The FM23 Youth Academy Challenge

[Cultured Left Foot]

This series was run as a youtube series here : http://www.youtube.com/c/CulturedLeftFoot

 

THE FINAL SEASON

 

As we entered the final season of the Youth Academy save on FM23, we had previously finished 3rd in the EPL, 3 points of the winners and were runners up in the Champions League. Was this to be the year or would it be another season of heartbreak ?

 

Well....

 

Not all fairytales have happy endings.

The league was very substandard with a 10th place finish. 

 

The Champions League was absolute heartbreak again as two late goals from Real Madrid cost us the win in the final! Which would have been crazy.

 

The youngsters did well and continued their winning streaks.

And as a personal milestone, it was the first time I ever ticked off 2,000 games in management.

 

And finally, we did get the young player of the year award in the CL.

 

So, I failed the challenge, but absolutely loved the save. It definitely will not be my last attempt at the challenge. It was incredibly fun !

Thanks for all the support and tips, hints and comments. 

Onto FM24 we go !

[libbyshuss]

8 hours ago, Cultured Left Foot said:

So, I failed the challenge, but absolutely loved the save. It definitely will not be my last attempt at the challenge. It was incredibly fun !

it was really fun following your progress with it as well!

[coyle_jp]

Hi Guys,

I would like to announce I am starting one of these as I am going to skip FM24 to wait for 25.

I would just like to confirm I am all good to go so will post a few screenshots.

 

I am going to try Northern Ireland as this was where I was born most of my family over there support Celtic and are from Belfast so after 10 hours of preparation I finally managed to get Belfast Celtic promoted into the league to start the challenge.

 

The Stadium is currently based 6 minutes where my Gran lived before she passed so that's also super cool.

 

 

Can someone well versed in these challenge let me know if I am good to go with the challenge?

If you need more screenshots or information before I can be potentially added to the wall of fame that would be amazing.

Jimmy

[WhiteCat33]

@coyle_jp looks like a good set-up. Even though you're playing on FM23 you can post in the new thread for FM24. Just indicate in your posts that you're playing the previous version. I'm continuing my Barbados save in that thread.

[coyle_jp]

Thank you for your quick reply kind sir,

I will do that too if this thread is now dilapidated

[Libertine13]

2039/40 (Season 17)

Making very slow progress still, but I haven't abandoned the save. No plans to buy FM24 so I'll be playing this save for the foreseeable! 

It was another title for Belfast Celtic, a third on the bounce. However we did finally lose a league game for the first time in god knows how long. We also managed to win the Irish Cup and League Cup to complete a hat trick of domestic trebles. 

Once again we qualified for the Champions League out right with two comfortable qualifying wins. Our CL campaign started brightly with a win over Viking, but as you can see we weren't blessed with any other winnable fixtures this year and crashed out of the league stage with only 3 points. I'm thinking we might be better off playing and progressing far in one of the lesser European competitions, but I don't want to throw any CL qualifier match and miss out on the CL proper. 

 

Youth Intake;

Spoiler

The preview this season wasn't great. 

Fairly satisfied with the actual intake. Got some good personalities amongst the better rated players. I'm thinking about retraining Darren Rogers as a right sided winger to provide cover and competition for Robbie-Lee Clingan and Wes Dugan at 6'3 will make a far better CB than full back where we have more than enough cover.

 

 

We also had a second player make the NXGN list!

We seem to be able to produce pretty good left backs! 

[coyle_jp]

Love that mate, I’m just starting on my Journey, how long did it take you to get to the top league and turn pro? I’m current half a year in with like 7 points lmao 2 spots off relegation

[Traldon]

Aachen Season 8 Review

After being close to promotion the last 2 years, this season was way more up and own, especially because we only won 2 games in the first half of the season. It didnt help that we lost our only good keeper to Hoffenheim.

League Table:

In the cup, we lost in the second round for the sixth! time in a row, this time to Leverkusen

Newly starting newgens:

I know he is bad, but he's probably the best one we have.

Kinda exited about him, he's a professional as well.

Really decent, versatile midfielder

Transfer Screen

[Batkan]

Hello people. 

I love youth academy challenge but i have one question.
Has anyone tried to do it in Croatia? Its impossible i think. Lot croatian second division clubs, especially newly promoted, have around 300-400 attendence, clubs are constantly struggling financially, there is no profit anywhere whatsoever and its impossible to upgrade facilities. Regardless of trash facilties, Croatia is good, so it is possible to get some very good newgens but they are ridiculously undervalued and leave for croatian top division or austria/italy  for basicly free. Been semi pro club dont help. Ofcourse entering first division could help because players value would skyrocket and club would become pro but its very hard to promote since only 1 club, league winner, promotes, and some second division clubs are lot better then me. Also lot of best second divison players are on loans from first league and ofc we cant loan, but even if get somehow lucky and enter first league it would be impossible to stay up, croatian first league have only 10 clubs and all of them are very good. Any help would be aprecieted. I am struggling 8 seasons low-mid table finish and no progress, constantly financially insecure. Every good newgen leave for 10k-20k while i loosing around 300k yearly. Biggest expanses are "others" cause wages are minimum. Has anyone ever managed to do this? 

Edited June 8 by Batkan

[Perre8]

@Batkan i am currently enjoying a yac in Croatia. It is challenging but once you get in first division and Europe, things tend to change. The regens are good. Attendance is a challenge yes! 

[Batkan]

Sry, what is yac? 

Yes, i know i would become more stable club if enter first divison somehow even if i fall first season out. Could sell some players for lot more money and maybe upgrade facilities, and all week training would be amazing but its very hard! Lot clubs in second league are lot better and i would be destroyed in first league. Struggle is real. 

Edited June 8 by Batkan

[Perre8]

Youth Academy Challenge 2024 topic

Yes i got promoted instantly and second season qualified for the Europa conference league, that changed the save instantly. 

Edited June 8 by Perre8

[Batkan]

Oh thats great, congrats!

I am entering 9. season and feel like did 0 progress from first season. Not just feel its reality. Its very frustrating.

What club did u get?

[Perre8]

NK Karlovac 1919, good facilities for that leven. And you?

[Batkan]

Kurilovec. They are really bad

[Perre8]

I always look for clubs with decent to good facilities in advance and try to reload them until i got them 

[Haddock]

I’m about ten seasons in with Kustosija. They start with good youth recruitment which helps a lot.
 

My experience has been that most players are worth almost nothing, but a few young players that show potential can be sold for good money (and always get a sell on percentage as that could be massive). I think I sold a player for around 2 million euros after my third season. As long as you invest in your youth facilities you should be able to make progress as the newgens in Croatia are very good. 
 

In my save money became abundant after qualifying for Europe the first few times. The hardest part is actually keeping the talents you get as the board don’t seem to consider how much money you have in the bank when they deem an offer “to good to refuse”.

[Batkan]

Oh yes. Thats a good idea with facilities. There are several decent clubs in third tier that was in first division in past and have ok facilties and some of them even have fanbase. I am from Croatia RL and never heard of Kurilovec. Maybe i should start over and reload few times until decent club promotes. I love struggle but feel of 0 progress is very frustrating 

Edited June 8 by Batkan

[Batkan]

4 minutes ago, Haddock said:

I’m about ten seasons in with Kustosija. They start with good youth recruitment which helps a lot.
 

My experience has been that most players are worth almost nothing, but a few young players that show potential can be sold for good money (and always get a sell on percentage as that could be massive). I think I sold a player for around 2 million euros after my third season. As long as you invest in your youth facilities you should be able to make progress as the newgens in Croatia are very good. 
 

In my save money became abundant after qualifying for Europe the first few times. The hardest part is actually keeping the talents you get as the board don’t seem to consider how much money you have in the bank when they deem an offer “to good to refuse”.

Did u promote early? My players always cry they want to leave even when other second tier clubs make offers. 

I cant invest in anything because insecure financially 

[Perre8]

15 minutes ago, Batkan said:

Oh yes. Thats a good idea with facilities. There are several decent clubs in third tier that was in first division in past and have ok facilties and some of them even have fanbase. I am from Croatia RL and never heard of Kurilovec. Maybe i should start over and reload few times until decent club promotes. I love struggle but feel of 0 progress is very frustrating 

If you want croatia to succeed that would be a better approach i think. What club would you take then?

[Batkan]

Ok i am just restarting. I am on holiday.  Wish me luck! Cant say i will miss my Kurilovec save. TBH i feel strees free now that i abandoned it.

Zadar and Varteks are first clubs that come to my mind. They were first league clubs that relegated and bankrupted and kicked to lowest league but i just checked their facilities and they are bad ingame. But they should have decent attendance for this league.

Trogir or Imotski would be fun because they have very very cool stadiums IRL 

Guess i will look what club will promote and reload until one decent comes. 

Kurilovec had like 14 non gray players and all of them very bad even for second croatian tier, so few good players on start would be nice.

Edited June 8 by Batkan

[Perre8]

You can check the editor in advance to research the values of recruitment etc

[Batkan]

Mladost Petrinja promoted, Mladost literally means "youth" so thats appropriate but they have everything "poor" and look even worst then Kurilovec. 

I will try look in editor, thats good idea, i literally never opened it. 

[Haddock]

1 hour ago, Batkan said:

Did u promote early? My players always cry they want to leave even when other second tier clubs make offers. 

I cant invest in anything because insecure financially 

Yeah I started out with some good players and won promotion in the first year.

It’s probably the easiest to check in the pre game editor which clubs in the third division that have the highest reputation and facilities. On FM24 I think it was Kustosija.

[Perre8]

49 minutes ago, Batkan said:

Mladost Petrinja promoted, Mladost literally means "youth" so thats appropriate but they have everything "poor" and look even worst then Kurilovec. 

I will try look in editor, thats good idea, i literally never opened it. 

Search by "clubs" > nation Croatia > division level is 3 > and then add column with youth facilities, youth recruitment, training facilities and junior coaching. Very effectieve way to search

Edited June 8 by Perre8

[jrobertgordon13]

43 minutes ago, darren1983 said:

Season 2024/25 National League South

 

League - Ah the long slog of first season and being in England. I had forgot this pain! Was a good season we started slowly as I figured out the best 11 but then injuries and the relentlessness of England meant we often struggled to fill our bench but it also meant I was forced to keep the same 11 pretty much every match. After the battle we get at Christmas we really found form, so much so that we only lost 1 game from jan onwards. We were always in and around the playoffs as we always scored goals but then first Southend and then Torquay totally bottled the league (despite us only drawing with both) meant that with 6 games to go we went top. We then lost our 19 game unbeaten run to drop back to 2nd but 4 straight wins wo finish the season (we lucked out as 3 of our final 4 games were against sides already relegated) meant we not only finished top but won the league by 4 points. 

 

FA Cup - A good run in this, made the first round but League Two Harrogate were too good for us. Not a shock but nice to make the first round proper

FA Trophy - Shocking to lose to Whaltamstow as we twice threw away the lead but honestly was likely the reason we won the league as we had 4.5 months of nothing but league games which gave us some rest at times with our small squad.

Transfers - None in but losing 2 players who went back to their home countries really hurt our already thin depth

Squad - A small one but they done brilliantly, The 50 goals in 50 games from Danny Mills was key. I have no idea how or why he's scored so much and I doubt he'll do it at a higher level but he's pretty much all we've got. A lot of the squad can play lots of roles which cam in handy during the season and meant every got a fiar bit of game time.

Youth Intake - The preview looked Ok and turned out well with just a few players tagged (though 2 of of them were tagged as 26 rather than 25 because I'm an idiot)

Stephen Black 25A - Coaches think he's a DM but he's clearly a CB for me
Grzegorz Lewandowski 25B - Gonna make a fortune selling those Lewandowski Dulwich shirts!  
Luis Muscatt 25C - My back up formation is a 4231 so he could be useful when we use that as doubt he's big enough to play as an 8 in my 433
Latrell McGillis 25D - Again I differ from the coaches who think he's a CB but I'll likely use him as LB. Either way he'll be cover and depth in 2 roles at least

Career Overview

Season		League		Position 	Junior Coaching		Youth Recruitment	Notes

2024/25		VNLS		1st 		Good			Average			Promotion, Manager of the year

 

This is the FM23 thread

[darren1983]

1 minute ago, jrobertgordon13 said:

This is the FM23 thread

FFS. Was first one I saw  

[jrobertgordon13]

Just now, darren1983 said:

FFS. Was first one I saw