The FM21 Youth Academy Challenge

[karax268]

4 hours ago, TheGreatTraveler said:

I do a bit of both. If I find a tactic my players seem capable at I'll stick with it unless I begin to see some big flaw in the games. When I got promoted to the Second division I saw my fullbacks were being overrun constantly so changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. Noticed the center of defense was a bit too weak so changed the DM from BWM to Anchor man. Then the season after saw we were struggling to score so changed to 4-4-2. 

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (I did just get releagated ). My view is if you can get good performances from a tactic give it some time but if you notice an issue with it its worth changing. 

 

19 minutes ago, JAwtunes said:

I spend ages testing my tactic after the final ME patch and then stick with it on every save.  I tweak it during games but always start a game with the same tactic.  I'm about to start my 11th season in Poland with the same 442(ish) tactic.

 

Thanks!

 

What seems to happen in my current save is that, after a lot of tinkering, i finally find something that works. Then after a few games the AI adapts to it.

Pro bably happens because my players are just so bad for this level, but it is frustrating to watch

[djsterry]

54 minutes ago, karax268 said:

 

 

Thanks!

 

What seems to happen in my current save is that, after a lot of tinkering, i finally find something that works. Then after a few games the AI adapts to it.

Pro bably happens because my players are just so bad for this level, but it is frustrating to watch

I've tried loads of different tactics but my main problem is my defence is awful especially in terms of pace , all about 10 pace or under . Ive just settled on high intensity attacking now with a high line and try to outscore the opposition

[Morpheus13]

Chengfeng Season Review 25/26

Table - Squad - U23 Squad - U19 Squad - Transfers - Finances

Once again we fell short of a promotion spot, finishing 3rd. This 3rd places are getting annoying I must say. Before the season we sold 4 players for around 6 millions in total, which allowed us to get some money in the bank. I immediately used it to upgrade the youth facilities (which got downgraded by the end of last season.

and right after they were completed, we managed to convice the board to upgrade them again

additionally we manager to upgrade the youth recruitement!

---------------------------------------------------------

Youth Intake 26

It was a good intake, with a few players, who could break into the first team in the near time to come. The most notable are

Spoiler

Wang Boyuan (26A) and Liu Wenliang (26B)

With Tang Ning (24A), Wung Zhong (24B) and Zhao Wenqing (23B), we have three players who made good progress. At the moment Pei Xiaopan (25A) seems like the only one from the 25 Intake who could be useful, but lets see if another one can take a jump. A few other players are on tthe verge of the first team, but I dont wanna drag this post too long. 

Generally I think we are ready for promotion, as we are seen as one of the better teams in the league.

Edited March 9, 2021 by Morpheus13

[Brentmeister]

You've got to love this commentary

[karax268]

Sacked...Again...

 

It was in the cards i suppose. Yet, i still believed I could pull something out of my hat.

 

We spent the entire season in the relegation zone. we settled into a 5 horse race for the bottom places. I was confident that I could find some form but alas, it was not to be.

With 2 games to go we lost to a direct rival and that sealed our faith. Relegated.

 

I didn't even get to drive back in the bus with the players. after the final whistle three guys in suits handed me my resignation and then firmly escorted me of the premise.

 

 

Oh well... ever onward. Three times the charm maybe?

[TheGreatTraveler]

26 minutes ago, karax268 said:

Sacked...Again...

 

It was in the cards i suppose. Yet, i still believed I could pull something out of my hat.

 

We spent the entire season in the relegation zone. we settled into a 5 horse race for the bottom places. I was confident that I could find some form but alas, it was not to be.

With 2 games to go we lost to a direct rival and that sealed our faith. Relegated.

 

I didn't even get to drive back in the bus with the players. after the final whistle three guys in suits handed me my resignation and then firmly escorted me of the premise.

 

 

Oh well... ever onward. Three times the charm maybe?

Unlucky there, best of luck with the next one! Where do you plan to go? 

[XaW]

14 hours ago, karax268 said:

What do you guys do with tactics?

do you set a tactic and just plug and play?

I feel like i tinker to much sometimes and am afraid it is costing me points (as a matter of fact i'm about to be relagated from the segunda B)

It's hard for me to decide if something doesn't work because I made a bad tactic or if my players are just crappy

That's part and parcel of this challenge really. Since I'm flying away in the Faroes while I wait for the next update, I thought I'd try to finally create my old 4-5-1/4-3-3, and the new one I made now seems to be working. It's still a work in progress, mind, but the results are looking good.

Very solid defensively, and quite free scoring, and this is with a Faroese side, so I'm quite confident I can get it to work with a better side as well. I have made an attacking version and a counter attacking version and both seems to work quite well.

The first one seems to stretch out the opponent defence and creates a lot of movement. The CM-S is a very nice role, since it's very flexible in terms of the play around the player. The main goalscorer is the striker, even if he is a bit lower, but he will very often be found by the IF's in the box. The DLP works as a natural pivot and helps out avoiding counterattacks, though they are prone to happen every once in a while. I'm unsure if this will work well for a very low rated side though, since we are a medium size team currently. It will be something to look at when I start anew.

The other one is a normal low block with counterattacks as the main way of scoring. I'd also working on attacking set pieces for that one, since you will get quite a few from the wingers and the striker trying to find a way. It seems to work against better sides, but I haven't been able to test it too much yet though.

I'm just happy I finally found a way to make that tactic work. Had to go away from my normal approach at it, but this one seems to be working now.

[karax268]

42 minutes ago, XaW said:

That's part and parcel of this challenge really. Since I'm flying away in the Faroes while I wait for the next update, I thought I'd try to finally create my old 4-5-1/4-3-3, and the new one I made now seems to be working. It's still a work in progress, mind, but the results are looking good.

Very solid defensively, and quite free scoring, and this is with a Faroese side, so I'm quite confident I can get it to work with a better side as well. I have made an attacking version and a counter attacking version and both seems to work quite well.

The first one seems to stretch out the opponent defence and creates a lot of movement. The CM-S is a very nice role, since it's very flexible in terms of the play around the player. The main goalscorer is the striker, even if he is a bit lower, but he will very often be found by the IF's in the box. The DLP works as a natural pivot and helps out avoiding counterattacks, though they are prone to happen every once in a while. I'm unsure if this will work well for a very low rated side though, since we are a medium size team currently. It will be something to look at when I start anew.

The other one is a normal low block with counterattacks as the main way of scoring. I'd also working on attacking set pieces for that one, since you will get quite a few from the wingers and the striker trying to find a way. It seems to work against better sides, but I haven't been able to test it too much yet though.

I'm just happy I finally found a way to make that tactic work. Had to go away from my normal approach at it, but this one seems to be working now.

Looks good. I do love me a 4-3-3. I might just steal some of this :P

 

45 minutes ago, TheGreatTraveler said:

Unlucky there, best of luck with the next one! Where do you plan to go? 

 

Finland

I was thinking I'd try a smaller nation. The league there looks interesting and hopefully the level of players is closer.

[XaW]

10 minutes ago, karax268 said:

Looks good. I do love me a 4-3-3. I might just steal some of this :P

No worries, if you notice any tweaks that are amazing, let me know! I'm not that great at tactics!

[keeper#1]

Not the biggest of nations.  Currently ranked T112th and 193rd in the latest FIFA rankings

[Flashman\'s School Days]

7 hours ago, Morpheus13 said:

Chengfeng Season Review 25/26

Table - Squad - U23 Squad - U19 Squad - Transfers - Finances

Once again we fell short of a promotion spot, finishing 3rd. This 3rd places are getting annoying I must say. Before the season we sold 4 players for around 6 millions in total, which allowed us to get some money in the bank. I immediately used it to upgrade the youth facilities (which got downgraded by the end of last season.

and right after they were completed, we managed to convice the board to upgrade them again

additionally we manager to upgrade the youth recruitement!

---------------------------------------------------------

Youth Intake 26

It was a good intake, with a few players, who could break into the first team in the near time to come. The most notable are

  Reveal hidden contents

Wang Boyuan (26A) and Liu Wenliang (26B)

With Tang Ning (24A), Wung Zhong (24B) and Zhao Wenqing (23B), we have three players who made good progress. At the moment Pei Xiaopan (25A) seems like the only one from the 25 Intake who could be useful, but lets see if another one can take a jump. A few other players are on tthe verge of the first team, but I dont wanna drag this post too long. 

Generally I think we are ready for promotion, as we are seen as one of the better teams in the league.

I've finally managed to catch up fully with the thread, nice to see someone else playing in China and at least you are able to get yourself some upgrades from the board

[Brentmeister]

Season 1 review

The board wanted us to avoid a relegation battle and the media said we'll win the league, we did neither but we managed to gain promtoion at the first attempt. If it wasn't for a couple of silly errors from me, we could've easily gone unbeaten in the league.

We started off our tenure by shipping 10 goals in our first 2 games, but from then on we were excellent, going 11 games unbeaten. A 9 game unbeaten streak closed out the regular season.

 

Performances

Our best player was Rafael Silva, we almost lost him mid  season after the chairman accepted a bid for me, but we triggered his contract extension to end those talks. (little tip there, triggering contract extensions cancels bids that your chairman accepts on your behalf)

 

Youth preview and intake

The less said about this the better. Hopefully a couple can defy expectations and become decent squad players.

Victor was probably the pick of the bunch.

 

 

Transfers, finances and other

Finances are ok, especially with the board selling any of my players with a pulse.

Just look at the quality of players (especially for a 3rd div team) that the board sold for sweet FA, I almost want to cry!

We managed to up the youth recruitment from adequate to average. No qualifications for me, despite my protestations and a change of chairman.

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by Brentmeister

[Flashman\'s School Days]

7 hours ago, Morpheus13 said:

Chengfeng Season Review 25/26

Table - Squad - U23 Squad - U19 Squad - Transfers - Finances

Once again we fell short of a promotion spot, finishing 3rd. This 3rd places are getting annoying I must say. Before the season we sold 4 players for around 6 millions in total, which allowed us to get some money in the bank. I immediately used it to upgrade the youth facilities (which got downgraded by the end of last season.

and right after they were completed, we managed to convice the board to upgrade them again

additionally we manager to upgrade the youth recruitement!

---------------------------------------------------------

Youth Intake 26

It was a good intake, with a few players, who could break into the first team in the near time to come. The most notable are

  Reveal hidden contents

Wang Boyuan (26A) and Liu Wenliang (26B)

With Tang Ning (24A), Wung Zhong (24B) and Zhao Wenqing (23B), we have three players who made good progress. At the moment Pei Xiaopan (25A) seems like the only one from the 25 Intake who could be useful, but lets see if another one can take a jump. A few other players are on tthe verge of the first team, but I dont wanna drag this post too long. 

Generally I think we are ready for promotion, as we are seen as one of the better teams in the league.

Just looking through the screenshots and it looks like you have the IGE loaded?

[Padders]

Season Review 2121/22

So the 100th season in the charge was an absolutely joke of a season!

Won ONE game in the first 12! So any chance of finishing in the top 4 was over by October!

Lost to Burnley in the 122nd minute 2-1 in QF of Euro Cup II

Carl Howe scored another 45 goals but had one year left on his contract. When renewing he locked in minimum release fee to Champions League club of £99m! I rejected a bid for £170m last summer!

Another awful intake!

AND then to finish off the awful season, lost to Leeds in the final of the FA Cup 4-1!

Going backwards again

Edited March 9, 2021 by Padders

[Morpheus13]

2 hours ago, Flashman\'s School Days said:

Just looking through the screenshots and it looks like you have the IGE loaded?

No i own it, but disabled it for this challenge  You can see its grey

But still on other saves I like to do silly stuff, so I bought it anyways

Edited March 9, 2021 by Morpheus13

[Morpheus13]

2 hours ago, Flashman\'s School Days said:

I've finally managed to catch up fully with the thread, nice to see someone else playing in China and at least you are able to get yourself some upgrades from the board

What I realized is, that even bad players have pretty good market value, so I startet selling players in order to gain money. I now have around 4 millions in the bank

[OlivierL]

We survived 3 qualifying rounds in the ECL in our 5th season.. 

We are healthy again !

[Winski]

 

 

I hired a new HoYD. My previous one gave me a good first youth intake, but this Dutch guy has a better personality.


And this is the intake preview that just came into my inbox:

We are halfway our debut season in 2. Bundesliga and it went above expectations. The start wasn't good, with 2 wins and 6 losses in the first 8 matches. But in the next 11 matches we won 7 of them. So this is the league table after 17 matches:

I am really enjoying this save!
 

[ravenation]

Gainsborough Trinity

Season 2039/2040. 16th place Premier League - FA cup 5th round - Carabeo Quarter final

Another crazy season - but we managed to stay up - but let in 79 goals in 38 matches! And we had to sell our topscorer with just 6 months remaining of contract.

Many players are moaning and complaining. They want to change to Championship and league one clubs - total disaster that players prefer t play in lower league than in PL.

Our finances is record 80 million euro in bank and we cant use them to anything really than few improvement in facilities.

We had ok cup results - but was beaten out to Man Utd in both cups.

 

[Flashman\'s School Days]

2 hours ago, Morpheus13 said:

No i own it, but disabled it for this challenge  You can see its grey

But still on other saves I like to do silly stuff, so I bought it anyways

Ahhh OK, makes sense

2 hours ago, Morpheus13 said:

What I realized is, that even bad players have pretty good market value, so I startet selling players in order to gain money. I now have around 4 millions in the bank

Early on in my save I had players that I could sell and did so for quite a decent amount of money and in total I've sold £18.25M worth of player but even when I had £6M in the bank the board wouldn't even let me take a coaching course.  Now I find that nobody wants any of my players and when they do it isn't a first team player with a good value.  I also get terrible attendances which doesn't help.

[Brentmeister]

32 minutes ago, Winski said:

 

 

I hired a new HoYD. My previous one gave me a good first youth intake, but this Dutch guy has a better personality.


And this is the intake preview that just came into my inbox:

We are halfway our debut season in 2. Bundesliga and it went above expectations. The start wasn't good, with 2 wins and 6 losses in the first 8 matches. But in the next 11 matches we won 7 of them. So this is the league table after 17 matches:

I am really enjoying this save!
 

That picture of your new HOYD

[JAwtunes]

1 hour ago, Brentmeister said:

That picture of your new HOYD

Iv'e had this guy as my assistant for ages on my save.  I would miss not seeing that cheeky smile if he ever left

[darren1983]

South Shields Season 2032/33 Review - Championship

 

League - I said I was excited for this group of players and that's probably why I flew through this one. It was a strange season in many ways, we started slowish and around the Christmas period I had pretty much written the season off in my head as while we were a solid top 10 side we were so inconsistent that I didn't think we would be able to do much other than comfortably survive and use the season to give game time to some talented young players ready for next season. Thing was, no one around us were too consistent either so while we never went on a long winning or even a long unbeaten run we were always in and around the top 6. In fact with 5 games to go we were 5th. And this is where things turned. We had won 4 in a row and suddenly found ourselves 3-0 down at HT to midtable Charlton (which wasn't too much of a shock as we often had games in the season where we didn't turn up - the perils of having a side with the average age of just over 20) next game we were 2-0 at home to 2nd placed Millwall with 5 mins to go and drew 2-2. The away to Midtable Bristol City we were 2-1 in the 88th minute and lost 3-2 to drop us out of the playoffs. We lost to Watford and twice threw away a lead in the final game to draw 2-2 and miss out on the playoffs on GD. Frustrating but promising in the end.

FA Cup - Awful here. Played awful first game and even worse in the replay

League Cup - rotated side gave away a late goal to draw (nice to see it was a theme all season) and lose on pens 

Transfers - No big sales this season. Lots of loans. Board still wont give me a U23 squad so this will continue to be the norm

Squad - Like I say, average age of just over 20 so lots of promise here, and based on this season they're going to live up to my hopes. I just want to keep them together for another season at least but some big clubs are sniffing around 

Finances - Solid. We lost a lot of money each season (around 500k a month on our youth set up) but currently should, I hope, have enough to make sure the board don't accept cheap offers for players

Youth Intake - Our worst one yet. I can't complain with 1 poor one in 11 seasons. Only 1 tagged as well

Robert Lynch 33A - young Irish right back, we've now got 4 right backs 20 or under - could really do with some left backs tbh  

Career Overview

Season		League		Position	Youth Recruitment	Youth Coaching		Notes & Achievements 

2021/22		VNLN		5th 		Adequate		Adequate		First coaching badge
2022/23		VNLN		2nd 		Adequate		Good			Promoted via playoffs, FA Trophy runners up
2023/24		VNL		16th 		Average			Excellent 		2nd coaching badge
2024/25		VNL		12th 		Average			Excellent		3rd coaching badge
2025/26		VNL		6th 		Average			Excellent		Promotion via playoffs
2026/27		League Two	1st 		Good			Exceptional		Promotion as champions
2027/28		League One	11th 		Good			Exceptional
2028/29		League One	14th 		Good			Exceptional
2029/30		League One	7th 		Good			Exceptional
2030/31		League One	1st 		Good 			Exceptional		Promoted as champions. Completed all coaching badges
2031/32		Championship	18th 		Excellent		Exceptional
2031/32		Championship	8th 		Excellent		Exceptional

 

[darren1983]

22 hours ago, karax268 said:

What do you guys do with tactics?

 

do you set a tactic and just plug and play?

 

I feel like i tinker to much sometimes and am afraid it is costing me points (as a matter of fact i'm about to be relagated from the segunda B)

It's hard for me to decide if something doesn't work because I made a bad tactic or if my players are just crappy

This is pretty much what I've been using for all 11 seasons now. Only change now is the AP is now a Mez but that role can change depending on the player

Basically what I do is have this set up and train players to suit this, bit of a Ajax/Barca type thing where every team at the club plays the same system so that when young players step up it's in a role they've played and trained in for years.

I do also have a formation with 2 DMs and a CM with a false 9 up top for some tough games and diamond when  my wide players are struggling (which is sadly a regular thing) but the above is what I start 99% of my games with

[karax268]

The Next Chapter:

 

Save Setup | Manager profile

 

Is the third time the charm? Let's find out.

Next stop: Oulu, to manage JS Hercules. They actually have a full roster of players, so that is promising. They are predicted to be a mid table side next year. Both will, hopefully, help me to stay clear of the relegation for once.

And I will need every bit of help i can find.

After all, to Finnish this challenge is a Herculean task...

[darren1983]

So I realise I've been talking about my excitement for my team but realised I've not actually explained why, because unless you're able to remember players I posted about in my intake why would you?  I also realise many probably don't care but I've been playing this challenge for a few versions now and this actually might be the most excited I've ever been by a group of players I've had so if you'll indulge me a little here I'm going to showcase some.

Frist up is my Italian star Riccardo Bortolotti 23B. Captain and maybe my favourite ever player. He's been a rock for us and has been fans player of the season for 7 seasons in a row! Pops up with so many crucial goals from corners and is great at dealing with any players that moan. Has never expressed an interest in leaving us even when Italian clubs have come around. I love this man. He has also been player of the season for League 2, League One and this season he was the player of the season in the Championship.

His partner at the back Stephen Hammond 29C. England U21 player now and at some point had half the Premier League looking at him, managed to keep him though it's a battle with contracts with him and his agent at times. Despite his height he never looks like scoring many though. Is a solid partner for Bortolotti. Was the Championship young player of the season too this year.

Just in front of them is our little playmaker Taylor Morgan 30B. Baffled by the fact he's never had a sniff of a Wales call up at any level. He's who we might lose this summer as have had to agree to sell him if a club matches his 11m release clause. He has a 3 year option on his current deal so if no one matches his clause I will try and sort a new deal without one but otherwise add on 3 years to the current one and hope we can go up before someone comes in for him.

Our box to box guy was someone that didn't even get tagged when he came in, he just developed really well and forced his way into my thinking. Scott Scott really broke through in the U18s putting up some good numbers and has been solid for the most part this season. I expect big things next year.

Now time for what will be my front 3 next year. First up, and completing a clean slate of winners was the Championship top scorer Curtis Jones 29B. Became first choice last season and scored 16, got 25 this year. Not the best finisher but his pace and power gets him goals. Thinking of moving him out wide next season though. One wide option is Phil McDonald 31B. He cam through as a striker but with his dribbling and work rate and teamwork I liked him for a wide man cutting inside. Played mainly off the bench this season but likely first choice next year and finally the reason Jones may have to move out wide is Mark Campbell 31A. This kid is going to be something special I think. 15 goals this season as a 17 year old. I expect big things from him soon.

Anyway that's why I'm so excited for this group of players. Watch now as I lose half of them to crap clubs this summer now I've posted about them  

 

[keeper#1]

3 hours ago, darren1983 said:

South Shields Season 2032/33 Review - Championship

 

League - I said I was excited for this group of players and that's probably why I flew through this one. It was a strange season in many ways, we started slowish and around the Christmas period I had pretty much written the season off in my head as while we were a solid top 10 side we were so inconsistent that I didn't think we would be able to do much other than comfortably survive and use the season to give game time to some talented young players ready for next season. Thing was, no one around us were too consistent either so while we never went on a long winning or even a long unbeaten run we were always in and around the top 6. In fact with 5 games to go we were 5th. And this is where things turned. We had won 4 in a row and suddenly found ourselves 3-0 down at HT to midtable Charlton (which wasn't too much of a shock as we often had games in the season where we didn't turn up - the perils of having a side with the average age of just over 20) next game we were 2-0 at home to 2nd placed Millwall with 5 mins to go and drew 2-2. The away to Midtable Bristol City we were 2-1 in the 88th minute and lost 3-2 to drop us out of the playoffs. We lost to Watford and twice threw away a lead in the final game to draw 2-2 and miss out on the playoffs on GD. Frustrating but promising in the end.

FA Cup - Awful here. Played awful first game and even worse in the replay

League Cup - rotated side gave away a late goal to draw (nice to see it was a theme all season) and lose on pens 

Transfers - No big sales this season. Lots of loans. Board still wont give me a U23 squad so this will continue to be the norm

Squad - Like I say, average age of just over 20 so lots of promise here, and based on this season they're going to live up to my hopes. I just want to keep them together for another season at least but some big clubs are sniffing around 

Finances - Solid. We lost a lot of money each season (around 500k a month on our youth set up) but currently should, I hope, have enough to make sure the board don't accept cheap offers for players

Youth Intake - Our worst one yet. I can't complain with 1 poor one in 11 seasons. Only 1 tagged as well

Robert Lynch 33A - young Irish right back, we've now got 4 right backs 20 or under - could really do with some left backs tbh  

Career Overview

Season		League		Position	Youth Recruitment	Youth Coaching		Notes & Achievements 

2021/22		VNLN		5th 		Adequate		Adequate		First coaching badge
2022/23		VNLN		2nd 		Adequate		Good			Promoted via playoffs, FA Trophy runners up
2023/24		VNL		16th 		Average			Excellent 		2nd coaching badge
2024/25		VNL		12th 		Average			Excellent		3rd coaching badge
2025/26		VNL		6th 		Average			Excellent		Promotion via playoffs
2026/27		League Two	1st 		Good			Exceptional		Promotion as champions
2027/28		League One	11th 		Good			Exceptional
2028/29		League One	14th 		Good			Exceptional
2029/30		League One	7th 		Good			Exceptional
2030/31		League One	1st 		Good 			Exceptional		Promoted as champions. Completed all coaching badges
2031/32		Championship	18th 		Excellent		Exceptional
2031/32		Championship	8th 		Excellent		Exceptional

 

You still have the Underwriter owner or has he sold the club?

[darren1983]

4 minutes ago, keeper#1 said:

You still have the Underwriter owner or has he sold the club?

Sadly not, he left after like 3 seasons, sold to a local businessman who has since sold the club to a fans trust. 

[FM Whisperer]

I'm up and running! First time Youth Academy Challenger! Landed at Hitchin Town.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/192508225@N08/51023736931/in/dateposted-public/

We have 17 players and just 1 keeper and the bookies make us 400-1 to go up!

First intake day can't come soon enough.

Edited March 10, 2021 by FM Whisperer
Change to image link

[Brentmeister]

10 hours ago, darren1983 said:

So I realise I've been talking about my excitement for my team but realised I've not actually explained why, because unless you're able to remember players I posted about in my intake why would you?  I also realise many probably don't care but I've been playing this challenge for a few versions now and this actually might be the most excited I've ever been by a group of players I've had so if you'll indulge me a little here I'm going to showcase some.

Frist up is my Italian star Riccardo Bortolotti 23B. Captain and maybe my favourite ever player. He's been a rock for us and has been fans player of the season for 7 seasons in a row! Pops up with so many crucial goals from corners and is great at dealing with any players that moan. Has never expressed an interest in leaving us even when Italian clubs have come around. I love this man. He has also been player of the season for League 2, League One and this season he was the player of the season in the Championship.

His partner at the back Stephen Hammond 29C. England U21 player now and at some point had half the Premier League looking at him, managed to keep him though it's a battle with contracts with him and his agent at times. Despite his height he never looks like scoring many though. Is a solid partner for Bortolotti. Was the Championship young player of the season too this year.

Just in front of them is our little playmaker Taylor Morgan 30B. Baffled by the fact he's never had a sniff of a Wales call up at any level. He's who we might lose this summer as have had to agree to sell him if a club matches his 11m release clause. He has a 3 year option on his current deal so if no one matches his clause I will try and sort a new deal without one but otherwise add on 3 years to the current one and hope we can go up before someone comes in for him.

Our box to box guy was someone that didn't even get tagged when he came in, he just developed really well and forced his way into my thinking. Scott Scott really broke through in the U18s putting up some good numbers and has been solid for the most part this season. I expect big things next year.

Now time for what will be my front 3 next year. First up, and completing a clean slate of winners was the Championship top scorer Curtis Jones 29B. Became first choice last season and scored 16, got 25 this year. Not the best finisher but his pace and power gets him goals. Thinking of moving him out wide next season though. One wide option is Phil McDonald 31B. He cam through as a striker but with his dribbling and work rate and teamwork I liked him for a wide man cutting inside. Played mainly off the bench this season but likely first choice next year and finally the reason Jones may have to move out wide is Mark Campbell 31A. This kid is going to be something special I think. 15 goals this season as a 17 year old. I expect big things from him soon.

Anyway that's why I'm so excited for this group of players. Watch now as I lose half of them to crap clubs this summer now I've posted about them  

 

Scott Scott is a great name, and looks excellent too for someone you didn't even tag.

[djsterry]

Any recommendations for hoyd style of play to produce decent defenders.

My hoyd is tika-taka and I keep producing the same type of player. Slow but technical players with good passing ect but poor physical. 

[darren1983]

1 hour ago, Brentmeister said:

Scott Scott is a great name, and looks excellent too for someone you didn't even tag.

I just went back through to have a look at the intake he came through in and my coaches rated him 8th! Same intake as Morgan (who, as I feared we have now had to sell ) but seems Scott just developed through getting game time as a youngster and having a good personality along with great work rate. He's an example for me of why I pretty much always sign everyone in an intake (when I can afford too) as even if their ability doesn't look great (and at 16 not everyone will) if they have attributes in key aeras for what you need from them then they can turn out to be good players for you if nothing else. 

[Brentmeister]

1 hour ago, djsterry said:

Any recommendations for hoyd style of play to produce decent defenders.

My hoyd is tika-taka and I keep producing the same type of player. Slow but technical players with good passing ect but poor physical. 

You could always try someone with a catenaccio style and 5atb as a preferred formation

[Morpheus13]

Chengfeng Season 26 /27 Review

Table - Squad - U23 Squad - U19Squad - Transfers - Finances

We will spend another season in the Jia League after finishing 4th. It was a season of streaks. The largest was a 10 game winning streak, but then also a streak where we didint win 7 in a row. Happens far too often to me.

The Intake preview looked great, but unfortunately it then wasnt

Youth Intake Preview - Youth Intake

Finances are looking ok, even tho I always see red at the end of the month. But it seems like we have to stell our best player in Ren Qisheng (22C) this offseason, as he is unhappy and his contract will only last one more year. But it was the year, where the 23 Intake players took a step forward. He Sen (23G), Huang Yongshi (23A) and Ma Shuai (23D). Especially He Sen and Ma Shuai didnt look great at intake day, but with playing they got better.

 

From the 26 Intake it is Liu Wenliang (26B)  who will replace Qisheng

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by Morpheus13

[vikeologist]

27 minutes ago, darren1983 said:

I just went back through to have a look at the intake he came through in and my coaches rated him 8th! Same intake as Morgan (who, as I feared we have now had to sell ) but seems Scott just developed through getting game time as a youngster and having a good personality along with great work rate. He's an example for me of why I pretty much always sign everyone in an intake (when I can afford too) as even if their ability doesn't look great (and at 16 not everyone will) if they have attributes in key aeras for what you need from them then they can turn out to be good players for you if nothing else. 

Do you have a minimum potential level, or do you sign absolutely everybody?

I tend not to go below 3 star potential. I don;t always sign the 3 stars, but you're right. If a newbie has a professional personality, they can really exceed expectations.

[darren1983]

9 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

Do you have a minimum potential level, or do you sign absolutely everybody?

I tend not to go below 3 star potential. I don;t always sign the 3 stars, but you're right. If a newbie has a professional personality, they can really exceed expectations.

Neither really, what I tend to do, especially now I'm not worried about wages, is sign everyone the staff recommend and then I go through the players they don't and see if I can find a reason to sign them. This can be a good personality, attributes in areas I like (mainly mental ones like team work and work rate which I feel tie in to personalities too) I also look to see who is likely to be moving up over the coming summer and if I have enough depth after that. So for example if it looks like my U18s will only have 1 left back I'll sign a poor one just to have cover. I may also sign a player if they can play 2 or more positions, again for added depth.

Each player signed gets trained like I expect them to be a first team player at some stage though, so they will train the role they would play (in the main, sometimes I've trained players in different roles/positions if it helps round them out - Morgan for example was trained as a libero in U18s but played as a DM because it trained him in defence, play making and his physicals which were all things I wanted to improve) and they all get additional training in areas I want them to improve in. 

[vikeologist]

7 minutes ago, darren1983 said:

Neither really, what I tend to do, especially now I'm not worried about wages, is sign everyone the staff recommend a

I'm in a tough situation in English league 1. I have to pay them all at least £150ish a week, and don't yet have enough money to hand those contracts out willy-nilly.

[darren1983]

7 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

I'm in a tough situation in English league 1. I have to pay them all at least £150ish a week, and don't yet have enough money to hand those contracts out willy-nilly.

Yeah it's a tough juggling act really, where I've been fortunate is that at each level we've ,oved up I've made decent sized sales which has meant we've had the cash to operate like this for the past 4 or 5 years now. 

[Padders]

Season Review 2122/23

A better season finishing 9th.

Tried a 4-4-2 which didn't work first few months so went to a 4-4-1-1 which seems to have worked a little better

Liam Archer still going at 36 years old (profile in the shots below) with another 23 assists. His attributes are still decent for a 36 yr old!

Poor intake again so will be sacking HOYD

 

[Brentmeister]

19 minutes ago, Padders said:

Season Review 2122/23

A better season finishing 9th.

Tried a 4-4-2 which didn't work first few months so went to a 4-4-1-1 which seems to have worked a little better

Liam Archer still going at 36 years old (profile in the shots below) with another 23 assists. His attributes are still decent for a 36 yr old!

Poor intake again so will be sacking HOYD

 

How do you always seem to have a 30 goal a season striker!?!? They are few and far between for me. 197 goals in 5 seasons whilst finishing mid table ish is very impressive. How do you set up your forwards?

Edited March 10, 2021 by Brentmeister

[Pieyanthikos]

After achieving some success in this challenge with Babelsberg in FM20, where I got them qualified for the Europa League in 2034, I have now bought FM21. I've moved to a new country - Holland - and, after three years on holiday mode, my eyes fell in love with the beautiful club Kozakken Boys from Werkendam.

The club (founded in 1932) competes in the 3rd tier of dutch football and plays at De Zwaaier with a capacity of 5000. I've got €20k/w for wages, potentially more if they'll let me move some of the €1,5m transfer funds to the wage budget.

I will post an update when the 24/25 season comes to an end. Now, let's get to work!

 

 

[Flashman\'s School Days]

Wuhan Three Towns - Season Review 2032

Manager Profile - Transfers - Fixtures 1 - Fixtures 2

China Super League - 10th

Quite a remarkable season we had this year, finishing with our highest ever place and highest ever points tally although in the early stages of the season I was hoping for more.  After the first 13 games of the season we were sat 3rd, only a few points off top spot despite being defeated by Renhe and Jiangsu, who would both go on to really struggle.  I thought this was showing me what we were actually capable of against the middling sides in the league, which is where we need to pick up results to survive, unfortunately the other 17 games didn't go swimmingly, with us picking up only 2 more wins and losing 12 (including losing 9-5 to Shanghai SIPG despite being 3-0 and 4-3 up).  Despite that back half of the season, I prefer to be happy about the overall result which is staying in the league and thankfully due to those early points on the board I never felt like we were going to be in a relegation battle.

Squad

Another season of having a very settled squad, the only additions being players that were now too old to play for the U23s.  I put our brilliant start to the season down to the fact that we were settled and that we've now got players playing their prime instead of an entire squad of youngsters.  Unfortunately due to our horrendous financial position and our wage budget being cut, I can't offer a lot of first team players anywhere near the money they want so we shall be losing 6 of our starting XI at the end of the year.

Our best performer, club top goalscorer and joint league top goalscorer Li Weijie 27c smashed in his best season tally as well as being tied down to a new 5 year contract on the same money he was already on.

Some of the players we are losing include Guo Qi 22h, Yu Hao 23b, club captain Ma Jian'gang 22f and Guo Jun 26d.

Youth Intake

Our first "Golden Generation" for a few seasons, unfortunately I don't really agree on the whole but a couple of players are quite exciting especially Li Yajing 32a.

A couple of other top prospects are Su Zheyu 32b and Tan Wei 32c.

Finances

It was announced early on in the season that we were entering Administration which went on for about 3 months before all the debt being cleared with a consolidated loan agreed for outstanding loans and the debt we had been in.  That took us back to even money and then we were briefly in a positive bank balance because Wuhan come across the city to play us and brought 21000 away fans.  As you can see this soon plummeted back down and again are in a real bleak situation with seemingly no way out.  As mentioned because of the financial problems we are losing 6 first team players for nothing which will take our wage bill below what was our budget for this season (it's actually been increased slightly for next season) but ours is already by far the smallest wages in the league. 

We had exactly the same amount of season ticket holders this season as we did last season which was strange as it had be steadily increasing year on year, I'm hoping that was coincidence and not some sort of bug because getting fans in the ground is one way we could actually make some money.  Sponsorship also increased for this season but still £200k less than the most we've had and it's still £3.5M behind the next lowest amount.  As always still no upgrades to any facilities and no coaching badges.

Next Season

As always, survival is the aim but it's going to be a really unknown season due to the first team being completely overhauled so I wouldn't be surprised to see us really struggle.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Flashman\'s School Days

[Winski]

BFC Dynamo
Season 2022/2023 review
League table | Finances | Transfers

What a fantastic season it was!! We finished 7th in 2. Bundesliga, our debut season in this league. An amazing achievement! The first half of the season went fantastic, but after the long winter break (because of the World Cup 2022) we had a long run without a win. But in the end, it was a great performance of our team with a great 7th place. And because of this league finish, we earned € 12.53M!! So we finally are out of debts.
Unfortunatly my board isn't very keen on upgrading our facilities. At the beginning of the season we upgraded our junior coaching, but that's it. Even with almost € 10M I'm not allowed to upgrade our junior coaching and youth recruitment.
But the good news is that they are willing to upgrade our training- and youth facilities. So that's at least something.

The youth intake was again a very promising one. This was the preview:

And this the actual intake:

These players are the best ones, according to our Happy Face HoyD:






Some very interesting players in this intake.

I want to point out two players of our intake of last year. These two played a lot of matches for us and are developing nicely:



Brkic 22B scored 8 goals in his first season for us, so that's very promising. And Ott 22A was alowed to play for us from January '23. He is an amazing talent, who will be very important for us in the (near) future.

So yes, I am very happy about this season. Hopefully we are alowed to upgrade our facilities etc a bit more in the next months.

[Padders]

1 hour ago, Brentmeister said:

How do you always seem to have a 30 goal a season striker!?!? They are few and far between for me. 197 goals in 5 seasons whilst finishing mid table ish is very impressive. How do you set up your forwards?

Between Luca Crepaldi and Carl Howe I didn't. Crepaldi and Howe luckily were world class

Howe playing up top on his own now so will get majority of goals

[Padders]

You build up for the new season, new formation worked well second half of previous season and this happens inside 20 minutes of the first game!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Padders]

So the new formation that seemed to work last season is now a joke 

Played 7, lost 7!

Back to the drawing board we go!

[djsterry]

just had an absolute stinker of a youth intake, didn't tag a singe one of them 

last two intakes have been awful which is ironic as ive been doing loads of improvements on my facilities

[karax268]

2 hours ago, Padders said:

You build up for the new season, new formation worked well second half of previous season and this happens inside 20 minutes of the first game!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

1 hour ago, Padders said:

So the new formation that seemed to work last season is now a joke 

Played 7, lost 7!

Back to the drawing board we go!

Ouch. those are some harsh results. Hope you can turn it around

[vikeologist]

Despite it being near the business end of the season with lots at stake, I decided the time had come to drop my goalie Chris Pope whose made over 400 appearances for us for the young upstart.

The attributes for the role are basically equal in total, albeit with different strengths and weaknesses.

The current ability is very close, and I have to make the switch at some time. It was an easy game. I decided to watch the match to check on my new goalie's performance.

Let's just say it did not go well. he did eventually start managing to place himself between the football and the goal, but by that time we were 4-0 down.

Was it nerves? There's no indication of that. He was just unbelievably terrible at shot stopping, which isn't all all reflected in any of the attributes or reports.

His rating for the match was actually quite good, but the actual viewing experience was horrendous.

Back to Pope for the rest of the season, I guess. Can't afford that again.

 

 

[vikeologist]

4 hours ago, Brentmeister said:

How do you always seem to have a 30 goal a season striker!?!? They are few and far between for me. 197 goals in 5 seasons whilst finishing mid table is is very impressive. How do you set up your forwards?

I also have at least 3o goals a season from both my 2 strikers almost every season, but I adopt a very attacking tactic. (The 41/42 season is still in progress, which is why the total is only 31).