[FM21] Return of the Phoe Nix - Rise of the Raven. FC Isle of Man Youth Save.

[Punch]

MAR 2031

2 wins, a draw, and a loss this month.

3 sellouts in three home games is impressive.

 

The analyst is a bit happier as the defence has slid back to the center, and the attack is still well on the right.

 

Our postponed match means we have dropped out of the top 6 for the moment.

 

The Peterborough match was postponed due to a lot of players being on international duty.

 

Luke Rudd becomes our 29th Youth International.

 

A great month financially with an FA Cup game at Old Trafford and three sell outs at The Bowl put us in a great position.

 

Some really tough games coming up next month as we look to try and get back into the play off promotion spots.

[Punch]

APR 2031 - Under 18's Cup Final

Our Under 18s continued their winning ways taking out the Division 3 Cup, to add to their League title.

 

 

We have won the Cup for the third season in a row.

Not bad as we have only been in it for three years.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Punch

[Punch]

Match Day 41 - at Peterborough

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We got an early goal and then really struggled to get anything else going, but luckily our defence shut them down and we held on for the win.

 

 

Points Table

Spoiler

We have jumped back into 6th spot on goal difference, but it's still a crazy tight table.

 

 

Up next...a massive away game to AFC Wimbledon who are pushing for the title, as we try and hold our position in the 6.

[Punch]

APR 2031 - Papa Johns Trophy Review

Chelsea U23s take out the Pizza Cup, we were knocked out in the Quarter Final.

[Punch]

APR 2031 - Loans extended

Bonner was sold to Newcastle last season and we kept him this year as a part of the loan agreement.

The back room staff said we should try and extend the loan, so I did, Newcastle accepted, Bonner accepted, and so we get to keep him for free for another year.

 

Henry was sold to Birmingham two season ago, and has been on loan with us ever since.

Same story, back room staff said to extend the loan, I offered zero and Birmingham accepted, so did Henry, so we get him for free as well.

[Punch]

Match Day 42 - at AFC Wimbledon

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We didn't play too badly, but we didn't take any of our chances, and they took most of theirs.

 

 

 

Table

Spoiler

This result drops us out of the 6 with 4 games to play.

 

 

Up next...we are back at home to 19th place Tranmere.

[Punch]

APR 2031 - Match Day 43 - Vs Tranmere Rovers

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A full house at The Bowl as we do enough to get past Tranmere.

We defended well to keep them pretty quiet, and while we scored three goals, we could have scored a lot more.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We still sit one point outside the top 6, with now 3 games to play.

I though for sure this table would have spread out by now, but it's still ridiculously close.

 

 

Up next...our final home game of the season against 17th place Burton Albion.

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Punch

[Punch]

APR 2031 - Match Day 44 - Vs Burton Albion

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Our final home game of the season in front of a near full house, and the boys turned it on to rout Burton Albion.

A Hat-trick to Petrosino, and a brace from Williams laid the foundation for a 7-1 thumping.

 

It did come at a cost though as it appears Charlie Henry's season is over after suffering an injury in a tackle.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Draws to Plymouth and Huddersfield mean we jump back into the play off spots, but with two games to play, we can still finish anywhere from 4th to 9th.

The top three have wrapped up play off spots at worst, while there is still plenty of fight in the relegation battle.

 

 

Up Next...away to 22nd place Cambridge, for a must win game.

[Punch]

APR 2031 - Match Day 43 - at Cambridge United

 

Match Report

Spoiler

This one hurts as we fall to an injury time defeat.

One of the Leagues best attacks, against one of the Leagues worst defences and we just got nothing going and only had two shots on target.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

A win would have taken us to 5th place and all but confirmed a play off spot, instead we are still vulnerable to both Plymouth and Huddersfield.

Luckily they both could only manage draws, so we hold our place above them.

MK Dons become the 4th team to confirm play offs at worst, while Peterborough and Bristol are relegated back to League Two.

 

 

Up next...the final game of the season with it all to play for as we are away to Bristol Rovers, who have just been relegated, so they may have a sting in their tail with something to prove, and we need to put on a good performance if we want to be involved in the play offs.

[Punch]

APR 2031

Good wins either side of a loss to high flying Wimbledon, before we lost to 22nd place Cambridge the week after putting 7 past Burton.

It's been that kind of season.

 

The analyst thinks we are heading in the right direction with the defence edging left, and the attack still well on the right.

 

This table is crazy.

After 45 games, with one to play, 3 teams can still win the title, two teams outside the 6 can still make the play offs, and five teams can still be relegated.

Again...it's just been that kind of season.

 

Jordan Jack scored his 13th goal of the season with this well taken penalty.

 

10 from 11 from the spot and now 101 goals for his career.

 

Been nearly a year on the jobs front, but Bournemouth became my 41st interview offer, and did offer me the job.

Nearly 10k a week, a lot of money to turn down from the biggest budget club I've ever been offered.

 

So there is one regular season game left against 24th placed Bristol who having already been relegated, have nothing to lose, while we have everything to gain trying to secure a play off spot.

[Sonic Youth]

Need to get your defence a bit tighter, as I can’t remember the last time you didn’t conceded a goal in a couple of games in a row. That loss against Cambridge was rough, and surprised with being kept scoreless!

Good luck with the last game to make the playoffs 

[Sonic Youth]

That youth intake looked great meaning your u18’s are going to dominate for seasons 

[Punch]

6 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Need to get your defence a bit tighter, as I can’t remember the last time you didn’t conceded a goal in a couple of games in a row. That loss against Cambridge was rough, and surprised with being kept scoreless!

Execution has been our biggest problem, we create chances for days but have been inconsistent at getting the ball in the net, like the 7 against Burton and then none against Cambridge.

 

5 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

That youth intake looked great meaning your u18’s are going to dominate for seasons

They have been insane this season, still undefeated, and the new young striker has scored about 15 goals in 4 games. He's not long for the 18's and will probably be in the first team quickly next season.

[Punch]

MAY 2031 - Match Day 46 - at Bristol Rovers

 

Match Report

Spoiler

It all ends in tears. A win would have secured a play off spot, a draw meant we had to rely on other results, and they didn't go our way.

This match pretty much summed up our season, chances everywhere but so inconsistent in taking them.

To rub salt into the wound, we had a goal ruled out in the 94th minute, which would have kept us in the six.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We only managed a draw while both Plymouth and Huddersfield won, so we dropped to 8th on the table.

We played two of the relegated sides in our last two matches and were unable to beat either of them, so I guess it's fair to say based on that, we don't deserve a play off spot, but still a bitter pill to swallow.

Having said that, our first season in League One could be considered a huge success, as we were predicted for relegation, and finished within one win of the play offs.

In 11 years this is the first season we have not been either promoted, or involved in play offs.

 

 

Up next...a bitter sweet season review.

[Punch]

May 2031 - FA Youth Cup

After a disappointing finish to the senior teams season, our U18's give cause to celebrate winning back to back FA Youth Cups.

 

We become the 4th club to win back to back FA Youth Cups.

[Punch]

MAY 2031 - U18s League

There is not much you can say about this Under 18s team other than dominant.

They won all 28 games, smashing in 118 goals, and conceding only 9.

Those are astonishing numbers and will hold this club in good stead looking forward.

 

The Board have decided to upgrade our Youth Category from 4 to 3 as well.

[Punch]

MAY 2031 - FA Cup Review

In an upset result, Brighton knocked over Chelsea to win the FA Cup.

We were knocked out on the 5th Round by Man U.

[Punch]

2030-2031 Season Review

 

[Punch]

2030-2031 Season Stats

 

Best XI - Season

 

Best XI - All Time

 

Where are they now - Team of 2021

 

Season Records

 

All Time Records

 

Up next...everyone's favourite, attribute reviews.

[Sonic Youth]

3 hours ago, Punch said:

MAY 2031 - Match Day 46 - at Bristol Rovers

 

Match Report

  Reveal hidden contents

It all ends in tears. A win would have secured a play off spot, a draw meant we had to rely on other results, and they didn't go our way.

This match pretty much summed up our season, chances everywhere but so inconsistent in taking them.

To rub salt into the wound, we had a goal ruled out in the 94th minute, which would have kept us in the six.

 

 

Table

  Reveal hidden contents

We only managed a draw while both Plymouth and Huddersfield won, so we dropped to 8th on the table.

We played two of the relegated sides in our last two matches and were unable to beat either of them, so I guess it's fair to say based on that, we don't deserve a play off spot, but still a bitter pill to swallow.

Having said that, our first season in League One could be considered a huge success, as we were predicted for relegation, and finished within one win of the play offs.

In 11 years this is the first season we have not been either promoted, or involved in play offs.

 

 

Up next...a bitter sweet season review.

So near. That away part of the fixture had me wondering if it might not be. Good effort for first season in League One.

2 hours ago, Punch said:

May 2031 - FA Youth Cup

After a disappointing finish to the senior teams season, our U18's give cause to celebrate winning back to back FA Youth Cups.

 

We become the 4th club to win back to back FA Youth Cups.

This excellent…

2 hours ago, Punch said:

MAY 2031 - U18s League

There is not much you can say about this Under 18s team other than dominant.

They won all 28 games, smashing in 118 goals, and conceding only 9.

Those are astonishing numbers and will hold this club in good stead looking forward.

 

The Board have decided to upgrade our Youth Category from 4 to 3 as well.

and so is this! Really, it’s the least the board could do to protect the club youngsters from being picked off.

1 hour ago, Punch said:

MAY 2031 - FA Cup Review

In an upset result, Brighton knocked over Chelsea to win the FA Cup.

We were knocked out on the 5th Round by Man U.

Didn’t expect that winner! Isle of Mann not only made the 5th round, knocked Liverpool out to get there. That’s a top effort with those roadblocks.

Actually looking forward to next season, especially to see how the u18’s and youth intake players intergrate into the first team   

Edited January 22, 2022 by Sonic Youth

[Punch]

5 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Actually looking forward to next season, especially to see how the u18’s and youth intake players intergrate into the first team

I might need some of them to step up, the vultures are circling around some of my attacking players like Petrosino, Rudd, and Halliwell.

This might yet be a rough off season

[Punch]

League One Review

MK Dons ended up winning the 3rd promotion place, and we were the overachievers.

Edit - Luke Rudd, one of the signings of the season…after signing from…our U18’s? 
There’s been a few gremlins in this save with transfers but that’s a weird one 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Punch

[Sonic Youth]

Unpredictable team?   

Also, one of the signings of the season?  

They wrote a lot about you in the League One review.

[Punch]

10 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Unpredictable team?   

Also, one of the signings of the season?  

They wrote a lot about you in the League One review.

There has always been something wonky in this save, my record shows that I have brought players, but spent zero on transfers.

I originally though it was to do with loan backs from sold players, but that doesn't line up either.

[Blarney]

Your U18 team is ridiculous.

I've never seen anything like it.

[Punch]

38 minutes ago, Blarney said:

Your U18 team is ridiculous.

I've never seen anything like it.

Now just need them to keep developing and become first teamers.

[Punch]

Attribute Reviews

 

Goalkeepers

This may give some explanation as to why the ass man wants to keep picking Foggarty as our number 1 keeper.

Foggarty has overtaken in attributes, and gone well passed in CA.

The ass man also wants me to move Hodgson to the first team, who is almost as high in attributes, but has also the highest CA.

There could be a three way fight between the sticks next season.

 

Defenders

 

Center

Three of the class of 29 will be fighting over the center defence spots next season.

There is plenty of potential coming up through the ranks as well.

 

Right

Massive improvement from Oliver Wylie this season.

Josh Matthews also, but there needs to be some improvement from others as the next three have stalled.

David Kearney looks an interesting prospect though.

 

Left

Bonner will remain with us on loan next season, and that's a huge rating for a player that is costing us zero.

There as been some impressive growth among a few players here and while they might not push Bonner out of the starting XI, they can fill the gaps when needed.

 

Midfield

 

Ball Winning Midfielders

Two players have gone passed Tim Powell now, but Archie Adam has had massive growth this season.

James Taylor is another interesting prospect and they will be fighting for time next season.

Plenty of capable players to rotate as needed as well.

 

Advanced Playmakers

Pat Millington has come from nowhere to be nearly the best player at the club, while Harry Peltier has also had a massive increase.

With Halliwell, Riley and Price coming along in leaps and bounds, this position has gone from one of our worst rated, to one of our best.

 

Attacking Right

This has been a slow growing position for a while, but it looks like there are a few challenging for positions now.

Tomlin has been impressive, Paterson solid, but appears to have peaked.

Perkins has improved massively, while Suk-Kuen is showing promise.

 

Attacking Left

AN area we struggled to develop for a long time and now we have an abundance of players to pick from.

Henry will spend another season on loan, while there has been massive improvements down the line giving us plenty of options and players to rotate.

 

Forwards

Lewis, Petrosino, and Williams form a lethal front rotation, while McCarthy is still an able back up.

Gary Gowdy is going to be something special. He scored 15 goals in his first four U18 games, and I am pretty sure it won't be long before the vultures come knocking for him.

 

Best XI

I am really liking the look of this line up, and I believe it will give us a great shot at pushing for a spot in the Championship.

[Punch]

Off season bits & pieces - part 1

The Board have much bigger expectations this year, as we are generally required to be competitive in cups, and fight against relegation in the League.

This year we actually have targets. They are expecting us to reach the play offs in the League, and we also have Cup targets.

The Board have decided to turn up the pressure valve and see how we go.

 

Healthy budgets, we have some room to play.

 

A nice chunk of change for our efforts in League One last season.

 

The Bookies are expecting big things from us this season, as we are second favourites.

 

I decided to bite the bullet and take the buyout this time around when it came up.

He currently valued just over 600k, and they would need to sell him for over 7 million for us to collect more than this offer, so I took the money.

[Punch]

Off season bits & pieces - part 2

 

U21 Euro Championships & Internationals

 

We've had up to 12 players involved in the U21 Euro Championships

 

Charlie Henry scored the goal of the tournament.

 

He and Richard Paterson were involved in the final, both coming off the bench for Ireland as they went down to Belgium 4-0.

 

Charlie Henry has now racked up 25 youth appearances for Ireland, while two of our class of 31 became our 30th, and 31st Youth Internationals.

[Punch]

Off season bits & pieces - part 3

 

Ben Bennett remains our chairman winning his third consecutive term.

 

The TV Rights money has arrived, not too bad for a third division.

 

We released a few players who had not developed or made any sort of impact.

 

The season fixtures have been released, and we kick off the season at home to newly promoted Walsall, and looks like a cracker of a Boxing Day clash against AFC Wimbledon.

 

Leeds came with a job interview, but I turned it down as Leeds have just been relegated back to the Championship and will have a massive payroll that I am sure they will want to slash.

 

Leeds were the 42nd interview offer, and spending 2.3 million a week...basically twice what we spend...in a year

 

The 1st Round of the Carabao/League/Beer Cup has been drawn and sends League Two Bolton to The Bowl.

 

We have a decent record against them, but will have to make sure we get it right, as the Board are expecting minimum of 2nd Round this season.

 

[Punch]

JUN 2031 - Transfers

Petrosino had been making noise for a while about wanting to go to a bigger club, and has since refused to sign a new contract, so I stopped rejecting offers and started making ridiculous counter offers to see how high we could get him to go for.

The original offers we received were around the 1-1.2 million range, and as you can see from the ones he rejected, there was plenty of interest.

So he goes to West Ham, for 6 million, with the potential to be up to 10 million, which is crazy money for a kid from League One, and the best part, we get to keep him for free for a season, and got the usual add ons as well.

 

He smashes our record transfer fee, and it still has the potential to be worth more to us yet.

But the record didn't last long...

 

Halliwell is a very good midfielder but had been making noise about a move since he signed his professional contract, and like Petrosino, wasn't interested in signing a new deal, so again I started making the counter offers ridiculous, most of which withdrew, but Cardiff took the bait and paid our biggest ever fee.

We also get the usual add ons, with the friendlies and saved wages, we are still making money off both of these players.

 

Our record transfer fee was smashed for the second time in a few days.

 

Not surprisingly, we break our season record for transfer fees.

 

And there may be more to come yet, as there is still a few players being hunted.

 

We've come a long way since we sold our first player for 3k.

Eric Croft is still valued well below his Clause buy out, so we are in front on that deal, while we also recently accepted Oscar Williams Clause buy out, and we are still well on front on that one too.

 

With the sale of a clause and two players, we are in a spectacular position financially, and it may be time to hit the Board up for upgrades, now the elections are out of the way.

 

Up next...Friendly season kicks off

[Blarney]

Your wage budget seems small for where you are, but I'm liking the transfer budget.

Or maybe it's just because I'm already spending over 60k per week with Wrexham because of their ridiculous wages for where they're at right now.

[Punch]

1 hour ago, Blarney said:

Your wage budget seems small for where you are, but I'm liking the transfer budget.

Or maybe it's just because I'm already spending over 60k per week with Wrexham because of their ridiculous wages for where they're at right now.

We are currently spending less than 25k a week, but in the last two years, we have sold 4 of our highest earners, and are not paying them a cent to have them on loan.

I expect that weekly value might go up this year as there will be some players wanting upgraded contracts.

[Sonic Youth]

That’s healthy position you’ve placed the club in, and hopefully means some nice upgrades (big stadium upgrade would be nice on top of the regular infrastructure upgrades ). I wonder if you’d be able to sign them on loan next season after getting promoted 

[Punch]

37 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s healthy position you’ve placed the club in, and hopefully means some nice upgrades (big stadium upgrade would be nice on top of the regular infrastructure upgrades ). I wonder if you’d be able to sign them on loan next season after getting promoted 

Time will tell, they won’t give me any facility upgrades yet, and the ‘not our stadium’ issue still remains. So unless we were to build our own stadium, I can’t see that happening yet.

[erikeagles]

You have to change the 1930's to 2030's from the history. 

[Punch]

JUL 2031 - Pre Season & Friendlies

We player a lot of friendlies to get the fitness up, and a lot of excellent results.

These games have given me a lot of selection headaches, as we have players competing in just about every position.

 

Transfers

We sold another player as the Board accepted this offer, and I decided not to protest it.

Rudd is a good player, but a bit high maintenance in terms of attitude, always complaining about training and wanting to go to a bigger club.

So we get another 7 million, and has the potential to rise to over 10 million, but he is gone as we didn't get a loan back, but we get the other add ons.

 

We've now cleared 20 million this transfer window, with the potential to earn more off those three players.

 

We will continue to be in a brilliant position financially, especially as the Board won't let me spend any of it.

 

Up next...Season 12 takes flight.

[Punch]

6 minutes ago, erikeagles said:

You have to change the 1930's to 2030's from the history. 

Haha yes I did pick that up when I was entering the details for the next sale.

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Papa Johns Trophy Draw

A tough looking draw as we get Stoke and Wolves U23's, along with Grimsby.

This will be the cup for the kids again, so we will see how they go.

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Match Day 1 - Vs Walsall

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We took a while to click but the defence held firm until we finally got the goals to get us the first up win.

 

John Hodgson won the race to be in goal for the first game, but he and Foggarty are so close, with Jordan Jack still in the mix as well.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Wonder if this seasons table will be as crazy as last.

 

Up next...we travel to Tranmere for more League One action.

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Match Day 2 - at Tranmere Rovers

 

Match Report

Spoiler

If the first game was a bit rusty and took us a while to warm into it, this game was devastating.

We dominated possession and run them ragged, Wes Hayes scoring a brilliant hat-trick.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

We go top on goal difference.

 

 

Up next...We switch to Carabao Cup action as Bolton travel to The Bowl.

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Carabao Cup - 1st Round - Vs Bolton Wanderers

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A solid performance as we meet the Boards expectations by winning through to the 2nd Round.

Young keeper John Hodgson showed why he is being picked by putting in a brilliant performance at both ends of the ground, socring a brace and making some spectacular saves as well.

 

Scores his first professional goal with a well taken penalty

 

Then followed it up with this screamer of a free kick curling around the wall.

 

 

Round 2 Draw

Spoiler

Notts County will make the trip to The Bowl for the 2nd Round

 

A win each from our time in the National League, and another win for us in the FA Cup.

 

 

Up next...back to League One action as we are at home to Fleetwood

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Match Day 3 - Vs Fleetwood Town

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Another dominant performance as Fleetwood a smashed, we just never let them have the ball, and when they did, they couldn't do anything with it.

Wes Hayes has come along in leaps and bounds, scored his second straight League hat-trick.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

 

Still holding 1st place having conceded only 1 goal in three games.

 

 

Up next...we travel to Accrington for more League One action.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Punch

[Sonic Youth]

Top start this season, with hat-tricks and clean sheets 

Another sale, and if they were giving you trouble, a nice deal sorts that out.

Also, are you sticking the results in spoilers to reduce the size of your updates?

[Punch]

14 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Another sale, and if they were giving you trouble, a nice deal sorts that out.

I wasn’t concerned either way, it’s ridiculous money, and we still have more good kids coming through who seem to hit the target more.

Plus we get the 50% if he turns into something special, it’s kind of a win win deal really…or at least a no lose.

 

19 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Also, are you sticking the results in spoilers to reduce the size of your updates?

I thought I would try something different, people can then pick and choose what they want to read from each match, or stick to the monthly update.

What do you think of this format?

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Match Day 4 - at Accrington Stanley

 

Match Report

Spoiler

Another dominant performance as Accrington are dispatched.

A Jordan Williams double gets him off the mark for the season, while young keeper John Hodgson has his third clean sheet in 4 League games.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Us and Charlton are the only perfect teams left, although the top 6 are all still unbeaten.

 

 

Up next...Carabao Cup action returns as Notts County travel to The Bowl for Round 2.

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Carabao Cup 2nd Round - Vs Notts County

 

Match Report

Spoiler

The battle of the birds as the Magpies visited the Ravens, and it was a crushing performance from the latter.

We strangled them out of the game giving them very few chances, while creating plenty of our own.

A great win means we are off to the 3rd Round, and have managed to exceed the expectation for the Board.

 

Round 3 Draw

Spoiler

After defeating one half of Nottingham, we are drawn away to the team from the other side of the river.

 

We have met before in this same competition, which resulted in a narrow win for Forest.

 

 

Up next...we return to League One action as we welcome Scunthorpe to The Bowl.

[Punch]

AUG 2031 - Match Day 5 - Vs Scunthorpe

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We dominate Scunthorpe in a brilliant display as we crushed them out of the match.

We continued our season of just pressuring teams out of matches.

 

 

Table

Spoiler

Our run at the top continues, while Rotherham lost their first match, so we are down to 5 undefeated teams.

 

 

Up next...the kids will be sent out to play as the Pizza Cup kicks off, with Grimsby coming to The Bowl for game 1.

[Punch]

AUG 2031

That's some statement to start the season.

Four clean sheets in five games, conceding only one goal.

 

The analyst shows we have been brilliant for the first month of the season.

 

18 Goals for and only 1 against, making a statement at the top of the League.

 

Our players took out all three places in the Young Player of the Month.

 

Our performances lead me to the Manager of the Month award.

 

The Youth Setup is costing us a fortune, so we are going to need those gates to help us keep on top of it.

 

We've sold slightly more season tickets this season.

 

We start off with the Pizza Cup, a lot of away games this month, and the League Cup 3rd Round.

[Punch]

SEP 2031 - Papa Johns Trophy - Group Match 1

 

Match Report

Spoiler

The kids were sent out to play in the Pizza Cup, and they didn't disappoint, putting in a fine display of attacking football to hammer Grimsby.

 

A debut to remember for Taylor, scoring the 2nd goal in a convincing win.

 

 

 

Spoiler

Stoke thrashed Wolves U23s in the other game, without conceding.

 

So they hold top spot in the group after the first game.

 

 

Up next...a small break as we have 15 players on international duty, before Millwall travel to The Bowl.