season was the epitome of hot and cold. Some cracking results, followed by some dreadful performances.

Our proudest moment - The 5 match winning run in Jan/Feb, where we only conceded the one goal, against Champions Huddersfield. Actually thought we could maintain that and head towards the top 6!

And if that's the proudest, the most terrible moments were us at our absolute worst. Losing 4-0 to Southend in the FA Cup was pretty embarrassing. Also going down 6-0 to relegated Brentford was horrendous to watch. I don't think i've ever seen such a poor performance on any of my FM saves! I can't even begin to describe what went wrong.

We picked up though, and ended the season strongly.

PLANS FOR NEXT SEASON

Unfortunately the following out of contract players won't be here next year.. Some of whom have, granted, played well for us at times - but the increased wage demands are ridiculous for most of the players, so I'm gonna get rid and look to freshen the squad up a bit. (not included on that list, but also going - Thorpe and Smallwood).

The wage budget will be vastly reduced by the players moving out - my aim is to replace them with more cost effective options.

The financial trajectory is to be expected for a club of our stature, but the overall balance isn't too bad. I've just agreed to sell Belaid to Leeds for £575k, so that should help even things out a little.

Tactically, I've enjoyed watching the results of the 4-4-2, so i'm going to try and build on the success of that. Hopefully with a bit more consistency though.

Chances are, with Burton dropping out of the League we will have the lowest budget in the division next year, so my own personal expectations of a top half/pushing top 6 finish might seem a bit delusional to the players!! So I think i'm going to tell them that I expect a solid mid-table finish and aim to overrachieve again!

 

 

 

[Bedese]

Absolutely fantastic first season! I can't believe you managed to finish above Newcastle  

[johnstonpickle]

POST SEASON

This is where I put the real hours and groundwork in to build the team for next season. l actually prefer this bit to the playing matches, the tedious trawling through players, analysing scout reports and eventually talking myself out of signing players is something that I've always enjoyed. 

Out of the first teamers that were here at the start there aren't that many left, as there were a lot of players out of contract. I did manage to bring a fee in for some of those players, strangely enough, which is a nice bonus! Also have just agreed to sell Ball as he was not happy about his playing time last year. Would have probably been a part of things for next year, but the transfer request was handed in and I wasn’t going to keep him around if he wanted to go.

I earned the steam badge "Shrewd Spender". Which was a proud Yorkshireman moment. Although in my opinion needs changing to be called the "Ey?! Tha wants ‘arr much?! Gi' ovva!" badge, with a picture of a big old white rose on it  The finances are now classed as Secure anyway after over £5m of solidarity payments and the wage bill after shipping out the out of contract lads is down to about £69k per week. As close to a blank canvas as you're gonna get.

Lots of the backroom team were out of contract too, so I saw that as a good opportunity to freshen things up. I didn't give it much attention last season, but it really did need an improvement. I brought some good coaches in, but am only allowed 3 first team coaches! Filled the data analyst spots, but unsure what attributes I'm actually looking for here tbh. Also got myself a sports scientist. Hopefully it'll prevent some injuries? Should have looked at this sooner!

I asked Tony Stewart for more coaching spaces. Denied. I asked for improvements to the facilities? Denied. I was thinking, blimey, this bloke is not gonna give me anything, even after last years accomplishment when I get a news item - he wants to discuss club improvements. Alright! But no. Just wants to see if we'd benefit from increasing the DoF wage allowed. NO I don't! Sod off! Come on man!
I managed to get a few decent U23 staff in, so they'll be able to take some of the burden at least. 

Player wise, I'm gonna need to get started early on bringing people in and getting them all to gel and fit in to my way of playing. Couple of players that are irking me a bit are Blackstock and Frecklington. Both didn't feature much last season through injury, but are on decent money. I'm actively trying to sell these 2.

So far so good though, In terms of transfers in and out. 

Some of the players I'd gone in for wanted silly money, perhaps because we are still a relatively small club so they want a higher incentive to come and play for us? So I focussed my search on out of contract players, and transfer listed Premier League youngsters with potential to develop, and a few loans for a sprinkle of quality.

Bruno Lamas - pushed the boat out a bit on this one. Thought I was going to break the club record transfer fee at one point, but agreed a reasonable transfer fee in the end. Haggled the wages down as low as I could, at the expense of a minimum fee release clause of £3.8m. Would still represent a good profit if I have to let him go for that. Bit of a marquee signing but I scouted him all through last season where my scouts were saying he’d cost around £1.2m, but gradually this figure went down and after constant indecision, eventually made my mind up that I was going to fetch him in. I’m not entirely sure where his best position is going to be. He can play anywhere in midfield and attack though which is useful. Perhaps as a DLF as the more creative strike partner, or as a WP.

Vajebah Sakor – He was out of contract at Juve and was interested in coming over to the NYS, so I was straight in there. Surprised that nobody else came in for him, but he looks like a good well balanced midfielder, who is immediately the best CM at the club now. Delighted with this one.

Krystian Bielik – Very promising CB on loan from Arsenal. Quite excited about this one, reckon he is a step up from Reece Oxford, who was impressive last season.

Adam Armstrong – Delighted to get this one over the line. Scored plenty of goals at struggling Barnsley last season, and I had been keeping tabs on him, hoping that he’d become available either for transfer or loan. Newcastle wanted £6m for a permanent deal, so a loan and wages only seemed like the only viable option. He should go straight into the starting XI.

David Faupala – Loan signing from City, was on loan at NAC last season, and scored a fair share of goals in the Jupiler League. I don’t think he will be first choice, and will most likely have to settle for being an impact player, but the kid’s proven he can bag so who knows.

Brian Lenihan – Needed cover at full back, but turns out he’s almost as good as Fisher, so might be pushing him for the first team spot. Got him at a snip too.

Liam Shepherd – Was on loan at Yeovil last season, and their best player in a poor side. Brought him in as full back cover. Primarily a RB but is equally competent at LB. That versatility is his key attribute.

Andrea Fulignati – My scouts were watching him playing at Palermo last year, but he was way out of my budget. For some reason, they let him go before his contract expired so I went in as soon as I noticed. He has potential to be a top keeper, so snapped him right up. Probably will start the season as my #1 ahead of Price.

Sol Bamba – Needed some experience at the back, and this bloke was transfer listed and down on his luck. £52k later and he’s at the heart of my plans for next season. He should be one of the first names on the teamsheet going into the new season.

Dom Calvert-Lewin – I know all about Dom’s potential, and have brought him in as cover for all attacking positions. Plays out wide or through the middle. In reality, his style of play reminds me of Thierry Henry, a right footer drifting in from left wing and causing havoc. Fingers crossed I can help him realise some of that potential that Everton paid £1.5m+ for.

Sam McQueen – Plays all the way down the left and even up front as a nice little bonus. Versatility? check. Ability? check. Cost effective solution for any potential disaster? Definitely a check.

Fernando Aristeguieta - Brought in as a different option up front, can play the target man role so gives us something a bit different.

Alfie Jones - Mainly brought in as backup, another season long loan.

So, I’ve now got a clear idea of how I want things to look on the opening day, which is good. Business is more or less done, with the exception of one or two more players if I feel it's necessary, but I've got a good feeling about the team now.

Looking at the wage budget too, i've achieved one of my objectives from the start of this project already! Brilliant. This should help keep the club in the black for the forseeable future. At least until i'm gone and the crazy AI manager goes ruining everything anyway!!

Right then. Let's get some friendlies played and see how this all shapes up...

 

[johnstonpickle]

Well if the first game of the season is anything to go by, it should be an entertaining season!

We were up in the first 20 seconds, and 3-0 up at half time. Armstrong and Clarke-Harris looks a promising duo. Signed McFadzean too as I was a bit light at CB.

Dominating debut from Sakor too. He bagged 2 goals from way outside the area, I never even knew he had that in his locker! Here they are, for your viewing pleasure...

https://youtu.be/dm37qKxr-5A

Gutted about the 2 goals conceded, but we can only get better!

The EFL Cup game vs Coventry, I made 9 changes to the team. I wouldn't have been able to do that last season, without dipping into the reserves/u18s. Big match against Newcastle at the weekend so necessary though! Cov have slipped into L2. Sorry state of affairs down there .
Well they were the better team and won 2-1. Not bothered about going out, but the players who came in were rubbish. Oh well. Faupala got a debut goal, which is the only positive.

 

So Newcastle next. Always the hardest game of the season. We can never seem to live up to their quality and always get outplayed even though we got a point against them last season. I'd take a point again. Although Armstrong is gonna have to sit this out against his parent club. Damn. Rafa has got some beef with me for some reason as well, no idea why!
We go down 3-0. They had 30 shots on goal, but 20 of them were long shots. Benitez playing the percentages, pants. We did hit the bar, but they just had too much.

 

Oh Well Stoke up next...! Least we're at home for this one. They have got most of their good players so this is gonna be a toughie!!
The game started out evenly enough, until we went a goal down. But we hit back with an equaliser from Bielik, steaming in from a corner to nod us level. After another corner and a freak own goal by Wollscheid after a mix up with their keeper and a crowd of players, we were 2-1 up! We bossed posession, and Taylor laid in Armstrong to make it 3-1! Then on 84, we broke from a corner and substitute Faupala scored a lovely finish 1v1 under pressure. 4-1. Every set piece they had seemed to result in a chance for us, we were lethal on the counter. Told you it would be entertaining   Lamas got the Man of the Match award with 2 assists.

 

Villa next. Started with 2 wins out of 2 so obviously got their act together after last season. At Villa park this is going to be a test. Bamba is back fit, but I'm not going to start him yet. Needs some games in the reserves first.
So we got battered 3-0. Had one shot on goal in the 80th minute. Really need to sort this away form out, but we've played some good teams so far, so hopefully it will get easier. I'm hoping these are just teething problems anyway, still early days for a lot of the players.

Happy to get that run of games out of the way, can't wait for the Barnsley game next!

 

 

[SpillBlood]

Very interesting read.  It's great to see how we change our teams.  Smallwood, Belaid and Ward are still part of my team in the 3rd season.  Getting any value for Forde is nice though.  He's a backup for me and quite injury prone.
 

McQueen I had on loan for a year and wasn't awful but was behind Ward and Murphy.  Bielik is a player I had last year on FM for my DMC role and Lenihan was a solid right back last year for me aswell but when looking at him this year he somehow didn't fit.

Sakor looks like a good player!  Interested to see how he does.  Ball is actually my best CB in season 3, he's consistent. 

Nice result vs Blackburn!  What formation are you using?  Hopefully you'll be able to get atleast the playoffs.

[johnstonpickle]

9 hours ago, SpillBlood said:

Very interesting read.  It's great to see how we change our teams.  Smallwood, Belaid and Ward are still part of my team in the 3rd season.  Getting any value for Forde is nice though.  He's a backup for me and quite injury prone.
 

McQueen I had on loan for a year and wasn't awful but was behind Ward and Murphy.  Bielik is a player I had last year on FM for my DMC role and Lenihan was a solid right back last year for me aswell but when looking at him this year he somehow didn't fit.

Sakor looks like a good player!  Interested to see how he does.  Ball is actually my best CB in season 3, he's consistent. 

Nice result vs Blackburn!  What formation are you using?  Hopefully you'll be able to get atleast the playoffs.

 

Cheers man! Yeah I've enjoyed your posts too   just shows how many different ways there are to play the game.

Forde was out on loan last year, didn't fancy him so managed to sell. Smallwood wanted around 12k, so there was no way I was keeping him!

Sakor looks class, he looks a bit like Patrick Viera in the midfield, nearly bagged another long ranger in the Stoke game too. Yeah it was a shame about Ball. The board aren't happy with the sale either! McFadzean has come in and been so far unimpressive. Bamba needs to get back to fitness. He's the main leader at the club.

I'm playing a counter, fluid, 442. I'll post my tactics in the next update, hopefully someone can point out how we can try to keep a clean sheet! Hoping it's just down to players still gelling.

[SpillBlood]

I can never get 4 - 4 - 2 to work, I use it as desperation.  Clean sheet?  I'm about to post an update, it seems my team want to play "we'll outscore more than you" .

12k a week? Damn he's on 8.5k for me and he's totally worth that.  Where's Yaser Kasim on your save?  Guy is unreal hands down my best midfielder.

[johnstonpickle]

On 04/11/2016 at 15:42, SpillBlood said:

I can never get 4 - 4 - 2 to work, I use it as desperation.  Clean sheet?  I'm about to post an update, it seems my team want to play "we'll outscore more than you" .

12k a week? Damn he's on 8.5k for me and he's totally worth that.  Where's Yaser Kasim on your save?  Guy is unreal hands down my best midfielder.

Kasim is a free agent, surprisingly! I'll see if we can agree terms, always rated him!

Haha it's always a good strategy! I personally do enjoy a good 1-0 though.

Given my 442 a bit of a tweak, so let's see if we can do a bit better at the back...
 

[Bedese]

Can you two stop doing so well? You're showing me up  

 

[johnstonpickle]

UPDATE

After the last update, we went on a dreadful run. I felt as though the effectiveness of the 442 was wearing off, so switched to a 4141. It's a notoriously impotent tactic though, so I've had to gradually tweak it in an attempt to get it to work. The results were as follows:

Very disappointed to lose the Barnsley game, we went ahead after 6 mins, but ended up being 2-1 down after 8 minutes. A very bizarre turn of events saw our GK score a freak own goal that rolled down his back and in. Dominated the game tbh.

The Cardiff game was much better. Kept them at arms length for the entire game, winning 1-0. Clean sheet, get in!

Against Forest, they took the lead through a random goal, where our defender smashed it against Bendtner and it trickled in past the keeper. We turned it around to go 2-1 up, but then surrendered the game to them in the second half. We just switched off for the last 45, there was nothing I could do to stop them going through us.

The draw against Ipswich was frustrating. We battered them, and they scored with one of their only 3 shots. After that they just plugged up. Grr. Need to figure out how to break teams down properly.

We lost an even game against Brighton after Bielik tried to clear it and just booted it off Hemed, once again it trickled into the net. Refusing to blame the ME for this... Refusing to believe there's a glitch...

We absolutely BATTERED MK Dons, 65% possession, 18 shots the their 3, but couldn't make it count. Luckily we got a random o.g after a cross from Lamas, otherwise we'd have lost it.

Reading took advantage of our low confidence and were much the better team, so no real complaints here. We were level for a couple of minutes, though.

The Derby game was surreal. They had 33 shots on goal, 22 of which were wild and speculative, causing me no problems at all. We had one shot on target, and win the game 2-1. Our one shot on target was a penalty, resulting in a goal. The winner came via a deflected cross (that would have been scored by Clarke-Harris if he'd not got in the way anyway). Needed that bit of luck, and now the morale is high going into the game against the Blades. Must win game this, they're bottom.

In what was dubbed by the media as a relegation 6 pointer, we were outstanding and won 2-0 against Sheff Utd, it finally looks like we've got back to the early season form. I know they were bottom, but we were great. Another outstanding goal from Sakor and a first in a while for Armstrong sealed the victory. Rafa was in the crowd to see his young starlet. Clean sheet too. That victory shot us up to 11th.

If we can beat Bristol City then i'd be delighted, as that would make it 3 wins from 3, and 3 games in which i've not had to make many changes to my tactical outlook. The game starts out with them having loads of shots from way out, which again is a good sign for me. Armstrong bags after a Taylor cross, completing a great move. Just before half time though, Freeman levels for them, their first shot from inside our area after a corner isn't really cleared. They continue to pepper us with speculative shots, when Bielik sets Armstrong away in the 84th and he scores an unbelievable effort from the tightest of angles. 2-1! The last 8 minutes or so involves them just going straight through our defence, and somehow not equalising, but we hang on in there for the win. Awesome result, but I need to figure out how to negate the threat of the opposition when we are trying to hold on to a result....

We shoot up to 9th, but Charlton away is next, and they're struggling. Banana skin I guess. We are by far the better side during the game, but struggle to make a clear chance. T. Watt lives up to his name and nicks a goal for them, and we struggle to find the cutting edge. Armstrong out for 5-8 weeks too... One of those days...

I signed Yaser Kasim (cheers @SpillBlood !!) who has done very well! and find ourselves in 11th at this stage. Solid enough, but room for improvement! Few home games coming up, so hopefully can capitalise on that!

 

 

[SpillBlood]

You're doing well though, keep it up!  So glad you got Kasim .  I'll pick up my save tomorrow, not played since I posted my last update.   Honestly how much do you rate Fisher/Taylor?

How come no goalkeeper on bench?

[johnstonpickle]

8 hours ago, SpillBlood said:

You're doing well though, keep it up!  So glad you got Kasim .  I'll pick up my save tomorrow, not played since I posted my last update.   Honestly how much do you rate Fisher/Taylor?

How come no goalkeeper on bench?

Yeah Kasim only wanted 5k per week, so thought why not! Good all rounder though, playing him as a DLP (D).

Fisher and Taylor are decent, can't help but feel as though Fisher could do better though.

Going for the reckless Warnock approach of having the extra option up front rather than waste the spot on a GK! Unfortunately we don't have a Jagielka or Peschisolido who could go in goal in an emergency though, haha.

[johnstonpickle]

UPDATE

 

So it’s been a while, but I’ve finally decided to get some game time in! I’ve enjoyed reading the career updates of @spillblood and @jupjamie so much recently that I’ve been inspired to get stuck back into my save.

 

Matches

 

As you can see, the upturn in form has been dramatic and I believe that this is down to finally figuring out my players’ best positions and a tactical set up that works for us. The current team below is the one that has achieved the recent run of good results – I think I’ve finally discovered how the team needs to be set up to be successful.

The results, as you can see are fairly mixed to poor up until recently. This is largely due to consistently modifying tactics.

This has partly contributed to a lack of interest in playing from my own perspective. It does get to you when nothing seems to really work! Anyway, I went away and though about what I could do to change my fortunes.

The tactical side of the game is something that I really enjoy, most of the time. I know that to some extend there are some plug-and-play tactics out there, but I am a bit of a purist, and try to avoid looking up what other people are doing or trying to find a way to exploit the ME’s flaws. After all – if you don’t understand what makes a tactic work, how can you know what needs to change when it doesn’t? I don’t profess to know exactly what I’m doing, but I’m going to try and give a bit of an insight to my thinking tactically with this post. Hopefully you can advise on how to improve it, or take something from it for yourself J

 

 

GK 

 

As it comes. Fulignati is tidy, and has potential to be better. A full season will have done him the world of good. Modified the passing to keep it short and to the DMC where possible.

 

DEFENDERS

 

Defensively, I’m not allowing for much creativity or deviation. I really just want the back 4 to do their jobs, keep it tight and pass the ball to a more creative teammate. The FBs I’ve instructed to sit narrower. This is because the WM is quite defensive and with ‘Close Down Less’ they both track back nicely to help out. This packs the penalty area out so crosses can be defended more effectively.

If an attack comes through the middle, the amount of men back are doing a good job of cancelling out the available space to play in for the attackers.

No stand out performers here, an area in which I think will need a bit of tinkering if we're gonna take our game to the next level.

 

MIDFIELD

 

The midfield set up looks a bit wonky – but defensively it’s solid, and in attack it’s produced some great passages of play, leading to some wonderfully worked goals. This came about through a bit of trial and error tbh. I’d tried allsorts of variations in each position, but they either left us too open, or didn’t give us enough stability. You could say the following midfield set up is right in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone for me!

 

Kasim in DMC is instructed to push forward in to the midfield space in front of him when it’s appropriate. His main priority is to offer a shield to the back line, which he also does pretty well. I’ve allowed him to try more risky passes, as he has this in his locker.

Sakor as a box to box midfielder is the key man in the midfield for me. He drops in when Kasim pushes up, and he has finished off a lot of good moves with his late runs in to the box. I’m not sure anyone in my squad could replace him though if he got injured, which is the only worry.

 

The WM/S is highly customisable, and both have been set really different PIs.

WM/L Is Lamas. We received an offer straight out of the blue from LA Galaxy just after the JTW closed (typical), which met the minimum fee release clause of £3.8m. Gotta say, we’ll miss him – but £3.4m profit after half a season is awesome, and vital for the club. His PIs are to get forward more, stay wider, and offer the width to an attack. This width is essential for us because we are set quite narrowly. He finds himself in space regularly and his movement gets him in behind quite a lot for the cross. He’ll be hard to replace. I’m thinking someone like him but with more pace would be great. Stuck with what I’ve got left until the end of the season though!

The WM/R is Calvert-Lewin. He’s just come into his own in this position. Still pretty raw but he’s much better here than anywhere else I’ve tried to play him. I’ve given him the PIs to dribble less, shoot less often and cross from deep. He finds himself all over the right side of the pitch, getting into some good goalscoring positions without over-committing.

 

I had been playing Adam Armstrong in the AMC role, but he’s just got himself injured, so Russotto has stepped up and slotted in nicely. I told him to hold position, and hold up the ball. I had been using an AP here, but that role didn’t encourage the player to get into goalscoring positions so the switch to AM/S, even with the restrictive PIs still encourages movement into dangerous areas when the chance arises. He will majorly occupy the dangerous zone just outside the opposition’s penalty box, either looking to play in the striker, lay the ball into the BBM or a wide midfielder. If nothing else is on Kasim will be there to take the ball and retain possession. There always seems to be an option, for whoever has the ball – I think this is the key to making a tactic work.

 

STRIKER

 

I opted for the Complete Forward as the lone striker, with the PIs to close down much more. Faupala doesn’t look particularly suitable, but after the horror show against Spurs I threw him in for the Barnsley game, where we absolutely dominated. He scored a wonderful hat-trick, so kept his place on merit! He’s been a part of the good run of form recently, and you can see what the role brings to the team. Constant harassment of CBs forces the opposition to move the ball round more quickly and resort to longer passing. His attributes show that he ain’t a workhorse by any stretch, but is currently doing a good job, dropping into the AM area and linking up nicely with the midfield. Just makes me wonder what a player who is actually suited to role could bring…

 

Well deserved!!

 

 

The adjustments to the Team Instructions are;

 

Standard - Flexible

 

Shorter Passing: Obviously we want to keep the ball on the ground, we don’t have much of a target man so need to play a bit of football.

 

Pass into space: We have quite a few ‘moving parts’ – as in we have players that slot in and out of each other’s positions in an attacking sense, so playing balls in front of players seems to make sense to me. It also doesn’t prevent the defenders from launching a long crossfield pass to spring a counter.

 

Whipped Crosses: Ideal for players that are going to be darting into the penalty area. We also lack that big man up top who could make the most of more floated crosses.

 

Play Much Narrower: Focuses on our strength in numbers in the centre of the pitch. I believe this is mainly related to the defensive positioning of the team, so it makes sense to pack the danger area with players to limit space.

 

Close Down Less: We don’t want to leave any gaps due to players charging after the ball, so this helps keep our defensive shape. It also allows me flexibility to change individual players closing down PIs if I feel they are standing off too much. Always found it easier to add to this than to take it away.

 

Drop Deeper: Coupled with a low pressing mentality, this makes sense. We have players behind the ball much of the time, keeping us nice and compact. We don’t seem to stand off too much, so it doesn’t invite too much pressure.

 

Exploit the flanks: Coupled with Much Narrower, it might seem a bit contradictory, but I think this helps us to balance out the areas in which we attack the opposition.

 

Be More Disciplined: An added bit of structure (as if we need it!). Contrary to what you might think, it doesn’t shackle us or stifle creativity – again, I think it just adds to the defensive structure. Also means the players are more likely to do what I want!

 

I've not had to change much in-game as things have kinda gone swimmingly so far, but I think i'm gonna need to look at a plan B. Always found breaking teams who sit back quite difficult. Luckily, as we are still forecasted to finish in the drop zone by the media, most teams set up to come at us. 

Simply switching the DM to defend and the BBM to a CM/D helps us to shut up shop quite nicely. The only game recently we went behind in was against MK Dons, but I didn't feel as though I needed to change anything round as we were still looking dangerous.

Next up is the Reading game though, and they're runaway leaders. This could be our toughest test of the season...

 

 

 

 

[johnstonpickle]

Well it’s been some time since I last played this game, but after getting back into the swing of things once again I feel I’m in a position to update on some progress!

Caught up on the progress that @Jupjamie  has made, and it has really just inspired me to get going again. I wrote the below ages ago, but have managed to fly through some game time, so will do a couple of quick fire updates here.

17/18 Season end.

Fizzled out a bit, and we managed to finish in 10th place on 70 points again. Got a nice positive goal difference though, so progress was made at least!

The squad – managed to extend the deal of Sakor – but at a bit of a cost. Our wage budget is really small and he kinda breaks my own personal structure a bit, but I think he’s worth it. Valued at £9.25m I’m actually hoping somebody comes in with a really good offer for him haha. Whilst he’s been great over the last couple of seasons, anything around that value would be incredible. Kasim has also signed on for an extension. Between them they are our top earners, but form a crucial partnership in CM that has contributed to our relative success. Neither are irreplaceable though.

TRANSFERS IN

Just to go into a bit of detail on a few of the more interesting signings..

Jackson Irvine came in from Burton for a decent fee and he’s an all action performer. He’s unlucky to not be starting more games, but is certainly an adequate deputy.

Ceitl was a bit of a big signing as far as we’re concerned, for a total of £800k but I felt we were in a good position financially to make the purchase. Definitely one for the future but also good enough to play a part immediately. Capable of playing at CB or in CM in a defensive role, so nice and versatile.

George Moncur was an addition just to give us a bit of depth. Brought in from Barnsley where he hardly got a sniff, I think he’s a useful player, who is happy to be backup.

 

Ched Evans is here to get some goals. Unsure how things will work out it’s a bit of a step up in to the Championship. Will probably be a backup option.

Calvert-Lewin signed on for another season too, happy with his performances so it’ll be nice to develop him further. Hopefully I’ll be able to get him on a permanent deal, can’t see him getting a chance at Everton. Will be keeping an eye on his long term availability for certain

Ribeiro came in for a really good price, looks like a steal to be honest at less than £40k. Attributes tell me he could be decent. The fans and board aren’t too fussed though…

Armstrong came in for another season. Happy to have him on board!

Billy Sharp was good for the Blades last year. Knocking on a bit though, managed to get him in on low-ish wages at least. Will be no more than backup.

 

We needed some more quality at LB so I went in for Albertazzi and he comes in as an improvement on Booth. Not as good going forward mind.

Baak comes in from Man City on loan, who can do a job at CB or RB.

Bielik also signs on for another year. Nice to have some good quality options at the back!

 

We let a few go, but happy that we’ve replaced with better or equally as good players. Won’t waste time talking about them losers though.

All in all, fairly happy with the additions before the seasons’ start. Wage bill is still the lowest too so we’re not breaking too many of my own philosophies (too much!).

 

BOARD EXPECTATIONS

They are after mid-table, which is fine as we've done pretty well over the last couple of years. Media think we'll finish 20th though!

PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS

More hope than expectations to be honest, but i'd love a playoff spot or at least to be in with a shout at the end of the season.

[FMNoob25]

how do i type my own post? (im new)

[johnstonpickle]

2018/19 SEASON PROGRESS

Big update as I can’t remember the specifics of what went down at the beginning!

The only other signing in August was Ariyibi. Nice direct attacking winger, with plenty of potential. Decent fee of £675k for him too but hopefully can treble that in resale value when the time comes.

By the time we got to January we were sitting quite comfortably safe in mid-table. Happy with that as I know we have the quality to push on when players get back from internationals/injury.

In the JTW I made a couple of signings. Kaikai came in on loan, and I made 2 permanent signings in Harry Wilson and Fernandes. Vaulks could then be sold, as Irvine and Kasim were back. 

Wilson will go straight into the first team. Been playing him as an IF and he has got some important goals for us.

Kaikai is intended as an impact sub and Fernandes is one for the future. Pretty happy with business so far. We have one of the better defences in the league so don’t feel as though that needs much improvement currently.

I also brought back Clarke-Harris and Taylor from their loans, for a bit more depth. Taylor quickly did his cruciate though so will miss the remainder of the season! Typical.

The latter half of the season produced some of the best form of the entire save so far;

Some cracking results and performances, as well as some that we had to grind out - but I am proud of the team and how they've done.

Yeah, we limped to the end of the season, but...

5 points more than last season, and into the lottery of the playoffs!

As you can see, a bit of a full squad rotation went on, which makes me even more surprised at how well we did. A sturdy defence plus 20 goal man Evans was the difference for us this year.

3 cup finals coming up though - starting with 2 legs against Brentford. We battered them this season 5-3 and they beat us 6-0 last year - so i'm guessing there will be goals!!

Hoping we don't choke... the vultures are circling around our better players...!!

 

 

 

[Bedese]

Good luck in the playoffs!

[Keano16]

Hope you do it!

[johnstonpickle]

On 18/01/2017 at 21:17, Jupjamie said:

Good luck in the playoffs!

 

On 18/01/2017 at 22:28, Keano16 said:

Hope you do it!

Cheers guys.. played the first leg last night... 😔 

The season will hopefully have a conclusion by tomorrow!