FM21: The English Football League thread

[oakesypvfc]

29 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Rhys Healey already making an impact for Wales

Someone needed to do the work with Bale dreaming about golf

 

[oakesypvfc]

Is there a giant killing on the cards?

[warlock]

55 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Every game is like that for me at Parma in my 3rd season. I feel like a bystander at times rather than being the manager who can change it.

Oh, how familiar that sounds . We're continually throwing away winning positions and no matter what I try, we can't see out a win. And the incredibly creative ways we're finding to mess up - GK howlers, defenders gifting chances to the AI, midfielders getting sent off... it's a miracle of self-restraint that I haven't pounded my laptop to tiny pieces 

[Welshace]

10 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Rhys Healey already making an impact for Wales

Nice, He's doing well in real life too... scoring a goal every two games for Toulouse I believe... rumoured to be heading back to the likes of W.B.A, Sheff utd or Norwich.

[StePratt]

I've had to stop the Clitheroe save, for reasons. 

 

I'm thinking of starting a Burton save. Anyone done one? Got any tips to maximise their incredible facilities?

[robterrace]

14 games gone, I'd say the 'project' is working well.

Fiete Arp is 2nd in the goalscorers charts, with 7, even though hes only made 10 appearances (7 starts, 3 subs).

Peque didn't leave in the transfer window, and he now forms part of a 3 pronged attack with Braaf on the left, Arp in the middle, and himself down the right.

 

2 games time however.

East Midlands Derby. Its going to be a big one.

 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

11 hours ago, StePratt said:

I've had to stop the Clitheroe save, for reasons. 

 

I'm thinking of starting a Burton save. Anyone done one? Got any tips to maximise their incredible facilities?

Burton with their facilities is a wonderful save. I had great fun with them on FM2019. The first couple of seasons are tough cos of the finances. My only advice is scout the Home Nations for free transfers and newgens and hopefully a few can be sold for some decent money and you just keep doing that for a while.

I actually got bored once I got promoted to the Prem with Burton but they are a great club to manage.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Swansea/Wales Update

First thing first lets talk about the Swansea recruitment. On the outgoing side the main players out were Jay Fulton - £2m to Sunderland, Kyle Naughton - £1m to Sunderland, Ben Hamer - £250k to Bournemouth, Barrie McKay - £89k to Barnsley and most importantly Andre Ayew - £1m to Burnley with Burnley paying half of his wages for the remainder of his contract. Not ideal having to still pay £40k a week of Ayew to play for another team but better then having to keep him on at £80k per week.

I also managed to keep prized Welsh fullback Conor Roberts who I managed to convince the board to reject a £16.5m deal from Wolves.

With my transfer policy of only signing Welsh players I went out and bought what I could.

Under rated striker Alex Samuel come in from Wycombe for £20k. I know what he is capable of after managing him at Wycome and is a very capable back up striker.

Louis Thompson who can play in a few positions was bought in for his versalitity and for his good work rate and bravey. He cost £325k from Norwich.

Another player signed from Norwich was goalkeeper Daniel Barden for £750k. He is already first team goalie and doing well so far. 

Elliot Thorpe was bought in for £165k from Spurs. A rough diamond that I am hoping will come good down the road. He is only 19 years old.

Another talented youngster signed up was Harvey Rew coming in for £235k from Portsmouth.

I needed some young Welsh wingers so I decided to bring in Nathan Broadhead from Everton for £97k.  He has done ok so far when he has played.

My final signing was my back up plan in case I lost Conor Roberts so I looked to see what other good Welsh right back's there were and I saw Mitch Clark stand out so he was signed for £3.5m which was more then I wanted to spend on any player but I thought I was going to lose Roberts and that still might happen in the Winter window.

I also loaned in talened Welsh youngers Matt Smith from Man City, Dylan Levitt from Man Utd and Ben Woodburn from Liverpool.

Overall I am happy with my recruitment. 

Swansea curently sit nicely in the play offs in 6th place. Hopefully we can push on and try get Automatic Promotion. 

Wales Progress

Doing well so far with Wales national team who have some incredible young players in Daniel James, Joe Rodon, Tyler Roberts Matt Smith, Harry Wilson etc. 

Currently top of my Nations League group with 4 wins out of 4.

Wales have also now in 20th place on the Nations Rankings. I am determined to get them to number 1 position.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham

[Ronaldo Beckham]

A lovely 2-0 Welsh derby Vs the scum that is Cardiff

[robterrace]

Wow.

That is all.

[warlock]

3 hours ago, robterrace said:

Wow

17 shots, 13 on target, 8 goals... that's some quality football 

[robterrace]

11 minutes ago, warlock said:

17 shots, 13 on target, 8 goals... that's some quality football 

We hit the post 3 times, had 1 disallowed.

I've never had a match like it before.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Look At My Group Of Death In The Euros For Wales

 

[warlock]

Ipswich Town, end of season 2020/21

After a fantastic December that saw us atop the table, the new year took a distinct turn for the worse. Through January and February we only lost one game, but we hit a run of frustrating draws that saw us throw a ton of points from winning positions. And then our form took a turn for the worse:

Just one win from 6 games saw us in danger of dropping out of the playoff places. Tactical tinkering didn't help as I tried the old 442, then dropping one CM back to DM to try to shore up the defence, finally reverting to the 433, which did well against Plymouth but fizzled in the last two games of the month. But we started to improve in April:

We were the poster boys for inconsistency, but no defeats in 6 games lifted us back to 2nd place (Blackpool had run away with the title by this point). But we were hard pressed by both Oxford and Sunderland. We had arguably the easiest run-in of the promotion contenders but singularly failed to make an impact, failing to win either of the last two games. The battle for the automatic promotion spot went down to the last game of the season, which saw us at home to an already-relegated Fleetwood side and they shut us out for 90 minutes for a 0-0 draw. On the day, it didn't seem like enough but after the final whistle it became apparent that Oxford had lost and Sunderland were unable to overtake our GD advantage. We were up by the skin of our teeth:

To my surprise, we ended the season with the best offence in the division, and Norwood carried us for the season - the only player to score in double figures. Woolfenden and McGuinness were solid in defence, while Josh Harrop and Gwion Edwards provided the creativity from the wide areas. Too many other players were disappointing throughout, with Teddy Bishop, Emyr Huws and Flynn Downes particularly disappointing in central midfield, and the LB position a problem area where neither Ward or Kenlock offered much going forward while being unreliable at the back.

The board have given me £2m in transfer budget, which is rather more than I was expecting but limited in the face of the rebuild necessary. There's a bunch of over-30s who will be allowed to leave, and we definitely need upgrades at GK, LB, CM and the striker positions. There are a number of good prospects in the u23s, but it seems unlikely that they'll make the step up to first-team football in the Championship. A season of consolidation - and survival - would be good.

 

[smplfc123]

Congratulations on promotion @warlock and a decent budget to work with moving forward. Do you plan on keeping Downes despite his poor season?

Unfortunately I just couldn't get in to my Ipswich save. I got about 3 league games and 2 cup games in to the season, (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat) but just wasn't feeling it for some reason. I'd have only been shown up by your success anyway, so my investment in an Ipswich save will be solely based on keeping up with your updates.  

[Jogo Bonito]

Many congrats @warlockthat was a close call. Might have been better off with another year in League 1 but financially it will push you on plenty and that's a really good budget too.

[warlock]

14 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

Do you plan on keeping Downes despite his poor season?

Think I have to give him at least half a season - the coaches still rate him as one of our best players. Plus, given the holes that need filling elsewhere, I'm not sure I can improve on him in the short term.

Sorry your time at Portman Road didn't work out; hope you can find an enjoyable save soon 

9 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

that was a close call

It was 

In December I was sure promotion was on the cards, and possibly the title; by February I was sure we'd blown it and would be lucky to make the playoffs; in mid-April I had no idea where we'd finish; then ending the season with 3 draws I had no doubt we were heading for the playoffs and I didn't expect to do well there. "Rollercoaster" would be the cliche of choice, I think  

[Jogo Bonito]

9 minutes ago, warlock said:

Think I have to give him at least half a season - the coaches still rate him as one of our best players. Plus, given the holes that need filling elsewhere, I'm not sure I can improve on him in the short term. Sorry your time at Portman Road didn't work out; hope you can find an enjoyable save soon 

It was  In December I was sure promotion was on the cards, and possibly the title; by February I was sure we'd blown it and would be lucky to make the playoffs; in mid-April I had no idea where we'd finish; then ending the season with 3 draws I had no doubt we were heading for the playoffs and I didn't expect to do well there. "Rollercoaster" would be the cliche of choice, I think  

I think that sums Ipswich up well. Great club, really poor (average if kind) players.

[warlock]

13 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Great club, really poor (average if kind) players

Yeah, I think that may be why so many have struggled with them despite our efforts to push managers in their direction . 

[Jogo Bonito]

Indeed. And for me, it's because they have almost the same set of players as one year ago and we didn't like most of them even then.

I still haven't started a game on 21.3 version yet, but have a radical idea of how to get past the problem of managing that set of disliked players at such a great club as Ipswich. I'm still going with Parma but the idea I'm forming in my head is to make Ipswich more fun - but by natural means rather than create a club or anything. 

[Mackem742]

Update on my Sunderland save.

Ive lost a few of the loanees as I wasnt playing them in the agreed position. Woodburn, Elanga and Dewhirst have gone back to their respective clubs. Ive brought in Lumley from QPR as a starting keeper as Burge was making far too many mistakes. Im currently about 5 points clear of 2nd and 8 clear of 3rd going into March. Ive also got the papa Johns Trophy final against Peterborough coming up as well as a tough game away at Portsmouth, win that and ill be confident of going up. Although still have Blackpool, Lincoln and Hull to play and they are all buzzing around the automatic and play off spots.

I had my worst run of the season in January where I lost 3 games in a row,

AFC Wimbledon (A) 0-2 shock away defeat, they fm'ed me and then Max Power got sent off mid way through the 2nd half and I knew we had no chance.

Man Utd (H) 1-3 defeat in the FA Cup 4th round, I went 1-0 up in this one but they overpowered me.

Ipswich (A) 2-3 defeat, another game where I was absolutely fuming and prompted me to bring in a new keeper as I was 1-0 then 2-1 up in this game and Ipswich equaliser and their winner were both keeping errors.

I tried to bring in Pellegri on loan in the summer and in January but he refused both times. Signing of the season so far has been Ekici on a free transfer, he creates as well as weighs in with a few goals. My strikers have mostly misfired all season, they occasionally go through a bit of a purple patch but I think my top score is Kaikai with about 12 goals and I havent been playing him up front. Eisa has been a disappointment, Gelhardt goes through good and then terrible spells so if I get promotion a striker is my number 1 priority.

 

[warlock]

44 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

the idea I'm forming in my head is to make Ipswich more fun

Sounds interesting, and I'd certainly like to follow that story.

[warlock]

@Mackem742 Sounds like you're doing okay. Hit-and-miss form, misfiring strikers, fumbling 'keepers - all part of the rich tapestry of life in L1 . Doing better than the average Sunderland manager, though!

[Mackem742]

18 minutes ago, warlock said:

@Mackem742 Sounds like you're doing okay. Hit-and-miss form, misfiring strikers, fumbling 'keepers - all part of the rich tapestry of life in L1 . Doing better than the average Sunderland manager, though!

Ha ha cheers! Hoping to finish the season off over the next couple of nights but the scouting mission for a new striker starts now as I would have to bottle it big time to not get promoted now.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Indeed. And for me, it's because they have almost the same set of players as one year ago and we didn't like most of them even then.

I still haven't started a game on 21.3 version yet, but have a radical idea of how to get past the problem of managing that set of disliked players at such a great club as Ipswich. I'm still going with Parma but the idea I'm forming in my head is to make Ipswich more fun - but by natural means rather than create a club or anything. 

Are you going to bring in Parfait Guiagon and other wonderful African players to Ipswich then @Jogo Bonito

Well done getting promotion with Ipswich @warlock Norwood has been a goalscoring machine for you.

[Jogo Bonito]

53 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Are you going to bring in Parfait Guiagon and other wonderful African players to Ipswich then @Jogo Bonito

Nope, it would not involve any Africans. With WP rules as they are now it wouldn't be easy to even bring in anybody from Europe. Imagine how sad those old Ipswich sides would have been without Muhren, Thijssen etc.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

52 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Nope, it would not involve any Africans. With WP rules as they are now it wouldn't be easy to even bring in anybody from Europe. Imagine how sad those old Ipswich sides would have been without Muhren, Thijssen etc.

Just do what I did and download a file that gets rid of Brexit if you just want a fun save with no rules.

I know you probably prefer realism in your saves but just an idea.

[robterrace]

53 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Nope, it would not involve any Africans. With WP rules as they are now it wouldn't be easy to even bring in anybody from Europe. Imagine how sad those old Ipswich sides would have been without Muhren, Thijssen etc.

The random Dutch players at Ipswich, even into the 90s, was fantastic.

[warlock]

42 minutes ago, robterrace said:

The random Dutch players at Ipswich, even into the 90s, was fantastic.

Yes, one of the minor goals of my Ipswich save is to bring in at least a couple of Dutch wizards.

[robterrace]

3 minutes ago, warlock said:

Yes, one of the minor goals of my Ipswich save is to bring in at least a couple of Dutch wizards.

I'm tempted to do similar at Wigan with random Spanish players.

[Jogo Bonito]

6 minutes ago, warlock said:

Yes, one of the minor goals of my Ipswich save is to bring in at least a couple of Dutch wizards.

Absolutely! Randomly I can also recall Zondervan, Wilnis, Petta, Reuser etc. They used to even have Orange 2nd/3rd kits in tribute.

Although I'm not sure we can trust the man who says he is still managing Norwich 

2 minutes ago, robterrace said:

I'm tempted to do similar at Wigan with random Spanish players.

The Division 4 days of The Three Amigos. Martinez, Seba and I can't recall the other one. Was it Diaz? I think one of them has sadly passed on.

[robterrace]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

The Division 4 days of The Three Amigos. Martinez, Seba and I can't recall the other one. Was it Diaz? I think one of them has sadly passed on.

Isidro Diaz, who played until he was 40.

[Jogo Bonito]

Had to check, maybe the three are still living fine actually. Although Seba (who seemed to only have played 21 games for Wigan) was involved in an insurance fraud case in 2013.

[StePratt]

18 games into Burton, 18 points. Sacked. End of that dream. 

[Jogo Bonito]

7 minutes ago, StePratt said:

18 games into Burton, 18 points. Sacked. End of that dream. 

Wow, that was tough. I thought their board would be less ruthless than that.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

16 minutes ago, StePratt said:

18 games into Burton, 18 points. Sacked. End of that dream. 

Could you not restart it from the last save point and just cheat for a few games until you get out of their bad books.

Failing that you could always start again as I do that sometimes and also you know what to do 2nd time around.

[StePratt]

Yeah, came as a shock. 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I'm not sure we can trust the man who says he is still managing Norwich 

 Always forget to update that!

1 hour ago, StePratt said:

18 games into Burton, 18 points. Sacked

Ouch! Tough board there. Still, onwards and upwards 

[silentwars]

3 hours ago, StePratt said:

18 games into Burton, 18 points. Sacked. End of that dream. 

Still did better than Jake Buxton haha

[robterrace]

So. 0-0 draw at Pride Park in the East Midlands Derby. They miss a penalty as well :P

[Ronaldo Beckham]

A very nice Youth Intake at Swansea

Some very nice Welsh newgens as well.

Here are the good Welsh one's

Barry Martin - Central Defender

Ashley Mellor - Right Winger

Jordan French - Right Back

Nathan Harvey - Right Winger

Keiron Ryan-Phillips - Goalkeeper

I will do a full season review later or tomorrow.

[oakesypvfc]

Who doesn't love a cup run  

 

[stevemc]

Just starting up a save with Norwich, the plan is a journeyman so no more than 3-4 years to start - anyone got any player signing suggestions?

[warlock]

3 hours ago, stevemc said:

anyone got any player signing suggestions?

I should, since I just did a save with Norwich and got them back to the PL at the first time of asking. But the memory is not what it was .

Here's a link to my first update that covers what little transfer business I did:

Really, it's just a matter of filling the few gaps with whoever you think will do a job... the squad is more than capable of getting you promoted. My problem was that I majorly screwed up the transfer window after promotion - we weren't nearly good enough to stay up, and the players I brought in weren't enough of an improvement. The big disappointments for me were Idah and Aarons - others doing Norwich saves got great performances out of both; I got nothing out of either of them.

But please keep us updated with your progress. They're a good club with a lot of decent players and the failings of my save were entirely down to me. Good luck 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Swansea/Wales Update

I managed to get Swansea to the Play Offs but I lost 3-2 on aggregate to Bournemouth and that is where the season ends and also the save as I am going to do be a save with Real Valladolid and sign a few Brazilians as the original Ronaldo is the owner or part owner of them.

Check the La Liga for my updates with them and as I always I will be back in here at some point.

 

[Mackem742]

Promotion has been secured with 3 games to spare. Happy with how the season has gone in general. I suffered some really strange results but I guess they happen in real life. I picked up some really great results towards the back end of the season where I played Wigan, Blackpool and Hull away in a week. Blackpool were second and Hull 3rd at the time. I managed to win 3-0 at Wigan, 2-0 at Blackpool and then a crazy 3-3 at Hull which pretty much secured promotion which I gained in my next game at home to Accrington.

Here are a few of my most important players of the season. Standout players were Halilovic (I kind of remember this lad being a bit of a wonderkid on previous FM's but noticed he was at Birmingham and they were willing to let him go. Gelhardt has currently got over 20 goals. And the others all stood out in their own way.

This guy was also my highest rated player from my youth intake. Needs a lot of work but Ill see how he goes.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Mackem742

[warlock]

17 hours ago, Mackem742 said:

Promotion has been secured with 3 games to spare

Well done that man  Having just gone through the pre-Championship rebuild, I'll be very interested to see what you come up with.

BTW: I'm sure you have a very good reason for having a random fencepost as your background image, but I'm struggling to imagine what it might be 

[Mackem742]

13 minutes ago, warlock said:

Well done that man  Having just gone through the pre-Championship rebuild, I'll be very interested to see what you come up with.

BTW: I'm sure you have a very good reason for having a random fencepost as your background image, but I'm struggling to imagine what it might be 

Cheers mate.

Ha ha its from a background pack I downloaded years ago. I think its supposed to be a training ground. I think the full picture shows a few balls and cones on a lush green pitch but obviously you cant see that. About time I changed it 

[warlock]

Ipswich Town, the Championship, October 2021

It was a long transfer window as I looked to rebuild an ageing and underpowered squad for life after promotion. A number of over-30s were coming to the end of contract and were allowed to leave, as were several returning loanees who weren't good enough for L1 and had no future with us after promotion. With those easy decisions made, there were harder questions to answer. Striker James Norwood had earned himself a stay of execution by producing an astonishing scoring record, but could he do it at a higher level? CM Flynn Downes, rated as one of the best players at the club, had failed to produce in L1; did he deserve another season? AML/ST Kayden Jackson was a useful rotation option but was that enough? Youngster Jack Lankester is rated at 5* potential, but is taking his time to realise it.

Transfers

In the end, I opted for the status quo if only because a wholesale replacement policy didn't seem feasible or wise. So I set about plugging the obvious holes in the squad. First job was to renew the loan deals for two of our best defenders, Wolves RB Luke Matheson and Arsenal CB Mark McGuinness. I'd have liked to bring back Josh Harrop, our best creative force, either on another loan or a permanent deal but Preston wouldn't allow the former and we couldn't afford the transfer.

Before the end of the first season, I'd already secured 3 more players. LB Tyrick Mitchell was transfer listed at Crystal Palace but way outside our budget, but a cheeky loan offer was accepted at just £500 a week wages. One of the available CB slots was filled when my scouts flagged up the availability of transfer-listed Liam Lindsay. A favourite from a Barnsley save a couple of years ago, the Scot had since languished on the bench at Stoke and £125k was enough to bring him to Portman Road. I'd struggled to find a decent, affordable GK last year and while Dejan Iliev, on loan from Arsenal, had been okay I wanted an upgrade and think I found him in former Leicester youngster Viktor Johansson. After a season at relegated Rotherham, the 22-year-old was signed for £250k. And Iliev's stay at Ipswich was made permanent for £130k and he agreed a backup role.

I was never convinced by Miles Kenlock at LB but was ready to play him as backup to Mitchell. Then my DoF spotted Fulham's Jerome Opoku nearing the end of his contract, and with Fulham apparently not interested in renewing, we bagged him on a free transfer (Kenlock eventually moved to Hull for £40k). It was a similar story with Rochdale's Eoghan O'Connell whose signing completed our backline.

Looking for someone to fill the creative boots of Harrop, Swindon's Scott Twine came up in a recruitment meeting. Capable of playing anywhere up front, and with plenty of room to develop at just 22yrs, he looked a likely candidate. Swindon obviously thought so too, because they drove a hard bargain but he was eventually signed for a mammoth fee of £750k.

One of the board requirements is to buy young players for development or profit, so we picked up several rejects from the Premiership elite: Manchester United CM Arnau Puigmal, Southampton CB David Agbontohoma, and Manchester City RW Luke Bolton. The idea was to send them straight out on loan and watch their development (Puigmal particuarly looks capable of making the grade), but in pre-season Bolton staked a claim for first-team football and has continued to shine since, his 4 goals in 6 appearances threatening the position of Gwion Edwards in the role.

The final (so I thought) piece of the puzzle was a striker. With Norwood a year older and a division higher, there were lingering doubts about his ability to produce another 20-goal season. One of the frustrations of this save has been the performance of my scouting team. Despite being limited to searching within England, they have produced a raft of European players who we can't properly scout, we usually can't afford, and who typically won't get work permits. But they might have come up with a winner in Swiss u21 international Darian Males. The Inter Milan youngster was available for loan, readily got a work permit, and signed for £3.4k a week for the season. 

Job done? Not quite. One of my favourite things in EFL saves is the ability to loan in potential superstars you wouldn't otherwise get the chance to manage. Last year it was Manchester United's James Garner who went with me everywhere. This year I've had my eye on another from the Old Trafford academy, French CM Hannibal Mejbri:

Apart from the irritating Krusty the Klown hairstyle, he's already a great addition to the squad, providing 6 assists and 2 goals in 8 starts.

Early form

With one of the smallest wage budgets, the board expectation is to avoid a relegation battle, and the media prediction has us finishing just above the relegation spots, so I was expecting a tough start to Championship life. So this came as a bit of a shock:

Although the 433 had performed well in L1, we were pretty much dependent on Norwood banging in the goals. I was looking for a way to provide better support and in Twine and Hannibal I thought we had the players to make a switch to a 4231 possible. Having tried it in pre-season friendlies it seemed to work, and it carried on working. The absence of a DM leaves us a little vulnerable at the back, but at the moment that seems a worthwhile trade-off given the potency of our attack. Of course, I'm expecting a reality check at some point but, for now, we're playing well.

Norwood started strongly with 5 goals in our first 4 competitive games but has faded quite a bit since. Happily, Males has quickly settled in and will surely improve. Two points of note - young Luke Bolton scoring a brace on his debut against Huddersfield, and the strike record of CB Mark McGuinness, who has been an assassin from corners and free-kicks, finding the net 5 times in 8 starts.

The only real question mark is against Johansson's performances in goal... we've conceded a few from straightforward goalkeeping errors, so I'm hoping he'll settle down soon.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

5 minutes ago, warlock said:

Ipswich Town, the Championship, October 2021

It was a long transfer window as I looked to rebuild an ageing and underpowered squad for life after promotion. A number of over-30s were coming to the end of contract and were allowed to leave, as were several returning loanees who weren't good enough for L1 and had no future with us after promotion. With those easy decisions made, there were harder questions to answer. Striker James Norwood had earned himself a stay of execution by producing an astonishing scoring record, but could he do it at a higher level? CM Flynn Downes, rated as one of the best players at the club, had failed to produce in L1; did he deserve another season? AML/ST Kayden Jackson was a useful rotation option but was that enough? Youngster Jack Lankester is rated at 5* potential, but is taking his time to realise it.

Transfers

In the end, I opted for the status quo if only because a wholesale replacement policy didn't seem feasible or wise. So I set about plugging the obvious holes in the squad. First job was to renew the loan deals for two of our best defenders, Wolves RB Luke Matheson and Arsenal CB Mark McGuinness. I'd have liked to bring back Josh Harrop, our best creative force, either on another loan or a permanent deal but Preston wouldn't allow the former and we couldn't afford the transfer.

Before the end of the first season, I'd already secured 3 more players. LB Tyrick Mitchell was transfer listed at Crystal Palace but way outside our budget, but a cheeky loan offer was accepted at just £500 a week wages. One of the available CB slots was filled when my scouts flagged up the availability of transfer-listed Liam Lindsay. A favourite from a Barnsley save a couple of years ago, the Scot had since languished on the bench at Stoke and £125k was enough to bring him to Portman Road. I'd struggled to find a decent, affordable GK last year and while Dejan Iliev, on loan from Arsenal, had been okay I wanted an upgrade and think I found him in former Leicester youngster Viktor Johansson. After a season at relegated Rotherham, the 22-year-old was signed for £250k. And Iliev's stay at Ipswich was made permanent for £130k and he agreed a backup role.

I was never convinced by Miles Kenlock at LB but was ready to play him as backup to Mitchell. Then my DoF spotted Fulham's Jerome Opoku nearing the end of his contract, and with Fulham apparently not interested in renewing, we bagged him on a free transfer (Kenlock eventually moved to Hull for £40k). It was a similar story with Rochdale's Eoghan O'Connell whose signing completed our backline.

Looking for someone to fill the creative boots of Harrop, Swindon's Scott Twine came up in a recruitment meeting. Capable of playing anywhere up front, and with plenty of room to develop at just 22yrs, he looked a likely candidate. Swindon obviously thought so too, because they drove a hard bargain but he was eventually signed for a mammoth fee of £750k.

One of the board requirements is to buy young players for development or profit, so we picked up several rejects from the Premiership elite: Manchester United CM Arnau Puigmal, Southampton CB David Agbontohoma, and Manchester City RW Luke Bolton. The idea was to send them straight out on loan and watch their development (Puigmal particuarly looks capable of making the grade), but in pre-season Bolton staked a claim for first-team football and has continued to shine since, his 4 goals in 6 appearances threatening the position of Gwion Edwards in the role.

The final (so I thought) piece of the puzzle was a striker. With Norwood a year older and a division higher, there were lingering doubts about his ability to produce another 20-goal season. One of the frustrations of this save has been the performance of my scouting team. Despite being limited to searching within England, they have produced a raft of European players who we can't properly scout, we usually can't afford, and who typically won't get work permits. But they might have come up with a winner in Swiss u21 international Darian Males. The Inter Milan youngster was available for loan, readily got a work permit, and signed for £3.4k a week for the season. 

Job done? Not quite. One of my favourite things in EFL saves is the ability to loan in potential superstars you wouldn't otherwise get the chance to manage. Last year it was Manchester United's James Garner who went with me everywhere. This year I've had my eye on another from the Old Trafford academy, French CM Hannibal Mejbri:

Apart from the irritating Krusty the Klown hairstyle, he's already a great addition to the squad, providing 6 assists and 2 goals in 8 starts.

Early form

With one of the smallest wage budgets, the board expectation is to avoid a relegation battle, and the media prediction has us finishing just above the relegation spots, so I was expecting a tough start to Championship life. So this came as a bit of a shock:

Although the 433 had performed well in L1, we were pretty much dependent on Norwood banging in the goals. I was looking for a way to provide better support and in Twine and Hannibal I thought we had the players to make a switch to a 4231 possible. Having tried it in pre-season friendlies it seemed to work, and it carried on working. The absence of a DM leaves us a little vulnerable at the back, but at the moment that seems a worthwhile trade-off given the potency of our attack. Of course, I'm expecting a reality check at some point but, for now, we're playing well.

Norwood started strongly with 5 goals in our first 4 competitive games but has faded quite a bit since. Happily, Males has quickly settled in and will surely improve. Two points of note - young Luke Bolton scoring a brace on his debut against Huddersfield, and the strike record of CB Mark McGuinness, who has been an assassin from corners and free-kicks, finding the net 5 times in 8 starts.

The only real question mark is against Johansson's performances in goal... we've conceded a few from straightforward goalkeeping errors, so I'm hoping he'll settle down soon.

Nice to see Norwood making the step up and also Hannibal is an amazing player and it is good he is doing well for you already.