FM22: The English Football League thread

[Parmie]

Oldham Athletic Season 4 (2024/2025)

Having gained promotion, more squad transformation is required. I decide that Dermi Lusala can go to Millwall for £475k, he seems one of those players with high potential that isn't reached. Kellor-Dunn and Missilou leave at the end of their contracts.

One of my scout reports is from an agent saying a player from Amiens is listed due to their financial difficulties. The board having kindly increased our scouting range to continental, I try to scout or trial several of their players. I spend half my original budget on Mamadou Fofana but no one else is either good enough, or won't get a work permit, and with a cash strapped club, burning £20k a pop on a permit application can soon add up, so I don't even try.

However, via agents rather than scouts, we also pick up Svetozar Markovic, former Chelsea graduate Dynel Simeu, and former Ajax player Enric Llansana on frees. Gleb Shevchenko for £120k and Reece Hannam for £180k at right and left full back respectively. The loan market seems to dry up, I can only get Rico Richards from West Brom and Joe Hugill from parent club Burnley.

We are pretty short on depth and it's pretty disastrous that Rennes activate star player Armindo Sieb's release for £575k on deadline day.

Spoiler

Season Review

It's 11 league games before we pick up a win, although we had drawn 6 games up to that point so things weren't that dire as we also get through 2 rounds of the Carabao. We edge our way up the table over the season, at one point being 6 points from a playoff spot but so few players and injuries and suspensions kicking in, we drop away and finish the season a respectable 14th, overachieving against the battling relegation expectations.

Finances aren't great, Oldham's gates are much smaller than my previous saves which makes a big difference on profitability, despite the Championship income, we still leak cash, even the £1m from player sales do nothing more than keep us down to a £965k loss. At one point the chairperson decides to leave and sell to a local businessperson but they don't agree a price. Our wage budget at £79k a week is half that of the next club. This isn't helped by me stupidly requesting a training facility upgrade and the board agreeing to spend £1.8m on it, I thought we were further down the facilities ladder and it'd be more like £250k. That implies as long as I don't do anything else like that next season, we should stay afloat.

I end up using just 20 players over the league campaign, often filling bench spots with grey players.

There is also some player issues to resolve, some contracts need renewing but are difficult with the financial constraints, Colm Whelan decides he wants more playing time and won't agree a new deal before the promise to play more if kept during which, he agrees to return to Ireland on a free.

Next Season Preview

The board increase the wage budget to £89k a week, which is only £10k more than we're already committed to following some contract renewals, but there is £1.3m transfer budget to move over. Hopefully with the reputation increase will give me more scope for loans and better frees to bolster squad numbers and get a striker.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Parmie said:

Finances aren't great

A tough season off the pitch, but very respectable otherwise.

Those work permit application fees can be a killer if you're not paying attention (ask me how I know ).

[hasdgfas]

Well, I have finally grown tired of my long-running Arsenal save this season and am going to take the jump down to a lower level. After doing the full VNN -> Prem/Champions League winners climb with Blyth in FM21, I think I want to stick to the EFL rather than the full climb. I'm looking at one of the following:

Luton in the Championship, Bolton Wanderers in League 1, or Colchester in League 2. I think I'm going to browse their squads a little bit and then make a decision.

[warlock]

2 hours ago, hasdgfas said:

then make a decision

Excellent! Three good possibles there, all with different strengths and weaknesses, I think.

[hasdgfas]

I enjoyed their good run in the Premier League back when I started watching this sport at University, back in the 2007-2011 time period, so I've made my selection.

In addition to recognizing them and wanting to bring them back to where they were a decade ago, I like the idea of having to go up 2 divisions to get to the Prem rather than just 1, and them being a newly-promoted side means there may be a small struggle in this first season to establish ourselves. As well, they're not super well-off financially, so I can't go too crazy with big signings or wages. Hopefully it goes well  

[warlock]

Oxford United, February 2022

In my last update I said we were heading into the tough winter schedule. Actually, I had no idea how tough it was going to be: having played 7 games in each month of October and November, it turned out we had 7 games scheduled in December and 8 games in January . For the first time in an FM save I had to rest players for 1 or 2 additional days between games, even when that meant no training was possible. And even so, we suffered a string of injuries that meant we were operating on the slimmest of margins. Between the end of November and the end of January we lost AM Mark Sykes for a month; AM Ryan Williams for 5 weeks; and AM James Henry with a hip injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season. And those are on top of earlier injuries that have kept out AMs Billy Bodin and Marcus Browne since before the season started and who are unlikely to make a return before March.

But despite that litany of woe, we managed to continue our good form on the pitch:

At least in part, the fixture congestion was caused by our continued success in cup competitions, made worse by the fact that it took us two games to see off MK Dons in the FA Cup.

The January window saw two departures from the club: hopeless striker Sam Winnall went to Gillingham for a princely £9k, and DM Jamie Hanson (who missed the opening months through injury) went to Peterborough for £26k. Those small fees gave us the budget to think about a couple of signings. With our injury troubles at AM, that was my first priority but I failed to come up with a likely target. Instead, we had been playing Anthony Forde, a natural AMR, at FB where he had done very well. But we had an opportunity to bring in youngster Taylor Gardner-Hickman, a natural FB, on loan from West Brom and he joined for a £1.4k weekly wage contribution, allowing Forde to revert to his best position. Second priority was to find a more reliable source of goals but strikers who we could afford and who were willing to join proved elusive and we ended the window with that need unfilled.

On the pitch, the cracks started to show - although it's probably fairer to say we perhaps reverted to the kind of performances that were expected from the start of the season:

I certainly expected us to exit the cup competitions this month but we saw off Spurs u23s in the Pizza Pot, and then produced a fantastic result to breeze past Wolves in the FA Cup. The draw against Lincoln was disappointing but they are fighting for a playoff spot. The defeat to Wycombe was easily our worst result - and worst performance - of the season, particularly having taken an early lead. Worse still, we surrendered our hold on first place to Ipswich. And although we did very well against the Owls, the draw against struggling Gillingham means we now trail the Tractor Boys by 7pts.

The only disappointment has been the patchy form of our strikers - both Taylor and Baldock have reached double figures but both have had long dry spells. Fortunately, the midfield have filled in spectacularly with Mark Sykes leading the scoring chart, Brannagan leading the league in assists, and Nathan Holland producing 9 goals and 10 assists from the wings. The latter, incidentally, will be joining permanently in the summer - Motherwell popped up with an end-of-contract transfer bid which alerted me to the possibility. Would parent club West Ham be willing to let him sign with us on a free in July? Happily, they would!

If only we can avoid a further injury crisis, it could be a very good season.

 

[Jogo Bonito]

A solid season with Oldham @Parmie

I've had Whelan on my EFL striker shortlist since before launch, I like his goal ratios and seems he is decent in FM too. 

@hasdgfasGood luck with Bolton. A good pick and squad. They came close on my contender list but I have managed them before. I feel they have a good balanced L1 squad.

@warlock Ipswich have done very well to be clear of you, but you're having a great season there. Big gap to 3rd. You won't be the last person on this thread today who has signed Gardner-Hickman on loan. Great choice 

[warlock]

51 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

You won't be the last person on this thread today who has signed Gardner-Hickman on loan. Great choice 

I've been delighted with him - stepped straight into first-team action and acquitted himself well. Can also play the AMR role, too.

Ipswich have been relentless - best attack, best defence, most clean sheets.

My board is being typically board-like... Expectation: top half; "A+ delighted" when we were overperforming massively in first; "B+ pleased" now that we're only overperforming massively in second .

[Jogo Bonito]

3 hours ago, warlock said:

I've been delighted with him - stepped straight into first-team action and acquitted himself well. Can also play the AMR role, too.

My board is being typically board-like... Expectation: top half; "A+ delighted" when we were overperforming massively in first; "B+ pleased" now that we're only overperforming massively in second .

Good to hear on TGH. He has actually filled in at left back for West Brom this season but I see he has no ratings for that. However for me he would be used as defender or wing back on both sides (cover for the left) when required.

Boards be like boards. That always seems out of sync, I just ignore what anyone thinks. Boards, fans, media. Whatever 

[warlock]

5 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

he would be used as defender or wing back on both sides

New save incoming? 

[GrayMatter]

Summer Signings

Our Champions League debut didn't mean wholesale change but I had a restructure of my striking options. 

*Bold - January deals

Transfers In - Lorenzo Lucca for £10m (£13.5m), Marko Milovanovic for £4m, Mateja Milovanovic for £31.5k, Sion Lloyd) for free, Goncalo Ramos for £40m (£45m), Tomas Galvez for £650k, Tino Livramento for £62m, Matej Zajac for free, Pedro Neto for £13.5m (£14.5m), Julio Cesar Castro for free, Narcis Preda for £500k (£1.5m) and Tim Prica for £325k.

Transfers Out - Pietro Pellegri for £67m to Newcastle, Armando Broja for £38m to Dortmund, Hidemas Morita for £4m to Montpellier and Alex Collado for £19.75m to Hertha BSC.

I was quick to move on Pellegri and Broja pretty much as soon as the window opened. Both were close to their full potentials allegedly so I thought it was a good time to cash in. Pellegri was hit and miss in his second season with only 14 league goals compared to 21 in his debut campaign. Broja was actually really impressive and won the Europa League player of the season because he notched 13 in 13 across that competition. On the other hand, attribute wise I didn't think he was brilliant. Call me a reductionist but it felt like the right decision to make considering Lucca and Ramos came in to replace the pair. Broja's departure did create some noise in the sense I lost a homegrown player though.

The sale of our main set piece taker in Alex Collado was triggered by the small fee we had to pay Roma for Pedro Neto who was arguably signing of the window I felt. Collado, although incredible on another save I had earlier in the year was a pillar of inconsistency given that all my scouts claimed he was 'consistent'.

Premier League Table - 2026/27

How I would describe this season was me going 'all in'. I had a preferred eleven that I attempted to play in every single game and arguably it was stronger than last season. As the screenshot illustrates, our team was rife with consistent performers. Ramos scored 20 league goals, Sotiris had the best average rating out of our team overall and was imperious as he has been in every year of his four year stint with us. Antov came in, in the previous January and completely displaced Mepham as the starting centre-half, posing a prolific threat from corners throughout the season with 6 goals. Other standouts were Swedberg and Bardghji. Although Swedberg had a lower average rating than other midfielders in the league, our penalty taker scored 15 in the league with only two being penalties funnily enough, with 6 assists to boot: elite goal involvements. Bardghji was arguably our best player over the course of the season with 7 goals and 19 assists in the league, his transformation from a ghostly inverted winger to a potent inside forward was clear to see. Not to mention a golden boy award coming his way mid-season. Pedro Neto was also a massive influence playing from the left as a winger, he set up 12 goals over the course of the season but only scored once - somehow, this likely explained why Rashford finished ahead of him in the Team of the Year.

Champions League - 2026/27

This was laughable in the sense that I had the same second string eleven that started every game in the competition. None of these players who started in the final here actually started very much at all in the Premier League. However, it showed our strength in depth as we absolutely battered PSG in the final. Ristanic, apparently one for going missing in the big matches came in big with the opener and then our newgen sensation Lyu Haoyu stepped up to the plate and dispatched a guilt-edged opportunity that Zakharyan served to him. I am a big believer in whole squad development and I think taking this approach across multiple competitions has led to a very strong squad overall. 

For what it's worth, the group stage was probably the toughest task for us during this run to the final: Athletic Bilbao, Benfica and Roma proved to be difficult opponents in which we limped to a 1st place finish but the placing was awfully tense up until match-day 6, we faced the prospect of even dropping to the Europa before that game. We then lost 2-1 to Juventus in Turin in the last-16 and then took them to extra-time before substitute Ramos scored a 119th minute winner - glorious. We then faced Leipzig who we demolished 4-1 away which was then a very straight forward tie at home. Bayern in the semis then proved to be our most difficult opponent as they beat us in Bavaria 2-1 before we scored twice in two minutes (88th and 89th) in the 2nd leg to claw ourselves into the final (does this sound familiar?!). Zakharyan and Neto proving to be heroes in that game where we threw caution to the wind and went all out attacking. And, well, the rest is history. I became a club legend after this moment, probably my biggest achievement on FM in many years.

Key Performers

Sotiris is our third-captain behind Livakovic and Henry Lawrence and he proved how influential he is yet again with mercurial consistency across the season. He's so well rounded, I don't think I ever want to replace him in that box-to-box midfielder role, I want him to become a Shrewsbury legend.

Goncalo Ramos, as alluded to earlier was an instant hit. I played good-cop, bad-cop with him and Lucca. I took the decisive approach of dropping either of them in the league if they got a 6.5 average rating or lower, ultimately, given how many games Ramos started compared to Lucca (5), Ramos was the more reliable of the two as a starter. On the contrary though, Lucca still scored 11 in the league and we took a very direct approach when he was on the pitch which Roony Bardghji benefited from with a flurry of assists from wide-right.

Despite a quadruple winning season (if the Uefa Super Cup counts) in the books as we also lifted the League Cup, the next challenge is imprinting a legacy of Shrewsbury becoming the most reputable club in the world. I have set two major targets for the summer and I can confirm I have signed those but you will have to wait until the next update!

 

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by ShaunG95

[warlock]

1 hour ago, ShaunG95 said:

Champions League debut

Unbelievable, Jeff! Imagine the scenes at Shrewsbury - not just a Champions League debut but absolutely owning the competition. And the PL, too.

Amazing season - congratulations 

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - Preseason 2021

What I like to do in my first season at a club I've never managed before and am not super familiar with is fill obvious holes and otherwise, not make many squad changes. I'll figure out their needs as I go. And with Bolton, their obvious holes...don't really exist at the player level, as far as I can tell? They look to have a very solid squad for League 1, with decent depth. The only thing I'm not super happy with are the strikers. Most of them look like they would be better as wingers. And Amadou Bakayoko is strong, but I'm concerned about his finishing. So I made one loan in, bringing my assistant's top loan suggestion to Bolton

Mika Biereth has the finishing, off the ball, and pace that I'm looking for in a striker. Hopefully he'll bang in the goals.

However, there is one place in which Bolton has an obvious hole. The staff. There's no scouting team at all! I've immediately begun working on filling the Chief Scout position, and at least one other Scout for now. I likely won't go too crazy, but getting some idea of the players available will be useful.

-----

Now, the tactics. In order to be cautious immediately upon entering a new division, I'm going to lead a bit more cautious and counter-attacking:

As time goes on, I'd like this to push a bit more towards a more positive mentality and control the game, but for now, this is fine.

Now, to get the players up to speed with some chill friendlies to build their confiden.....

Well, at least we end with Notts Co, but it is going to be rough going early on, I think.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, hasdgfas said:

at least we end with Notts Co, but it is going to be rough going early on

Agreed . Your players could be completely traumatised by that schedule, but if they do better than 1 win out of 5 it could be great. 

As for tactics, I wouldn't be playing with lower lines /and/ a 'cautious' mentality, but I've been wrong before. I just think you're setting yourself up to be under pressure for 90 minutes every game. But I hope it goes without saying that I wish you all the success in the world 

[Parmie]

Oldham Athletic Season 5 (2025/2026)

We're once again busy at the bargain end of the market to strengthen our Championship squad further. We only used 20 players last season and any injuries become a problem. I still have money balling in the back of my mind to help out finances.

Sometimes he can't get a permit and goes abroad, but this save Billy Koumetio is able to come to us on a free transfer from Liverpool. As we have no one left as a striker, I get Yonas Malede from Gent, and my scout reports (again agents I think) provide 2 German prospects both released by M'gladbach, Khalid Schur and Mike Siedel actually look top class. Stanis Idumbo Muzambo is another free from Ajax who helps to start to give us depth in the attacking midfield. Finally, with very little available on the loan market, Charley Cole arrives on loan for left back cover.

Spoiler

Elvis Bwomono leaves on a free as he was only a potential for league one, and I need to protect wage budget by not keeping anyone not able to reach the Championship level we need.

Season Review

We rip into the league season winning 12 of our first 14 games, one of the losses is to Bristol City who are somehow keeping pace and overtake us with their win against us. The number of games in quick succession seems to take it's toll on the still small squad and we have a bad 6 week period from November to mid-December. We recover but not to quite the same heights as the early part of the season.

Dropping down as low as 4th, we gradually claw back Watford's 10 point lead in the 2nd automatic promotion spot, Bristol City having gone out of sight at the top. Going into the final game of the season, we're level on points but they have a slightly better goal difference. We have a tough away game to 5th placed Bournemouth and we don't perform at all, losing 3-0. It really is a missed opportunity as Watford only get a draw.

We face Norwich in the play-offs, they beat us recently in April 2-0 at home, so I have doubts about our ability to overcome them, however, I should have more faith. we follow up a solid 1-0 away win in the 1st leg with a 2-0 victory in the home leg. We head to Wembley to face Blackburn.

The game starts of badly, Solanke scored early for them followed by a first half stoppage time goal by Frank Acheampong. I rant at half time and get a response, a 70th minute penalty for us and just 2 minutes later a nice team goal placed in by Capon draws us level. Normal time finishes level but we're definitely on top, we're unable to capitalise on numerous chances during extra time and we have to go into the penalty lottery.

We miss our first and 4th penalties, while Blackburn also miss their 4th to give us hope, Allan puts away the last penalty to give Blackburn the victory.

Khalid Schur, despite his low finishing, ends the season on 23 goals and is recognised as the 10th best wonderkid in the world, suddenly Premiership teams are interested.

Eventually we get a takeover, local Businessman Andy Pilley completes the purchase of Oldham, clearing the remaining loan debt of just over £2m and injecting another £14m in the coffers, although none of this makes it to the wage or transfer budget mid-season.

Next Season Preview

Despite the play-off loss, ultimately I feel that it's a positive thing, it gives me more time to round out the squad into something that might survive the Premiership, especially if I can get some more youth prospects. We have no cover in the full back positions, light in the defensive and attacking midfield positions for example, so any Premiership level budget would have just gone to fill up those roles.

[GrayMatter]

19 hours ago, warlock said:

Unbelievable, Jeff! Imagine the scenes at Shrewsbury - not just a Champions League debut but absolutely owning the competition. And the PL, too.

Amazing season - congratulations 

It was complete dreamland! I don't anticipate a repeat of that in a hurry but the squad has been bolstered further so we shall see. The next goal is a new stadium, we might be outgrowing our 20,000 seater... 

[smplfc123]

On 02/05/2022 at 18:41, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks mate. They're definitely a contender! How are you getting on with Tranmere? How is Isaac doing and how did he do at Sutton in his first year?

Annoyingly, as with most of FM22 game time this year, work has postponed any chance of further progress on my Tranmere save this last week and as a result, I've lost interest. 

I do have some free time this weekend and next week to properly get stuck in to a save and after your recent posts, I'm even considering Cardiff myself!

[Jogo Bonito]

On 05/05/2022 at 18:12, warlock said:

New save incoming? 

It could be time. Somewhere between 0-3 saves are possible as following Bradford on the elimination from the shortlist of five is Derby (for now). Despite their kits being my favourite creations after my Valencia ones, I just don't think it's the club for now. Which leaves one from each division in Hartlepool, Plymouth, and Cardiff. Speaking of which...

12 hours ago, smplfc123 said:

Annoyingly, as with most of FM22 game time this year, work has postponed any chance of further progress on my Tranmere save this last week and as a result, I've lost interest. 

I do have some free time this weekend and next week to properly get stuck in to a save and after your recent posts, I'm even considering Cardiff myself!

Sorry to hear that but I understand. That's what happened to me after three months absence from FM when managing Palermo. Cardiff would be a great choice and we could end up in friendly competition 

Elsewhere, incredible success at Shrewsbury (some amazing signings there, good work) and Oldham (unlucky, but an excellent season). Good luck at Bolton with that run of friendlies, that's...heavy. Financial gains will be useful but for me, too much early pressure 

Edited May 7, 2022 by Jogo Bonito

[smplfc123]

Well after considering Cardiff City @Jogo Bonito, I ended up signing for their biggest rivals! After starting unemployed and seeing what jobs came up, nothing really peaked my interest until I saw Russel Martin part ways with the Swans.

After promising what the board wanted to hear in the interview, I was offered the job on a 16 month contract, with the aim to avoid relegation this season and work towards a promotion bid in some form next season. The problem is that in the last 11 games, the Swans have picked up just 1 win and 1 draw, leaving the table looking like this upon my arrival:

I've got 11 games to ensure safety, starting with a home game against mid-table Coventry.

I'm confident with the quality in the squad that I can keep them up and then hopefully mould the squad in the summer to my liking. 

[hasdgfas]

On 05/05/2022 at 19:40, warlock said:

Agreed . Your players could be completely traumatised by that schedule, but if they do better than 1 win out of 5 it could be great.

As for tactics, I wouldn't be playing with lower lines /and/ a 'cautious' mentality, but I've been wrong before. I just think you're setting yourself up to be under pressure for 90 minutes every game. But I hope it goes without saying that I wish you all the success in the world

This is fair. I'm not at all an expert in defensive tactics, I usually play with Arsenal, after all! I will say, before my first real update, that I have at least pushed the mentality up out of cautious.

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - September 2021

Tough start to the season. I'm not that unhappy, but I was hoping for better. We definitely don't seem outclassed, so I think I'll let the players get a bit more adventurous and aggressive. Sitting in 17th, which is definitely not what I wanted. The 3-0 in the EFL Trophy was the first match with a more aggressive and positive tactic, so hopefully that's a good sign moving forward.

[Dong21]

On 06/05/2022 at 14:59, Parmie said:

Eventually we get a takeover, local Businessman Andy Pilley completes the purchase of Oldham, clearing the remaining loan debt of just over £2m and injecting another £14m in the coffers, although none of this makes it to the wage or transfer budget mid-season.

‘Oldham’ and ‘takeover’, two words real life followers of Oldham would love to see! 

Congrats on another stellar season @Parmie - promotion back to the Premier League certainly seems on the cards for next season (which could be tomorrow based on the speed you seem to play at ).

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - November 2021

A good couple months after the change to be less defensive!

Our away form leaves something to be desired, but we're doing well at home. I think I need to tweak some things away from home to try to improve that. 

However, all those away losses/draws are to teams currently above us in the table, so they're not particularly unexpected. 

We're on course for a mid-table/top-half finish, which would definitely be a success in the first season here. I don't need first-season playoffs, and would probably prefer being somewhere in the 7th-12th range. Comfortable but with plenty to build on for next season.

[warlock]

30 minutes ago, hasdgfas said:

A good couple months

Looks like the tactical tinkering is working, and I agree - not too much to worry about in those results. I wouldn't be surprised to see you finish in the playoff spots.

[Darkside Pioneer]

2029-2030 Season update 

Finished 9th in the league in a disappointing league campaign. We switched up the formation a few times throughout the season trying to get wingers involved as our best players are wide men that have been shoe horned into central roles. However by the end of the season we were back to playing our 4123 narrow formation that has worked for us in the last few season. 

 

Somehow we have managed to win the Champions league and FA CUP. We weren't drawn with the easiest UCL group however we managed to top the group beating PSG fairly easily in our opening group game to set the tone. And from then on out we didn't really look back. Nenad Jankovic was placed back upfront in his PF role and shined scoring 29 goals in all competitions leading the line. 

Spoiler

Jankovic stats Below 

Spoiler

We also managed to sell Ijor Janovich to PSG for £100M who is an excellent Winger however since we don't use wingers he has been forced into a Mezzala role and although he still has great stats for that position he hasn't managed to really put in a string of good performances and once the 100M big came in I leapt at it 

 

Spoiler

 

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - January 2022

With a bunch of time today, I pushed to make it to January. 

Mixed results in November/December. Looks like the fixture buildup in December really caused us to struggle and exposed a bit of lack of depth, as well as injury issues. Not great form at all.

However, we've just about kept our place, as nobody is any more consistent than we are in a tough league like this. Hopefully the matches spreading out a bit more will help. I may look for a couple loans for depth, but our finances are struggling too.

I'd love to see this get a bit better. Hopefully we can win our FA Cup Third Round match against L2 Hartlepool and get a big away match at a top side for some cup money in the Fourth Round. I'd just like a bit more cushion.

[warlock]

8 hours ago, Darkside Pioneer said:

we have managed to win the Champions league and FA CUP

Some compensation for a "disappointing league campaign" . And European football secured for another season.

8 hours ago, hasdgfas said:

the fixture buildup in December really caused us to struggle

Yeah, the winter months are a grind in the EFL. I thought things would ease off a bit after January, but they haven't - 7 games in February, 7 games in March. I've got a conveyor belt of injuries - as soon as one player returns, another goes out injured for weeks, and I've had to playi 17-year-old in central defence.

[CityAndColour]

Have definitely hit that point of the save where it is becoming a real grind (which I knew would come)...

We started quite well, with 15 points in our first nine games, but then ran into Dorking, Dover and Maidstone in consecutive fixtures. We lost all three (predictably as they all have significantly stronger squads) which evolved into a six-match losing streak. At the same time, Hemel and Truro started finding form down the bottom of the table, narrowing the gap to relegation which at one stage was 14 points.

We needed extra time to get over tier seven Coalville in the FA Trophy, however were then able to draw with Chippenham to halt the run of losses, before getting a massive three points at Oxford City. We now have Margate, Truro and Cray as our next three, however all are away, so we will either pull away again or really get bogged down in a relegation fight.

It's a struggle because the size and finances of the club are really lacking. Our summer business consisted almost entirely of teenage loanees and released youth players, so we don't have a lot of veteran presence and can struggle to pick up morale during a slump. I am also unable to really sign re-enforcements as anyone worthy of joining is not interested because of our position in the league.

To add to this I have several players unhappy at me because of the club's finances - I have never seen this before and, as with a lot of SI's player interaction modules, I have no idea why this is even a "feature".

This is why I love playing in the lower leagues though!

 

[hasdgfas]

19 minutes ago, warlock said:

I've had to playi 17-year-old in central defence

If they're good enough, they're old enough?

 

Just now, CityAndColour said:

Our summer business consisted almost entirely of teenage loanees and released youth players, so we don't have a lot of veteran presence and can struggle to pick up morale during a slump

My favorite lower league strategy! It usually takes some time for it all to come together, but they sure do try.

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - March 2022

Two more months in the books, and they were successful ones again!

only 2 losses and 1 draw in the league to blemish our record there. Two cup losses, but that just keeps our schedule open. And we did get a Premier League side in the cup, but were unfortunately totally crushed. And it didn't especially help our finances! However, where does that leave us in the League?

We've somehow snuck into the playoff spots after this good run! Will we stay there? Impossible to try to predict. However, things are going well, and I think this is a successful first season, regardless of how it ends from here.

 

[Parmie]

Oldham Athletic Season 6 (2026/2027)

Reputation, expectations and financial clout are all on the increase. We're much more appealing to players now which gives me scope to look at more depth.

I try to renew wonderkid Khalid Schur's contract, but he wants £34k a week, which is unrealistic, shortly after Bayern activate his release for £7,5m but offer to loan him back, I otherwise let Llansana go on a free as he's getting left behind by the rest of the squad.

I pump all that money back into the team, to bring in new faces. I find a keeper who I hope will be good enough in the Premiership, Ignacio Melillo £3m from Gimnasia, and a versatile midfield prospect in Matias Guererro from River Plate for £2,5m, and Rodrigo Augusto for £1.5m from GRE to play up front or as a shadow striker (partly blind signings as I don't have the scouting range for South America). 

More locally, I get Miguel Azeez from Arsenal on a free, Rico Speksnijder from Bordeaux for £450k and Robert Richter on a free from Dortmund. I'm also go into loans for Rico Lewis from Man City, and 3 other newgens loans from good clubs.

Spoiler

Season Review

We have another good start, despite losing the first game of the season away to Stoke, we then go on a run of 14 games unbeaten. An away loss to Brentord, another 7 games unbeaten before a loss to Burnley. While this kind of form is excellent, Brentford are not losing any games, and Burnley, despite a couple of losses, are winning nearly all their games and we're only 3rd.

We're very hampered by injuries, Rodrigo Augusto breaks a lower leg in November, and during his recovery phase, develops shin splints, meaning he only plays 12 games all season. Rico Lewis also breaks a lower leg in January, and is out for the rest of the season and we're unable to terminate his loan. Guerro has to mostly fill in at right back.

Brentford eventually lose a game after 32 unbeaten to.....Burnley. We can't get near either of them, despite losing only 7 games ourselves, we draw too many and even Norwich catch us. Burnley and Brentford battle out for the title on ridiculous points totals while we face the playoffs again.

We face Derby. losing the away leg 2-1 and unable to stop them scoring in the home leg, we draw 1-1 and fail to progress. We actually finish this season on 1 more point than last despite injury issues which 4 out of 6 seasons would have been enough for 2nd place.

We get as far as the FA Cup quarter finals this seasons which helps a little financially.

Essentially I'm increasing our bank balance with sales as we still have fairly hefty monthly losses, although this season is the first where I've spent significant money. I ask the board to increase capacity which they agree to, but before that is complete, they decide to increase it even further, taking out a £7.25m loan. The planned capacity will be 20,418 when finished and because it's a major development, we're going to playing at Huddersfield's John Smith's Stadium next season.

Next Season Preview

I'm a bit disappointed by the playoff performance and not getting promoted again but I need to keep in mind we're progressing as a club. There are some urgent gaps to fill in the team line-up, I have no natural right backs and finding good anchors and Volante's is difficult, I think I will have to recruit based on attributes and train players into those roles as best we can.

The loan market feels strange, parent Liverpool are next to useless, with few U23s available for loan and none they will give us without wage contributions. Man City seem more willing to give us players than they do.

I want to identify some countries where I can scout deeply that will sign for a Championship side but will get permits. That's a tricky combination, but German clubs' bad decision making on player releases has been a boon so far.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Parmie

[hasdgfas]

6 hours ago, Parmie said:

I'm a bit disappointed by the playoff performance and not getting promoted again but I need to keep in mind we're progressing as a club.

This really is the goal, even if it's frustrating to get stuck in a division.

[hasdgfas]

Youth Intake Day!

A really good intake for our level, I think. I don't think anyone is good enough to hop into the first team right now, but a lot of people to keep an eye on.

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - End of Regular Season 2021/22

Mixed results. Upset with the home form, apart from the last day Fleetwood win. How did that affect us? Could we hold onto a playoff spot?

Not quite. Very close, but the shaky form at the end of the season kept us two points from the playoffs. Still, a huge success of a season, with things to build off of if our finances will let us.

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - August 2022

So, after a run nearly to the playoffs last season, we needed to strengthen a little bit and make sure the finances were ok afterwards.

TRANSFER OUTS:

Well, that Johnston sale should help a lot. He was great, but I don't blame him wanting to try out the Championship.

As you can see, he was really good, but I got 950k and a 50% of next sale clause, so I'm feeling ok about it.

We've got Mika Biereth back on loan after 20 goals last season in all competitions, so that should help.

A nice mixture of loans and free transfers. Our Johnston replacement?

Jorge Segura. Not quite Johnston's level, but should be solid for our financial level.

But my favorite signing? I think it's this guy

He's not fast, but I think he can do a job, especially with these mental attributes.

Preseason

Well, this couldn't be worse than last season's friendly matches, right? Correct.

HUGE improvement, and Cardiff, Brentford, and Antwerp aren't slouches!

[hasdgfas]

Finances

Much MUCH better

It'll fall over the course of the season, but we're much healthier than we were before.

[hasdgfas]

I think this may be the first time I've ever gotten a Senior Affiliate in all my time playing FM.

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - October 2022

How did the beginning of our second season go?

Really strong start to the season, apart from that blip against Huddersfield and Oxford. No losses in the League is a good start.

A really strong start and top of the League! Just barely above newly promoted Forest Green, who are doing really well to start their time in League One as well.

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - December 2022

Some stumbles, including the first League defeat of the season, but two more very strong months.

Derby have also had some very strong months, so it's real tight in the top two spots. However, we're both way ahead of third place, so if we keep this up, we'll be promoted, whether it's as Champions or runners-up.

[warlock]

On 09/05/2022 at 16:07, hasdgfas said:

a huge success of a season, with things to build off

That's about right, I think. Really thought you could make the playoffs but no shame in coming up just short. Great start to season 2 as well - one defeat in 20 is promotion-chasing form indeed!

[warlock]

Oxford United, May 2022

The season is over and after battling with Ipswich for the title down the final straight, how did we do?

Despite the rigours of a packed fixture list - and continuing injury problems - we were unbeaten in February, dropping just a single point in a goalless draw with Crewe. But things went a bit Pete Tong in March:

The FA Cup loss to Brentford was expected, but the home draw against a Burton side we should have beaten was a disappointment. Worse was to follow with a league defeat to struggling Shrewsbury. That allowed Ipswich to open a 3pt lead at the top of the division so our home game against the Tractor Boys became hugely significant. A fantastic 3-0 win took us back to the top on goal difference but we ended the month with a defeat to promotion-chasing Plymouth that allowed Ipswich to overtake us once again.

We opened the final month of the campaign with a morale-boosting win over Wednesday to claim the Pizza Pot. It looked to have at least been good for finances with a £100k reward- until we promptly paid out £103k in player bonuses. As we arrived at the last two games, we still had a chance to claim the title, especially when Ipswich lost their penultimate game - unfortunately, we had already secured promotion and it seemed that everyone simply switched off. We never looked like winning either match.

So we finished the season in 2nd - a fantastic performance from a squad never expected to do better than top-half but which produced the best attack and second-best defence in the league. Mark Sykes's performance as top scorer was a credit to him - and a black mark against our strikers who were horribly inconsistent all year. Luke McNally emerged as our most important player, as the 22-year-old earned the highest average rating and most PoM awards. Brannagan kept up his production of assists (although he did fall away badly in the latter stages) and, despite his poor disciplinary record, Seddon overcame a poor start to the season to become a solid, reliable presence at LB.

I'm not yet sure I'll continue the save in the Championship - there's a huge rebuild to be done with 5 loans expiring, plus another 5 players on expiring contracts. The latter group includes new signing Billy Bodin, who missed most of the season with injury and was abysmal when he returned. It also looks likely we'll go into the summer with only Matty Taylor as a striker, and I'm far from convinced he can perform in the Championship. The same is true of another 3-5 first team regulars.

Time will tell... 

[hasdgfas]

13 hours ago, warlock said:

It looked to have at least been good for finances with a £100k reward- until we promptly paid out £103k in player bonuses

 oops!

[hasdgfas]

Bolton - March 2023

Well, our second loss in the League, as well as a couple more draws. Pretty happy with the form still, so we're safely in the promotion spots, right?

Actually no. Derby and Oxford both only have three losses, and Derby have won a couple that we've drawn. Oxford are hot on our heels somehow. I'll be VERY frustrated if we fall into third with how well it feels like we're playing.

Also, special shout-out to Gillingham at the bottom. They are DREADFUL. It's very funny to follow them. Can they get a single win?

[hasdgfas]

Another small set of updates. First:

Thanks Grace, but I have larger goals than just the playoff.

---

Now, once January hit, I realized I was quite unhappy with my goalkeeper, Joel Dixon.

So once I started receiving offers for him in January, I figured I could probably find an upgrade. And find an upgrade I did. Still not sure how fellow L1 side Rochdale let him go, but I was able to acquire their goalkeeper Joel Coleman for 140k, rising to 160k

I'd call him an upgrade. Maybe a bit of a stretch financially, but if we get promoted, I think it will have been worth it.

One other transfer in this January, due to a lot of interest in my wingers. Coming in from Championship side Hull for 35k, rising to 38k, Randell Williams:

A strong start to his Bolton career, with 2 goals and 2 assists in his first 7 appearances for me, including a debut goal.

[warlock]

17 minutes ago, hasdgfas said:

Another small set of updates

Going well, and some useful business. I've never managed Coleman but he always seems to play well against my sides. If Williams can help you to promotion he'll be a good buy, but I found him very hit and miss in the Championship with Hull.

[hasdgfas]

20 minutes ago, warlock said:

Going well, and some useful business. I've never managed Coleman but he always seems to play well against my sides. If Williams can help you to promotion he'll be a good buy, but I found him very hit and miss in the Championship with Hull.

I'm not used to doing business in the lower leagues with players others have experience with! Basically all my Blyth experience was regens by the time I got up to this level 

I probably don't need Williams to be a starter if I'm promoted, to be entirely honest? We'll see how it plays out. I just need him to be good enough to keep me up until I can replace him.

[warlock]

 Always happy to advise, if I know the player.

And Williams will be fine as a rotation option - he was very good for me in an Exeter save last year.

[hasdgfas]

Blyth - Just before the final run-in

Well, first off:

A trophy! Fairly convincingly in the end, too. Stevenage had a heck of a run, being a mid-table League 2 team, but we controlled the whole match.

But how'd the League go?

Yes, that is 5 straight wins, including two over our promotion rivals in Derby and Oxford. How has that gotten the promotion fight to shape up for the end of the season?

We've got a stranglehold on top here. 11 points up on Oxford, and they only have 4 matches to go, as well as 5 points up on Derby with a match in hand. I think we'll be getting across the line, but I want the title.

[Sysiphus]

Interesting...

[warlock]

Just now, Sysiphus said:

Interesting

I take it your laptop is still limping on?