Jogo Bonito Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 (edited) ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Valencia Club de Fútbol (Valencia CF) were founded in 1919, and are one of Spanish football's most successful clubs However in recent years they have been suffering on and off the pitch, with poor finances and a distinct lack of success on the pitch In 2014, Singaporean businessman Peter Lim took control of the club, and there were hopes of a brighter future for Los Murciélagos (The Bats) Unfortunately that has never happened, and the majority of supporters want the owner out And that is where this story begins.... Edited March 27, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share Posted December 18, 2021 (edited) So why Valencia? Well back in the late 1990's through to the 'Noughties' I was a massive fan of Spanish Football La Liga on Sky Sports took up most Saturday & Sunday evenings It prompted me to do two years of night classes to study Spanish, where my pronunciations of words was greatly helped by the commentaries I'd heard Through work in football at the time, I also had a few connections with Sky Sports Spanish commentary & production team too My team of choice in those days was Valencia, I used to follow them very carefully and enjoyed their glorious style of football Even now I can remember the managers of the era (Cuper, Benitez, Ranieri) and most of the players who made a long-lasting impression on me Over the years, and through moves away, I lost touch with Spanish football and have virtually never gone to Spain in FM at all I broke that cycle via a mini-career with Barcelona at the end of FM21, a city I was lucky enough to live in a few years ago But I've been put off managing Valencia due to their owners, recent kit designs, and air of depression around the club - until now! Having learned how to make kits from a template and PGE tweaks, I can now fully immerse myself in my first ever Valencia career I'll be keeping my Palermo career going alongside, as that one is something I want to maintain through the whole period until FM23 So the first step was to sort out some new owners at the club... Ex-Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has sensationally taken over control from the ousted Peter Lim and will act as Valencia's new Owner Former Valencia (and Argentina) legend Mario Kempes has accepted the role of Chairperson, replacing the departed Club President Anil Murthy Mario scored 95 goals for Valencia in 142 games from 1976-1981, and ended his career with 302 goals in 555 games (plus 20 in 43 for Argentina) Until taking this new role he was a football analyst and commentator in Spanish for ESPN Deportes (ESPN's Spanish-language version) Long-serving club favourite Voro Gonzalez (Voro) now holds the only other senior role as Club Director Time to welcome the new manager, Lorenzo Blanco Gracias Señor Mario.... You may have spotted, along with the new management structure came a new club sponsor - Valencia Orange The new partners were carefully chosen to strengthen links in the local community, even though they would be paying less than the old betting company were This is about identity, not capitalism And as a result, the new kits were looking glorious with a fresh juicy design We've also got some extra alternative kits lined up for special occasions, if required Los Ches are predicted to finish 7th in La Liga this season, after only managing 13th position last time That could be harder than it sounds, as there will be an immediate requirement to address the financial problems inherited The board want high-profile signings, but in the short term it's more about making some money and bringing in some more affordable Spanish players By 2025, the club do hopefully expect to be in their new stadium - but it seems like they have been planning this for about 100 years already... Edited December 20, 2021 by Jogo Bonito 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 Love the club! And the kits! They have always been my Spanish team. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheez3y Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 Really nice starting posts as always. Excited how this journey will develop. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 19 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: I can now fully immerse myself in my first ever Valencia career You've certainly given yourself a workload for FM22 - three saves, three countries, different levels of ability. I'd be interested to learn how you manage your playing time. Do you keep to a schedule for each save, just bounce around according to whim, or something in between? It's all I can do to play one save successfully But this looks like a good one. A lot of talent in that squad, and a good challenge to overtake the usual suspects. Good luck 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 1 hour ago, warlock said: You've certainly given yourself a workload for FM22 - three saves, three countries, different levels of ability. I'd be interested to learn how you manage your playing time. Do you keep to a schedule for each save, just bounce around according to whim, or something in between? It's all I can do to play one save successfully But this looks like a good one. A lot of talent in that squad, and a good challenge to overtake the usual suspects. Good luck Are you doing these simultaneously @Jogo Bonito Btw which is the third one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oppiiz Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 Really love it! Always had a weak spot for Valencia! And those kits. Holy! So wonderful! Best of luck with the debt at the club! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefinitelyTaylor Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 Beautiful kit designs. Looking forward to following this! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Dhillon Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 Beautiful kits 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilsonJuve Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 What a beautiful start! Love the kits and the idea of new owners. Been sick the past couple of weeks with a virus so haven't had chance to play much but this just got me raring to go again. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesterfan_Cambiasso Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 This will be such a beautiful thread, stunning choice of team and that kit.....WOW 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 20, 2021 Author Share Posted December 20, 2021 (edited) On 19/12/2021 at 03:36, karanhsingh said: Love the club! And the kits! They have always been my Spanish team. Thanks mate! Glad to have your approval on club & kits 20 hours ago, Cheez3y said: Really nice starting posts as always. Excited how this journey will develop. Thanks very much. I'm not good completing missions like you, but will surely have some fun with this one 20 hours ago, warlock said: You've certainly given yourself a workload for FM22 - three saves, three countries, different levels of ability. I'd be interested to learn how you manage your playing time. Do you keep to a schedule for each save, just bounce around according to whim, or something in between? It's all I can do to play one save successfully But this looks like a good one. A lot of talent in that squad, and a good challenge to overtake the usual suspects. Good luck Well, I think (hope?) I can handle three clubs until the next update. Palermo is one I will continue to run with all the way to FM23 - that's a long-term one and I'll be connected to that once I land in Malta. Usually I stop at the end of a season and then go to another club for a season or half-season, then switch back. But I'm already in to the second season with Palermo so might be on and off both of these for a bit. The 3rd save (Plymouth) is set up and will no doubt find a place in the schedule when/if I'm missing England in the New Year. Valencia has some good players but is definitely not at the top table right now. It could be difficult to manage the 'sign high profile players' requirement whilst working on a tight budget but hopefully I'll keep the board on side by retaining the best Spanish players like Gaya and Soler, keeping the best of the HG at Club players and integrating a stream of youngsters in to the first team. I should have changed the board philosophy really from high profile signings to youngsters and domestic ones, but opted to go for a bigger challenge by leaving it as it was! Lets hope 'Bart & Mario' will appreciate the roles I gave them and not sack me too soon 18 hours ago, karanhsingh said: Are you doing these simultaneously @Jogo Bonito Btw which is the third one? I don't know how it will play out yet, but hopefully the above answers vaguely! 18 hours ago, Oppiiz said: Really love it! Always had a weak spot for Valencia! And those kits. Holy! So wonderful! Best of luck with the debt at the club! There seems to be a lot of fondness for Valencia, I'm very happy to hear it. Thanks for liking my new kits too 15 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said: Beautiful kit designs. Looking forward to following this! Thanks again. I hope I can do the kits justice 14 hours ago, Adi Dhillon said: Beautiful kits Thank you, I appreciate it! 13 hours ago, WilsonJuve said: What a beautiful start! Love the kits and the idea of new owners. Been sick the past couple of weeks with a virus so haven't had chance to play much but this just got me raring to go again. Sorry to hear you have not been well. Hoping all good now and thanks for taking the time to pass the nice comments. I couldn't have managed them with the current owners or kits, the ideas came together on those two points, and now I can go in to it with a strong feeling of commitment to the club 11 hours ago, Lesterfan_Cambiasso said: This will be such a beautiful thread, stunning choice of team and that kit.....WOW Thank you so much, these were the first kits I made myself and I'm very pleased with them. I don't know how to mess with the 2nd and 3rd kit colours yet so they match the colour scheme. I can get the kits on the club profile page but would want the colour bars and 3D versions aligned before I do that. I know it can be done so will find a way and maybe by season two we will have the orange away kit and midnight blue versions in place too. Edited December 20, 2021 by Jogo Bonito 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcf2017 Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 Who better to save a club from financial ruin than Madrid icon Barto, but those orange kits are peng Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 20, 2021 Author Share Posted December 20, 2021 1 hour ago, rmcf2017 said: Who better to save a club from financial ruin than Madrid icon Barto, but those orange kits are peng Haha, indeed. I appreciate the history of Barto, but he also had some good years at Barca and it was difficult to find an out of work Spanish owner with a suitable reputation who was available to pick in the database (PGE). I struggled even more to get Kempes installed as he is only in the database because of 'historic' World Cup records. Anyway, it makes for a good story I'm guessing that means the kits are good, right? @warlockcan you confirm? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 4 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: can you confirm? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 Looking at the feedback I think you should submit these kit designs to Valencia! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyFM87 Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 Looking forward to this. I love valencia in FM. Just curious, how did you change the owner of the club? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcf2017 Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 20 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: Haha, indeed. I appreciate the history of Barto, but he also had some good years at Barca and it was difficult to find an out of work Spanish owner with a suitable reputation who was available to pick in the database (PGE). I struggled even more to get Kempes installed as he is only in the database because of 'historic' World Cup records. Anyway, it makes for a good story I'm guessing that means the kits are good, right? @warlockcan you confirm? Yes mate haha, this means the kits are amazing 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Firstly, apologies for a lack of posts. I had to finalise my relocation from UK just before Xmas including a complete house clearance and fire-sale of some belongings after being let down by two removals companies. With that task finished on Xmas Eve, I was lucky enough to have a few good days with family, before landing on my new home island only yesterday evening. So hopefully before the new job starts after the weekend, I may even get a few days to log on to FM and play a few matches with both Palermo & Valencia. To any continuing or new stories that I have missed, any comments that that I have not replied to, sorry. But I hope everyone had a good festive season and happy new year in advance to all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 On 21/12/2021 at 07:41, DannyFM87 said: Looking forward to this. I love valencia in FM. Just curious, how did you change the owner of the club? Cheers Danny. I changed them in the PGE. Removing the current ones was not too hard, finding people suitable of taking their places was tricky as they needed to be in the DB but not currently doing anything, such as Bartomeu and Kempes. On 21/12/2021 at 07:14, karanhsingh said: Looking at the feedback I think you should submit these kit designs to Valencia! The feedback has been much appreciated. I'd probably be sued by the club, current sponsors, new sponsors, kit template creators, La Liga, whoever gives licences to SI, and a whole host of others! So I'll just quit whilst I am happy with it thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 (edited) Hola chicos y chicas As you can see this story never got going. Not due to changing my mind, simply put I haven't played FM at all this calendar year since relocating. But with the new update 22.3 it's time to have a crack at this one. The squad changed quite a bit in the winter transfer window so I have refreshed a couple of things. I am now on the 22.3 update but with the following applied:: The players that left permanently or on loan IRL will no longer be at the club The players I signed myself originally will no longer be at the club, but I have made three signings of my own (a right-winger, a central midfielder and an understudy right-back) The players who joined the club IRL in the winter window update are now at the club (except Bryan Gil as I have removed his loan) The players I sold originally (like Musah) will still not be at the club So overall my squad is weaker than the actual squad IRL. And also the funds from the sales I made have not been put back in to the club (not balance or transfer kitty) as I want to earn my chance to succeed. An updated squad summary will follow... Valencia squad banner.mp4 Edited March 25, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 (edited) With the 2021/22 season about to kick off, below is the first team squad assembled for the opening weekend There is a desire to recruit one more player, either on loan or permanently if costing less than £2.5 million (which is the transfer budget available) The player would ideally be Spanish and the aim is to sign a left-footed right winger who can also play as an orthodox winger on the left too He'll need to be suitable for a club like Valencia, but a cover and rotation player who can step in when Guedes or De Frutos are unavailable Any injury problems will be addressed by promoting our own youngsters, probably from the U19 squad Below is the full list of transfers made by Valencia including those in the winter transfer window (Diego Lopez, Musy and Amar are not for the first team) The highlighted trio of Sergio Lopez, Galoppo and De Frutos are the only signings made by me - and there were more departures than arrivals overall Leaving the club were Foulquier, Musah, Cillessen, Cheryshev and Koba Lein (all sold by me for combined fees of just over £50 million) The winter loan of Bryan Gil was also terminated, and a number of the original squad were sold, released or loaned out in the window too None of the original five signings I made in my original post were kept, so with a weaker squad than reality, let's see how this works out... Edited March 27, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 Animated graphics, no less . Interesting spread of wages you have throughout the squad - not a criticism but (in my limited experience) some huge outliers. I'm a big fan of Soler; where do you plan to use him? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 Holy Cow Batman. Yes, you know, no return from the wilderness is complete without making bat videos. Everybody does it, right? Quite right on the disparity of wage distribution. The high earners are on massive money compared to the majority of the squad. But Guedes, Soler, Gabriel (for a year at least), Gaya and Gomez are key players for a club like this so I won't be looking to move them on. I plan to use Soler in central midfield, to the right of a pairing (with a DM behind) or to the right of three if I go for an extra number in the middle. But my initial intention is to go 4-1-2-2-1 with a DM behind two central midfielders, then two wide men and a lone striker. A couple of players are mildly versatile so it can be tweaked to 433, 4132 or something if required. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: I plan to use Soler in central midfield, to the right of a pairing He's very good there but also versatile - I signed him (in an off-the-books) save with Southampton and he was great at both WR and AMR, too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 24, 2022 Author Share Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) So just a very brief update from Valencia this time around as the pre-season friendlies have now been completed A three game tour of Austria saw mixed results and the team was not helped by a number of players not travelling due to injury & international absences The final three games were much better with unexpected (if not stylish) wins over Chelsea & Juventus and a comfortable win against Marbella on the sunny south coast It's now time for the La Liga season to start, and in the review of early results there will be a couple of low-risk transfer deals to talk about too Edited March 24, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Very surprised you sold musah im just starting a Valencia save (thanks to you) and thinking he might be worth building round Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 24, 2022 Author Share Posted March 24, 2022 41 minutes ago, Rollin93 said: Very surprised you sold musah im just starting a Valencia save (thanks to you) and thinking he might be worth building round Musah is definitely a promising young player, I just wanted to make it a little bit harder for myself but without losing the established key players. Enjoy your time with Valencia! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 38 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: Musah is definitely a promising young player, I just wanted to make it a little bit harder for myself but without losing the established key players. Enjoy your time with Valencia! That makes sense I went to sell Gomez and got offered 12 million so his staying 😂 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) Few more seasons arrivals I have puig from Barcelona On a season loan with an option to buy of 21 million (I can’t see this happening unless I get a big offer for someone) also arriving on loan is cm thuram from OGC nice with a 5 million option to buy nearly brought paco alacacer back to the club he was listed for 5 million but they wanted 15 as we are in the same league so I decided against it I made lots of mistakes in the first window so have decided to start again and this time make some more clever decisions 😂 Edited March 25, 2022 by Rollin93 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) On 24/03/2022 at 21:46, Rollin93 said: Few more seasons arrivals I have puig from Barcelona On a season loan with an option to buy of 21 million (I can’t see this happening unless I get a big offer for someone) also arriving on loan is cm thuram from OGC nice with a 5 million option to buy. nearly brought paco alacacer back to the club he was listed for 5 million but they wanted 15 as we are in the same league so I decided against it I made lots of mistakes in the first window so have decided to start again and this time make some more clever decisions 😂 Good luck 2nd time around. You'll be interested to read about one of my final two signings... As deadline day loomed, my main target for an understudy left-footed winger (to cover both of the flanks) decided to head elsewhere That was disappointing as a deal had been agreed a week earlier and we thought it was a formality Convinced that I had my man, I had also 'delayed' the confirmation three times on my second choice and he pulled out of the move too So deadline day saw me casting my eye around for another option By this point I had decided any more new arrivals in this window would be Spanish, so the task was tougher than it needed to be I also knew the player would not be starting if my other wide attackers were fit, so it was a certain type of profile and status that was needed In the end, I managed to bag a youngster on loan from Real Madrid for the season with no wages or fee being necessary He's more frequently used as No. 10 in real life in their youth sides despite what his profile says, but my video analysis showed he can dribble Sergio Arribas will therefore be used as my flank cover as I don't plan to use an AMC regularly With only three strikers including a less than convincing Hugo Duro, I made a sentimental decision just before the window closed and signed another striker too This one was only costing £10.5k per week on loan, and the player has pedigree even if his career has stalled in the last couple of years For that kind of money and with home grown status at the club, it was nice to welcome back Paco Alcacer to the team he supports That concluded the transfer business and rounds the main squad off at a healthy 23 members Edited March 27, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 On 25/03/2022 at 22:46, Jogo Bonito said: Good luck 2nd time around. You'll be interested to read about one of my final two signings... As deadline day loomed, my main target for an understudy left-footed winger (to cover both of the flanks) decided to head elsewhere after a deal had been agreed a week earlier. Convinced that I had my man, I had also 'delayed' the confirmation three times on my second choice and he pulled out of the move too. So deadline day saw me casting my eye around for another option. By this point I had decided any more new arrivals in this window would be Spanish, so the task was tougher than it needed to be. I also knew the player would not be starting if my other wide attackers were fit, so it was a certain type of profile and status that was needed. In the end, I managed to bag a youngster on loan from Real Madrid for the season with no wages or fee being necessary. He's more frequently used as No. 10 in real life in their youth sides despite what his profile says, but my video analysis showed he can dribble and Sergio Arribas will therefore be used as my flank cover as I don't plan to use an AMC regularly. This brought the first team squad to 22 players, but with only three strikers including a less than convincing Hugo Duro, I made a sentimental decision just before the window closed and signed another striker on loan for the season. This one was only costing £10.5k per week, and the player has pedigree even if his career has stalled in the last couple of years. For that kind of money and with home grown status at the club, it was nice to welcome back Paco Alcacer to the team he supports. That concluded the transfer business and rounds the main squad off at a healthy 23 members. I am debating bringing him back to the club on my save he looks like he would do a job for that price! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 Missed the first batch of posts here…good times though. Like the idea of trying to turn around a great club that have suffered through mismanagement. Makes for an interesting challenge when you have to sell some good talent! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 (edited) 59 minutes ago, 13th Man said: Missed the first batch of posts here…good times though. Like the idea of trying to turn around a great club that have suffered through mismanagement. Makes for an interesting challenge when you have to sell some good talent! Thanks so much. Yes, a nice chance to reinvigorate a club that has drifted badly with my fresh new ownership regime. I just checked in the last completed month and we lost £5.3 million with £3.6m income and £8.9m expenditure. The club balance sits at £27m so if that trend continues, some big decisions will have to be made in January. However, on the pitch it's going rather well... August 2021 I don't think I ever enjoyed an opening day quite like the 5-0 thrashing of Granada, there really was a gulf in class and the performance was quite surprising The loss away to Real Madrid was expected, but although a late consolation goal really flattered us, it wasn't a shocker to lose that one Local rivals Levante were comfortably seen off to end the first month in good fashion September 2021 The next month saw a run of tough fixtures, and whilst a draw at the Spotify Camp Nou was a fabulous effort, conceding a 93rd minute equalising goal was very unlucky However, that was balanced out when we edged a really tight game away to Sevilla with our own late heartbreaker - an 85th minute winner being harsh on the hosts Athletic Bilbao then became the latest side to be thumped in front of our own fans Arguably the easiest game of the month should have delivered a home win over Celta Vigo - but they battled well and a 72 minute leveller earned them a point October 2021 October was another excellent month - with Villarreal, Elche and Mallorca beaten in the first three games Rayo Vallecano became the latest side to come from behind to salvage a draw when we were strong home favourites though The month ended with a cracker as travelled to the capital to play Atletico Madrid who were 2nd (we were 3rd) With Guedes injured, Real Madrid loan winger Arribas made his first start - and within 24 seconds Hector Herrera saw red for a shocking challenge on my youngster After that the home side were up against it, and once Gaya scored with a rasping drive early on, the result was seldom in doubt The last result lifted us from 3rd to an overwhelmingly good 2nd - the graph tracking the league position looking very healthy indeed On the pitch, Gomez hasn't featured much due to injury and hasn't really sparked when used - luckily other attackers have been in good form though The future of the Uruguayan striker is now unclear as his lack of form meant a new and improved contract request was rejected - which now sees him 'unhappy' Financially, as mentioned before, the club is not looking too healthy - despite a fairly frugal approach being taken since landing the job here One other footnote is that Xavi was sacked at the end of October after FC Barcelona's stuttering start to the season It's far too early to believe that this level of form can be sustained - but it's been a very fruitful first few months in charge so far Edited March 27, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 So this time round some interesting signings diego lainez comes in on loan from real betis but transfers out jasper clissesen went to Russia for 12 million paulista Newcastle for 20.5million diakhaby 11.5million coming in I done some interesting signings paco alcacer cost me 9 million and 2 new centre backs ginter comes in for some needed experience costing 4.9million and also Jesus vallejo come in from Real Madrid for 2.5 million so definitely happy with the signings Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollin93 Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Decided to start a save with levante used the sponsor you had as they are round the corner from Valencia Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 3, 2022 Author Share Posted April 3, 2022 @Rollin93Good luck with Levante. You should post your progress in the Spanish football thread on GPTG I'm In January now and will do an update at the end of the month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugoLazgo12 Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 10 minutos atrás, Jogo Bonito disse: @Rollin93Good luck with Levante. You should post your progress in the Spanish football thread on GPTG I'm In January now and will do an update at the end of the month. so hey anyways why you put ex barcelona chairman be an owner of valencia why not saudi or russian be an owner of valencia Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 3, 2022 Author Share Posted April 3, 2022 4 minutes ago, HugoLazgo12 said: so hey anyways why you put ex barcelona chairman be an owner of valencia why not saudi or russian be an owner of valencia I didn't put him in charge to make them more wealthy, which a Russian or Saudi owner would have done in the real world. So it was better for my story to pick a famous Spanish person. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugoLazgo12 Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 21 horas atrás, Jogo Bonito disse: I didn't put him in charge to make them more wealthy, which a Russian or Saudi owner would have done in the real world. So it was better for my story to pick a famous Spanish person. out of russian or saudi owner but why ex barcelona president i mean he is way worse that peter lim and put barcelona into very debts between Peter lim and Ex Barcelona President i chose the both been the worst Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 9, 2022 Author Share Posted April 9, 2022 (edited) A good start to life in Valencia saw us sitting 2nd at the end of October 2021, with only one loss (to leaders Real Madrid) in the opening 12 La Liga fixtures November 2021 - January 2022 The winter months of November and December went fairly well, and by the turn of the year we still had 2nd place with only one more loss (away to Real Betis) January also started brightly but by the time we faced a sixth successive away match, it was probably inevitable to taste defeat again The fact that it came in the Copa Del Rey with a heavily rotated side didn't remove the disappointment - especially as the next game didn't go to plan either League leaders Real Madrid were not the side we wanted to face on an overdue return to home turf, and their 10-men rode their luck a little to claim all three points The last two matches of January saw an important hard-earned win over local rivals Levante, and a credible draw as FC Barcelona travelled along the East Coast By the end of January we remained 2nd behind Real Madrid, but they and most of the teams below do have a game (or games) in hand The early season goals of striker Marcos Andre have dried up too, but Paco Alcacer took his slot and had been scoring a decent number himself In the last few weeks, goals from all of our attacking players have stopped coming though - which means some tweaks may be needed In the winter transfer window, we were intentionally quiet as the financial side of the club is still not great Striker Maxi Gomez (without a goal all season and earning £49k per week) was offered out, but with no takers There was little else we could afford to let go at that stage, although young 'keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili might be sacrificed as he is our understudy and a saleable asset Young midfielder Oussama Amar (who was not in the first team squad) did depart after a French side triggered an unknown release clause of just £300k The only incoming deal saw young Argentinian striker José Manuel López arrive from Lanus in Argentina, but he will not be in the first team squad until next summer A half-hearted effort was made to recruit Spanish centre-back Dani Vivian from Athletic Bilbao, but we couldn't get anywhere near the firm £11.75m release clause With five loan men on the books unlikely to remain here after the summer, that should be the time to try and shape the squad a bit better for next season Edited April 9, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 6 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: we remained 2nd Looking good for it, too. Games in hand are not going to topple you yet. Finances do look worrying though. Hard to see how you can upgrade the squad without European football of some kind. Good luck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) February 2022 - May 2022 As February arrived, there were 15 games left in La Liga - and Valencia were surprisingly sat 2nd behind Real Madrid Three good wins kicked off the period, but Villarreal halted that sequence when they visited us and claimed three points in comfortable fashion March followed a similar pattern with two good away wins and then a home loss to mid-table Elche in the last outing of the month A fine home win over Atletico Madrid (3rd) saw April also start well before results dipped a little as the month closed out Real Madrid deservedly sealed the title with three games to go, however we were still 2nd with just the three May fixtures left to play Strong challenges were being mounted by Madrid's second side plus Barcelona and Villarreal though, and just a handful of points separated the four of us Luckily our three remaining opponents were all teams from the lower half of the table - and despite being run close we picked up six points from the first two games Or final match was at home against relegation-threatened Osasuna, and just one point was needed to hang on to 2nd spot Pleasingly the pressure that had affected performances in the last few weeks disappeared and a 4-0 result concluded a magnificent season with that 2nd place in the bag Champions League football for 2022/23 was not part of the plan, but we deserved it with a very consistent season The club has had a shocker financially, and the plundering balance sheet currently reads as a negative number Understandably we have been 'rewarded' with an initial transfer budget of just £4,391,939 for next season, although we will have some spare wage budget There will need to be some cost-cutting done in the summer for sure, but we will do everything possible to keep the most important local players at the club Two sales have already been agreed just to try and set the tone, and more departures will undoubtedly follow (players on loan are unlikely to be kept here too) Worryingly we have not even been allowed to offer £7.5k per week wages to a free agent target, even though there is a fair amount left in the pot to do so Hopefully we will get some competition money in soon which should help us not to miss out on modest signings we have identified Here is the final table in what was a competitive but very enjoyable season Hidden from the table view is one of my most satisfying statistics - the fact that only 11 away goals (from just three away defeats) were conceded all season That away goal tally was a La Liga best, and for a manager who usually does well at home and loses lots of away games it was a pleasing personal success Here are the player stats from all competitions (41 games in total with 38 in La Liga and the surplus from our Copa Del Rey ties) Gabriel Paulista, Jose Gaya, Carlos Soler, Jorge De Frutos and Paco Alcacer were particularly impressive Alcacer was our top scorer with 21 (including 17 in La Liga), but it was left-back Gaya who got the fans vote and the Spanish League Player of the Year award too Understudy strikers Hugo Duro and Maxi Gomez were the real disappointments - their lack of minutes being a direct result of how little they offered when used It could be a difficult summer due to the financial side, but hopefully we can do enough to assemble a squad which can fight on several fronts next season Edited April 13, 2022 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said: 2nd place in the bag Got to count as a very successful opening season. Hopefully, finances will take an upturn soon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 Fantastic work getting 2nd. It’ll be interesting on the financial side as it seems like even with the CL coming up the money will still be an issue. Still, Europe can help and with some smart transfer business you might just be able to right the ship. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RageMaster Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 Fantastic season @Jogo Bonito hopefully you get some cash to build upon. Interested to see who you sell over the summer. I'd be tempted to part ways with Guedes despite a fairly respectable 7.02 AVR but on £100,000 a week in wages Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 What a great season to kick off! Have you got your transfer targets lined up?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 On 14/04/2022 at 00:51, warlock said: Got to count as a very successful opening season. Hopefully, finances will take an upturn soon Thanks. Yes I agree the season was way beyond my expectations. Finances are still not at all good, I'm in July now and ready for pre-season but couldn't renew about 6 staff contracts of no more than £2k per week (even after allowing a similar number of staff to leave). 7 hours ago, 13th Man said: Fantastic work getting 2nd. It’ll be interesting on the financial side as it seems like even with the CL coming up the money will still be an issue. Still, Europe can help and with some smart transfer business you might just be able to right the ship. Thanks, much appreciated. The provisional budget of around £4m was set before CL qualification and they didn't increase it until now (mid-July). Of course, participation will soon see the balance sheet look decent, but I don't feel the squad is strong enough to repeat the league performance, let alone play in the CL group on top. 5 hours ago, RageMaster said: Fantastic season @Jogo Bonito hopefully you get some cash to build upon. Interested to see who you sell over the summer. I'd be tempted to part ways with Guedes despite a fairly respectable 7.02 AVR but on £100,000 a week in wages Thanks again. Delighted with that finish myself! It's tempting and logical to get Guedes out, but as one of the 'key' players that encouraged me to manage the club, I hope he won't need to be sacrificed. The transfer window has been much less orderly than I usually manage to achieve, and until this point we have spent less than we have received. That sounds like a glut of business has been done, but it's only a handful of cash deals in total so far with three out and two in (plus a free transfer and a youth signing on a free too). And all the loan players have left, even the ones where we had an option to buy. Obviously that helped on the wages too, but until now I'm replacing first-team players with inferior alternatives on the whole. 4 hours ago, SixPointer said: What a great season to kick off! Have you got your transfer targets lined up?! Cheers again, it really was a nice surprise to do so well. But I've seen Valencia do this in several people's saves during the 21/22 season (including one title) so I'm far from a genius to achieve 2nd. Transfer targets you ask? Yes of course. Did they sign? Not at all. My level of frustration can be summed up by the fact that my top target was playing in Spain's second tier, available for free, surplus to requirements, and wanting between £7.5k and £12k per week. And I couldn't do it. He then got fed up and didn't want to keep re-starting talks, before Atletico Madrid came out of nowhere and signed him instead. Ironically my free transfer signing was earning 2-3 times that wage and I have since managed to get that over the line, but I'd have rather had my first choice target. I've promoted some youngsters to the main squad for my pre-season training camp in USA, and some players who were away on loan last season have also been drafted in to the touring party whilst I decide what to do with them. I'm usually quite good at squad-shaping so hopefully it won't be so messy when we are done, but if I was grading myself right now I'd be saying around about C status. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 30 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: I'm usually quite good at squad-shaping Agreed 30 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: so hopefully it won't be so messy when we are done Agreed . Transfer windows used to be a joy... if you had the money. The introduction of agents has, I think, made FM much more realistic - and much more challenging. I've simply walked away from so many transfer deals this year because of 'ridiculous' wage demands, bonuses, release clauses, agent fees... the list is almost endless. And that's at a club that has more money than I've ever had in FM; if budgets are tight the transfer window can be a nightmare. Fun, isn't it? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 6 hours ago, warlock said: Transfer windows used to be a joy... if you had the money. The introduction of agents has, I think, made FM much more realistic - and much more challenging. I've simply walked away from so many transfer deals this year because of 'ridiculous' wage demands, bonuses, release clauses, agent fees... the list is almost endless. And that's at a club that has more money than I've ever had in FM; if budgets are tight the transfer window can be a nightmare. Fun, isn't it? Yes deals aren't easy IRL or FM so we can't be too critical about the realism. Some of the logic is flawed, but it's good not to have it all our own way. Fun may be stretching it slightly, but I like a challenge so yes no complaints on the difficult part of the game Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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