[FM20] Derby County - Why manage the Rams? / How are you getting on?

[Stuniverse]

43 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Just signed Silvino Louro as a gk coach and asked him to recommend a signing. He came back with a goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez from Millonarios in Colombia and said sign at whatever costs. This guy is a steal. Hes 22 years old, 4.5 star rated and I managed to get him for just 3mil. Still got 35 mil to spend.

On my main save currently I’m in summer 2024 managing in the SPL and signed Wuilker Farinez in the summer of 2023 (from Watford, after they’d previously signed him from Millonarios). Farinez is an awesome goalkeeper and young too. By the time I signed him, internationally he was Venezuela’s #1. His distribution and shot stopping are very good.

43 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Now I need opinions.. it's still June so not all my loan deals are up. I was looking at either signing Matt Clarke permanently, but, Brighton want in excess of 20m for him. I can wait to sign him back on loan or shall I go for Joel Veltman. I've just equalled a bid made by Brentford for 7.5mil. 28 years old but I think solid at the back.

I don’t know anything about Joel Veltman, I’m afraid. £20M sounds a lot for Clarke, can you negotiate them down or agree a fee based on future add-ons? Alternatively, wait and see if you can get him on loan again with an option to purchase for a lower fee? I guess it depends how desperately you need CBs.

43 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

As back up to Jayden Bogle, do I sign Cyrus Christie permanently for around 4-5 mil or should I go for Nathaniel Clyne on a free from Liverpool. There really is nothing between them in terms of attributes.

This might come down to wages as Clyne will be a lot cheaper to sign, but how do their wage demands compare? Also, is there much in it age wise?

43 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Also just had a 1.8mil bid accepted for Zakkaria Bakkali from Anderlecht. Really not too bad but at the moment, hes only rated 2.5 stars with potential 4. Isaac Success is going to be a lot more than 1.8mil but Watford have been relegated in my save so it could be a cheaper deal than the 18mil they said in January? What do we reckon guys? 

I’ve not signed Isaac Success in a save yet but, pardon the pun, I know people have had a lot of success with him. Don’t know anything about Bakkali, sorry.

If Watford have been relegated, how about looking at bringing Will Hughes back to Pride Park?

Edited May 5, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Luke6]

14 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

On my main save currently I’m in summer 2024 and signed Wuilker Farinez in the summer of 2023 (from Watford, after they’d previously signed him from Millonarios). Farinez is an awesome goalkeeper and young too. By the time I signed him, internationally he was Venezuela’s #1. His distribution and shot stopping are very good.

I don’t know anything about Joel Veltman, I’m afraid. £20M sounds a lot for Clarke, can you negotiate them down or agree a fee based on future add-ons? Alternatively, wait and see if you can get him on loan again with an option to purchase for a lower fee? I guess it depends how desperately you need CBs.

This might come down to wages as Clyne will be a lot cheaper to sign, but how do their wage demands compare? Also, is there much in it age wise?

I’ve not signed Isaac Success in a save yet but, pardon the pun, I know people have had a lot of success with him. Don’t know anything about Bakkali, sorry.

If Watford have been relegated, how about looking at bringing Will Hughes back to Pride Park?

He really does look the part. I was considering making a move for transfer listed Jack butland for 4mil and then this guy showed up! Only 1 winner! 

Veltman is a very good CB from ajax, he is 28 as opposed to the now 23 year old Clarke but I'm a little anxious that brentford will beat to the signing and then I'm priced out of the Clarke move! 

Wage wise, Clyne apparently will look for around 40k and Christie only in the 20s. Again a tough decision but Clyne is proven in the prem. 40k to be back up to Bogle is something I am pondering!

Already declared interest for Hughes. Was the 1st thing I did as soon as I saw Watford were relegated. Hes interested aswell but 34.5mil. That would leave me with no budget left. Maybe they will reduce the asking price, I'm hoping anyways

[Stuniverse]

3 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Already declared interest for Hughes. Was the 1st thing I did as soon as I saw Watford were relegated. Hes interested aswell but 34.5mil. That would leave me with no budget left. Maybe they will reduce the asking price, I'm hoping anyways

I know someone who signed Will Hughes in the summer of 2020 for £9.5 million immediately, with a further £5 million to follow in instalments...

[OJ403]

1 hour ago, Luke6 said:

Now I need opinions.. it's still June so not all my loan deals are up. I was looking at either signing Matt Clarke permanently, but, Brighton want in excess of 20m for him. I can wait to sign him back on loan or shall I go for Joel Veltman. I've just equalled a bid made by Brentford for 7.5mil. 28 years old but I think solid at the back.

On these two I'd be tempted to go for Clarke, purely on the basis of the fact he knows you and the team. Although it'd really come down to key attributes, particularly the metals. £7.5 millions a fair bit for someone without much scope to develop (I'd guess anyway).

1 hour ago, Luke6 said:

Also just had a 1.8mil bid accepted for Zakkaria Bakkali from Anderlecht. Really not too bad but at the moment, hes only rated 2.5 stars with potential 4. Isaac Success is going to be a lot more than 1.8mil but Watford have been relegated in my save so it could be a cheaper deal than the 18mil they said in January? What do we reckon guys? 

Again I don't know too much about either player here, I have heard good things about Success though. Could you not loan/loan-to-buy or negotiate the deal? Or even wait til the last minute?

Edited May 5, 2020 by OJ403

[OJ403]

25 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Wage wise, Clyne apparently will look for around 40k and Christie only in the 20s. Again a tough decision but Clyne is proven in the prem. 40k to be back up to Bogle is something I am pondering!

For some reason I can't get this in the same post annoyingly, sorry.

And 40k for a backup sounds ludicrous to me I won't lie, especially if the attributes are similar too. Also on the experience thing, bare in mind Christie's an Irish international, or at least was, and if memory serves me correctly played alot when they made a run at the 2016 Euros. Also random stat at some point in the tournament we had more representives than PSG and Milan

Edited May 5, 2020 by OJ403

[Luke6]

12 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

I know someone who signed Will Hughes in the summer of 2020 for £9.5 million immediately, with a further £5 million to follow in instalments...

I do look to doing deals with instalments but at the same time try to avoid deals like these which will seem like a bargain at under 10mil to start with and then forget later on down the line that a chunk of my next budget will be significantly smaller. I'll test the waters with a lesser bid and see what they do. Hopefully he will hand in a transfer request too where they have been relegated. 

@OJ403 Success was immense in the 1st half of the season but the 2nd half hes ratings dropped a lot. He was averaging around 6.3 and they wanted 25mil in January. Again going to test the waters to see what they would take but Bakkali has the scope to grow and they are the same age. 

With Veltman and Clarke, the latter was sturdy at the back and can play at LB if needed but he did cost me a fair few points and if there is no way they will part with less than say 12mil for him then I wont be doing it. Although hes 28, 7.5mil for Veltman is good business for me but I will wait and see what i can do with Clarke before I offer Veltman a deal.

[OJ403]

1 hour ago, Luke6 said:

@OJ403 Success was immense in the 1st half of the season but the 2nd half hes ratings dropped a lot. He was averaging around 6.3 and they wanted 25mil in January. Again going to test the waters to see what they would take but Bakkali has the scope to grow and they are the same age

Sounds like a good plan there. I looked at him in my save but they weren't looking to move him on in any sense, hence why I brought in Batista Meier and in a later season Curtis Jones in a season long loan.

1 hour ago, Luke6 said:

With Veltman and Clarke, the latter was sturdy at the back and can play at LB if needed but he did cost me a fair few points and if there is no way they will part with less than say 12mil for him then I wont be doing it. Although hes 28, 7.5mil for Veltman is good business for me but I will wait and see what i can do with Clarke before I offer Veltman a deal.

I forgot to mention this last night, in January S2 they listed Clarke for I think £8ish million, and then in summer of S3 for £5 million. So if you really want him back then it might be worth bringing in Veltman and playing the long game and eventually getting both!

Edited May 6, 2020 by OJ403

[Luke6]

1 hour ago, OJ403 said:

Sounds like a good plan there. I looked at him in my save but they weren't looking to move him on in any sense, hence why I brought in Batista Meier and in a later season Curtis Jones in a season long loan.

I forgot to mention this last night, in January S2 they listed Clarke for I think £8ish million, and then in summer of S3 for £5 million. So if you really want him back then it might be worth bringing in Veltman and playing the long game and eventually getting both!

Batista Meier? Is he any good. Never heard of him. I do really like Success but to go from having scored 18 goals by December to just adding another 3 by the end of the season is really hit and miss. I need consistency in the prem and there will be cheaper alternatives out there! 

Oh really? That is interesting. I may even be able to get both for less than the asking price they initially set for Clarke. That would be amazing business. I think your right, perhaps get Veltman now and keep an eye on Clarke. At worst, it might be that I have to wait until January or next season. 

[smplfc123]

This thread and in particular, @Tee2's blog has convinced me!

I'm starting as a local pro reputation with a full bag in the coaching licence department.

The aim is almost not to get promoted, as I feel it would be too soon for me and the club to go up. My aim is to build, bring through some excellent youngsters the club has and aim to push for the play-offs/promotion in the following 2 seasons!

 Wish me luck 

[Stuniverse]

1 minute ago, smplfc123 said:

This thread and in particular, @Tee2's blog has convinced me!

I'm starting as a local pro reputation with a full bag in the coaching licence department.

The aim is almost not to get promoted, as I feel it would be too soon for me and the club to go up. My aim is to build, bring through some excellent youngsters the club has and aim to push for the play-offs/promotion in the following 2 seasons!

 Wish me luck 

Thank you for letting us know, @smplfc123. I agree, @Tee2’s blog is excellent.

Good luck with your Derby County save 🍀🐏

Please let us know how you get on.

[Luke6]

Just a little update...

It's now the 1st of July so Te Weirik has signed officially now. 

Isaac Success actually got transfer listed for 8.5mil and I managed to get a deal accepted for 5mil up front and a further 1.5 mil after 20 appearances.

Clyne wouldn't accept my non negotiable 38k a week contract so he is no longer a possibility.

Veltman I decided to not go ahead with the deal as looking very closely at his attributes, he wasnt a great fit.

Oh.. and I managed to get Will Hughes for 9mil with a further 1.2mil in add ons.. GET IN! 

Could be a hat trick of signings from Watford as they have put Andre Gray up for sale for 6mil. Not bad if I'm honest. What do you guys think? @Stuniverse @OJ403

[Stuniverse]

3 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

It's now the 1st of July so Te Weirik has signed officially now.

Be interested to hear how Mike te Wierik does for you. Sadly, I think it’s going to be a very long time before I get to see him play in a Rams shirt in real-life.

4 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Isaac Success actually got transfer listed for 8.5mil and I managed to get a deal accepted for 5mil up front and a further 1.5 mil after 20 appearances.

I’ve not signed Isaac Success on a Derby save myself, but I’ve heard good things about him. Hope he proves to be a success for you (sorry, couldn’t resist that).

5 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Clyne wouldn't accept my non negotiable 38k a week contract so he is no longer a possibility.

Veltman I decided to not go ahead with the deal as looking very closely at his attributes, he wasnt a great fit.

Are you still chasing Cyrus Christie and Matt Clarke or do you have other irons in the fire?

6 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Oh.. and I managed to get Will Hughes for 9mil with a further 1.2mil in add ons.. GET IN!

Cue up the Pointer Sisters song I’M SO EXCITED!

7 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Could be a hat trick of signings from Watford as they have put Andre Gray up for sale for 6mil. Not bad if I'm honest. What do you guys think?

Another player I’ve not signed for Derby on FM20, but he does fit the bill.

Good luck.

How has pre-season gone?

[Luke6]

23 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Be interested to hear how Mike te Wierik does for you. Sadly, I think it’s going to be a very long time before I get to see him play in a Rams shirt in real-life.

I’ve not signed Isaac Success on a Derby save myself, but I’ve heard good things about him. Hope he proves to be a success for you (sorry, couldn’t resist that).

Are you still chasing Cyrus Christie and Matt Clarke or do you have other irons in the fire?

Cue up the Pointer Sisters song I’M SO EXCITED!

Another player I’ve not signed for Derby on FM20, but he does fit the bill.

Good luck.

How has pre-season gone?

Haha, have you just started then? I've heard good things about him on this thread.

If he can emulate the first half of last season then he will be a steal! If he is like the 2nd half of the season, then it wont be too great. I'm hoping for the former. 

I haven't enquired about Christie yet as I still feel there may be better out there but he is definitely a possibility. As is Clarke, who I can look to get on loan again as he is listed.

I haven't started pre season yet, think I'm on the 3rd July so no games as of yet but in a few days.

Hows yours coming along?

[Stuniverse]

12 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Haha, have you just started then?

I did a few Derby saves when FM20 first came out, but I've only just started one using the Winter Update.

I'm into the summer of 2024 in my main save (not Derby County), having managed five seasons in Scotland so far... I'm blogging about it in the Career Updates section on here if anybody's interested... [FM20] Stuniverse's FM20 Adventure

12 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Hows yours coming along?

Given that all I've done is recall Scott Carson from his Man City loan, and sent Ben Hamer back to Huddersfield, much to my surprise, I really can't complain at this...

Edited May 6, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Luke6]

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

I did a few Derby saves when FM20 first came out, but I've only just started one using the Winter Update.

I'm into the summer of 2024 in my main save (not Derby County), having managed five seasons in Scotland so far... I'm blogging about it in the Career Updates section on here if anybody's interested... [FM20] Stuniverse's FM20 Adventure

Given that all I've done is recall Scott Carson from his Man City loan, and sent Ben Hamer back to Huddersfield, much to my surprise, I really can't complain at this...

Nice one mate. Started rather well. Brentford again are up there. I thought they were perhaps a top 6 side at best beforehand but they seem to do well on everyones save.

[Stackalee]

Oof, reasons not to play as Derby - Rooney's bald patch. I've never noticed one in matches before and now it's all I can see.

[Stackalee]

Having just about recovered from our Wayne's bald patch, I smashed out the first few months with Derby.

First impressions - I'm not gonna win the league. This is hard to take, I've been playing in Italy a lot lately, where I fully expect to win any of the lower leagues with any collection of 11 able bodied humans (and the top flight isn't much better) so a bit of a culture shock there. Anyway, Fulham and Leeds are looking pretty unstoppable, and rightly so with the squads they have I suppose. 

Regarding our own squad, some of the younglings look alright but I'm concerned about them for the long haul. Bogle just got back from injury and he's started strongly, I expect him to be usable well into the Premiership, otherwise Knight and Bielik seem tidy enough. My assistant tells me that Bird is near his potential, which sucks a bit he was one I was expecting to be really good coming in to the save - he's also got that losing combination of pretty bad technicals and physicals, although his mentals are okay. Whittaker looks like he may be able to take over from Jack Marriot (who has been superb) but needs real focused improvement in his mental attributes.

Rooney has been okay, not great. I didn't really expect more - I'm not clever enough to get a lot out of players with crapped out physicals (or too lazy, whichever).

On the signings front I headed up to Aberdeen to grab Scott McKenna to replace Clarke, as I'm not about to start developing Brighton's players for them. Despite coming in to the save with intentions of signing young and English, this soon became youngish and British as I went on a supermarket sweep-esque raid grabbing Souttar and Sam Cosgrove before heading back south. Speaking of Cosgrove - if anybody (like me) thinks that a big lump like him for around £1m can't be a bad squad option, I encourage you to think again. He's actually been more likely, on average, to lead to a goal for my opponents in a game than one for my own side - impressive stuff for somebody playing up front on his own.

Had the joy of meeting Manchester City in the league cup, got a thumping. It was actually a fairly even game in that we created about as many chances as each other and possession was 51-49 in their favour, but they were too efficient on set plays and battered me 3-0.

Overall after reconciling myself with the concept of a difficult league season I'd say all is going well so far. I am slightly regretting bringing one of my sillier formations with me from Italy though, and just added some more sensible ones to my tactics screen.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stackalee

[Stuniverse]

6 hours ago, Stackalee said:

Oof, reasons not to play as Derby - Rooney's bald patch. I've never noticed one in matches before and now it's all I can see.

This does seem to be new in FM20, @Stackalee. I’ve also noticed it with a Rooney... and other older players too.

[Stuniverse]

6 hours ago, Stackalee said:

First impressions - I'm not gonna win the league. This is hard to take, I've been playing in Italy a lot lately, where I fully expect to win any of the lower leagues with any collection of 11 able bodied humans (and the top flight isn't much better) so a bit of a culture shock there. Anyway, Fulham and Leeds are looking pretty unstoppable, and rightly so with the squads they have I suppose.

Looking at the league table though, @Stackalee, you are well placed in 3rd (great job) so playoffs are a definite possibility and who knows if you can go on a good run you could still challenge for automatics. Do you have much budget left to strengthen in the January transfer window?

6 hours ago, Stackalee said:

Regarding our own squad, some of the younglings look alright but I'm concerned about them for the long haul. Bogle just got back from injury and he's started strongly, I expect him to be usable well into the Premiership, otherwise Knight and Bielik seem tidy enough. My assistant tells me that Bird is near his potential, which sucks a bit he was one I was expecting to be really good coming in to the save - he's also got that losing combination of pretty bad technicals and physicals, although his mentals are okay. Whittaker looks like he may be able to take over from Jack Marriot (who has been superb) but needs real focused improvement in his mental attributes.

Max Bird is one I need to give some serious thought to when I review him ahead of FM21 (assuming he’s still a Derby player as there’s speculation that Lampard wants him at Chelsea). Bird has been around the first-team squad for three seasons now and, for the first two-and-a-half he was given first-team opportunities and was unable to take them. Then, towards the end of January 2020, Bird got a run in the first-team and started to look like the player Rams fans hoped he would be. For the FM20 winter update, although I did boost him a bit, I had to temper my enthusiasm with Bird because it’s unclear yet whether the improvement in his Championship performances is down to Bird himself, or whether he’s simply benefiting from playing alongside Wayne Rooney in the central midfield areas.

6 hours ago, Stackalee said:

On the signings front I headed up to Aberdeen to grab Scott McKenna to replace Clarke, as I'm not about to start developing Brighton's players for them. Despite coming in to the save with intentions of signing young and English, this soon became youngish and British as I went on a supermarket sweep-esque raid grabbing Souttar and Sam Cosgrove before heading back south. Speaking of Cosgrove - if anybody (like me) thinks that a big lump like him for around £1m can't be a bad squad option, I encourage you to think again. He's actually been more likely, on average, to lead to a goal for my opponents in a game than one for my own side - impressive stuff for somebody playing up front on his own.

I assume you mean John Souttar (Hearts) - interestingly, a player Derby have been linked with in real-life. From the team line-up you included, I’m guessing Souttar hasn’t impressed you as much as Scott McKenna.

That’s quite an achievement, in a negative way, by Sam Cosgrove.

A few questions if I may:

Q1) What was it that made you look north of the border, rather than in England?

Q2) Did you consider bringing in a goalkeeper? For my money, that’s where a Derby are weakest currently.

Q3) What about outgoings? Did you ship any players out of Pride Park?

6 hours ago, Stackalee said:

Overall after reconciling myself with the concept of a difficult league season I'd say all is going well so far. I am slightly regretting bringing one of my sillier formations with me from Italy though, and just added some more sensible ones to my tactics screen.

Congratulations on a good start to the season.

Q4) Is that 3-1-4-1-1 one of your silly Italian formations? 3rd after 15 league games... I wouldn’t say you were doing too badly with it.

Q5) Who did you use at RB, at the start of the season when Jayden Bogle and Andre Wisdom we’re both out injured?

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stackalee]

The form has been good, but it seems so tightly coupled to Marriot scoring I'm expecting a drop off really. Budget wise I have a few million left, and I'm imagining I'll try to move on Waghorn at least in January, as he's been quite poor and is old enough that I don't see him improving.

Re; Bird - I wasn't meaning to imply I think he should be better in the game, so much as I thought he was better - I think I must have seen a particularly good version of him at some point and thought it was the norm.

Yeah John Souttar is correct. He's been really solid actually I like him a lot as a player, and a really nice foil to some of the less technical more physical defenders around. A referee gave him the day off for the city game on account of his decision to try and kick Hélder Costa in half in my encounter with Leeds the weekend prior (for which I do not blame him, I only wish he succeeded).

Q1) What was it that made you look north of the border, rather than in England?

Oddly enough given his form it was the pipe-dream of a cheap target man (in Cosgrove) that took me up there. Then once I was scouting around there the two centre backs just seemed like great value players who should be able to cut it in the prem if/when promoted. I might be wrong but I feel like similar players would cost far more from English clubs? Certainly Brighton were asking me for ~£12m+ for Clarke. Plus having a few Scots around the squad feels right somehow, I may even start looking for a Welshman or two.

Q2) Did you consider bringing in a goalkeeper? For my money, that’s where a Derby are weakest currently.

I did but it's never really a huge priority for me due to my overwhelming view that goalkeepers are terrible and boring. I'm half kidding there - honestly I'm just not sure who to get. Currently I'm scouting the keepers in the England youth set up, one in particular Coniah Boyce-Clarke looks interesting and would be fairly funny to get in as a starter as he's 16. Otherwise Stoke are flirting with relegation right now so maybe a cheap deal for Butland can be done. 

Q3) What about outgoings? Did you ship any players out of Pride Park?

Yes, so far I've sold Curtis Davies, Chris Martin and Tom Huddlestone. I felt like the wage bill had too much outgoing on players who won't improve and have no resale value, Davies was on I think £25k p/w and wasn't going to start for me so getting £475k for him was a no brainer. Huddlestone I've honestly not seen play in years irl but he used to be somebody I loved to watch, fantastic technique, so it hurt a bit to sell him - but I didn't want to give him a new deal and was offered £1.9m for him by Orlando City which I think gives him a nice little retirement so we can all live with it. Florian Jozefzoon is probably the player I would most like to sell, but no offers so he stays for now. 

Q4) Is that 3-1-4-1-1 one of your silly Italian formations? 3rd after 15 league games... I wouldn’t say you were doing too badly with it.

Hah, yes it is - and answers you next question too actually. No selection worries at right back if you don't play a right back. It's generally oddly solid defensively and I've had a couple of invincible seasons with it with different Italian sides, but not really what I want to play long term as I don't like using the same tactics in many saves. I only really put it in as a solution to the RB issue but then in my haste to get on with playing games I neglected to work out what I actually do want to play.

Q5) Who did you use at RB, at the start of the season when Jayden Bogle and Andre Wisdom we’re both out injured?

As above, I didn't use a RB!

[Stuniverse]

7 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Q1) What was it that made you look north of the border, rather than in England?

Oddly enough given his form it was the pipe-dream of a cheap target man (in Cosgrove) that took me up there. Then once I was scouting around there the two centre backs just seemed like great value players who should be able to cut it in the prem if/when promoted. I might be wrong but I feel like similar players would cost far more from English clubs? Certainly Brighton were asking me for ~£12m+ for Clarke. Plus having a few Scots around the squad feels right somehow, I may even start looking for a Welshman or two.

That's my experience too that the English players are overpriced.

There are some bargains to be had in Scotland. Barry Maguire and Jamie Hamilton are two more that could do a job in the Championship, I think...

[Stuniverse]

30/10/2019: Arsenal v Derby County - Carabao Cup 4th Round

Pinch me... I'm dreaming!

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stackalee]

8 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

There are some bargains to be had in Scotland. Barry Maguire and Jamie Hamilton are two more that could do a job in the Championship, I think...

I'm not sure I could bring myself to remove a player from Hamilton who is called Hamilton. I just went to great lengths to take Brescianini to Brescia! He looks tidy though nice tip cheers. 

Finlay Robertson is the pick of the Scots in this years game for my money. Turned in to an excellent DLP for me in a Hearts save. I may pick him up in this one to see if he can do it south of the border.

Edit - great result that well done. How is Knight doing at #10? Or infact how are you getting on with a #10 in general? I don't feel like I'm getting as much as I'd like out of them in FM20.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stackalee

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, Stackalee said:

Edit - great result that well done.

Thank you, @Stackalee. I couldn't quite believe it. 1-0 down to a 11th minute own goal by Jayden Bogle but, other than that, Arsenal weren't really troubling us despite their superior number of attempts and possession was pretty even, although they were edging it. I held on with our normal low tempo, play out from the back, control possession tactic until the 72nd minute when we went more attacking. Jack Marriott equalised on 79, then gave us the lead on 83, at which point I went very defensive, pulled everybody except Marriott back, and shut-up-shop. Then on 90, we had a break, won a corner, and Curtis Davies, of all people, grabbed our 3rd.

1 hour ago, Stackalee said:

How is Knight doing at #10? Or infact how are you getting on with a #10 in general? I don't feel like I'm getting as much as I'd like out of them in FM20.

Jason Knight is doing well thank you. Knight's joint for Most Assists with Wayne Rooney on five. In all competitions, Knight has scored two goals, with five assists, with an average rating of 7.01 (6.94 in Championship) from 15 (3) appearances.  I have him playing as AP - At in the #10 role in a 4-2-3-1. I'm not sure that's his best position, but it's the only place I can accommodate him as a regular starter right now.

This is the 4-2-3-1 system I'm currently playing.

It's not how I normally play because I like a high tempo, high pressing, attacking formation, usually 4-4-2 or 4-1-2-3 but on this save, I'm trying as much as possible to replicate the style Phillip Cocu has been using in real life and, I must say, it's really suiting the players, particularly Tom Huddlestone who leads the club for average rating with 7.47.

I started the season with 'Work Ball Into The Box' and without 'Use Tighter Marking'. I found that despite dominating possession in almost every game, we weren't creating enough chances or scoring enough goals. This changed when I removed 'Work Ball Into The Box'.

My preference would be to play with two CBs on BPD - De and that's how I started the season with Kystian Bielik on the right and Matt Clarke on the left. Clarke got an early suspension for five yellow cards, Curtis Davies came in, and his form has been that good and instrumental in us conceding less goals that Clarke hasn't been able to get back into the team. I added 'Use Tighter Marking' around the time Davies established himself in the heart of defence.

Tom Lawrence is currently out injured otherwise he would start either as a W - Su on the right or an IW - Su on the left.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stackalee]

2 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

It's not how I normally play because I like a high tempo, high pressing, attacking formation, usually 4-4-2 or 4-1-2-3 but on this save, I'm trying as much as possible to replicate the style Phillip Cocu has been using in real life

That's cool, I've not seen Derby play in ages honestly so I'm uninhibited by their real life playstyle and so on. I only really picked them as a side to play because I still think of them as a premier league team and I liked this thread hah.

You've made me feel quite guilty about my decision to jettison Davies and Huddlestone though! Well done getting the best out of Huddlestone, I had some cracking times with him as a libero many years ago so maybe should have stuck with him here.

Knight in at 10 I guess would be pretty handy for your preferred high pressing, which is something I'm thinking about for when I settle on a formation. 

I see you're playing two wingers rather than the I guess now more common inside forwards - how productive have those positions been for you, if you don't mind my asking?

[OJ403]

Hi mate. Sorry for the delay

20 hours ago, Luke6 said:

Batista Meier? Is he any good. Never heard of him. I do really like Success but to go from having scored 18 goals by December to just adding another 3 by the end of the season is really hit and miss. I need consistency in the prem and there will be cheaper alternatives out there! 

Yeah Batista Meier's a really solid player. I really like him. I'm only aware of him through FM, I signed him the other year on a lower league German save. He's been pretty consistent for me too, playing slightly deeper in my 4-4-2 as an IW-S from the ML position. He's got 15 for corners and free kicks in my save so that comes in handy too! Hes originally at Bayern, which is where we signed him from, and hes still pretty young (late teens/early 20s) with room to grow and at only a few million (£3.75 for me I believe) hes worth a punt if his attributes are good in your save.

 

Looks like your doing well too, @Stackalee! Some interesting signings, McKenna and Souttar I both went in for for before being rejected in favour of Spurs (McKenna) and then optiong to go for Ricardo Ferreira on a free, and some even more interesting formations too! Any idea how your going to play when you settle on a style? I've seen plenty of 4-3-3s and 4-2-3-1s and I play a 4-4-2 (with a twist - it loosely morphs into a midfield diamond on the ball) so it'd be interesting to hear your plans!

 

And @Stuniverse, looks like your going well too, as expected, specially the result against Arsenal in the cup - you've beat me to a giant killing already! I'm particularly liking your use of Knight, a player who I really like in real life but have yet again neglected in this save, the transition to the 4-4-2 and Rooney's arrival pushed him out a bit. I'm trying to give him minutes this season, but I fear its too late for him to really star.

[Stackalee]

1 minute ago, OJ403 said:

Looks like your doing well too, @Stackalee! Some interesting signings, McKenna and Souttar I both went in for for before being rejected in favour of Spurs (McKenna) and then optiong to go for Ricardo Ferreira on a free, and some even more interesting formations too! Any idea how your going to play when you settle on a style? I've seen plenty of 4-3-3s and 4-2-3-1s and I play a 4-4-2 (with a twist - it loosely morphs into a midfield diamond on the ball) so it'd be interesting to hear your plans!

Gladly nobody else was in for either of the Scotts so I had a free run at them.

I'm not sure really on my tactics. I know I want to change to something with either fullbacks or wingbacks because Lowe and Bogle look like players who can stay with me as I progress, but I'm reluctant to leave them as the only players on the flanks as Bogle in particular really needs to improve offensively for that.

I'm half way tempted to try and get James Garner off United (loan to buy) to play him as a libero in a formation like this - the only thing really holding me back there is that I've just done a save like that in Italy so I might prefer to make something new, maybe interesting to see if it's as effective in England though.

Honestly the amount of daft formations I've done in Italy it might be more interesting to try something "boring" like a 4-3-3.

In other news I've got to January (thanks lockdown) and Marriot has continued to impress. Burnley and Spurs sniffing around him briefly, although Spurs seem to have given up. Not sure what I'll do if offers come in, he has been amazing but I'm really suspicious of him and his attributes in general.

Had an offer of £4.3m straight cash for Florian Jozefzoon from Inter Miami and he rejected them, grr.

Also the league has turned in my favour so I'm less pessimistic about that in general. Fulham's form totally spiralled after I beat them away and they dropped right off, then Bielsa left Leeds to take the job at Wolves - their caretaker did a poor job and they've just appointed Gordon Strachan (for some reason) so we'll see how he does.

[Luke6]

19 minutes ago, OJ403 said:

Hi mate. Sorry for the delay

Yeah Batista Meier's a really solid player. I really like him. I'm only aware of him through FM, I signed him the other year on a lower league German save. He's been pretty consistent for me too, playing slightly deeper in my 4-4-2 as an IW-S from the ML position. He's got 15 for corners and free kicks in my save so that comes in handy too! Hes originally at Bayern, which is where we signed him from, and hes still pretty young (late teens/early 20s) with room to grow and at only a few million (£3.75 for me I believe) hes worth a punt if his attributes are good in your

Ahh nice. Thanks for the pointer. I'll be sure to take a look at him. Any pointers on a striker? Watford and Southampton went down and Watford listen Andre Gray for £6m but Che Adams is a player I like with room to grow. I think he will cost significantly more than that but he is like 6 years his junior! 

[Luke6]

@Stuniverse wow! Nice one mate. To do arsenal at the Emirates aswell is quite a giant killing. Honestly it's the spitting image of my win over Burnley in my first season. 1-0 down and then 2 goals from Marriott in the last 10 and low and behold, I'm in the next round with a 3-1 win. Who you got next? Try and beat my semi finals took down Burnley, Southampton and Chelsea along the way.. all away from home too! 

[OJ403]

And now onto my save.

We've just hit January S3 and remain top of the league, 5 or so clear of Brentford in second (they're still unbeaten too, not jealous at all) then 10ish of Sheffield United in 3rd. We've lost twice now, Barnsley undeserved beating us due to Shinnie playing at left back due complaints about playing time. He's not been seen in the match day squad since...

We've got about £15 million or so to spend, but I dont envisage spending too much. I'm saving £5 million for Matt Clarke to take up the day after the window shuts to save on wages (I expect he'll want a pay rise, signing him outside a window I won't have to pay his new wages until the next one, summer S4). I'm in the market for a new striker to back up Marriott and Munteanu to replace Köpke, who's had a poor season (his 10 dribbling as an AF doesn't help) and should be sold on. I'm leaning towards a DLF type as Brown and Munteanu are both suited to AF. I'd also like to replace Cameron Dawson as our back up keeper, simply because I don't trust him and should anything happen to Marco Sportiello we could slip away from the automatic  promotion places. This is likely to be a loan deal from a bigger club I think as when we go up I may look to improve on Sportiello. I'm also considering bringing in a high quality W-A for the MR slot to compete with Duane Holmes. Felipe Cruz's form has dropped off recently, so his loan likely won't be made permanent like Clarke's. 

So to summarise I'm hoping for three ins:

• DLF-S, backup, loan or transfer

• W-A (MR), competition, loan or transfer

• SK-S, backup, loan

And the two outs I'll actively try to make happen:

• Cameron Dawson, transfer

• Pascal Köpke, transfer

Theres also interest in the following, all of whom I'm not against selling for the right fee but I won't actively try to sell them:

• Archie Brown

• Graeme Shinnie (out of contract at the end of the season)

• Lee Buchanan

Theres also been interesting developments surrounding Archie Brown too. He's valued at £400k and still has room to grow into a steady Premier League player, although isn't having as good a season this year. A bid came in from Southampton, which I negotiated up to £10 million, plus 50% of his next fee. This 25 times his market value and hes not a starter for us, so obviously I said yes despite not wanting to sell. However Mel blocked the deal, stating he'd only allow £16.25 million, which he'd still consider "on the low side"! I won't lie I'm not sure I agree with him, but as I don't particularly want to sell Brown it suits me really. Oh and Bielsa's Everton are after Jayden Bogle yet again, however new contract number 5678 should kill off the interest!

[Stuniverse]

5 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

@Stuniverse wow! Nice one mate. To do arsenal at the Emirates aswell is quite a giant killing. Honestly it's the spitting image of my win over Burnley in my first season. 1-0 down and then 2 goals from Marriott in the last 10 and low and behold, I'm in the next round with a 3-1 win. Who you got next? Try and beat my semi finals took down Burnley, Southampton and Chelsea along the way.. all away from home too! 

Thanks, @Luke6. Next up is a dream tie for Rooney - it's Man Utd at home.

[OJ403]

26 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

I'm half way tempted to try and get James Garner off United (loan to buy) to play him as a libero in a formation like this - the only thing really holding me back there is that I've just done a save like that in Italy so I might prefer to make something new, maybe interesting to see if it's as effective in England though.

Honestly the amount of daft formations I've done in Italy it might be more interesting to try something "boring" like a 4-3-3.

That looks like an interesting system, one I haven't played since the Conte's Chelsea days. I'd fancy Bielik as a libero too. Bogle's thrived for me as an IWB-S with Bielik as DLP-D and Holmes a W-A ahead of him creating the right side of our diamond in possession

27 minutes ago, Luke6 said:

Ahh nice. Thanks for the pointer. I'll be sure to take a look at him. Any pointers on a striker? Watford and Southampton went down and Watford listen Andre Gray for £6m but Che Adams is a player I like with room to grow. I think he will cost significantly more than that but he is like 6 years his junior! 

Adams looks like a good deal from memory, as in my post above my strikers are Marriott, Munteanu, Köpke and Brown. I wouldn't recommend Köpke at all if I'm honest but Louis Munteanu's been really good. He's a pretty complete striker tbh and he's only in his late teens and he didnt cost too much either. He plays in the Romanian league, but I only have the "big five" leagues and the Championship loaded and he was in my game. Other than that Rhian Brewster's usually solid, as are Esposito and Salcedo at Inter, but they might not be good enough. I always had serious negotiations for Sergio Diaz (of Real Madrid) and Ben Woodburn but they both chose elsewhere.

[Stuniverse]

2 hours ago, Stackalee said:

You've made me feel quite guilty about my decision to jettison Davies and Huddlestone though! Well done getting the best out of Huddlestone, I had some cracking times with him as a libero many years ago so maybe should have stuck with him here.

Well this could all change. Tom Huddlestone has pulled a thigh and will be out for a couple of weeks. Against Middlesbrough I moved Krystian Bielik into Hudds's role and Bielik responded with a goal and an assist (for Marriott) in a 2-0 win over Boro (our seventh straight win). Hudds may not get his place back.

That allowed me to bring Matt Clarke back into the heart of defence, alongside Curtis Davies. There's also Andre Wisdom who could do a job as CB. For now, Davies is keeping the shirt on merit but, if he loses his place for any reason (tiredness, injury, suspension), I'm not sure he'll get back in. Oh, and Rob Dickie is joining from Oxford United on January 1st to add to the competition for places.

2 hours ago, Stackalee said:

I see you're playing two wingers rather than the I guess now more common inside forwards - how productive have those positions been for you, if you don't mind my asking?

I don't mind at all, @Stackalee. To be honest, as long as we stick to the framework formation and team tactics, I tend to let the players play the position they prefer.

Tom Lawrence would be my first-choice but he's currently out for four weeks with ankle ligament damage. Tom would play IW (left) or either IW or W (right). 4 goals, 3 assists, 6.93 from 12 (1).

I started the season with Lawrence on the right and Martyn Waghorn on the left, but Waghorn's form was inconsistent which opened the door for Duane Holmes on the right when he retuned from injury.

Waghorn plays W normally, but can play IW on the left, less competently on the right. Waghorn 3 goals, 2 assists, 6.72 from 14 (2).

Holmes can play W or IW on the right only and has 5 goals, 2 assists, 6.92 from 10 (4).

I'm also trying to give Morgan Whittaker game time. He's best as a W on the left but can play W, IF or IW on the right. Whittaker has 2 goals, 0 assists, 6.96 from 4 (4).

Florian Jozefzoon has impressed in two Carabao Cup games against Mansfield and Walsall but I don't really see a future for him at Derby.

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

38 minutes ago, OJ403 said:

Theres also been interesting developments surrounding Archie Brown too. He's valued at £400k and still has room to grow into a steady Premier League player, although isn't having as good a season this year. A bid came in from Southampton, which I negotiated up to £10 million, plus 50% of his next fee. This 25 times his market value and hes not a starter for us, so obviously I said yes despite not wanting to sell. However Mel blocked the deal, stating he'd only allow £16.25 million, which he'd still consider "on the low side"! I won't lie I'm not sure I agree with him, but as I don't particularly want to sell Brown it suits me really.

That's interesting, @OJ403. How has everybody else found owner / chairman Mel Morris on FM20?

[Stuniverse]

2 hours ago, Stackalee said:

That's cool, I've not seen Derby play in ages honestly so I'm uninhibited by their real life playstyle and so on. I only really picked them as a side to play because I still think of them as a premier league team and I liked this thread hah.

Thanks, @Stackalee.

And thank you everybody, this thread has really come to life in the last few weeks. Thank you all for your contributions and good luck 🍀 managing the Mighty Rams 🐏 on your Derby County saves 😀

Looking forward to further updates...

Edited May 7, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stackalee]

January over I've brought in James Garner from Manchester United on loan. And solved the keeper problem by signing this guy.

Hopefully child protective services aren't in FM, because he's going straight in the first team. If you're young enough you're good enough, or something.

Outgoings: Waghorn and Holmes, both off to play in the MLS for deals worth £4.2m and £3.9m, respectively. 

 

[Stuniverse]

9 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

And solved the keeper problem by signing this guy.

How much did Coniah Boyce-Clarke cost you?

10 minutes ago, Stackalee said:

Outgoings: Waghorn and Holmes, both off to play in the MLS for deals worth £4.2m and £3.9m, respectively. 

That’s good money for both of them.

[Stackalee]

1 minute ago, Stuniverse said:

How much did Coniah Boyce-Clarke cost you?

£4.5m, rising to £6.5m after games played for me and internationals. Bit steep compared to folks like Faríñez but fits the profile I'm looking for.

[Stuniverse]

1 minute ago, Stackalee said:

£4.5m, rising to £6.5m after games played for me and internationals. Bit steep compared to folks like Faríñez but fits the profile I'm looking for.

I agreed a fee for Wuilker Farinez but he didn’t want to enter into talks about a deal. I may try again in January.

Hope your new goalkeeper works out for you.

[serg__23]

2019/2020 Season Summary

Winter transfer window 2020:

Out: 

Craig Forsyth- sold to Colorado Rapids for 240k EUR.

In:

Aaron Hickey - 400k EUR with loan to Hearts untill the end of seeason. Our long term transfer target.

John Lundstram - 1.4mln EUR. It was too good value to pass by and I couldn't resist myself despite stating it was not my plan to buy any established players. He finished season with 2g 4a in 16 EFL games. Not eligable for Carabao Cup. Good return for such value.

Competitions:

FA Cup: We were knocked out in the 4th round by Blackburn.

EFL Championship: We had big dip in form beginning from Boxing Day untill end of February winning only 3 out of 12 fixtures. We were on the 5th place on the end of February. In March we turned the corner winning 8 out of 9 conceding only 2 goals and winning 6 matches in a row with 1-0 (Mourinho would be very proud ). We are on the 1st place before last two fixtures playing Leeds (2nd place) and Birmingham City. We lost to Leeds 1-0 conceding on 89 minute and 2-1 to Birmingham City. We finished on 3rd place and beat Reading 3-1 on aggregate in Playoff SF. In Playoff Final against QPR we lost on penalties 5-3 after drawing 1-1 (they equalize from "guess what?" PENALTY). I HATE PENALTIES!!!

Maybe it's for the best, because we would be hammered next season in EPL. Now we have one more year to prepare and develop our young squad.

Now it's time for The Miracle at Wembley!

Carabao Cup: As was mentioned before we were in SF facing Crystal Palace. In the first leg we beat them 2-1 despite Louie Sibley being sent off on the 54th minute and draw 1-1 in the second leg. In the final our opponent was ManUtd. I was sure we would be hammered by Red Devils, anyway I spent 1 hour thinking about tactic to this match.

Tactic:

AND THEN 22nd MINUTE HAPPENED! Sibley back pass to Bird, he switches ball to Whittaker. Whittaker is 1 on 1 versus Shaw. He takes him on and smashes the ball to the near post, no chance for De Gea. GOAL MADE IN THE DERBY ACADEMY! I am sure FM's Martin Tyler lost his mind after goal. 

And it was final goal of the game, WE DID IT! Absolute scenes! Arguably the biggest achievement in my FM history.

Unforgettable season for Derby County. We will represent England in the Europa League playing in the Championship (shout-out to Wigan).But I am kind of worried about our schedule if we will reach group stage, hope FM is ready for this mess.

Personalities:
 *Stats only from Championship.

Player of the Season: Jack Marriott- top goalscorer in the Championship with 21 goals. Few excellent goals after pressing and tackling opposition defenders.

Young Player of the Season: Jayson Bogle- our leader in assists with 11 to his name. We are callinig him The Derbyshire Dani Alves. (honorable mention: Jason Knight with excellent progress and some big goals and assists)

Disappointment of the season: Sidible. No considerable progress and subpar performances. 

Most Underrated Player: Whittaker with 11 goals in the Championship and one historical goal in Carabao Cup final! Only 19, already CLUB LEGEND!

Thank you for reading my post. 

 

[Stuniverse]

16 minutes ago, serg__23 said:

In:

Aaron Hickey - 400k EUR with loan to Hearts untill the end of seeason. Our long term transfer target.

John Lundstram - 1.4mln EUR. It was too good value to pass by and I couldn't resist myself despite stating it was not my plan to buy any established players. He finished season with 2g 4a in 16 EFL games. Not eligable for Carabao Cup. Good return for such value.

Two good pieces of business, @serg__23. What are your plans for Hickey with Bogle and Lowe already at the club?

17 minutes ago, serg__23 said:

EFL Championship: We had big dip in form beginning from Boxing Day untill end of February winning only 3 out of 12 fixtures. We were on the 5th place on the end of February. In March we turned the corner winning 8 out of 9 conceding only 2 goals and winning 6 matches in a row with 1-0 (Mourinho would be very proud ). We are on the 1st place before last two fixtures playing Leeds (2nd place) and Birmingham City. We lost to Leeds 1-0 conceding on 89 minute and 2-1 to Birmingham City. We finished on 3rd place and beat Reading 3-1 on aggregate in Playoff SF. In Playoff Final against QPR we lost on penalties 5-3 after drawing 1-1 (they equalize from "guess what?" PENALTY). I HATE PENALTIES!!!

Maybe it's for the best, because we would be hammered next season in EPL. Now we have one more year to prepare and develop our young squad.

Welcome to the Derby County family. That’s a heartbreaking way to miss out on the promotion... but it is also so The Derby Way, sadly. Hopefully it’ll prove for the best and you’ll go up next season in better shape to survive in the EPL.

20 minutes ago, serg__23 said:

AND THEN 22nd MINUTE HAPPENED! Sibley back pass to Bird, he switches ball to Whittaker. Whittaker is 1 on 1 versus Shaw. He takes him on and smashes the ball to the near post, no chance for De Gea. GOAL MADE IN THE DERBY ACADEMY! I am sure FM's Martin Tyler lost his mind after goal. 

And it was final goal of the game, WE DID IT! Absolute scenes! Arguably the biggest achievement in my FM history.

Unforgettable season for Derby County. We will represent England in the Europa League playing in the Championship (shout-out to Wigan).But I am kind of worried about our schedule if we will reach group stage, hope FM is ready for this mess.

Wow! Congratulations. Unbelievable. Good luck 🍀 in the Europa League next season, hopefully without it derailing your promotion push.

Any idea what your budgets will be next season and do you have any ins and outs in mind?

21 minutes ago, serg__23 said:

Thank you for reading my post.

Thank you for sharing.

[serg__23]

7 минут назад, Stuniverse сказал:

What are your plans for Hickey with Bogle and Lowe already at the club?

Hickey is two-footed FB, so he will be first-choice backup for both of them. Wisdom will be playing CD next season as backup to Bielik. Malone will get less playing time next season. Curties Davies will be our emergency back up. 

 

17 минут назад, Stuniverse сказал:

Wow! Congratulations. Unbelievable. Good luck 🍀 in the Europa League next season, hopefully without it derailing your promotion push.

Thinking about playing youth and backups in the Europa League, promotion is our main goal. But I still do not know if we play in qualifying rounds or we are in the groupe stage already. 

 

24 минуты назад, Stuniverse сказал:

Any idea what your budgets will be next season and do you have any ins and outs in mind?

14.24 mln EUR transfer budget and 2.41 mln EUR wage budget. 

Ins:

1) Left CD in place of Clarke. I completely forgot Mike te Wierik is comming this summer. But he is not left-footed. I am still not sure if we need another CD.

2) GK - Ross and Carson are both League 1 level.

3) Left inside winger back-up for Lawrence. Holmes and Jozefzoon were awful there. 

4) Back-up for Marriot.

Outs:

1) Chris Matrin said he is leaving

2) Holmes or Jozefzoon

3) Jonathan Mitchell, Anya, George Evans- Not good enough.

4) Tom Huddlestone if he demands high wages.

Hopefully I will be able to keep al my leaders.

[Luke6]

20th July 2020, just running through my shortlist and targets. Delighted with the business I've made already.

Ins:

Wuilker Farinez - 3m

Zakaria Bakkali - 1.8m

Will Highes - 9m(10.25m)

Isaac Success - 4m(6m)

Che Adam's- 10m(11.5m)

Plus a couple youngsters for free

Outs:

Florian Josefzoon - 500k

Kelle Roos - 800k

Andre Wisdom - 4.8m

Probably in the market for 2 defenders. A back up CB and WB who can play on either flank.

In other news.. Carlo Ancelotti took the Atletico Madrid job and left Everton....

Everton have just offered me an interview 😮 

[Stuniverse]

[AI] DERBY COUNTY BACK IN THE BIG TIME

On my current main FM20 save, I'm at the end of May 2024 (having managed the whole save, so far, in Scotland). I've just got back from attending Wembley for the Championship Playoff Final where, after five seasons, the AI has finally got Derby County promoted back to the Promised Land with a narrow 1-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion. I can't tell you how tense it was for me, a lifelong Rams fan, watching that game in Extended Highlights, particularly the closing 15 minutes when Brighton threw everything they had at Derby.

Four of the current squad started the game, with another three on the bench, and Jason Knight scored the only goal of the Playoff Final.

What a turnaround by Rams manager Paul Hurst who took over the Rams on the 14th December 2023 with Derby County hovering just above the relegation zone.

Over the next few posts, I'll do  brief season-by-season update on Derby County's journey on my [FM20] Stuniverse's FM20 Adventure save which, if anybody's interested, I'm blogging about in the Career Updates section on here: Home > Football Manager Specific Playing Styles > FM Career Updates > [FM20] Stuniverse's FM20 Adventure

[Stuniverse]

[AI] Derby County - 2019/20

Derby County manager Phillip Cocu didn't quite survive the season after owner Mel Morris sacked him on 13/04/2020 following a 0-1 home defeat to Brentford, a fifth consecutive loss and the 7th defeat in nine games.

Pat Lyons (U23s Assistant Manager) took over as caretaker manager for the final three games of the season - two more defeats and an away victory over Birmingham City on the final day of the season.

Transfers

Championship

Carabao Cup

FA Cup

Note: This save started with the FM20 release database meaning (i) Wayne Rooney did not join the Rams until 1st January 2020 and (ii) Mike te Wierik did not join the Rams at all.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

[AI] Derby County - 2020/21

Former Derby County player and Assistant Manager (under Nigel Pearson), Chris Powell was appointed Rams manager on 19/06/2020.

Transfers

Championship

Carabao Cup

FA Cup

Note: This save started with the FM20 release database meaning (i) Wayne Rooney did not join the Rams until 1st January 2020 and (ii) Mike te Wierik did not join the Rams at all.

[Stuniverse]

[AI] Derby County - 2021/22

Chris Powell was sacked on 23/11/2021 and Pat Lyons had his second spell as caretaker manager, before Steven Gerrard was appointed Derby County manager on 14/12/2021.

Transfers

Championship

Carabao Cup

FA Cup

Note: This save started with the FM20 release database meaning (i) Wayne Rooney did not join the Rams until 1st January 2020 and (ii) Mike te Wierik did not join the Rams at all.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

[AI] Derby County - 2022/23

Steven Gerrard was sacked as Derby County manager on Boxing Day 2022. After a third caretaker spell in charge for Pat Lyons, former Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill was appointed on 08/01/2023.

Transfers

Championship

Carabao Cup

FA Cup

Note: This save started with the FM20 release database meaning (i) Wayne Rooney did not join the Rams until 1st January 2020 and (ii) Mike te Wierik did not join the Rams at all.

[Stuniverse]

[AI] Derby County - 2023/24

The season didn't start very well for Derby County who were rock-bottom of the Championship after half a dozen games. Manager Michael O'Neill briefly turned form around and the Rams were 19th after 11 games, but that was as good as it got for O'Neill who was sacked on 25/11/2023 with the Rams perilously close to the relegation zone.

After a fourth spell as caretaker manager for Pat Lyons, Derby County owner Mel Morris made an inspired managerial appointment as Paul Hurst would, incredibly, lead Derby County to a 5th placed finish and promotion to the Premiership via the Playoffs.

Transfers

Championship

Playoffs

Carabao Cup

FA Cup

Note: This save started with the FM20 release database meaning (i) Wayne Rooney did not join the Rams until 1st January 2020 and (ii) Mike te Wierik did not join the Rams at all.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

13 hours ago, Luke6 said:

Ins:

Wuilker Farinez - 3m

Zakaria Bakkali - 1.8m

Will Highes - 9m(10.25m)

Isaac Success - 4m(6m)

Che Adam's- 10m(11.5m)

Plus a couple youngsters for free

I don’t know anything about Zakaria Bakkali, @Luke6, but the others all look like very good signings to me. Welcome home, Will Hughes 😀

13 hours ago, Luke6 said:

Outs:

Florian Josefzoon - 500k

Kelle Roos - 800k

Andre Wisdom - 4.8m

Good money for all three of them. Nicely done.

13 hours ago, Luke6 said:

Probably in the market for 2 defenders. A back up CB and WB who can play on either flank.

 Got your eye on anyone? Are you using the database where Mike te Wierik joins Derby on 1st July 2020?

13 hours ago, Luke6 said:

In other news.. Carlo Ancelotti took the Atletico Madrid job and left Everton....

Everton have just offered me an interview 😮 

I’m not even going to ask the obvious question here, but your reputation must be growing...

Good luck with Derby County for the rest of pre-season and the coming season!

Edited May 8, 2020 by Stuniverse