FM21: The English Football League thread

[craiigman]

The keeper stayed with us in the end, assume game allows him too, still says he is due to go with them.

2-0 up to 2-2, things went from amazing to awful so quickly. But the boys dug in and Samuel sealed it for the promotion. I'm not sure if getting promoted this early is even a good thing, this squad is not ready for Championship football. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Exeter City October Results

I have managed to turn things around after changing to a more Cautious 4-3-3. Unbeaten in 4 games.

Here is my new tactic

 

[Jogo Bonito]

@Ronaldo Beckham That's decent, nothing to be alarmed about. Obviously you're not scoring many, but not conceding much either so not far way from getting it spot on. Keep plugging away 

[warlock]

9 hours ago, craiigman said:

Samuel sealed it for the promotion

Well played!

2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I have managed to turn things around

Nothing wrong with being hard to beat. Take the wins where you can, and the draws where you must (it says on this fortune cookie).

[kingjericho]

@Parmie still rocking the 442?

[Ronaldo Beckham]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Ronaldo Beckham That's decent, nothing to be alarmed about. Obviously you're not scoring many, but not conceding much either so not far way from getting it spot on. Keep plugging away 

 

19 minutes ago, warlock said:

Well played!

Nothing wrong with being hard to beat. Take the wins where you can, and the draws where you must (it says on this fortune cookie).

Thank you guys. I feel like I jinxed myself as I have had a terrible December. I tried tweaking the tactic to remedy this but its not worked. 

The players have lost all respect for me. It aint looking good.

I am going to try this tactic for a few games.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Scrap what I said in the last post as 5-2-2-1 doesn't suit my best players so gone back to a 4-2-3-1. 

Apparently the sack looms for me if I don't win the next game against Forest Green who are currently 2nd in League 2.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I lost 1-0 to Forest Green. The team seemed to play better though but the board has given me 1 month to turn things around.

[Parmie]

17 minutes ago, kingjericho said:

@Parmie still rocking the 442?

Oh yes. I've remained faithful to the formation but tweaked it from what we started off with. We go Cautious away and Balanced at home setup like this.

I'm 10th after 11 games in our 1st season in the premiership with this. The only real players left are Rhian Brewster, Elliot Watt and Achraf Dari (I do a customised database with the major teams from all regions loaded about 55,000 players).

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I got sacked from Exeter so I am off to start again lol.

I will post how I do after I have played the first month of the season.

I have decided to start the season at the first game of the season so avoiding pre season.

Edited December 9, 2020 by Ronaldo Beckham

[warlock]

30 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I got sacked from Exeter

Ouch - that went south in a hurry . Exeter again?

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Just now, warlock said:

Ouch - that went south in a hurry . Exeter again?

Yeah mate. I am determined to do well with Exeter without cheating. If it takes me 10 saves to do it then so be it lol.

I have been doing well since I started again. Here is my results so far.

Here is the tactic I am using which the players seem to enjoy playing this system.

I will see how I do tomorrow night after work. Hopefully it wont all crumble like last time lol.

[warlock]

Brentford, November 2020

Well, I seem to be committed to this save so time for an update.

The Bees seem to be a little weaker this year, thanks to the loss of Watkins and Benrahma who have been replaced by Iranian international Sam Ghoddos at AML and former Peterborough striker Ivan Toney. Ghoddos has fitted in well but has already missed the best part of a month after two injuries, while Toney comfortably leads the scoring charts with 7 goals in 11 starts. As with last year, a big challenge is getting the most out of the central midfielders where almost everyone wants to play the B2B role. Elsewhere there are few problems: there is plenty of quality all along the backline, although there's no backup for Rico Henry at LB, and plenty of depth at AML and AMR.

Because I never play with AMCs, Marcondes had no natural role to play for me so he was quickly transfer listed but the best I could get was a loan deal from West Brom covering 80% of his wages. In return I brought in Preston's Ben Pearson to give us some creativity in midfield - he had some kind of falling out with Preston boss Alex Neil and was available at a bargain price of £2.1m. The backup problem at LB was solved with the loan of Palace youngster Tyrick Mitchell who made an immediate impact and has out-performed starter Henry. He's one I'd love to sign on a permanent deal in the long term.

Our final bit of transfer business was an additional option up front. With just Toney and youngster Marcus Forss in the squad (plus the enigmatic Frenchman Mbeuno who is better as a winger, I feel) we were just one injury away from a problem, so Southampton prospect Dan N'Lundulu came in on loan.

Early form

Opening day saw us entertain tough opposition in Norwich for the first round of the Carabao Cup and the lads surprised me by posting a comfortable 2-0 win. We were shakier in the league with consecutive draws but eventually claimed our first win with another good performance away at Millwall. October continued in similar vein with another 4 wins in a row so when Norwich tipped up at the new Brentford stadium I was fairly confident. Unfortunately, we surrendered an early lead for our first league loss, but recovered well with another three victories.

We go into an international break in 3rd spot, narrowly behind leaders Bristol City and just a few goals behind Norwich in second. Toney's goals are an obvious highlight, but the performances of Ethan Pinnock and Pontus Jansson in central defence have been equally important. Sergi Canos leads the assists from AMR.

After a lot of tweaking I've finally settled on a 433dm tactic that I'm happy with, doing away with high lines and aggressive pressing in favour of controlled possession (we're Top 5 for possession and passes completed). If we can improve our finishing - we lead the league for shots taken but are only third in goals scored - we'll be in good shape.

[karanhsingh]

Nice updates from everyone. I have a few coming up myself.

@warlock - nice solid start there. Isn't Tarique Fosu there too, have you been using him? Are you planning to carry on with the policy of bringing in young Scandinavian talent, there certainly is a lot around!

@Ronaldo Beckham - sad to hear about the sacking but it seems like the new save is off to a decent start. Tactics seem to be working well? Are you doing transfers or youth only?

[karanhsingh]

Some long(ish) updates coming up as I played through the rest of the season between last night & this morning.

April 2021

This month sadly was all about the dropped points. Blackburn away was an even game, but the matches against Luton and Preston, we really should have won. Had we done that, we would be top 2.

Outside chance of automatic promotion, but its a slim one at best.

This graph clearly highlights where our issues lie - aggressive but wasteful.

[karanhsingh]

Bournemouth dropped points which means we went into the final day of the season with a chance still.

We were to play relegation fighting Sheffield Wednesday at home, while Bournemouth were also at home against mid-table Stoke.

We took an early lead, and at HT we were actually getting promoted as the other game was goalless. 

However Bournemouth came roaring back to score no less than 4 second half goals and seal second spot for themselves. 

Into the play-offs we go.

[karanhsingh]

Local rivals Nottingham Forest were easily dispatched off in the semi-finals, with a 3-1 away win followed by a 1-0 at home. There was a stark gap between the sides.

I was hoping that Brentford would win the other semi but it wasn't to be.

We were up against Blackburn, having just lost a close game to them. But we had clearly been the better team overall in the league, and I fancied my chances. Until,

This was my injury list going into the game. No less than six first team players injured. I decided to roll the dice and play Whittaker & Waghorn even though they were both half-fit.

A very, very tight game which could have gone either way. At the end we just ran out of steam. The winner for them unfortunately came from an Archie Brown back pass which was under hit and went straight to Brereton deep into extra time. Very, very sad moment for the youngster who had just come on for Buchanan at LB.

 

[karanhsingh]

End of season things

These are the squad stats, ordered by appearances.

For some odd reason we have been given a crazy budget for next season. Not that I intend to spend any of it.

New club vision has some interesting additions.

We made a fair bit of money this season finally, and a good portion of that will be going into facility improvements.

Also, just got this alert. Not sure whether to bring him back or not.

[Mr_Demus]

I have decided to go for QPR. I went to Loftus Road once when I visited England, and had a great day there. I have always had a soft spot for them, so I want to see them do well. Unlucky for them, I am now in charge.

 

A busy week has allowed me to do nothing more than sort out staff and assess the squad to come up with a tactic.

[warlock]

3 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Isn't Tarique Fosu there too

Yes... he's doing fine when he plays - scored a couple of brilliant solo efforts - but he's been injured more than Ghoddos. That's been a bit of a theme: whenever I manage Brentford they endure a lot of injuries. Nothing major, but an endless stream of knocks and strains for 2-4 week layoffs. GK Raya starts injured and no sooner was he fit than backup Daniels went out for a month. CM Jensen starts injured and since returning has already suffered another two-week injury. CB Jansson and AMR Mbeuno have suffered in similar fashion.

Unlucky finish at Derby, but a playoff final is a great achievement, given where you started. And that transfer budget is remarkable, more than the Championship promoted teams were getting last year. I'll certainly be interested to see whether Brentford get similar treatment, but good luck with your spending spree .

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Nice updates from everyone. I have a few coming up myself.

@warlock - nice solid start there. Isn't Tarique Fosu there too, have you been using him? Are you planning to carry on with the policy of bringing in young Scandinavian talent, there certainly is a lot around!

@Ronaldo Beckham - sad to hear about the sacking but it seems like the new save is off to a decent start. Tactics seem to be working well? Are you doing transfers or youth only?

I am doing youth only again. I might bring back former Exeter players in the future like Ollie Watkins etc.

[craiigman]

Bunch of scum bags this lot, wanting pay rises from £2k to £6k per week. At this rate going to be left with 5 players.

[Jogo Bonito]

@warlockTicking along very nicely with Brentford. I hope you continue to enjoy.

@karanhsinghA remarkable turnaround at Derby and more than unlucky to lose out like. Derby obviously didn't get the financial prudence memo so next year should be enjoyable for you!

@Ronaldo BeckhamSorry to hear you got sacked but fair play for going again and nice to see an upturn in results. 

@Mr_Demus Good luck with QPR. I haven't gone with them yet but will be interested to see what you do. 

In a slight deviation from what even I expected, it looks like my initial dilemma of League 1 or League 2 may have been solved. Instead it looks like I'll be managing one team but in League 1 & League 2. See if that makes sense and if so, who do you think it might and why? Clue: One of the teams I mentioned in my post on 8th December.

[warlock]

16 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I'll be managing one team but in League 1 & League 2

Ah, one of those puzzles . I'm guessing two saves, with either an L2 club that was promoted in season 2, or an L1 side that was relegated, ditto. No idea who - I'd be surprised if Lincoln were relegated, but maybe Tranmere pre- and post-promotion. Or Walsall, perhaps I'm happy to wait for the Big Reveal!

[Jogo Bonito]

7 minutes ago, warlock said:

Ah, one of those puzzles . I'm guessing two saves, with either an L2 club that was promoted in season 2, or an L1 side that was relegated, ditto. No idea who - I'd be surprised if Lincoln were relegated, but maybe Tranmere pre- and post-promotion. Or Walsall, perhaps I'm happy to wait for the Big Reveal!

Good work, correct on the thinking. It depends if I can get the squad in shape for the new season, otherwise I'll bin the idea. This is after one complete season with Tottenham in my BETA save, I got the idea when checking promotions and relegations elsewhere (and transfers of those clubs).

[warlock]

11 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

It depends if I can get the squad in shape for the new season

One of my biggest bugbears in trying to find a save that appeals. We've pointed it out before but for the all (correct) stick the AI gets for poor squad management, real-world sides are often much worse. I can't count the number of teams I've considered only to find that they have, for example, no LB in the squad, while two decent options are out on loan and can't be recalled. Or the squads with one CM and 6 or 7 strikers. Or as many as 8 loan signings that don't fill the gaping holes in the team. You kind of expect it at non-league level, but it's bizarre in L1 or the Championship. 

[smplfc123]

After buying the game on it's release, I've finally found a bit of free time to get a save going properly.

Having read @warlock's excellent league previews, I've decided to take on the challenge at Huddersfield. Having not dealt with relegation from the Premiership very well last season and spending just £750k of the £23.5m made from sales, the club are looking to avoid a relegation battle, avoid slipping in to too much debt and make sure they consolidate their position in the division before mounting another challenge at promotion.

With that in mind, and transfers turned off, I feel I'll have the freedom to bring through a few young players and build for a push at the play-offs in the following season.

Wish me luck. Up The Terriers!

[warlock]

10 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

I've decided to take on the challenge at Huddersfield

Good to see you back here, and an interesting choice of club. A challenge indeed, given the extent of the rebuild but definitely a good prospect for setting your own style and agenda. Good luck 

[Jogo Bonito]

48 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

After buying the game on it's release, I've finally found a bit of free time to get a save going properly.

Having read @warlock's excellent league previews, I've decided to take on the challenge at Huddersfield. Having not dealt with relegation from the Premiership very well last season and spending just £750k of the £23.5m made from sales, the club are looking to avoid a relegation battle, avoid slipping in to too much debt and make sure they consolidate their position in the division before mounting another challenge at promotion.

With that in mind, and transfers turned off, I feel I'll have the freedom to bring through a few young players and build for a push at the play-offs in the following season.

Wish me luck. Up The Terriers!

Welcome back and good luck 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

October started well with 3 wins and then my team's form dipped and I lost twice and drew twice but ended the month with a 1-0 win over Carlisle and I am currently 8th in the league as I just lost my first game in November but I was top for most of October and there is only 2 points between the top 8 teams in the league.

Top goalscorer is currently youngster Ben Seymour with 5 goals so far.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

November is not one to remember for Exeter City with 5 losses and 1 win. I got the 1 win after changing my formation to a 4-1-2-2-1 tactic. 

I feel like its Deja Vu again lol.

My new tactic

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I never get excited about Youth Intake previews but I am hoping the future is bright at Exeter.

[Jogo Bonito]

@Ronaldo BeckhamDoing very well, nice one. Hopefully this is more enjoyable? Well you were, then I just saw your latest post!

I'm edging towards the first pre-season friendly at my new EFL club. As @warlockguessed, it's a League 1 club who got relegated to League 2 after one season of my BETA save with Tottenham. I have taken over as they prepare for life in the fourth tier. They had kept most of the original squad and had not made many transfers during their first season, so it felt like a good club to take on.

However, my spell may be short-lived. The wage bill when I arrived was just under £50k per week, but the wage cap in League 2 is £29k per week (League 1 is capped at £48k per week). There aren't any rules that say you get dispensation as a relegated side, and you get a 12 points deduction for entering administration. On top of that, you can only register 20 players in League 2 (there might be some leeway for younger players, but I only have one of those and I have 25 players at the moment). And I still need a second left-back and possibly another striker so I will have to do some more ins and outs.

The one piece of good news is that my most valuable player has a pre-arranged transfer to MLS side New York City for £1.1 million in early July and that shaves £3k per week off the wage bill. I've also done a deal to sell my best striker to Rotherham for £450k but have a loan-back for 7 months as I need him to meet the board ambition of winning the title. He is over 30 and I've saved £4k per week on his wages already, so this deal was a necessity. I've allowed all loans to expire other than one the club did did last year (the youngster) and the weekly wage total is down to just over £40k per week now after including my new signings (all of them on free transfers and wages of less than £1k per week).

I've also just had another offer from Rotherham for one of my other better players at £400k but I have delayed it as he was able to play anywhere down the right and his versatility was going to be quite valuable. However, I will probably have to take the money I think. I've never taken a club in to administration before, but I am not sure it can be avoided. Ironically, my dealings have wangled me a transfer budget of £700k - but I can't really use it

Edited December 10, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Joyboy.]

Have posted about this in the Ipswich thread, not much response in there.

 

So after a huge rebuild being done in my first season at Ipswich and winning the league and the JP cup West ham have come in for me, literally the only team I would leave Town for at the moment. A hefty £40m budget to rebuild them with and no huge pressure.

 

Cant decide what to do, its very tempting when looking at the project that you could make of the club and also being a supporter. 

[Jogo Bonito]

You can try both. Save one file as Ipswich then save as West Ham too?

[warlock]

55 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

the wage cap in League 2 is £29k per week (League 1 is capped at £48k per week)

Is that new? I've no idea what my wage bill was like in last year's L1 and L2 saves, and possibly never was an issue, but I certainly don't remember coming up against that. Pretty hard limit if you're running a 22 or 23-man squad 

[warlock]

38 minutes ago, Joyboy. said:

Have posted about this in the Ipswich thread, not much response in there.

Welcome to the right place . As JB said, save the Ipswich game, switch to the Hammers and then immediately create a new save. With a new name. Obviously.

[Jogo Bonito]

New for FM21 - due to Covid. But caps go in to the 2nd season too.

Mine is a BETA save and says only 20 players can be registered in League 2, but these from full game says 22 though.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Joyboy.]

3 minutes ago, warlock said:

Welcome to the right place . As JB said, save the Ipswich game, switch to the Hammers and then immediately create a new save. With a new name. Obviously.

Thats what I did in the end, this West Ham job is looking like a ball ache already.

[warlock]

@Jogo Bonito Just looked it up in the real world and it is new - response to the Covid pandemic and effects on football. In the real world it looks like the cap will only come into effect for new and renewed contracts, but I guess SI may have just implemented the simplest rule. Adds to the challenge, I suppose 

[warlock]

3 minutes ago, Joyboy. said:

this West Ham job is looking like a ball ache already.

As a Hammers fan you surely should have realised that . Good luck, though 

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, warlock said:

@Jogo Bonito Just looked it up in the real world and it is new - response to the Covid pandemic and effects on football. In the real world it looks like the cap will only come into effect for new and renewed contracts, but I guess SI may have just implemented the simplest rule. Adds to the challenge, I suppose 

Yeah I was just editing my above post. Relegated sides like mine might be screwed...

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Relegated sides like mine might be screwed...

Yes, the simplest implementation will put relegated sides between the rock and the hard place. Do nothing and suffer the consequences, or simply terminate contracts of players who won't take a pay cut and, well, suffer the consequences . Let us know how it works out for you!

[Hootieleece]

33 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Yeah I was just editing my above post. Relegated sides like mine might be screwed...

Time to become a Youth only save! Only way to get around the registration rules....

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Time to become a Youth only save! Only way to get around the registration rules....

I've already recruited my new players, I will just have to leave some unregistered. Nothing great in the youth squads yet. The only other solution is to get promoted, although I don't know what the sanctions will be even if we do.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I managed to turn things around with Exeter City in December with a great month consisting of 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses and then January was decent with 3 wins but 3 losses so I am now in 7th place. I think realistically I will get into the play offs this season if I carry on.

[Parmie]

Bradford City Season 9 (2028/2029):

Thought I would post the team I used for our first Premiership season:

Goalkeeper and defenders:

Rafael Mejia: a free end of contract signing from Colombia.

Cameron Sharp: £350k from Chelsea, signed for centre back, has had to fill in at right back this season.

Achraf Dari: another end of contract signing, but a mature player with leadership skills that we needed. 

Kim Sung-Jin: came in January to replace Rhys Bennett. Bargain buy for £1m from South Korean side Jeonbuk, Demanding in contract negotiations but worth it.

James Thomson: helped us secure promotion last season and still available from Arsenal for another season long loan.

Spoiler

Midfielders:

Elliot Watt: Had already signed from Carlisle for an undisclosed fee for Bradford when I took over. Captain and club legend, was switched to box to box this season and still did a job.

Miguel Angel: was transfer listed by Derby following their relegation. Signed for only £7m to takeover the playmaker role from Watt.

Armando Pacheco: another one of the Colombian youths we signed, although he was a relatively expensive £700k. After 4 seasons, and improvements to facilities, staff and his mentoring group, is now showing signs of developing.

Ben MacKenzie: filling our other long term domestic loan spot was this Man Utd academy product. Too good/expensive for a permanent move, was a great loan signing.

Spoiler

Strikers:

Rhian Brewster: I mentioned Rhian in a previous post, signed while we were in the Championship for a club record £2.9m at the time.

Santiago Mejia: Another Colombian but no relation to Rafael, Santiago had been signed by Arsenal and loaned out for the previous 3 seasons, he was transfer listed him for a reduced fee of £7.5m. Easy decision to fill the creative forward hole.

Spoiler

League Performance:

This group of players helped us over achieve in the Premiership. Santiago Mejia picking up the young player of the year along the way. We had some memorable results with home wins over Man City and Liverpool, no sustained run of bad form, we were always safe from relegation, securing our place next season after only 32 games.

We lack any kind of depth for a Premiership team still, although we had a few injuries to key players, and any more than 1 or 2 missing was virtually a guaranteed loss, no one was out for longer than a few weeks, the supporting cast of the team mostly early 20s players who we couldn't help fulfil early promise.

With the big money rolling in, the board are asked to improve anything and everything that I can. Our academy is producing some potentially useful players, probably not good enough for a full Premiership team but I'll enjoy seeing what we can do with them.

[warlock]

@Ronaldo Beckham & @Parmie Good going, both of you 

[robterrace]

Leaving the Chesterfield save by the wayside for the moment, I've moved onto a new one.

Simming a season from the start, the aim is to pick an 'interesting' team from within the Football League, and see where we end up.

So, its off to the Lamex Stadium, Stevenage, and taking over the club that finished 16th in the 2020/21 League Two table.

The Manager

In a slight departure from what I normally do, I'm going to introduce you to the new manager, Jurgen Schmidt.

The 34 year old German has a background in youth coaching, having worked his way through various coaching jobs after a very short professional career in the German Lower Leagues.  The native of Dortmund, he takes his first job in the fourth tier in England, with ideas of how to slowly improve the side, and make the most of the coming seasons.

A quick look at the squad indicates weaknesses all through the team, with a goalkeeper the priority, having had Jamie Cumming on loan from Chelsea, and the 2nd choice being a 35 year old who has spent most of his time floating round non league.

Work to be done, and an update soon.

[karanhsingh]

20 hours ago, warlock said:

Unlucky finish at Derby, but a playoff final is a great achievement, given where you started. And that transfer budget is remarkable, more than the Championship promoted teams were getting last year. I'll certainly be interested to see whether Brentford get similar treatment, but good luck with your spending spree .

Thanks! Wasn't much of a spree finally...

17 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

 

@karanhsinghA remarkable turnaround at Derby and more than unlucky to lose out like. Derby obviously didn't get the financial prudence memo so next year should be enjoyable for you!

In a slight deviation from what even I expected, it looks like my initial dilemma of League 1 or League 2 may have been solved. Instead it looks like I'll be managing one team but in League 1 & League 2. See if that makes sense and if so, who do you think it might and why? Clue: One of the teams I mentioned in my post on 8th December.

Thanks! Hopefully we can go one better this season. Look forward to your update. And interesting to find out about the new wage caps and what not.

14 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

After buying the game on it's release, I've finally found a bit of free time to get a save going properly.

Having read @warlock's excellent league previews, I've decided to take on the challenge at Huddersfield. Having not dealt with relegation from the Premiership very well last season and spending just £750k of the £23.5m made from sales, the club are looking to avoid a relegation battle, avoid slipping in to too much debt and make sure they consolidate their position in the division before mounting another challenge at promotion.

With that in mind, and transfers turned off, I feel I'll have the freedom to bring through a few young players and build for a push at the play-offs in the following season.

Wish me luck. Up The Terriers!

It's a good choice, I have considered them a number of times. After they got relegated it's almost like they didn't want to bother trying anymore IRL.

Great updates from the others too @Ronaldo Beckham, @robterrace and @ParmieI enjoyed looking at your team. There seem to be a lot of good Colombian new-gens knocking around this year...