FM22: The English Football League thread

[warlock]

Forest Green Rovers, January 2023

We've made it to the halfway point in Rovers' first ever season in L1, and we continue to hold our own.

November was rather disappointing after a solid set of results in October. Putting the best spin on it, we only lost one game from 5 . But we managed to at least stay in touch of the playoff spots. Which made December pretty remarkable:

Another single defeat - but no fewer than 6 league victories, and perhaps the absence of RJJ against his parent club cost us against Posh. You might think those 21pts might have propelled us to the top of the table, but this is turning out to be a very competitive season, with clubs around us matching our performance:

Matt continues to lead the scoring charts, but RJJ is pushing him hard with 11 goals of his own, We continue to score from all areas of the squad to give us the league-leading attack. McGuinness remains our star player, while our new signings have all done well, even if they've been dogged by inconsistency (eg, Connor Malley has 5 goals and 2 assists yet is averaging just a 6.8 rating from 22 starts - either brilliant or abysmal).

The January window will hopefully see some activity. Three of my loan signings have disappointed so far, and GK Carl Rushworth, striker Jake Young, and forward Flynn Clarke will all be returned to their parent clubs, although Young may get a stay of execution since we have him for free. I have pots of money available for transfers but will be able to spend very little of it - we have just £1.3k per week available for wages under FFP rules . We'll be shopping in the bargain basement again.

[Urke17]

Blackburn Rovers 2022/23 , Winter transfer update

Well, we are playing surprisingly well. 

We are now in the middle of the table, playing some really interesting football. 

Bereton is really amazing, scored 12 , Dolan was poor so I brought Darly Dike for 8m(10). 

Soares was also not that good, so I signed Matias Palacios for 11m from Basel. I need some creativity in the middle, hope Matias will be helpfull. 

Also brought Nathan Wood from Boro and amazing CB from Ivory Coast, used to play for Nordsjaeland in Denmark - Nagalo.
Some great stats really, and great potential for only 3M(1m additional).

At the start of the season, goal was just to survive, but now we are planning to reach middle of the table, so will see what happens.

Cheers gouys, hear you at the end of the season! 

 

[warlock]

35 minutes ago, Urke17 said:

we are playing surprisingly well

Yeah, that's going well . What system did you go for in the end - the 4231, or something else? It's obviously working for you.

[Urke17]

3 hours ago, warlock said:

Yeah, that's going well . What system did you go for in the end - the 4231, or something else? It's obviously working for you.

5-3-2 WB

Always with two strikers, somethimes when I play against bigger clubs, I drop Winks deeper into DM, and change couple roles.

Main problem that I have with this formation is 3 centre backs who has all the time bad rating. 

I don't know what to do, I change role, instructions, but theye are playing really bad.

Does anyone has some advise what to do, how to combine players and their roles ?

Cheers 

[warlock]

4 minutes ago, Urke17 said:

Does anyone has some advise

I haven't played with a back 3 this year, but I have a feeling someone in the tactics forum was complaining about the same issue with CBs in the system. One thing I would change is having 2 BPDs - I'd only ever use one, and especially with a DLP ahead of them. You probably want your DLP (or your AP) to be your creative force, but BPDs will often go long and cut him out of the build-up play.

But given you seem to be over-achieving, I'd be cautious about making changes for the sake of boosting ratings!

[Urke17]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

I haven't played with a back 3 this year, but I have a feeling someone in the tactics forum was complaining about the same issue with CBs in the system. One thing I would change is having 2 BPDs - I'd only ever use one, and especially with a DLP ahead of them. You probably want your DLP (or your AP) to be your creative force, but BPDs will often go long and cut him out of the build-up play.

But given you seem to be over-achieving, I'd be cautious about making changes for the sake of boosting ratings!

Yup, you are right.

I don't want to change formation and style, but for sure i have to change something since i just had five consecutive defetats.

Will try it with one BLP and two CD. But the question is, where to put BPD, in the middle, on the right or left side?

I have 3 more games to play, will probably finish 14th, which is good achievement for now.

But to  many questions about what should I change, what to improve, but that is the buty of this game.

 

[Spiegel]

FWIW, I think you're doing fine with the players you have. 

Have you tried using the Wide Centre Back role? I've typically set both of my outer centre backs to WCB on support duty, and the football can be incredible.

[Urke17]

Blackburn Rovers End of 2022/23 Season

Well, we had pretty much interesting first season in PL with a lot ups and downs, but we managed to finish 14th. 

I am satisfied with what we achieved, especially according to squad we have at the moment. 

So far best player was Bereton with 18 goals and 5 assits in 38 games. He did now miss even a single game.

Darly Dike was amazing also with 8 goals in 18 apps , Pickering also helped us with 8 assits, Johnston was amazing , Nyambe also.

Well, the plan is to improve squad, will change roles in defence and see what happens.

Cheers!

 

17 hours ago, Spiegel said:

FWIW, I think you're doing fine with the players you have. 

Have you tried using the Wide Centre Back role? I've typically set both of my outer centre backs to WCB on support duty, and the football can be incredible.

Yup, I will try  it , can be good solution, thanks. 

[hasdgfas]

6 hours ago, Urke17 said:

Well, we had pretty much interesting first season in PL with a lot ups and downs, but we managed to finish 14th.

Good stuff! Survival the first season in the Prem is the goal. Doesn't matter if it's 7th or 17th. Building from there is a lot easier.

[warlock]

Forest Green Rovers, May 2023

We spent the second half of the season swapping 1st and 2nd spots with Portsmouth but couldn't keep up the momentum at the finish. Still, I'm more than happy to settle for the automatic promotion spot in a season where we never expected to do more than battle against relegation.

We started the year with a New Year hangover, exiting the PIzza Pot to the Spurs u23s, before struggling to back-to-back draws in the league. But it didn't take long to get back in the groove and we proceeded to win 5 of the next 6. We were helped by a tactical tweak that saw me give up on the ageing Jamille Matt and settle on a strike partnership of Jake Young as F9 and Ricky-Jade Jones as AF.

That switch, combined with the sterling defensive work from McGuinness and Sass-Davies, delivered an excellent set of results that saw us lose just one game in the run from New Year. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to recruit anyone in the January window, which left us very short-handed and when we had to play two games a week we didn't have the necessary quality among the backups. Too many draws was the consequence. Portsmouth, meanwhile, continued their own fantastic season to clinch the title and a return to the Championship for the first time in more than a decade.

We led the league with 98 goals scored and their performances in the second half of the season saw RJJ and Young overtake Matt (despite playing fewer games) with 19, 16 and 14 goals, respectively. RJJ also claimed 8 assists. We couldn't match that level of performance at the other end of the pitch, finishing with the 6th best defence and conceding 49 goals. I have to put the blame for that on GK Luke Thomas, who managed just 9 clean sheets in 50 appearances. Although generally reliable, Thomas has a habit of going missing mentally in some games. In one game - for the first time ever in FM - I subbed him off at half-time after a shocking display that he crowned by collecting an easy shot, and then stepping  back over the line .

Looking ahead to next season, it's going to the toughest transfer window yet. As noted, we're short of players but it looks as though we'll be losing three of our best: their parent clubs are refusing to extend the loans of RJJ, Young and McGuinness.

Marvellous! 

[Urke17]

Blacbkurn Rovers  2023/24 Start of new season

Third season with Rovers, for now save is progressing really well , according to my expectations. 

In this summer, I decided to invest a little bit more than ussual, so I spent almost 120m.

I brought some really good players like Turnbull, Kumbula, Assuncao, Gallagher, Bello, Ettiene Green etc

Also, I changed some things in tactics and formation as well. 

In defence, I play now with one BP-D(Nagalo), CD(Kumbulla), WCB(Sarr). 

So far, we played two games, draw against CP and defeat against MU.

Goal is to finish in top 10, and fight for Europe cup if there is any chance, through the league or FA cup.

Regards 

 

[CityAndColour]

Have started my customary English lower league save...

Willand Rovers FC, who currently reside in the Southern League Division One South, having been promoted two seasons ago.

I've started with a squad of 12 (including my assistant manager), around £300 per week left in the wage budget and a Brazilian striker on the books. The media expects us to finish 16th out of 19 teams and the board only want to avoid relegation.

I've implemented my trusty 4-2-3-1 and early signs are promising, although short passing and higher pressing football generally has a shelf life at this level, particularly into the winter months and with a smaller squad.

Did somehow manage to sign this absolute gem of a coach though!

[warlock]

54 minutes ago, CityAndColour said:

Have started my customary English lower league save

Good luck 

And that coach looks brilliant for that level!

[CityAndColour]

9 hours ago, warlock said:

Good luck 

And that coach looks brilliant for that level!

Yeah I was a bit shocked when he popped up in the coach search screen, and when the board allowed me to offer those wages... I'm big on taking my staff with me through my career (I actually think you should have the option of creating your assistant manager when you create your manager) so hopefully he sticks around.

Great work with my boys too - hopefully Rob Edwards will emulate you in leading them to L1 and beyond. It's looking good so far!

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - February & March 2022

January saw us win six games in a row, followed by a draw with then-league leaders Portsmouth, therefore we headed into February post-transfer window closing with a feeling of confidence.

February Performance:

That confidence was knocked when we started the month with a 0-0 draw against Play-Off hopefuls Wimbledon. This was followed up with a defeat to Man Utd in the FA Cup. United are in 2nd place in the Premier League and Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against us - it was a tough assignment! The team showed spirit though as we were 4-0 down and then scored two consolation goals to send the fans home with some amount of pride. Things then got back on track thanks to convincing wins against Bolton, Wigan, Oxford and MK Dons.

I then made a controversial decision prior to the Sheff Wed game. Jayden Stockley has been a surprise asset this season, coming into the team and scoring 12 league goals. On paper he is a fairly limited player but his strength and heading have came in useful when we switched to 4-4-2. MLS side bid £850k for him, I asked for £1.5m and they immediately accepted. I questioned whether it would cost me selling one of my first choice strikers with the window closed, but decided this was great money for the 28 year old, so finalised the deal and decided to put my faith in Ricky-Jade Jones who has impressed me since his arrival.

We did then lose to Sheff Wed but I don't think having Stockley would have made a huge difference. Wednesday are a good side, and RJJ got on the scoresheet. To bolster our ranks, a few days later, I added free agent Connor Wickham on a 15 month contract. Wickham is a similar player to Stockley, albeit not quite as talented, and only required £1.8k per week - he will be an option from the bench. 

March Performance:

In the absence of Stockley, forwards Leko, Lee and RJJ all stepped up to the plate in March and scored important goals. Sunderland and Burton are both teams who are chasing a Play-Off place, so the wins were essential. Disaster struck in the defeat of Ipswich when Oumar Niasse sustained sprained knee ligaments that would see him ruled out for 6 weeks. With no Niasse we were left somewhat toothless and switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation for the last three games of the season (with Lee playing as support striker between RJJ). The Accrington and Lincoln draws were similar - dominated play, took the lead and then conceded late equalisers against the run of play. I have to hold my hands up and say having another established striker would have likely seen us put these games out of reach.

If we'd held on to win against Accrington and Lincoln we would be top of the table on goal difference. That said, all is still to play for in terms of automatic promotion and the Play-Offs. There are four league games to go, including games against the top two in the table - Rotherham and Ipswich. Wish me luck! 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Dong21

[warlock]

@Dong21 Just one league defeat in the calendar year to date is outstanding form, and should be promotion-winning form. Easier said than done, but you just need to keep it going . Winning your game in hand would be a major step forward. Rotherham, Ipswich and Portsmouth are tough opposition, but I'd back you to win the automatic promotion spot if not the title.

Good luck 

I've called it a day with FGR - I seriously blew my pre-Championship transfer window. With a couple of retirements, and unable to renew the loans of 3 of my best players, there were just too many holes to fill and it was impossible to attract anyone of a good standard.

After several abortive saves, I've just today started my annual attempt to take Nottingham Forest back to European glory 

[Dong21]

Thanks @warlock!
We’re pretty evenly matched with the likes of Rotherham, Ipswich and Pompey so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Sorry to hear it hasn’t worked out with FGR following your promotion. Frustrating when it works out like that but makes sense to cut your losses when you’re not enjoying it. Look forward to hearing how it goes at Forest for you.

[Dong21]

Charlton Athletic - Papa John's Trophy 2022

In my last update you may have noticed that we beat our League One promotion contenders Ipswich 3-1 in the Semi Final of the Papa John's Trophy, meaning that we have made the Final of the competition. The eagle-eyed may have also spotted in the table above that Sheff Wed and ourselves have played one game less than our League One rivals, and that is because at the very start of April we were the two teams who took part in the Final.

Our preparations were sent into disarray when two days before the Final, one of our star men Jonathan Leko suffered a significant injury that ruled him out for the entirety of 2022. Birmingham instantly recalled him from his loan. Niasse was still not fit enough to be involved, however left backs Yury Zhirkov (ruled out for 7 weeks, just three days after the transfer window closed with a broken arm...) and Fabio Carvalho both return from injury to play some part in the game (centre-back Akin Famewo has been deputising at left back for the last month with all three of my left backs ruled out). 

In front of 80,000 at Wembley Stadium, we switched back to our 4-4-2 system and won the Papa John's Trophy in a closely contested game! Winger Sean Clare helped us start the game strongly with a close-range headed goal, getting on the end of a cross from his opposite winger Diallang Jaiyesimi. Young loanee RJJ then got on the end of a through-ball from man of the match Clare. Our defender Lavelle gave away a penalty that Bannan converted, adding tension to the end of the game, but we were able to deliver a trophy for The Addicks fans. 

The 'Pizza Trophy' is much maligned in these parts of the FM Forums, but a trophy is a trophy and I am pleased to win something in my first season in my first save on FM22 (yes, I am an extremely slow player who doesn't get many chances to play! ).

Edited January 31, 2022 by Dong21

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Dong21 said:

The 'Pizza Trophy' is much maligned in these parts of the FM Forums

Yes it is! The problem is there's a lot of extra games for very little reward... until you get to the semis. At that point it becomes interesting and worth winning. A secondary concern is that you often find yourself playing against multi-million-pound players from the premiership. In my last season with FGR, we went out to a Man City u23 side that featured Renato Sanches  The City side was worth about £80-£100m; my first-team squad was - on a good day - worth about a tenth of that. 

But congrats on the trophy 

[torquayfmer]

Started my usual save as Torquay (hometown team) and have really got into it.

Got promoted winning the title in the first season and got back to back promotions when we finished 2nd in League Two. Made some good signings in the first summer before League One, but after a few failed takeover attempts I felt like I wasn't going to be able to grow the club much further. If we did go up again, I didn't see the board giving anywhere near enough budget to keep us in the Championship, so when Bristol City offered me an interview in the December, I decided to go for it. They were sitting 24th and after a rocky first few months, we settled into a three at the back formation and pushed on, ending the season as the league's form team and finishing 13th.

The summer came with big squad changes, the board wanted a play off push and the squad we had was nowhere near capable of that. We lost a couple of our main players which did concern me in club captain Taylor Moore, and former youth player Zak Vyner. Both went for nearly £10m each, so although I was concerned it left me with a great budget to play with.

We brought in some really key players who have started brilliantly.

Teden Mengi on loan for the season, I'm playing him as a Libero in the centre of a back three and his pace sweeping up is fantastic.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who joined us permantly in the summer after signing on loan from January last season. He is a really key component in the middle of the side.

Guillerro Torres who signed from Leeds, 7 goal contributions in his first 11 games is great.

Thread favourite Ricky-Jade Jones, who the board and fans were adament we had overpaid for. 8 goals and 4 assists in his first 10 games is keeping them quiet now!

This guy was already here having come through the youth system, 5 star potential and 14th on the NxGN world list!

Currently sitting joint first behind Stoke (who beat us 4-0 on the first day of the season) on goal difference after 8 games.

[warlock]

4 hours ago, torquayfmer said:

Currently sitting joint first behind Stoke

Good stuff! Shame you ran out of road in Torquay, but the move to Bristol looks like the right one.

Good luck with the rest of the season 

[warlock]

Nottingham Forest, October 2021

It's been a slow start to this Forest save as I tried to figure out what to do with the mismatched bunch of players available. A common complaint on the forums is the inability of the AI to manage transfers and squad development, but IRL clubs often do no better - and often do worse. Forest is one such club. For as long as I can remember, they've had problems with fullbacks on both sides and never found a proper solution. Central midfield is another swamp of mediocrity, usually featuring a bunch of loans and cheap foreign imports from the likes of affiliate club Olympiakos.

My preferred shape in FM22 has been the narrow diamond and variations on that theme. But the briefest glance at the squad ruled that out - there are no fewer than 6 attacking wingers. Two-striker formations are also out since there's barely enough for a lone striker system - 33-year-old Lewis Grabban is still a decent option, but the only rotation/cover is 31-year-old Lyle Taylor who has failed to find his scoring form that saw him bag a goal every other game for Charlton. After joining Forest in the 20/21 season, he found the net only 6 times in 43 games. And while there are couple of AMs that can play up front, only 19-year-old Alex Mighten is accomplished there.

With an embarrassment of riches in attacking midfield, I opted for an initial 4231 shape that looked good against lowly opponents in pre-season, but its defensive frailties were exposed against a second-string Wolves, and we struggled to a penalty win in the Carabao Cup against L1 Bolton. So I made the relatively simple shift to a 433dm to give us a bit of security in defence, although that raised a separate issue in that our only natural DM is the ageing Jack Colback. Since most of our CMs are naturally defensive, I have a couple of options to play there, but with only 5 CMs covering 3 positions as it is, I've been forced to re-purpose AM Philip Zinckernagel, on loan from Watford, as a mezzala to give us a bit of attacking impetus from midfield. So far, he's done well.

With too many AMs, not enough strikers, and not enough CMs, I set about trying to address the most urgent shortcomings. Up front, I brought in Norwich's Adam Idah on a season-long loan, covering his wages but paying no loan fee. And at DM I finally settled on Monaco's Pele, a player who spent time on loan here in the 18/19 season. He was a cheap option at £300k, but I think he can do a job for us.

Early form

With a squad - of sorts - assembled, it was time to get our season underway. And, by and large, we've done well:

Even a quick glance should reveal that we're relying heavily on grit, determination, and late goals. It was after the spineless home defeat to Blackburn that I switched to the 433, and there were doubts after a disappointing draw against a struggling Stoke, but winning away at moneybags Norwich in the cup gives me confidence we're on the right track.

The board expect us to make the playoffs, and the media agrees with a predicted finish in 5th. So far, so good.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I haven't done a EFL save in ages but I am back with a specific team with a specific transfer plan. Let me announce the team first.

Peterborough United aka Posh and the great man himself Barry Fry who loves a bargain is going to be in charge of my transfers but I will also go for strikers who are banging in goals in the Non League of England to carry on the Peterborough recruitment tradition.

I have got the English Level 10 data update and I have all the Home nations leagues loaded with all the UK & Ireland players loaded as my aim is to mostly sign UK and Irish players or players who play in the English lower leagues.

So if @Jogo Bonito @Welshace have any suggestions for good players in the English Non Leagues please let me know. 

I will also aim to sign the top scorer of the Vanarama leagues every season if possible.

I have Jack Marriot and Ricky Jade-Jones already there to smash in the goals and sell for good profit.

I am hoping to keep going with this save until I win the Premiership and Champions League by only signing Vanarama League players if possible or League 1 and 2 if I have no choice but trying to stick to low as possible.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Ronaldo Beckham

[warlock]

A quick shout-out to the lads...

It was a much-rotated Liverpool side, but even so we played them off the pitch...

[Ronaldo Beckham]

 Peterborough United Transfers & August Results

So far so good with 6 games played, 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss with 13 points bagged so far.

I downloaded this 4-3-3 tactic that is really good at getting excellent XG so I thought I would give it a go and it has worked a treat so far.

Here is a screenshot of the tactic.

Summer Transfers

I left Big Barry Fry in charge of tranfers and he did sign a few players from the English lower leagues and most of them from the Vanarama leagues and below. 

Anthony Scully

Scully being one of my few 1st team signing and he has made a good impact so far with 1 goal and 2 assists. He fills the gap that Sikiri Dembele left behind very nicely. He cost me £1.2m from Lincoln.

Ethan Erhahon

Erhahon was a decent signing for £1.1m from St.Mirren. He hasn't exactly hit his stride yet and lacks the effort in the training so we will have to see how he does.

George Thomason

I am excited about George Thomason who was a £125k signing from Bolton. A lovely central midfielder who knows how to make a pass. 3 Assists so far in 4 games tells you what you need to know about this lad.

A very bright future for him.

As I am limited in how many screenshots I can post I will carry on in a new post below.

 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Transfers Part 2

Niall Towle

Towle was a Barry Fry signing and he scoured the non leagues to sign him on a free transfer from Basford United. He has a 2-3 star potential but he will probably start in the reserves for now or I might send him on loan. He is only 20 years old so he has plenty of time to settle in.

Kevin O'Hara

O'Hara another signing from Scotland coming in from Dunfermiline for £180k and made a great impact so far with 2 goals in 6 games. Another player I like the look of and I think he will do well here.

Reece Devine

My biggest layout on transfers was Reece Devine a hot prospect left back who I signed from Man Utd for £375k.

Sigining went against my transfer policy but I had a good feeling about him and he has played really well so far.

Alfie Kilgour

Alfie Kilgour at 6ft 3 inches tall has already made a good impact with 2 goals I assume from headers as he has good heading and jumping reach attributes.

He only cost me £300k from Bristol Rovers

He has probably been my best player so far with an average rating of 7.88.

Drew Matthews

Another Barry Fry free tranfer signing this time from Non League team Lancing.

 A nice left back who will be competition for Reece Devine. Matthews has played a few times and done well when called upon. He can also play as a centre back.

Barry Fry signed a few other players from Non League teams but they aint played for the 1st team so there is no point mentioning them until they make an impact.

[Welshace]

@Ronaldo Beckham 

 

Just going from what i've seen from irl non league .. 

 

Kyle Hudlin - reportedly the tallest outfield player in uk footie, young, talented... been scouted by championship clubs irl and if you believe such things, man city.,. would fit in well with your club..

 

 

 

Rubén Rodrigues - has no business being this good in the national league tbh...

 

Zak Ansah - just going on his reputation here tbh... not sure he looks good enough in game..

 

 

Kane Smith - again.. too good for this level..

 

 

 

Daniel Ajakaiye - ditto

 

[Jpastore]

In my 3rd season with Leyton Orient having been promoted first season, 2nd season finished mid table in league one and now we sit 2nd in the 3rd season. I've  gotten £9M offer for the player below (Will Lees) who is a good AP (S) especially for a 18 year old, he already has Under 19 caps for England. 

He isn't asking to leave and turning down the offer wouldn't unsettle him, seeing the CPU bid that much for him and the fact that he has played for the U19s has me thinking he has a very high PA. My coach seems to think that he has the potential to be a Championship player, but i know that changes regualry. I also have a very similar player of similar ability who is a year older and slightly lower potential according to my coaches  who could come in and replace him in my lineup  (Nkrumah)

My question is do i sell Lee for roughly 8/9M I'm just on the edge as he is a youth product who could potentially end up playing for England? But i also know thats probably to much money to turn down. And the CPU might not be making similar offers in the summer?   I know my finances arent great and this would greatly help.

Edit - Lees has a new contract set to kick in end of the season that has multiple years.

Thanks

 

  

Edited February 5, 2022 by Jpastore

[warlock]

6 minutes ago, Jpastore said:

My question is do i sell

I would. That money is transformative for a club like Orient, and you have a ready replacement (even if not quite as good).

On the other hand, you're never going to hang on to him long term, and there's no guarantee you'll get more than £3-5m in future.

But I'd try to get a loan agreement for the rest of the season. If he can help you to promotion, and transform your finances, I don't see what more you could hope for.

[CityAndColour]

The quirks of managing a village club!

[Ronaldo Beckham]

12 hours ago, Welshace said:

@Ronaldo Beckham 

 

Just going from what i've seen from irl non league .. 

 

Kyle Hudlin - reportedly the tallest outfield player in uk footie, young, talented... been scouted by championship clubs irl and if you believe such things, man city.,. would fit in well with your club..

 

 

 

Rubén Rodrigues - has no business being this good in the national league tbh...

 

Zak Ansah - just going on his reputation here tbh... not sure he looks good enough in game..

 

 

Kane Smith - again.. too good for this level..

 

 

 

Daniel Ajakaiye - ditto

 

Thank you so much @Welshace for your suggestions. I managed to sign Ajakaiye and Zak Ansah on free transfers. The others I will definitely look to sign when I get some funds. Thanks again buddy. I will let you know if they do well for me.

[Parmie]

To put a conclusion to my original Bradford save, after 12 seasons and reaching the Premiership, the board had refused to increase the youth network for the 6th time and mostly in a fit of pique, I threatened to resign, they invited me to do so, and I did!

After a couple of months away from it, and developing a 3 striker formation at bigger teams, I thought I would try it back at Bradford in a new save. This time I'll try to align more to the board if we reach the prem again, so we'll see what happens.

[Parmie]

New Save

Bradford City - Season One (2021-2022)

After the relative success of the first save, which abruptly came to an end due to my annoyance at the board for refusing requests with a big pile of money in the bank, I'm back with Bradford for a new save.

Tactic

In an attempt to make games more exciting, I've been trying out a narrow 4-3-3 in other saves and came up with one I think works well and depending on the quality of the players vs opposition, is either successful or hopelessly chaotic in games.

The aim is to hit on the counter, with the defence and midfielders try to lump it up to the target man who flicks it on or holds it up to involve the other two strikers. The advanced forward should be fast and the deep lying forward acting as our creator for when we might actually keep the ball. The complete wingbacks are the main wide outlets, with support from the mezzalas, The central midfielder on defend tries to give us a bit more cover if our counter is countered! The wingbacks and mezzalas are all told to hit the target man with crosses.

Spoiler

Season Review:

We exceeded my expectations, without much transfer movement, and having to play with the low quality forwards Bradford starts with, we have 3 little patches of draws and losses, but are otherwise steady and never under threat of not getting automatic promotion, the highlight a 7-0 smash of Scunthorpe in April (although 2 weeks before we'd lost 5-0 to Bristol Rovers).

Man City as is my tradition, became our senior affiliate, but we didn't utilise the relationship, no one really fitting into our tactic (who would have thought Pep didn't have long ball counter suitable youngsters).

We got as far as the 3rd round of the Carabao to respectably go out to Liverpool away 2-1. We lost every group match in the Papa John's as I fully rotate out for those games, and we get past Salford and Ipswich only to lose a 3rd round replay to Burton in the FA Cup.

Off the Pitch:

The cup runs keep finances stable, and with interest in Reece Staunton, I let him go to give us a financial boost, while targeting frees or potentially some use of Man City's U23s. The Target Forward role seems to tire out Andy Cook every game, so a rotation option for him is the January target. Welcome Tom Eaves.

[warlock]

56 minutes ago, Parmie said:

who would have thought Pep didn't have long ball counter suitable youngsters

Good luck in L1!

[Parmie]

Bradford City - Season Two (2022-2023)

Newly promoted to League One, an overview of the squad is that Cooke and Watt are always good lower league players well into Championship life, and Songo'o acceptable as my defensive midfielder. The forward line needs bolstering as does the left full back position, as I sold Staunton, we also need central defence depth.

Season Review:

Similar to the first season, we don't draw many matches, we have patches of bad form but are putting strings of wins together and we're constantly up in the top half of the table. Reading have been relegated and are just smashing through everyone although we did get a home win against them. The remaining automatic promotion slot becomes a four way race between us, Derby, Coventry and Ipswich. We're never in the driving seat, just trying to keep up and sneak in but we don't quite make it. 

Coventry narrowly get automatically promoted, ourselves and Derby are drawn in the playoffs, our home leg comes first and it's a goal fest 3-3 all draw, unfortunately, they're stronger than us and see us off 2-1 in the second leg.

With recruitment focused on younger players with potential for potential future sales, it's a good season and bodes well for the next one.

We have a good Carabao Cup run, managing to make it as far as the quarter finals before Aston Villa end our challenge, We had a tough run of Harrogate, Burton, Fulham and Swansea to get that far. We were also decent in the FA Cup, not running up against anyone big to make it into the 4th round, losing away to Charlton. Papa John's is still something I throw in those needing fitness, and although we do slightly better, we still don't make it out of the group.

Off the Pitch

Two better cup runs give us a nice pool of money, and the board approves some training ground facilities, although at a cost of nearly £1m, much more than I was hoping for! We still have yet to make any meaningful transfer purchases, still getting in frees and now some loans from parent club Man City.

 

[warlock]

5 hours ago, Parmie said:

we don't quite make it

Pity you couldn't make the second promotion, but there's no shame in reaching the playoffs. Keep up the good fight!

[warlock]

Nottingham Forest, January 2022

The eve of the January transfer window seems like a good point to review our season so far. And there's little cause for complaint. As noted in my last minor update, we managed to secure an outstanding win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. Unfortunately, whether that prompted some complacency in the side or we just rode our luck too far, the remainder of the month was disappointing:

It wasn't that we lost the last two games, but rather the manner in which we lost. We simply didn't look like scoring. That prompted the third tactical change of the season - I decided we needed more threat in the final third, so we made the switch to a 442 and it immediately paid dividends:

We opened the month scoring 9 goals in two games, with just a single goal conceded. The draw against Bristol City was disappointing, but the same result against league leaders Fulham was no cause for embarrassment. Our reward for beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup was an equally tricky tie against Manchester City, and this time we couldn't pull off a miracle. Two late goals were flattering, but in truth we were well beaten. But I was happier with the last game of the month when we kept our focus and travelled to playoff outfit QPR and came away with a good win. And the City loss proved to be our last defeat of the calendar year:

It wasn't all roses, but 7 wins and no defeats from 10 games was an encouraging run of results, especially as it lifted us to the top of the table:

We lead the league scoring charts with 52 goals from 25 games, as the 442 continues to deliver. The twin-striker system has also brought out the best in our other forwards, as Adam Idah has 11 goals, and Lyle Taylor 7.

Sadly, there have been downsides, too. The move to just two central midfielders - having just signed Pele as the 6th choice in a 3-CM system - means several players are seriously unhappy with their playing time. As a result, Jack Colbeck and Cafu will be leaving as soon as the transfer window opens, bringing in around £1.5m. Another cause for concern is Ryan Yates, who had been our best CM early in the season. But he demanded an improved contract, which the club simply couldn't afford at the time. I tried to talk him round with the promise of a new deal at the end of the season but he wouldn't wait. So he's seriously unhappy, demanding a transfer, and Burnley may be lining up a bid, possibly worth around £3m. I'd want nearer to £5m but we'll see what happens.

If Yates leaves he'll need to be replaced, but otherwise I'm happy with the squad. Of more concern is the PL interest in two of our best CBs, Worrall and Figuiredo. Losing either would be a blow; losing both would be a disaster. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

15 hours ago, warlock said:

Nottingham Forest, January 2022

The eve of the January transfer window seems like a good point to review our season so far. And there's little cause for complaint. As noted in my last minor update, we managed to secure an outstanding win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. Unfortunately, whether that prompted some complacency in the side or we just rode our luck too far, the remainder of the month was disappointing:

It wasn't that we lost the last two games, but rather the manner in which we lost. We simply didn't look like scoring. That prompted the third tactical change of the season - I decided we needed more threat in the final third, so we made the switch to a 442 and it immediately paid dividends:

We opened the month scoring 9 goals in two games, with just a single goal conceded. The draw against Bristol City was disappointing, but the same result against league leaders Fulham was no cause for embarrassment. Our reward for beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup was an equally tricky tie against Manchester City, and this time we couldn't pull off a miracle. Two late goals were flattering, but in truth we were well beaten. But I was happier with the last game of the month when we kept our focus and travelled to playoff outfit QPR and came away with a good win. And the City loss proved to be our last defeat of the calendar year:

It wasn't all roses, but 7 wins and no defeats from 10 games was an encouraging run of results, especially as it lifted us to the top of the table:

We lead the league scoring charts with 52 goals from 25 games, as the 442 continues to deliver. The twin-striker system has also brought out the best in our other forwards, as Adam Idah has 11 goals, and Lyle Taylor 7.

Sadly, there have been downsides, too. The move to just two central midfielders - having just signed Pele as the 6th choice in a 3-CM system - means several players are seriously unhappy with their playing time. As a result, Jack Colbeck and Cafu will be leaving as soon as the transfer window opens, bringing in around £1.5m. Another cause for concern is Ryan Yates, who had been our best CM early in the season. But he demanded an improved contract, which the club simply couldn't afford at the time. I tried to talk him round with the promise of a new deal at the end of the season but he wouldn't wait. So he's seriously unhappy, demanding a transfer, and Burnley may be lining up a bid, possibly worth around £3m. I'd want nearer to £5m but we'll see what happens.

If Yates leaves he'll need to be replaced, but otherwise I'm happy with the squad. Of more concern is the PL interest in two of our best CBs, Worrall and Figuiredo. Losing either would be a blow; losing both would be a disaster. 

Nice to see you doing well mate. I am thinking of doing a Nottingham Forest save after seeing how well they played against Leicester. 

Do they have some good youngsters in the team as I have heard of Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson but do they have any others coming through with good potential.

I want to try get them back into the Prem and also replicate their Europeon glory they achieved under Brian Clough.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

thinking of doing a Nottingham Forest save after seeing how well they played against Leicester

I managed to see most of the match and was very impressed. They seem to have recruited well in January (a couple of names I didn't recognise) so maybe wait until the transfer update is released. Although I seem to remember you're happy playing with unofficial databases so you could probably just go for it.

1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

do they have any others coming through with good potential

Yeah, they also have 19-year-old Alex Mighten, who looks like the next Brennan Johnson, a handful of good prospects in the reserves - including Fin Back at RB (19yrs) and Aaron Donnelly at LB (18yrs) - and another 4 or 5 prospects in the u18s rated at 3.5* potential or better. They also have good youth facilities, and although youth recruitment could do with an upgrade my first-season intake preview looks very good indeed:

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

I managed to see most of the match and was very impressed. They seem to have recruited well in January (a couple of names I didn't recognise) so maybe wait until the transfer update is released. Although I seem to remember you're happy playing with unofficial databases so you could probably just go for it.

Yeah, they also have 19-year-old Alex Mighten, who looks like the next Brennan Johnson, a handful of good prospects in the reserves - including Fin Back at RB (19yrs) and Aaron Donnelly at LB (18yrs) - and another 4 or 5 prospects in the u18s rated at 3.5* potential or better. They also have good youth facilities, and although youth recruitment could do with an upgrade my first-season intake preview looks very good indeed:

Yeah I just downloaded the latest FMUT/Pro 1 Data update so I should have the updated squads.

Nice to see Forest still producing good players.

I don't know how to approach this though as my options for me are just play them normally with no tranfer restrictions, Do a youth only save with them or do mostly youth and bringing back former academy players etc.

How are you are approaching this with your transfer policy ?
 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

How are you are approaching this with your transfer policy ?

I've never set a transfer policy at any club I've managed. I just try to play as realistically as possible... identify the weakest spots in the squad, try to improve them, repeat. I find summer windows, especially after promotion, incredibly difficult and fraught with peril. As often as not, I end up weakening the squad rather than strengthening 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

14 minutes ago, warlock said:

I've never set a transfer policy at any club I've managed. I just try to play as realistically as possible... identify the weakest spots in the squad, try to improve them, repeat. I find summer windows, especially after promotion, incredibly difficult and fraught with peril. As often as not, I end up weakening the squad rather than strengthening 

Sounds like a typical save with a mid table Championship team lol.

[Parmie]

Bradford City - Season Three (2023-2024)

Our second season in League One. With a successful consolidation last season, we bring in some real quality in transfers. Luka Racic from Brentford for free, Kion Etete to give us a a target forward option, Louie Barry returns on loan as hopefully our main goal scoring threat.

Season Review

Other than losing 2 games in a row in early September, we avoid losses and are very consistent, putting together long undefeated streaks. We're drawing too many games to be a meaningful threat to last season's playoff opponents Derby, who run away with the top spot. This leaves us in a season long battle with Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield for 2nd place and automatic promotion. In does come down to the final game of the season but all we need to do is draw given our superior goal difference.  Nerves are steadied after a goalless 1st half  when we score 2 early goals after the break, opponents Plymouth pull one back in the 82nd minute but we achieve a flattering result with 2 injury time goals to run out 4-1 winners and promotion!

Reliving 2015, we're drawn against Chelsea in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. We survive a barrage at Stamford Bridge 0-0 and are equally lucky to 'FM' them in the replay, scoring from 2 of our 3 shots while they squander chances to only get 1 in return. We get an easy 4th round tie to Shrewsbury before being dumped out by Sheffield United. We only get as far as the 2nd round of the Carabao, drawing Everton away and bravely going out 1-0.

Off the Pitch

As mentioned in the summary, transfer business was very good. Loans continuing to give us temporary depth while I aim to recruit players who can compete in League One with potential for the Championship and maybe beyond if we get lucky. I cash in on a few offers given our strength, and the £1m in gates from the Chelsea games keep us financially secure. As you can see, I begin to recruit for the Championship, finally spending some money on Aaron Pressley, who will fulfil the target forward role to a good level.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Parmie

[warlock]

@Parmie Nicely done 

[warlock]

Nottingham Forest, down to the wire

Here comes the grand finale! Since Christmas we've been down as low as 4th, but managed to climb back up to 1st. We have, probably, the easiest run-in but still have plenty of opportunities to slip up. We've done pretty well in recent games, but we're scraping narrow victories so I'm far from confident. On the other hand, we beat Fulham to take top spot and they've dropped a few points in the last couple of weeks, which might suggest that - worst case - we should at least clinch the automatic promotion spot.

Let's do this 

[CityAndColour]

2021/22 - Willand Rovers - Southern League Division One South

Season:

First season in the bank and it was a very good one.

After a pre-season spent just trying to cobble together enough bodies, we travelled to title fancies Bristol Manor Farm on opening day and trounced them 5-0, setting a marker for things to come. Never out of the top four, our form remained consistent throughout and we entered the final third in a three-way title race with Cirencester Town and Frome Town. Despite some key injuries and suspensions, we went on a run of 13 wins in the last 14 matches to clinch the title in the penultimate game, with Frome's final day loss giving the table a bit of extra gloss (they had gone 19 matches unbeaten to that point). They did however recover to win the playoffs on penalties over Bideford.

The cups were nothing to write home about, with a first round proper appearance in the FA Trophy the pick of them.

Players:

Plenty of green!

We built from the back, with a back four of Panashe Makokowe, Finn Tapp, Adam Sharif and James Dutton playing every match they were fit for as we conceded only 22 league goals in total. Tapp also chipped in with 11 goals as our designated penalty taker to clean sweep the player, young player and signing of the season awards.

In midfield, Mitch McCann was the star man, also filling in at left back and centre half when called upon. Diminutive winger Jack Rice-Lethaby was our most creative outlet, however dislocated his shoulder with a month to go (and was very ably replaced by free agent Chekaine Steele). Brazilian striker Douglas bagged 25 goals, however 20 came before Christmas.

Next season:

I've managed to tie down most of our key players to new deals, although Dutton isn't interested in returning on loan and Tapp has almost every level 7 and some Conference N/S clubs interested in him, so it remains to be seen if he sticks around. The board has given me a decent enough wage budget so I suspect we should have enough about us for a mid-table finish and perhaps a sneaky playoff push, depending on the sort of quality we can attract.

[warlock]

51 minutes ago, CityAndColour said:

First season ... was a very good one

Well done! As for the squad management, I've only done one save down at that level and had to rebuild the First 11 every season. Any decent players got nicked by Vanarama sides. Had 3 or 4 triallists every week of the year 

[warlock]

Nottingham Forest, May 2022

As we headed into the final weeks of the season, we were in good form, despite a poor run in February as injuries and tiredness took their toll. We dropped down to 4th in the league but by the end of the month we had clawed our way back to 2nd place behind Fulham. At the end of March we made the trip to Craven Cottage and came away with a superb 2-0 victory that lifted us to top spot. That seemed to spur the lads on and we made a strong push towards the finish:

That lone defeat to Birmingham was unexpected- in October we had soundly thrashed them 6-0 away, so to lose the home fixture was annoying in the extreme. A good win against West Brom had us in the driving seat for the title, but those two dropped points against Posh allowed Bournemouth to slip past us into pole position. On the final day, we needed a win and Bournemouth to drop points, and at half-time we had the title in our hands. Only at the final whistle did we learn that Scot Parker's boys had grabbed a winner and claimed the title themselves:

But promotion was secured - an achievement for which the board have rated my performance as a C+. Twerps .

We relied on the same core of 14-15 players throughout the season, with Grabban, Idah (top scorer for us in the league), McKenna and Worrall in defence, Samba in goal, and the creative efforts of Garner and Carvalho in midfield:

The board have given me a transfer pot of £24m, which will have to be stretched pretty thin - there'll be a lot of holes to plug for next season. Garner's loan from Man Utd has been extended, but their parent clubs have declined to renew our other loans so that's four vacant slots. Grabban's contract is expiring and I'm not inclined to award an extension since his form fell off rapidly in the second half of the season. We do have a number of youngsters returning from loan and, had we stayed in the Championship, they'd certainly have got game time. But there are massive doubts about their ability in the Premiership. Much to think about, much to do!

[Parmie]

Bradford City - Season Four (2024-2025)

Our first season in the Championship. Time for consolidation and hopefully a stable financial position. Louie Barry keeps on returning, although his wages have gone up, he's suitable for the Championship and we're happy to have him for a 3rd season.

Season Review

With recruitment sorted, August bodes well for the season with 3 wins and a draw, despite going out to Port Vale in Carabao. The next two months are then win a game/lose a game but thats fine, we're well clear of relegation and in upper mid table. A bad November followed by a decent December brings us to January. I recruit one centre back in the window for depth, but without doing anything differently, we embark on a tremendous 2nd half of the season, only losing 2 games, we head up into the playoffs and then even into automatic promotion contention.

Running into the final game of the season Preston had over-taken us and were sitting in 2nd place but just on 1 point more than us. We were relying on an already relegated Coventry to pull something out of the bag while we stomped Reading 3-0. Preston took the lead but conceded in the 2nd half and couldn't finish Coventry off, they drew 1-1 and we are promoted to the Premiership.

Unexpected to say the least, perhaps also going out of the FA Cup early this season gave us the time between fixtures to always be at our best after January. When I keep getting questions about our possession stats, after the end of the season I can't help an evil genius style chuckle to myself. We don't need to keep the ball, just lump it forward and let the chaos ensue. 

Off the Pitch

Quite a large turnover in players was planned for the Championship campaign, and the total in starts to see my recruitment for next season's Premiership. Our biggest signing to date in Valery comes in to give us a good right wing back for the first time. A good goalkeeper was also a priority and an agent pops up with a Peruvian, Patricio Alvarez, who is uncapped but still qualifies for a permit. I'm still cashing in on players where we have depth not expecting to be promoted and still seeking to keep finances strong.

[CityAndColour]

Congrats on (yet another) promotion @warlock - do you think you'll have a crack at the PL or start elsewhere?