FM21: The English Football League thread

[goonergez]

5 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@goonergezNice work. For me it's a competition I want to lose in the group stages - but if you get past that, winning it is the next best thing. Congratulations.

It’s a competition I didn’t take seriously until we reached the latter stages. Thankfully I had a big enough squad that I was sort of able to rotate throughout. By the time we reached the semi-finals our league form had started to dip and so I took a more serious look at the chance to win some silverware. My season has come to an end and it was quite a disappointment. Winning a trophy felt like a success but our league standing wasn’t impressive. I should have a season review up at some point tomorrow though.

[oakesypvfc]

Hey guys, how's it going in here? It has been a few days so missed a fair bit! Here is the latest update from Sheffield!

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Sheffield Wednesday - Championship - Season 2024/25

After promotion from League One by winning the league was achieved, I expected a big challenge now we were back in the Championship. The board gave me the expectation of attempting to avoid relegation so I knew just how tough it was going to be and to go along with it, a £5 million transfer budget along with a pretty sizeable wage budget to achieve the task, so I had to get to work.

As expected, it was a massive overhaul of the squad to attempt to bring us up to Championship level. After a good two years with us, Godden was sold, thankyou for your service Matt. Kane and Watts were also moved on for profits. I will look to performances from whom I hope will be new key players in Nico Williams, who came to us after his release from Bilbao and what I hope will be our new partnership in the middle of the park in Nampalys Mendy and George McEachran. I was also delighted to welcome back Lebrun Swann on loan, whom we sold in the summer, and our number one from last season, Ryan Whitaker. 

So, how are we getting on?

I'm not going to lie to you, it has been rough. We had a good August and September, mounting up 6 wins and looking unlikely challengers for the playoffs, but since then it's been tricky. We are lacking goals at the moment and have not won since beating Reading on the 26th November. The poor run lately has led us to a few tactical tweaks which I'm praying does not send us into a relegation threatened downward spiral. We have made a couple of first team signings in January, Luke Woolfenden from West Ham and Will Smallbone from Fiorentina and I believe they add sufficient quality to our ranks.

Being honest though, if you told me I'd be 15th at the turn of the year, I think I would have taken it. It is just the case that we are badly out of form and it's hard to see where our next win is going to come from. Hopefully we can turn it around and be moving towards a mid table finish which would be an amazing finish. 

Owls out.

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Honours

League Two Champions 2022/23
League One Champions 2023/24

Edited January 30, 2021 by oakesypvfc

[Jogo Bonito]

@oakesypvfcHang in there, it's hopefully something you can turn around. You have had two great years so a small period of struggle is overdue. I'm sure you'll be fine though.

[robterrace]

January 2021 transfer window, we sit 4th in the Championship, in touching distance of the promotion places, but, in a place that doesn't betray how we've played.

Out go Tendayi Darikwa, to Inter Miami for £450k, Tobias Figueiredo to Montpellier for £2.5m, and Miguel Guerrero to Getafe for £2m.

In come, Jack Byrne from Shamrock for a fee of £400k, he'll mainly play right wing, but, will also cover Spalek in the centre when required.

Argentinian midfielder, Matko Miljevic from Argentinos for £1.4m (he has Spanish nationality, and got a work permit at the first time of asking). I'm retraining him to play central midfield, as he is ideally suited to the 'water carrier' role.

I'm looking for another centre half to back up the 3 I'm using as first choice (along with Perry Ng, who has dropped into the centre on occasion), so may venture to South or Central America.

 

[goonergez]

Crewe Alexandra 2024/25 Review

My first full season in charge of this club has ended, and we were trying to build on the solid showing at the back end of the last campaign. An 11th placed finish and a solid summer had set us up nicely, and we came into the season full of hope. Initially we looked very promising, sitting in the top three places all the way through until December. Bruce Roles was scoring for fun, and defensively we were very solid. We stuttered through December defending poorly, and dropped off of the pace. January went much better, and solid results on the pitch was coupled with a top signing. 20-year old centre back Isaac Ferguson arriving from TNS for a measly £20,000. He performed brilliantly for the rest of the season. We ended the season woefully, and lacked the killing edge to win games. We won just once in our last fourteen matches, although only four ended up in defeat. Simply put we threw away to many winning positions. A 12th placed finish was a huge disappointment and means we're left scratching our heads. Bruce Roles 27 goals gave him the top scorer award for the league though.

We finished one place lower than in my spell at the end of last season, which was immensely frustrating after a really bright first half to the season. Disappointing but not catastrophic and definitely enough bright points to build upon. The cup competitions were woeful really, as we crashed out of the FA Cup (0-2 away at Ebbsfleet) and League Cup (1-2 at home to Nottingham Forest) at the first round we entered. The shining light was of course an early Bruce Roles goal at my first trip to Wembley seeing off Chelsea under-23s to lift the Papa Johns Trophy. The first trophy lifted by Crewe in twelve years. I didn't plan on focusing on the cup, but the opportunity to lift a trophy and win some silverware wasn't something I was going to pass up in the end.

A fairly average season that is only made a pleasing one by the trophy win we enjoyed. Hopefully I can use that as a building bock and can start to take this side forwards. Next season I want to push up for promotion and try and take this team back into the Championship. I feel as though I have earnt myself some time here with the trophy win, and hopefully a solid summer in the market can help us on our way to success next time around. It'll be a busy one but I am looking at next season as a big one for the 'So Solid Crewe' (thanks @Jogo Bonito )
 

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Crewe Alexandra FC Honours:

2024/25 Papa Johns Trophy Winners

Edited January 31, 2021 by goonergez

[goonergez]

Crewe Alexandra 2025/26 Season Preview

A disappointing league campaign last season was at least a campaign which brought silverware. I'm hoping that our Papa Johns Trophy victory will provide a springboard for future successes, hopefully starting with a more prominent push towards promotion this time around. A solid summer in the transfer market would be needed though to add some quality to our squad. The board handed me a £700,000 transfer budget, although very little room in the wage budget. I would not be able to spend anywhere near that much though, instead being forced to focus on free transfers and cheaper deals.

Departure wise we didn't allow many players to leave. We let Mikael Mandron and youngster Javier leave at the end of their contracts with us. I wanted to keep Javier, but he refused to discuss a new deal with us. Experienced midfielder George Thorne left at the end of his loan deal with us, and ended up choosing to retire from playing. Finally we let young winger Mark Anderson leave to join Leeds United on a free transfer.

Arrival wise we signed just five new faces, spending minimal money in the process. On top of that we managed to extend the loan deal of League One's top scorer from last season Bruce Roles for another season. Our most exciting signing was the only one we spent any money on. TNS received £7,500 from us for striker Malcolm Fitzpatrick.

He looks to possess a lot of quality, and I am really excited to see how we can get him to develop. He grabbed 11 goals in 29 for the Welsh side last season. Attacking wise we also added young wingers in Charles Sagoe from Arsenal and Tarelle Whittaker on free transfers. Both look to have some real potential. In two more defensive arrivals we raided Norwich City. Firstly 22-year old centre back Jaden Warner signed on loan for the season, then we grabbed holding midfielder Rowan McDonald on a free transfer. He is only 23-years of age, and looks a potential key man for us.

I'm really happy with the business we've conducted, and we now have a really fresh young squad that should be capable of much more. I want a push towards the play offs, and hopefully we can compete throughout the campaign for exactly that. I want to go up, and I think this season could well be the one for us to achieve that. Exciting times indeed for the 'So Solid Crewe'.
 

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Crewe Alexandra FC Honours:

2024/25 Papa Johns Trophy Winners

 

[Jogo Bonito]

@goonergezNice updates. The finish was respectable, you're hard to beat and just need to convert a few draws in to wins. Having your top scorer back on loan will help, and the kid from TNS looks really promising. Somebody else mentioned signing a good youngster from TNS (maybe @robterrace) so they seem to be one to keep an eye on. I'm confident you will make the top-six this year at the least.

[Welshace]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@goonergezNice updates. The finish was respectable, you're hard to beat and just need to convert a few draws in to wins. Having your top scorer back on loan will help, and the kid from TNS looks really promising. Somebody else mentioned signing a good youngster from TNS (maybe @robterrace) so they seem to be one to keep an eye on. I'm confident you will make the top-six this year at the least.

Daughter is currently on the TNS ladies teams books , so lets hope she carries on the fm trend for good youngsters!

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, Welshace said:

Daughter is currently on the TNS ladies teams books , so lets hope she carries on the fm trend for good youngsters!

Ah, cool. Hopefully so 

[nyg]

Short update from Wigan this time;

 

[robterrace]

Secured another centre back, coming at the end of the season. Really encouraged by this one.

Also, due to a small crisis in the striking department, I moved to fill the hole with a loan. Whilst not a striker, Oli Burke comes in, and his pace off the last mans shoulder will fit our way of playing perfectly.

[robterrace]

Another one, initially for the end of the season, but I paid £100k to bring it forward.

[oakesypvfc]

I'm considering this, Fulham in the Championship on the edge of the playoffs.

[oakesypvfc]

@robterraceAre they championship signings, January window? Mai is great and always liked the look of Burke as an old fashioned winger type!

Decent work with Crwho @goonergezI know it wasn't the league finish you desired but like Jogo said, all you need to do is turn some of those draws into wins and you'll at least be in the playoff spots. Fitzpatrick just needs some finishing training and he'll be a great asset for you.

Meanwhile, I've delayed my decision whether to leave because am really unsure what to do

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, oakesypvfc said:

@robterraceAre they championship signings, January window? Mai is great and always liked the look of Burke as an old fashioned winger type!

Decent work with Crwho @goonergezI know it wasn't the league finish you desired but like Jogo said, all you need to do is turn some of those draws into wins and you'll at least be in the playoff spots. Fitzpatrick just needs some finishing training and he'll be a great asset for you.

Meanwhile, I've delayed my decision whether to leave because am really unsure what to do

You could save your Sheff Wed game and take the Fulham job being offered in another save. If you don't enjoy, you can go back to Sheffield.

Edited January 31, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[oakesypvfc]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

You could save your Sheff Wed game and take the Fulham job being offered in another save. If you don't enjoy, you can go back to Sheffield.

I thought of doing that but have decided to stay loyal. The job is not finished at Hillsborough

[goonergez]

19 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

I thought of doing that but have decided to stay loyal. The job is not finished at Hillsborough

I personally feel that is the right decision. You’ve worked wonders with that club. If things go wrong then that’s the time to look elsewhere but that’s not a bad season you’re putting together anyway after back to back promotions.

[robterrace]

2 hours ago, oakesypvfc said:

@robterraceAre they championship signings, January window? Mai is great and always liked the look of Burke as an old fashioned winger type!

Yeah, they're for the Championship in January.

Being really careful, as its the first window with the new Brexit work permit rules, but, at the same time, I feel that I've got cover in every position for the moment, at least until I start moving the really high earners on.

[warlock]

2 hours ago, robterrace said:

the first window with the new Brexit work permit rules

Rob, have you brought back Ahmedhodzic in any of your saves? Home-grown at Forest and looks like a solid prospect - I had him for a while in my Brentford save a few months ago and liked the look of him, but haven't had another opportunity to see how he develops.

[robterrace]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Rob, have you brought back Ahmedhodzic in any of your saves? Home-grown at Forest and looks like a solid prospect - I had him for a while in my Brentford save a few months ago and liked the look of him, but haven't had another opportunity to see how he develops.

No, I haven't. Hes a really good prospect, and had it not been for certain things going on with family members and Forest, he'd have still been with us. 

[robterrace]

What should be the final signing for me of the window, in comes Arnau Puigmal from Manchester United for a fee of £275k.

Hes very similar to Nikolas Spalek, and will be developed to play more advanced than his current role.

 

[oakesypvfc]

Sheffield Wednesday - Championship - Season 2024/25

Last time I spoke to you, we were struggling, we had gone 11 games without a win and we were floundering hopelessly into a downward spiral towards the turn of the year. After I turned down the job offer from Fulham, albeit an attractive proposition, could we arrest our slide and stay in the Championship?

After the turn of the year and up to late January went pretty poorly, things had to change. A couple of tactical tweaks later, and our form started to improve dramatically and we were soon away from the drop zone. An unbeaten February with 4 wins from 6 were a massive help in this. The February free transfer signing of Eduard Bello was a big morale booster aswell and brought extra quality to ths side.

We had a poor go in the cups this time around, being knocked out of the EFL Cup by League One Blackpool in the 2nd Round and fellow Championship side West Brom knocked us out in the 4th round of the FA Cup.

We had big performances this year from our number one Ryan Whitaker, on loan from Arsenal, who was fantastic between the sticks for us. We have managed to seal him on another years loan deal, my first piece of business this summer. The January signing of Woolfenden proved a good move and I was also impressed with Nico Williams' performances from the wing, being our top scorer. We have sealed the loan deals of Lebrun Swann and Ethan Laird for another campaign, I will expect to see more from them next season.

Overall, I am delighted with our first season back in the Championship. I think if we make a few improvements to this squad in key areas, we can have an outside shot at the playoffs next season. The board expects a mid table finish, which was achieved this year and I think that is the minimum that we should be aiming for next year. 

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Sheffield Wednesday Honours

2022/23 - League Two Champions
2023/24 - League One Champions

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by oakesypvfc

[warlock]

5 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

Overall, I am delighted with our first season back in the Championship

Solid mid-table finish - can't complain about that first season back. Looks like there are some obvious areas for improvement in the squad that could help lift you into - at least - a Top 10 finish (looking at you, Mendy).

[hasdgfas]

19 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

Overall, I am delighted with our first season back in the Championship. I think if we make a few improvements to this squad in key areas, we can have an outside shot at the playoffs next season. The board expects a mid table finish, which was achieved this year and I think that is the minimum that we should be aiming for next year.

I think you can do it! That type of performance this first season back gives a great platform for success.

[goonergez]

@oakesypvfcthats a more than impressive season after two promotions. Excited to see if you can push on after a solid summer in the transfer market.

[CityAndColour]

Have just gone past the first third of my second season...

We started like a train, winning ten of our first 11 (including nine in a row) and establishing a seven point lead at the top. Then the inexplicable (but inevitable) occurred and we got dumped 0-3 at home to lowly FC Romania, missing a penalty at 0-1 in the process.

We then travelled to Hungerford, absolutely battered them and lost 0-1 to their only shot (a penalty) before grabbing an 88th minute equaliser at Gosport. It saved us from three consecutive defeats but WSM went back to the top, albeit having played a game more.

Thankfully, an FA Trophy tie against Kingstonian got us firing again (7-3), before we carried our shooting boots back into the league with a 5-2 win over Dorchester to go back to the summit. Next up is WSM at home which is obviously huge.

[robterrace]

I felt that my last signing of the window wasn't going to be Puigmal, especially after Grabban and Taylor both got injured, and Adorante went out on loan.

My deep dive into South America brought up an Argentine striker playing at Union (SF), with a Polish passport.

The Polish passport meant that the possibility of a work permit was greater than expected, and a fee of £950k was agreed.

[nyg]

I did a long read yesterday and discovered Dorking Wanderers. Never heard of the club before, but it's a fantastic story so far. I therefore decided to put my Wigan-save on hold and start a save with Dorking. I haven't tried the non-league in years, so this will be fun. 

 

[Jamesbfc1887]

A congratulation to @Jogo Bonito is in order. Fantastic job on winning promotion with Reading.

That was fantastic write-up sir 

Be interesting to see how you do, should you take on the Prem.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

A congratulation to @Jogo Bonito is in order. Fantastic job on winning promotion with Reading.

That was fantastic write-up sir 

Be interesting to see how you do, should you take on the Prem.

Thanks very much.

As I pointed out earlier, it's disappointing but no surprise that I could not get a WP for either loan or transfer for Daryl Dike in FM, but in reality Barnsley were able to do it today (loan with £2.5m option to buy). I had a bit of a play through the transfer window to see what I could do, but signing any player out of the UK was tough. It is clearly like that now (see Ben Davies), but my Danish left-back bargain was refused a WP, so were a couple of others from EU nations. And yet surprisingly a Brazilian with no second nationality or trained status abroad and uncapped was given a WP immediately.

[robterrace]

3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks very much.

As I pointed out earlier, it's disappointing but no surprise that I could not get a WP for either loan or transfer for Daryl Dike in FM, but in reality Barnsley were able to do it today (loan with £2.5m option to buy). I had a bit of a play through the transfer window to see what I could do, but signing any player out of the UK was tough. It is clearly like that now (see Ben Davies), but my Danish left-back bargain was refused a WP, so were a couple of others from EU nations. And yet surprisingly a Brazilian with no second nationality or trained status abroad and uncapped was given a WP immediately.

I've found that as well. Two signings from South America (admittedly, both have EU passports), both get WP. Dutch U21 international in the top flight, no WP.

[Brads-Wigan]

Anyone ever seen a league so close? 

[Jogo Bonito]

15 minutes ago, Brads-Wigan said:

Anyone ever seen a league so close? 

Very tight other than Blackpool yes.

27 minutes ago, robterrace said:

I've found that as well. Two signings from South America (admittedly, both have EU passports), both get WP. Dutch U21 international in the top flight, no WP.

Yeah it makes it really tough for a team promoted to the PL who will generally need to keep a lower wage bill.

The best central midfield option I could find up to £30k per week wages and at an affordable £7 million fee was Harrison Reed. I'm not convinced whether to do that one. Or I can sign Lewis Ferguson for £2.1 million at £13.5k per week.

The best forward I could get so far was Jamal Lowe for £3.6 million at £13k per week. I like Jamal and will probably do it for a squad option, but he is not necessarily the number 9 back up to Lucas Joao that I might need.

For full-back I looked at Adam Smith as one player could cover both flanks, he was available on a free transfer after leaving Bournemouth but wanted £73k per week in wages. In the end I signed Solly March (my only signing so far) from relegated Brighton for an initial £4.5 million on £25k per week wages as he can cover anywhere down the left.

If the WP granting is skewed like this, I might have to try South America or USA again for the last couple of players.

[Jamesbfc1887]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks very much.

As I pointed out earlier, it's disappointing but no surprise that I could not get a WP for either loan or transfer for Daryl Dike in FM, but in reality Barnsley were able to do it today (loan with £2.5m option to buy). I had a bit of a play through the transfer window to see what I could do, but signing any player out of the UK was tough. It is clearly like that now (see Ben Davies), but my Danish left-back bargain was refused a WP, so were a couple of others from EU nations. And yet surprisingly a Brazilian with no second nationality or trained status abroad and uncapped was given a WP immediately.

Yeah Brexit makes signing anything but internationals almost impossible, they have to be either in the national team or the U23s etc... in order to get a work permit!

Yeah I'm excited to see Daryl Dike play for us, unfortunately the option to buy is being reported as $20m, yes you read that correctly $20 million US Dollars!  So he won't be sticking around for long!

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks very much.

As I pointed out earlier, it's disappointing but no surprise that I could not get a WP for either loan or transfer for Daryl Dike in FM, but in reality Barnsley were able to do it today (loan with £2.5m option to buy). I had a bit of a play through the transfer window to see what I could do, but signing any player out of the UK was tough. It is clearly like that now (see Ben Davies), but my Danish left-back bargain was refused a WP, so were a couple of others from EU nations. And yet surprisingly a Brazilian with no second nationality or trained status abroad and uncapped was given a WP immediately.

Apparently they have an option to buy him for £14.5m. I would be shocked if Barnsley paid that much for any player but maybe the new owners want to try bring in some quality players and aim for promotion.

 

[Jogo Bonito]

8 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

Yeah Brexit makes signing anything but internationals almost impossible, they have to be either in the national team or the U23s etc... in order to get a work permit!

Yeah I'm excited to see Daryl Dike play for us, unfortunately the option to buy is being reported as $20m, yes you read that correctly $20 million US Dollars!  So he won't be sticking around for long!

You are right on the fee, my mistake. The American journo tweet I read said Barnsley have never paid more than £2.5m (may have been USD) but yes the original report said $20 million USD. I'll be watching that carefully as he looks a really promising player and one I really wanted to take to Reading in FM last season. Of course, Barnsley would only exercise their option if a bigger club was willing to pay more than that - but cannot see that happening inside his loan period!

Reading were linked with MLS golden boot forward Diego Rossi today, but it didn't work out.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Jamesbfc1887]

19 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

You are right on the fee, my mistake. The American journo tweet I read said Barnsley have never paid more than £2.5m (may have been USD) but yes the original report said $20 million USD. I'll be watching that carefully as he looks a really promising player and one I really wanted to take to Reading in FM last season. Of course, Barnsley would only exercise their option if a bigger club was willing to pay more than that - but cannot see that happening inside his loan period!

Reading were linked with MLS golden boot forward Diego Rossi today, but it didn't work out.

Yes that's my understanding of it, we'd only exercise it if we planned to sell him onto a bigger club. But even so.... I just can't see it happening; you pay that kind of money for a young world class talent! Hopefully he's exactly that, it's really bizarre and I hope the pressure isn't too much for the big man.

 

I love the guy already! He seems like a great character 

 

I believe our highest fee is still from the 90s! £1.5 mil for Georgi Hristov. 

[Jogo Bonito]

8 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

Yes that's my understanding of it, we'd only exercise it if we planned to sell him onto a bigger club. But even so.... I just can't see it happening; you pay that kind of money for a young world class talent! Hopefully he's exactly that, it's really bizarre and I hope the pressure isn't too much for the big man.

I love the guy already! He seems like a great character 

I believe our highest fee is still from the 90s! £1.5 mil for Georgi Hristov. 

He looks like a really great loan signing, I wish we had recruited him today - exactly what we needed. Your manager must have read my post last week 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I might have to try South America or USA again for the last couple of players

Read something in the last day or two that suggested South Americans are easier to sign post-Brexit because the Brazilian and Argentinian leagues are ranked so highly, so players there get more qualifying points for club appearances. It's not something I've had to worry about in most of my saves this year, but it would be good if someone from SI could properly explain the work permit situation - at the moment it's all experimentation and guesswork.

@Jamesbfc1887 Good to see you around 

[Jamesbfc1887]

23 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

He looks like a really great loan signing, I wish we had recruited him today - exactly what we needed. Your manager must have read my post last week 

Haha, I think the American connections we have (Billy Bean, Dane Murphy, Paul Conway) must have played a big part in this deal. Hopefully he can give us that extra bit of quality and physicality upfront. It'll take a while for him to adjust I imagine, I just hope he can steady the ship and keep us well above water for the rest of this season. Think a lot our fans (including me) are looking over our shoulders not up to the league. 14 more points to get to 50!!! 

@warlock It's good to be back mate. It's been a hectic 2 months, I've not had a great deal of time to play FM. December and January are the 2 biggest months of our year, alongside exams. Thankfully that's coming to a momentary pause soon .

I've have had time to get a little further with Barnsley save but nowhere near enough time to write about it. Hopefully I'll get the chance soon 

Hope everything has been good for you in these uncertain times and it's good to see the EFL thread going strong!

 

[warlock]

Durham City, January 2021

After a ridiculously busy October things have settled down to a more leisurely pace and we're typically playing just one game a week. Unfortunately, that has presented a new problem in that some of the better players are now getting uppity about the number of games they're playing. I've already shipped out one CM because he was my fifth choice for the two CM spots and he wouldn't accept a downgrade in playing time. I expect there'll be harder decisions to make in the coming weeks.

That aside, our outstanding form has continued:

I'm currently bouncing between feeling things are just too easy, and then worrying that it will all come crashing to a halt. But game after game, we go out and we win. Never had a save like it .

Looking at it logically, we're just much better than everyone else. I have 10 players in the media dream 11 for the division, and the bookies had us at something like 80:1 odds-on favourites to win the title. Among the players, we have the division's best GK, best RB, one of the best CBs, 3 of the best wingers, one top CM, and no less than 4 great strikers. Of course, the horror is that the Vanorama transfer window is just about to open and if those clubs want my players there's absolutely nothing I can do to keep them. The only question is how good they really are: good compared to the Tier 10 average, or just plain Good?

Here are the stats for my Top 4 strikers so far this season:

In 15 league games we've scored 58 goals, while conceding just 15. And I've just now noticed that targetman Tevahn Tyrell is wanted by Boston United, and if I was Tevahn I'd take that move in a heartbeat .

But sufficient unto the day... it's been a brilliant first-half of the season, not just unbeaten but perfect. If we do lose some stars I can only hope that we have enough quality elsewhere in the squad to cover the losses. 

[Jogo Bonito]

@warlockBrilliant! Start planning for next year in a higher league! 

I also started my York effort - not doing as well as I expected so far despite being favourites and having a really good squad. By the way if you lose your striker to Boston (who are top of my league with 100% record) I can recommend a North East striker on a free transfer who will be as good if not better. I recruited him at York and he is currently 4th choice as I cannot get rid of Jack Redshaw for love or money (he turned down a great move for £10k when I thought I finally had).

I am also stumbling through pre-season with Reading (slowly and frustratingly) so that might not be continued.

[warlock]

23 minutes ago, Jamesbfc1887 said:

Hope everything has been good for you in these uncertain times

I'm very well, thanks for asking. As my youngest son said at Christmas, he doesn't know anyone better suited to lockdown than me . I spent 20 years working from home before I retired and have enough interests to keep me occupied and mentally healthy... I'm not sure how I ever found the time to work for a living!

Will look forward to a Barnsley update when you have time, but glad to see you're safe and well 

[warlock]

3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I can recommend a North East striker on a free transfer who will be as good if not better

Crikey! I thought I'd found the pick of the free transfers, although some did get away from me .

Glad to hear the York save is up and running, and I'm sure it will just take a bit of tactical tweaking before  you get the best out of a good squad.

As for Reading, it's good to push yourself sometimes but as they say in all the betting company ads, when the fun stops, stop!

[Jogo Bonito]

8 minutes ago, warlock said:

Crikey! I thought I'd found the pick of the free transfers, although some did get away from me .

Glad to hear the York save is up and running, and I'm sure it will just take a bit of tactical tweaking before  you get the best out of a good squad.

As for Reading, it's good to push yourself sometimes but as they say in all the betting company ads, when the fun stops, stop!

Well I don't know how much you can pay in wages but I'm paying him £350 per week and he might have accepted less. I just made the signing I'd been chasing for months so that should make the difference. I had him on trial for about three months but wasn't able to offer him the wages he wanted until now as the board capped it at £975 per week.

I probably picked the wrong time to even consider a promoted team in the PL as post-Brexit made it the hardest window I can ever remember. Great quote, very timely!

[warlock]

18 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Well I don't know how much you can pay in wages but I'm paying him £350 per week

Ah. I could probably stretch to a £50 appearance fee . That's why the ones that got away, got away.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, warlock said:

Ah. I could probably stretch to a £50 appearance fee . That's why the ones that got away, got away.

Ah OK. Well he is on non-contract terms (at Hebburn prior to his recent Carlisle move) so take a look anyway at Cedwyn Scott.

[oakesypvfc]

I forgot to say, congrats on the promotion @Jogo Bonito, hopefully I will join you soon. With Brexit, it's going to be so much harder to compete than it used to be.

Unbelievable form with Durham @warlocklike Jogo says, it's time to start planning for next season already.

Incredibly close league that @Brads-Wiganhopefully you can nick one of those top two spots.

[Jogo Bonito]

4 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

I forgot to say, congrats on the promotion @Jogo Bonito, hopefully I will join you soon. With Brexit, it's going to be so much harder to compete than it used to be.

Unbelievable form with Durham @warlocklike Jogo says, it's time to start planning for next season already.

Incredibly close league that @Brads-Wiganhopefully you can nick one of those top two spots.

Cheers and hopefully you can 'enjoy' the time spent on trying to build a PL squad soon 

[CityAndColour]

That's some start, @warlock! Are you just playing a lower league, direct 4-4-2 or something more subtle?