FM21: The English Football League thread

[karanhsingh]

Summer of 2021

It's been a fairly satisfying summer. We didn't bring in Lowe, but as you see we did bring in not one but two former Derby academy players.

INS:

OUTS:

So the major moves IN:

Matt Clarke (not in screenshot) - managed to renew his loan deal for another season. He actually won player of the year last season so hoping for more of the same.

Ethan Laid (not in screenshot) - same, we managed to renew his loan deal from Man Utd. He should be first choice RB again.

Liam Delap - a one year loan for the former academy player from Man City. He should give us some pace up front and a very different option to Waghorn. I am also hoping to develop him with a view to bringing him back to the club permanently at some point.

Max O'Leary - the most recommended player by the DOF and the scouts for the GK position. We needed someone to compete with the ageing David Marshall. He seems to be quite solid and also young.

Luke Woolfenden - with te Wierik leaving for France we needed another CB and I wanted someone with pace. My DOF probably could have negotiated a better deal but I am fairly happy with this one. We could have got Tanganga on loan instead and he is much better, but I didn't want so many loan deals.

Will Hughes - when he got transfer listed I just couldn't turn down the opportunity to bring him back to Derby. Its a rather expensive loan deal, but he is in the final year of his contract, so I am hoping that we can try to sign him up permanently next summer.

I reckon the squad looks pretty good now for a proper promotion push this year. Although there are some pretty big clubs in the Championship with Leeds, Newcastle and Burnley dropping in. 

Also, this was nice to see.

[smplfc123]

So as I was scrolling through the forums looking for any hints whilst getting going in my Huddersfield save, I came across @Dong21's fantastic career update with Oldham and it's suckered me in to start a similar save.

I'm doing something I didn't do last FM, a long-term save starting in League 2.

I don't want a team who's instant expectations are promotion as I like to take my time to grow and build a plan whilst not under too much pressure in the first season.

With that in mind, it's locked between Morecambe and Cheltenham. What do you guys think?

[Dong21]

Thanks for the compliment @smplfc123!

On my Oldham save Cheltenham are rock bottom in 24th and Morecambe are not far ahead of them in 21st, so both definitely will be big challenges. Depends how tough you want it to be I guess!

[warlock]

33 minutes ago, Dong21 said:

both definitely will be big challenges

Agreed! Not much between the clubs, not much ability to grow the fanbase, permanently short of money. Not just a tough challenge but a very, very long one 

[robterrace]

Few little things before getting into it.

My squad is either, young, or old, not a great deal in the middle.

The goalkeepers used last season are at either extreme (Chris May, and Jamie Cumming), and, whilst the intention is for the goalkeeper to get as many minutes as possible, I'd like for an experienced keeper to be in goal for me, so that we can build properly.

The Backroom staff is being assembled, as most of the current staff left when Alex Revell was relieved of his post.

[craiigman]

I'll post my full summer once a few more deals are completed, but this happened. Maybe this season won't be a write off after all, even if he's dropped off quite a bit

Edited December 11, 2020 by craiigman

[warlock]

2 hours ago, craiigman said:

this happened

Thought you'd signed Mariah Carey as a midfielder for minute . Hope it works out for you!

[robterrace]

3 hours ago, craiigman said:

I'll post my full summer once a few more deals are completed, but this happened. Maybe this season won't be a write off after all, even if he's dropped off quite a bit

Double intensity training, you're going to make his legs fall off.

[Jogo Bonito]

I'm stumbling through pre-season. Had my 24 man squad sorted but because it's continuing the BETA save I can only register 20 players in League 2. So now trying to sell a few and loan (didn't really want many loans) or sign free agents under 21 who don't need to be registered. Probably my longest pre-season ever as it was complete and is now far from complete

[warlock]

Brentford, January 2021

On our last visit to the Brentford Community Stadium things were looking pretty good. We'd started the campaign with just a single defeat in the league, and were sitting nicely in 3rd spot. Our next game was a visit to bottom-of-the-league Wycombe and I expected a straightforward victory - and was disappointed as we came away with a goalless draw. If at that point you'd offered me a 16-game unbeaten run I'd have snatched your hand off. If that came with the caveat that we'd win fewer than half of those games I'd have scoffed. But that's what happened. Our defence has been immense, our strikers have been woeful.

So at the end of the January transfer window, having lost just that one league game against table-toppers Norwich, we sit in second place and just one win ahead of Blackburn, Bristol City and Watford. The fact that that run is bookended with goalless draws against Wycombe - still firmly bottom of the league - probably sums up the season so far. I'm conflicted: one loss in 27 league games is fantastic. On the other hand, Norwich have lost four and are 7pts ahead of us. Blackburn and Bristol City have lost 5 games each and are just 2pts behind us.

From those results you can probably see the trouble: Raya in goal and Jansson and Pinnock in defence have been immense. Toney and Forss up front have been abysmal. And the midfield has been consistently inconsistent.

"Star" striker Toney, who started the season on fire, has found the net in only 3 of his last 15 appearances. Backup striker Forss has an identical record. Well over half our goals have come from AML and AMR - which raises another issue: injuries. 

In just about 6 months, these are the injuries that took out players for more than two weeks. We've missed Fosu and Ghoddos for around 2 months; Jensen for nearly 3; and Mbeumo for more than a month. These are our best midfielders 

Anyway, here's where we stand for the second half of the season:

I doubt we can catch Norwich so we're battling for the second automatic promotion spot, and there's not much room for error. No business was done in January (except I cancelled the loan of Dan N'Lundulu, who was disappointing). I really wanted a better option than Forss as backup to Toney but couldn't find the right option, so we'll see out the season with what we have.

And finally, one from the Curiosity Shop: the wonderful Tyrick Mitchell - who has been way better than Rico Henry at LB - turns out to be a graduate of the old Brentford academy, having made the move to Crystal Palace back in 2016. I'd love to sign him permenently but I doubt Palace would let him go at a price we could afford. But anyone looking for an LB should take a close look at this young man.

[warlock]

14 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I'm stumbling through pre-season.

I appreciate the fact that SI takes so much trouble to make beta saves compatible with the full release, but I've never done it. For me, full release means a new save, wherever that happens to be. Just seems like there are always these minor issues that may be "save-game compatible" but mess things up regardless. Hope you get things sorted .

[Jogo Bonito]

Yeah it was only ever intended to be a one-season BETA save with Tottenham, I'm the same as you really. I'll see where I am at when the window closes and squad registration is done. If I have 20 registered and the squad balance is ok with a few capable youngsters I'll crack on. If not, I will probably head back to one of my previously set up League 1 or League 2 clubs.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I just had my first Youth Intake with Exeter City and its one hell of a good turnout. I got one great newgen, I got 6 good newgens and 3 decent newgens to boost the youth team and reserves.

I am hoping to give some of these game time next season.

Geoff Llewellyn

Jordan Lewis

Peter Dibble

 

[robterrace]

That striker could be really good with his determination.

[Jogo Bonito]

 

This is an extension of a BETA save, which saw Oxford relegated from League 1 in the 2020/21 season

I walked in to the job  on 1st June 2021 with the board expecting me to win the League 2 title at the first attempt

Prior to my arrival, a deal was already in place to sell the most valuable asset Cameron Brannagan to New York City for £1.1 million (potentially rising to £1.5 million)

I saw that the wage bill for Oxford was around £48,000 per week in League 1, but the maximum it could be in League 2 was £29,000 per week 

Also, I discovered late in the window that you could only register a maximum of 20 players (in addition to any Under 21 players)

By that time I had done all my wheeling & dealing and had 24 players to register, so I had to do some last minute realignments

By the time the competitive kick off arrived on 31st July 2021, the finances were looking in much better shape - with the weekly wage costs reduced to £37,890

Unfortunately, I have no idea what penalty may apply for being over the wage cap as the league rules don't make mention of any dispensation for relegated sides

 

[Jogo Bonito]

The previous manager hadn't been particularly active in the transfer market during his first season

Sears, Longridge and Francis had arrived on permanent deals for modest outlays

Only midfielder Forde had left permanently with the remaining deals all being loans

It's worth adding that because this was the legacy of a BETA save, left-back Jordan Obita was not in the Oxford squad (and is playing for Doncaster)

I was happy to inherit a fairly typical Oxford squad as it added to my realism preference, but I did have much work to do in the summer 

I was happy to get rid of the three signings made by the previous regime, with Longridge released and Francis and Sears sold as I needed younger men to meet the rules

Vokins and Mengi had already departed when I arrived, and I curtailed the loan of Ashby-Hammond and McGuane (not showing here anyway)

I did choose to renew the loan of Cody Drameh as the right-back is decent and at age19 does not need to be registered to play

This allowed me to force Sam Long to see out his Oxford contract at Northampton, where he will spend his second season

Whilst I knew that Cameron Brannagan was going, I faced an immediate issue when Rotherham came calling for my best striker Matty Taylor

He is Oxford born and a fan of the club, but wasn't pleased when I rejected a £400k offer from a club two rungs higher up the ladder

After a chat, I eventually brokered a good deal with them paying £450k upfront (rising to £500k) and a loan back of six months

This saved £4,000 per week off the wage bill instantly, the fee was good for a 31 year old and I hope he will score enough to keep me in the top spots before bidding farewell

The other notable sale was Simon Power, who I had signed on a free but sold for £100k just 16 days later as I needed to trim the squad numbers back

At this point (and knowing that right-back Sears would also be sacrificed), I decided to reject another significant bid of £400k from big-spending Rotherham

Their target this time was Sean Clare and whilst I was indifferent about keeping him initially, he could play anywhere down the right hand side for me

With a real need to cut numbers, this versatility was going to be priceless and it was a common sense decision in the end

Most of the new arrivals were on free transfers, and this was my clear policy before I discovered the new squad size rules

Goalkeeper Dillon Barnes, midfielders Adam Phillips, George Marsh and Paul Lewis, plus central defender Will Nightingale all arrived on free transfers

Young Brighton striker Dan Cashman did likewise, but he will go in to the U23 squad unlike the others

Left-back Thomas O'Connor joined on loan from Southampton just before I learned the squad size limitations in place

Had I known it at the time, I could have gone for somebody slightly younger who didn't need to be registered - but I don't regret getting him in for his ability

And the final signing was solely done with age in mind - seeing Southampton-raised Chelsea youth player Dynel Simeu added as my 4th central defender

The Cameroon-born player is highly regarded by the London club and has been capped at England Youth level already

By this point, I had 22 players in the first team squad with two being exempt from registration due to their age

So what am I left with, and is it good enough to win League 2 at the first time of asking?

14 of the 22 are original Oxford players

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[karanhsingh]

@Ronaldo Beckham that striker looks good! Think he can break into your first team before too long.

@Jogo Bonitogreat choice of club, I have considered Oxford a number of times. Shame that Brannagan is gone though.

@warlock good going with Brentford mate, even if too many draws. But clearly its very hard to beat your side.

[karanhsingh]

Derby County - Sept & Oct 2021

Two solid months. Good to see the goals quite spread out as well.

Top of the table. Need to ensure the gap between us and 3rd remains substantial.

Also signed a new contract, and agreed extensions for a number of key players including Knight, Sibley, Buchanan, Jozwiak and Shinnie.

[robterrace]

First couple of transfers making their way to Stevenage.

The first, an area I wanted to strengthen from the off.

With nearly 250 appearances to his name, of which, 44 of those came in the Championship last season, Ryan Allsop is set to join from Wycombe. Other clubs were interested, but, he negotiated with us first, and stuck to that promise. Definitely an upgrade on the older keeper we had, and someone who can bring the younger keepers we sign and have on.

Next, we went after a striker.

Using some data stuff (nice big spreadsheet of numbers), as well as some visualisation, it was a case of looking at goals per 90 and shots per 90 compared. One of the outliers to the top right (the good side of the chart), was a 21 year old striker by the name of Anthony Spyrou. Admittedly, his 15 goals from 34 games, at an average of 110 minutes per goal, were in the Eastern Counties League for Holland, but, as a low risk option, he was more than worth it, especially if everything came off. He has the right attributes for how we were going to set up (and thats a big positive), and his pace and decent finishing skill would be an advantage against some League Two defences.

 

 

[craiigman]

10 hours ago, robterrace said:

Double intensity training, you're going to make his legs fall off.

Got so excited I didn't even spot that! Down to half he goes

[craiigman]

HUGE summer for Gillingham so far. First the outs, quite a few contracts were due to expire and none of these players done well enough in League One, no good for Championship level. Nathan Dyer was a disappointment as well. Cody McDonald's single goal was well worth it though. Only player I extended was the keeper Jack Bonham as I searched and couldn't find a better replacement.

Now for a few sales. I had no plan in selling Rowe or Jordan but Rowe was annoyed I was playing him as IW rather than W and Jordan wanted £7.5k per week, jog on mate. Oglivie would have been good as LCB in my 3 man defence, but needed the cash.

Now for the players in:

Harvey White - Top class player on loan from Spurs, got an injury right away in pre season so not played any friendlies yet. Spuds want me to play him as a CAR but I have other ideas.

Ryan Giles/Luke Matheson - Wing backs on loan from Wolves. We're playing with wing backs and these were the best two I could get in,.

Cohan Bramall - Signed purely on the basis he used to play for Arsenal.. No needed cover LWB and didn't have many options, the Arsenal link is nice though.

Zach Clough - Was tracking him last year but was not interested. Got promoted and he was happy to join. Adds a solid option that's different to my other strikers.

Jake Hesketh - Creative central/attacking mid. Add's extra options to the midfield.

Zech Medley - On loan with us last season and was excellent. No brainer. Also Arsenal lad, there's a pattern here..

Tyler Smith - Another option up top, has the potential to be a good striker at this level.

Adam Phillips - Has some decent attributes to be a good squad player.

Jack Hero Wilshere - Arsenal. For real he's a big name that can hopefully help push this team on. Will have to monitor his fitness heavily.

Tom Eaves - 2nd season bringing back a former Gillingham player. This time Tom Eaves add's extra target man option. Bradley Dack and Luke Freeman we coming for you! at some point in the distant future

David Davis - Got our hard man in the middle. Wouldn't be a team from medway without one.

Anthony Stewart - I overpaid, I panicked. We were running with just 3 centre backs and he had the right attributes. Hopefully he comes good.

Paul Downing - Same as above, but paid a little less.

James Olayinka - Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal. Saw he was available for free, offered him a trial as wasn't sure, his attributes not that good. But he scored and got an assist in friendly. Low wages, decent potential, fits into the system. Why not.

There's a couple of players who may still leave and will need replacing if they do, but overall I think the squad is better than last season, but still might need a miracle to stay up. At the moment budget and wages all gone so not a lot of wiggle room.

[Dong21]

@Jogo Bonito Great updates. I always enjoy hearing about squad building challenges. Is the aim to win League One?

@warlock Going well with Brentford, given your striking difficulties.

@karanhsingh Derby are flying! Seem to be getting the most out of that squad.

[Jogo Bonito]

Great updates from Brentford, Derby, Gillingham and Exeter. No doubt I have missed a few so apologies for that.

@warlock Incredibly hard to beat! Defensively impressive, no matter how it's being done that is a great league position to be in.

@karanhsingh Great to see so many of the Derby youngsters there are thriving and getting opportunities to play. Nice to see Delap & Hughes return and results are excellent too.

@craiigman Some good squad work there. I was trying to get Medley and Hesketh to Oxford on free transfers, but both felt they could do better than League 2 (and they can). My £1000 per week maximum wage offer (not sure if by the board  or the league) didn't help on that! I did snag Phillips though and expect a lot from him.

@Ronaldo Beckham Doing very well with Exeter, and already seeing some good prospects coming through the ranks. That's a perfect representation of them as a club!

@Dong21Thanks, the immediate aim is to win League 2. League1 will have to wait 

I think I now understand the EFL League 2 rules better. I'm paying just under £38k per week on wages and the cap is £29k per week - but players signed prior to 27/07/2020 on bigger wages only have £1k per week maximum allocated against them. So I have £18.5k per week wages being applied to the cap and will not have any issues with FFP or points deductions. These rules seem the same in the full game, although the 20 player limit for League 2 registration from this BETA time is definitely 22 in the full game.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Dong21]

@Jogo Bonito Oh, yes  I did mean that! Don’t want to put too much pressure on you... 

[karanhsingh]

3 hours ago, Dong21 said:

@Jogo Bonito Great updates. I always enjoy hearing about squad building challenges. Is the aim to win League One?

@warlock Going well with Brentford, given your striking difficulties.

@karanhsingh Derby are flying! Seem to be getting the most out of that squad.

 

27 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Great updates from Brentford, Derby, Gillingham and Exeter. No doubt I have missed a few so apologies for that.

@warlock Incredibly hard to beat! Defensively impressive, no matter how it's being done that is a great league position to be in.

@karanhsingh Great to see so many of the Derby youngsters there are thriving and getting opportunities to play. Nice to see Delap & Hughes return and results are excellent too.

@craiigman Some good squad work there. I was trying to get Medley and Hesketh to Oxford on free transfers, but both felt they could do better than League 2 (and they can). My £1000 per week maximum wage offer installed by the board didn't help on that! I did snag Phillips though and expect a lot from him.

@Ronaldo Beckham Doing very well with Exeter, and already seeing some good prospects coming through the ranks. That's a perfect representation of them as a club!

@Dong21Thanks, the immediate aim is to win League 2. League1 will have to wait 

I think I now understand the EFL League 2 rules better. I'm paying just under £38k per week on wages and the cap is £29k per week - but players signed prior to 27/07/2020 on bigger wages only have £1k per week maximum allocated against them. So I have £18.5k per week wages being applied to the cap and will not have any issues with FFP or points deductions. These rules may be different in the new game (for example the 20 player limit for League 2 registration from this BETA time is definitely 22 in the full game).

Cheers fellas. Yes the youth was the main reason I wanted to manage them. In a few games this season already I've had the entire midfield and attack of derby academy products. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

8 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

@Ronaldo Beckham that striker looks good! Think he can break into your first team before too long.

@Jogo Bonitogreat choice of club, I have considered Oxford a number of times. Shame that Brannagan is gone though.

@warlock good going with Brentford mate, even if too many draws. But clearly its very hard to beat your side.

Yeahe he looks good. He has already been called up the Ireland Under 19's. Not the best of debuts for Ireland though.

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Great updates from Brentford, Derby, Gillingham and Exeter. No doubt I have missed a few so apologies for that.

@warlock Incredibly hard to beat! Defensively impressive, no matter how it's being done that is a great league position to be in.

@karanhsingh Great to see so many of the Derby youngsters there are thriving and getting opportunities to play. Nice to see Delap & Hughes return and results are excellent too.

@craiigman Some good squad work there. I was trying to get Medley and Hesketh to Oxford on free transfers, but both felt they could do better than League 2 (and they can). My £1000 per week maximum wage offer (not sure if by the board  or the league) didn't help on that! I did snag Phillips though and expect a lot from him.

@Ronaldo Beckham Doing very well with Exeter, and already seeing some good prospects coming through the ranks. That's a perfect representation of them as a club!

@Dong21Thanks, the immediate aim is to win League 2. League1 will have to wait 

I think I now understand the EFL League 2 rules better. I'm paying just under £38k per week on wages and the cap is £29k per week - but players signed prior to 27/07/2020 on bigger wages only have £1k per week maximum allocated against them. So I have £18.5k per week wages being applied to the cap and will not have any issues with FFP or points deductions. These rules seem the same in the full game, although the 20 player limit for League 2 registration from this BETA time is definitely 22 in the full game.

Thank you Jogo. I just wanted to try make it as realistic as possible. It is harder but I prefer it that way as I get bored if I win all the time. I managed to get into the play offs as well.

Here is the league table after all the league games have finished.

I got a tough Play Off semi final opponent in Bolton. They will be the favorites but I always back the underdog and I think we will sneak it past them. When Exeter have played Bolton this season we have 1 victory each. They beat us 3-1 early on in the season and we beat them 1-0 just recently.

My best striker Ryan Bowman who has got 25 goals this season is out injured for a few months and couldn't come at a worse time but Ryan Seymour has been doing well in his abscence.

 

[karanhsingh]

Derby County - Nov 2021 to Feb 2022

Lot of updates coming up!

The facilities improvement was completed in November. We now have superb training & youth facilities, and exceptional junior coaching & academy recruitment. Looking good on this front.

Also, Mel Morris is gone. We have new owners, but nothing really has changed.

I am excited about the GK because that is a position I would really like an academy boy in. Let's see how he is, sounds like we stole him off Forest as well!

Finally the fixtures -

Can't complain there. We have been the dominant force in the league. Which means,

We are comfortably topping the table. Delap leads the scoring charts, Laird is top for assists, and Clarke top on ratings.

Also some big news from the Jan window:

Had the chance to bring him back permanently, and had to go for it.

This is a really expensive deal for us, but he has been absolutely brilliant, and since promotion is pretty much secured I decided to go for it. 

Also the loan deals for Laird & Delap have been extended through next season as well. I plan to keep pretty much the same squad once we go up.

Also turned down an offer from Arsenal for Jason Knight - good thing is he didn't complain at all.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

2 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Derby County - Nov 2021 to Feb 2022

Lot of updates coming up!

The facilities improvement was completed in November. We now have superb training & youth facilities, and exceptional junior coaching & academy recruitment. Looking good on this front.

Also, Mel Morris is gone. We have new owners, but nothing really has changed.

I am excited about the GK because that is a position I would really like an academy boy in. Let's see how he is, sounds like we stole him off Forest as well!

Finally the fixtures -

Can't complain there. We have been the dominant force in the league. Which means,

We are comfortably topping the table. Delap leads the scoring charts, Laird is top for assists, and Clarke top on ratings.

Also some big news from the Jan window:

Had the chance to bring him back permanently, and had to go for it.

This is a really expensive deal for us, but he has been absolutely brilliant, and since promotion is pretty much secured I decided to go for it. 

Also the loan deals for Laird & Delap have been extended through next season as well. I plan to keep pretty much the same squad once we go up.

Also turned down an offer from Arsenal for Jason Knight - good thing is he didn't complain at all.

What a terrible offer for Knight. You would want at least £30m for him with add ons etc. I am glad you rejected it. He was awesome for me in Derby save I done on FM2020.

I am happy to see you bring back Will Hughes and nice to see Delap play for Derby just like his old man did.

Well done topping the league.

[Jogo Bonito]

@Ronaldo BeckhamGreat stuff, 6th is very decent. Good luck against Bolton.

@karanhsinghThat is dominant to say the least! Great on the two sealed deals for Hughes & Clarke. And possibly even better to keep Knight happy after rejecting that bid (exactly the right move). So we have a male called Karen and a female called Christopher. Modern times indeed...

[Ronaldo Beckham]

First Play Off Semi final ended 0-0. The next game is going to be just as tight. I think it will go to penalties in the end.

 

[karanhsingh]

6 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

What a terrible offer for Knight. You would want at least £30m for him with add ons etc. I am glad you rejected it. He was awesome for me in Derby save I done on FM2020.

I am happy to see you bring back Will Hughes and nice to see Delap play for Derby just like his old man did.

Well done topping the league.

Thank you. Definitely want to make the Delap move permanent at some point as well. I have no intention of selling any of the Derby youth as long as I can help it. 

6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Ronaldo BeckhamGreat stuff, 6th is very decent. Good luck against Bolton.

@karanhsinghThat is dominant to say the least! Great on the two sealed deals for Hughes & Clarke. And possibly even better to keep Knight happy after rejecting that bid (exactly the right move). So we have a male called Karen and a female called Christopher. Modern times indeed...

the female manager is my attempt to try and get a son through in the youth intake. Hasn't worked so far though. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

My prediction was right and it was decided on penalties and I luckily beat Bolton on Penalties.

I now have Grimsby in the final.

 

[Jogo Bonito]

So it was a short pre-season campaign, fairly average stuff but I haven't really nailed a tactic or formation yet due to all the other business going on

Relegated Swindon and Plymouth will be tough opponents, possibly Northampton too

Bolton, Exeter, Walsall and Tranmere are still here and are joined by Solihull Moors and Notts County as promoted sides

Here is the final squad for my first Oxford season

Goalkeepers

Right Backs

Left Backs

Central Defenders

Defensive, Central  & Attacking Midfielders

Wide Midfielders

Strikers

[Ronaldo Beckham]

5 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

So it was a short pre-season campaign, fairly average stuff but I haven't really nailed a tactic or formation yet due to all the other business going on

Relegated Swindon and Plymouth will be tough opponents, possibly Northampton too

Bolton, Exeter, Walsall and Tranmere are still here and are joined by Solihull Moors and Notts County as promoted sides

Here is the final squad for my first Oxford season

Goalkeepers

Right Backs

Left Backs

Central Defenders

Defensive, Central  & Attacking Midfielders

Wide Midfielders

Strikers

A really good squad there @Jogo Bonito especially up front with Taylor and Winnall. Proved EFL strikers who can score in the lower leagues.

I look forward to seeing how you do with them. Good luck for the season ahead.

[Jogo Bonito]

3 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

A really good squad there @Jogo Bonito especially up front with Taylor and Winnall. Proved EFL strikers who can score in the lower leagues.

I look forward to seeing how you do with them. Good luck for the season ahead.

Cheers mate. Good luck against Grimsby. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Absoulutely Gutted!!!!

I thought it was going to be a victory to us when leading goalscorer Bowman scored  early on but then in the 81st minute Grimsby equalized. It went to Extra time and Grimsby scored with 3 minutes to go. 1 minute later younger Llewelyn scored and I thought Llewelyn is already a Exeter City legend to give us a chance but then Grimsby killed mine and the Exeter fans dreams by scoring last minute of extra time.

I am gutted cos the lads done so well to get over the mid season slump and get into the play offs.

I am hoping it will kill the players spirits and they will be more determined to get promoted next season.

As I said before Bowman was my best player and top scorer with 26 goals in 43 games and he would of got more if he wasn't out injured for 12 weeks in total due to injuries.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Exeter City Season 1 Review

Llewellyn breaking records already.

Here is a screenshot for you people that like XG lol.

[warlock]

[Meant to post this a couple of hours ago... must have forgot to hit 'Submit Reply' ]

Late arrival today, having spent the morning with coffee and the papers, but a lot of good updates, interesting transfer business, and some serious financial finagling. Keep up the good work, everyone 

@Jogo Bonito Thanks for the update on the salary cap - mighty complicated for this bear of little brain. Hope that carefully-assembled squad can do the business for you.

[Brutalyouth]

After enjoying all the quality posts I've decided to contribute myself new to this so take it was on me ha

Since i love a good pasty i choose plymouth as my save great logic i know haha 

Hoping to bring glory to the Devon club and establish ourselves up there at the top of the English game and become a force to be reckoned with

Will Provide a pre season update at start of season once I've sorted all the usual bits and bobs

UP THE ARGYLE

[Jogo Bonito]

@Brutalyouth Welcome and good luck with Argyle. They have been relegated in my game but I like to see Devon teams do well so will follow your Pilgrims progress.

@Ronaldo Beckham Very unlucky there. I've managed Exeter & Grimsby several times so would have enjoyed watching that PO Final. Excellent first season though, and I'm sure you'll have anther good one second time around. Hope you're enjoying the slightly harder challenge, I had a feeling you might.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Brutalyouth]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Welcome and good luck with Argyle. They have been relegated in my game but I like to see Devon teams do well so will follow your Pilgrims progress.

Thank you very much. Just flogging through preseason atm hoping to provide a pre season reveiw later tonight. Hopfully i can keep them up this season

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Brutalyouth Welcome and good luck with Argyle. They have been relegated in my game but I like to see Devon teams do well so will follow your Pilgrims progress.

@Ronaldo Beckham Very unlucky there. I've managed Exeter & Grimsby several times so would have enjoyed watching that PO Final. Excellent first season though, and I'm sure you'll have anther good one second time around. Hope you're enjoying the slightly harder challenge, I had a feeling you might.

Yeah I am thanks. I feel like I am more into each player I have at Exeter then I have had at other clubs as I have such high player turnover its hard for me to get behind a player. 

hopefully I will be Exeter City manager for a few seasons.

[Brutalyouth]

Presason in the books unbeaten but a small hickup vs torquay granted most teams were of lower quality but my aim was to build morale and tactical familiarity prior to league beginning. Squad wise looking forward to ryan hardie and Jephcott up front with conor grant in midfield (he scored a cracker of a freekick during the presaon)

 

On Transfer front i was able to sell a sell on clause for Jack Stephens for near enough £1 million which was quite pleasing. Il be honest when i bit wild and spend a fair bit to bolster squad and aslo shipped out some of the older dead wood. Stevenage up first in league cup then the trophy no one cares about. Blackpool at home in opening fixture could be a trickey one but we hope for the best and embark on the Devon adventure

Edited December 12, 2020 by Brutalyouth
add photo

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I have started season 2 strong with 5 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. I am currently 2nd in the league. The players look up for Automatic Promotion this season.

Ben Seymour stepping up this season with 5 goals in 6 games.

[Jogo Bonito]

Good luck to you both, make the Devonians happy. The form of Bowman last year was excellent for you at Exeter RB, and Seymour also seems to be doing well. At Plymouth, the transfer clause for Stephens is a real bonus, but Jephcott is the one I'd like to manage at some point.

I seem to have found a new formation as the one in pre-season was very dull and unconvincing. I'll update after a few months of game play.

[Brutalyouth]

@Jogo Bonitowas a pleasant surprise the clause. Planning on monthly updates of save or when something interesting happens

[warlock]

@Brutalyouth Welcome and good luck with Plymouth. I had a very enjoyable save with them last year.

@Ronaldo Beckham Hope you can maintain that early form. A very good start!

@Jogo Bonito I always enjoy a look at others' tactics so eager to see what you've come up with.

[warlock]

As I was saying...

*sigh* That's his season over.

[causticgrip]

Just finished my 2nd season with Bournemouth, 1st season in the Premier League.

Signed my star-man from last season, Slimani. Extended the loan of Ethan Laird and brought Smith Rowe back on loan again.  Hickey became my starting left back (replacing Emerson), Ahmedhodzic took Steve Cooks place at CB and Karius replaced Begovic in goal (couldn't get my no.1 choice Ramsdale.) Other signings were squad options and/or highly rated youngsters.

After a shaky start,  with some losses and 5 draws in a row at one point, I luckily figured out tactics that worked. 3rd place in the league, without many changes to the team that got promotion and the 2nd lowest wage budget, is a massive overachievement. Also secured at least one win against the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal (5-0!) Chelsea (6-1!)  and Tottenham (4-0) but as you can see those last 3 had pretty poor seasons by their standards.  Did sacrifice cup performance for this though, exiting the league cup at the 3rd round and fa cup 5th round.

Bit disappointed its not gonna be named after me but a new stadium is needed asap imo.

Targets for next season are top 4 again and win a trophy. Will be looking to sign some more highly rated and youngsters and develop the ones already at the club too. 

[dozzie]

I've just finished my first season on my long-term 'lower league' save at Cambridge Utd. I'd recommend them as a team to take on as the squad is decent, has no glaring holes and expectations are relatively low for the quality in the team. As such, my first season was a huge success, I was challenging for the title until a run of draws late in the season saw me end up 3rd but comfortably clear of the play-offs and promoted.

My stand-out player was Harvey Knibbs, who didn't start as my first choice striker, but ended up way clear as top scorer in League 2 with 34 goals in 44 appearances.

Transfer-wise, I was pretty frugal and struck up an affiliate deal with Tottenham which took some time to deliver.

Of these transfers, McGhee worked out great; lots of assists. Elanga likewise, bossed it early on but struggled with fitness toward the end of the season. Gaal, Mitchell, Devine, Bowden and Osho were essentially bulking up the squad and did an alright enough job. Guenouche was a bit of a coup, definitely should be playing higher than League2 and then there was Malachi Walcott, loaned without any fee or wage contribution thanks to my affiliate deal and performed like a prime Rio Ferdinand in this division. In 20 appearances to the end of the season he was POM 10 times with an average rating of 7.70. Get him if you can!

At the end of the season I let a lot of contracts expire and released a lot of dead wood, anticipating I'd go big on signings to improve the quality of my squad for League 1. Thing is, I hadn't really factored in Brexit and the new work permit rules. I'm finding it frustrating not being able to get those overseas gems I get finding and I can't tell if it's all just taking the fun out of the game, or just giving me a new/kinda-fun challenge to unearth the home-grown talent. It is still frustrating though.

That said, I have somehow managed to sign Brazilian, Julio Vinicius on loan from Gent fresh from finishing top scorer at the U20 World Cup! He just scored twice on his debut in an opening day win. Very excited about this guy!

Lastly, just wanted to share some advice, that I'd imagine most people may have worked out for themselves, but it took me longer than it should do to so... in League 2, your scouts are average, and not very numerous, so getting a report on a player takes a long time. It is usually quicker to offer the player a trial and within a week you can see their attributes and get a coach report on them to help you decide if you want them or not. I've found it loads quicker than my scouts.