[FM23] Out of Africa. (Spanish out of Morocco to be precise). We will start with Ceuta, but if things go badly I might end up at Melila.

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2044.

La Liga. Our great run of form finally came to an end, but even with the loss we're still 1 point clear of R.Madrid with 2 games in hand. Sevilla are 3 points behind us, but we have no games in hand so they are our closest challengers. 

UEFA Champions League. I was surprised to get past Juve, but we won both legs by a single goal and our reward is a a tie against Hertha, (who are now the dominant power in Germany, having won the last 4 Bundesliga titles). 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. A comfortable win in each leg sees us through to the Final against holders R.Madrid.

Goal-scoring GK's.

(38h) Morales 5'11" missed his 1st 3 pens, but he's now scored 2 in a row. He's 2/5 from the spot at 40% + 0 free-kicks. #FM23 #GoalScoringKeepers #FootballManager.

Records. After 16 wins on the bounce, Atletico away was finally a hurdle that we simply couldn't get over. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2044. 

La Liga. It was a really tough month all round. Not just 6 La Liga games, but 2 Champions League Quarter Finals and a Copa del Rey Cup Final. I rotated the squad for the losses to Almeria & Levante and it cost us, but that was the price I was willing to pay to win the Copa del Rey Final. 

It's typical that just as we have faltered, R.Madrid have hit overdrive, winning 5 La Liga games on the bounce, (either side of losing to us in the Cup Final), and including beating us in the league. It means that we trail them by 5 points and only have 1 game in hand. We've even dropped behind Sevilla. 

The only good news is that our 4 remaining games are certainly winnable, although Villarreal away will be tough. I think we need to win all 4 games to even have a sniff of winning the title. 

UEFA Champions League. The Copa del Rey was our 1st priority and La Liga our 2nd priority with the Champions League very much an afterthought where the Reserves featured yet again. It's of no surprise that our Reserves weren't good enough to overcome Hertha Berlin. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. This was our priority and it was great to get a major title under our belt to go with the Supercopa. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2044. 

La Liga. It was a close run thing, but in the end we just edged out R.Madrid by virtue of..... I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was goal difference on head to head record. We each won 1 game against the other this season but the scoreline was....... actually, the score was 6-6 after we beat them 5-4 and they beat us 2-1. We actually won the league on GD because ours is +67 and theirs is +61.

Goal-scoring GK's.

UEFA Youth League. This graphic says that we lost to Anderlecht in the Final, but if you look at the scoreline on the left you will notice that it suggests that we won on pens. Anyway, whether won on pens or lost on pens, we didn't get given the trophy. 

Finances. 

[Sonic Youth]

Congrats on winning the league, Copa del Ray and Super Cup!

That’s some season you’ve had! With the best bit beating Real Madrid on head-to-head  

I thought when you went all out for the Copa del ray final that you’d blow the league, which thankfully wasn’t affected by the two losses.

Pity about the Champions League against Hertha Berlin. Could you have done it differently or would it have worked out the same as the Copa final?

Squad depth was much better this season, and still the only thing holding back a clean sweep with the Champions League.

I’m curious about Malaga’s third win and if it had an impact on the title race 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Congrats on winning the league, Copa del Ray and Super Cup!

That’s some season you’ve had! With the best bit beating Real Madrid on head-to-head  

I thought when you went all out for the Copa del ray final that you’d blow the league, which thankfully wasn’t affected by the two losses.

Pity about the Champions League against Hertha Berlin. Could you have done it differently or would it have worked out the same as the Copa final?

Squad depth was much better this season, and still the only thing holding back a clean sweep with the Champions League.

I’m curious about Malaga’s third win and if it had an impact on the title race 

I'm well chuffed to be honest. We went so long in this save without success that it was good to not just win 1 title, but actually manage a domestic clean sweep. 

We were pretty consistent all the way through, (until the dreaded period after the Youth Intake when we fell apart), but this was largely caused, (I think), by a mixture of fatigue, injuries and suspensions, but also significantly me having to mix and match between the 1st Team and the 2nd Team. Usually you can rotate in a player here or there and it doesn't disrupt things too much, but when you find you're losing 1 of the 3 DC's, 1 of the 2 MC's, 1 of the WB's and 1 of the 3 SC's, then the remaining players simply don't perform to the expected levels because of a result of Team Cohesion. I think this is much too OP in the game. It's the reason we were able to go on the long winning run this season, (simply because I was rotating all 10 outfield players every game), so we were still benefiting from max team cohesion, but at the same time able to use completely rested players. When we can do that we're almost unbeatable against even much stronger opposition, but when we can't due to player unavailability then it really limits us.

My plan was always to go for the domestic trophies 1st. I knew that April was always going to be a pinch point and there was just no point trying to win all the games. It's just not possible. We're just not good enough. 

When you group all the competitions together and look at the month, it makes my thinking clearer to see. 

I wanted to prioritise the 2x R.Madrid games so it made sense to also the prioritise the Coruna, Celta Vigo & Pamplona games, (so 1 game on, 1 game off). We lost the 1st R.Madrid game, (in the league), narrowly, but won the other 4. Unfortunately the 2nd Team only managed 1 draw and 3 losses from their 4 games, (but they were really struggling at this stage). I think if I had done anything else we would have definitely lost the league, and if we hadn't prioritised the Cup Final we would have definitely lost that too. The truth is that the likes of Sevilla & R.Madrid are better than us, and our rotation strategy is the only thing that gives us a fighting chance. 

I might have considered something different had our opponents not been Hertha Berlin, but they're a monster at the moment so I'm happy with that decision. They lost the Champions League Semi to Arsenal (on pens), and pippied Leipzig to the Bundesliga title by 1 point to make it 5 Bundesliga titles in a row. 

Chelsea will play Arsenal in the Champions league Final but astonishingly the Premier League is completely dominated by North London, with 9 of the last Premier League titles going being won by the North London duo, (and West London Chelsea chipping in 2 of the other 3). 

I think we could possibly have won the Champions league this season, but we absolutely wouldn't have won either La Liga or the Copa del Rey. We can still improve in many areas of the squad though and think we've made some really good steps in the right direction. This season we replaced both our central strikers, (1st Team and 2nd Team), and other areas need a similar overhaul. 

I'm not sure what you mean by Malaga's 3rd win...... 

Ahh, I see what you mean. 

So you quite rightly pointed out that Malaga only won 3 La Liga games all season, but you also spotted that they had been on 2 wins for ages and then went and won the last game of the season. 

It was nothing exciting though as they beat 2nd bottom Mallorca, so zero impact on the title race. 

[Sonic Youth]

That schedule you had seen linked together is definitely testing, especially with the away form disappearing. You got the right Real Madrid game won, the Copa del Ray final within all that. I bet that helped knock Real Madrid’s confidence afterwards.

Getting upgrades in other positions you think necessary like you did with the central strikers can only improve you 

Is Brescia a top team in Italy now (forgot to ask before)?

The EPL has gone bizarre, though the London club’s winning the title have the means to do so if managed correctly. Have Man City changed owners?

Malaga’s fixtures would be depressing to follow for their fans, and boo to winning against already relegated Mallorca on the last fixture for their third win.

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

That schedule you had seen linked together is definitely testing, especially with the away form disappearing. You got the right Real Madrid game won, the Copa del Ray final within all that. I bet that helped knock Real Madrid’s confidence afterwards.

Getting upgrades in other positions you think necessary like you did with the central strikers can only improve you 

Is Brescia a top team in Italy now (forgot to ask before)?

The EPL has gone bizarre, though the London club’s winning the title have the means to do so if managed correctly. Have Man City changed owners?

Malaga’s fixtures would be depressing to follow for their fans, and boo to winning against already relegated Mallorca on the last fixture for their third win.

I wasn't sure what made you ask about Brescia, but looking back, (searching for whatever you saw in my updates), I saw that they had made the Quarters of the Champions League. 

Actually they have won 3x Seria A titles in this save, (and been Runners Up on 3 more occasions). They currently sit 7th in Serie A, (with 1 game left to play), and assuming they finish 7th or better, (very likely), it will be 14th consecutive season of European football, (so yes they are definitely a top team now). They won the Europa League in 2031/32 and the Coppa Italia in 2041/42.

They had a Tycoon takeover in 2026, (name is Mohamed Jaureguiberry so hints at Middle east but I don't know for sure), but in 2036 he scaled down funding. By then though he had built them a new 49k stadium and their facilities are 19.20.20.20.18 so he's done his part. 

In May 2040 Chairman Jaureguiberry leaves and another Tycoon takes over, although he scaled down funding last year. 

The current board is mainly Spanish but with 1 Italian and 1 from Cameron. 

They're spending a ridiculous amount on wages. 3 players are earning £1M+ per month and 8 more are spending £500k+ per month. The wage bill for these 11 players alone is £9M+ per month, (or £108.5M per year). 

To offer some sort of comparison, our total wage spend was less than £43M last year, although it should be said that our wage budget for the whole year is £121M per year so we could certainly spend more. 

With regards to Man City, in 2033 Sheikh Mansour scaled back funding and then left in 2038, a consortium taking over with the surname Salinas, (so Spanish or South American perhaps). In 2043 there was a takeover from within and all the staff on the board are now English. They haven't finished in the top 3 in the Premier league for the last 11 years though. 

Tottenham got rid of Daniel Levy in 2031, but he was replaced by a promotion from within, (David Shepherd). He saw off 2 internal takeover bids and 1 failed Tycoon takeover before Scott Powell replaced him from within in 2043. The current board is English, Welsh and Irish, and they just look like a really well run club. 

They transfer sales seem to have funded the success of their club. 

2022/23 £9.5M
2023/24 £73M
2024/25 £44.5M
2025/26 £117M
2026/27 £129M
2027/28 £31.5M
2028/29 £42.5M
2029/30 £68M
2030/31 £177M
2031/32 £35.5M
2032/33 £60M
2033/34 £33M
2034/35 £178M
2035/36 £75M
2036/37 £105M
2037/38 £42M
2038/39 £214M
2039/40 £49M
2040/41 £69M
2041/42 £108M
2042/43 £70M
2043/44 £84M

Arsenal have a similar strategy with just promotions from within and no Tycoon ownership and again their success seems to be built on generating their own cash and investing it successfully. If anything they are more of a selling club than Spurs, but they're both making it work. 

2025/26 £118M
2028/29 £222M
2030/31 £168M
2037/38 £184M
2039/40 £166M
2041/42 £180M
2042/43 £118M
2043/44 £185M

yeah, I think Malaga fans but have been laughing by the end of the season. 

[Rikulec]

Congratulations on the domestic treble, what a season!

[Jimbokav1971]

27 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Congratulations on the domestic treble, what a season!

Thanks. Well chuffed that it all came together after so long. 

[Jtomsett11]

Fantastic work on the treble! Like @Sonic Youth I thought you'd run out of steam in April (but the rotation made sense) and was very pleasantly surprised to see you pull back Real Madrid and seal the championship. 

Is it possible to see who your top scorers etc were for the season as you mention the two new strikers making a huge difference this season? Who else made the difference?

Regarding rotation, I am trying to stick to rotated teams in my Deportivo save at the moment and have just finished 8th with it, it definitely makes a difference but its hard to stick to your guns sometimes I find. Do you use the saved selections I was wondering as I sometimes lose track of who is my first choice, especially after injuries?

 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Fantastic work on the treble! Like @Sonic Youth I thought you'd run out of steam in April (but the rotation made sense) and was very pleasantly surprised to see you pull back Real Madrid and seal the championship. 

Is it possible to see who your top scorers etc were for the season as you mention the two new strikers making a huge difference this season? Who else made the difference?

Regarding rotation, I am trying to stick to rotated teams in my Deportivo save at the moment and have just finished 8th with it, it definitely makes a difference but its hard to stick to your guns sometimes I find. Do you use the saved selections I was wondering as I sometimes lose track of who is my first choice, especially after injuries?

It wasn't really a risk, (teh rotation), because I've been doing it for ages now, (many issues of the game), and it's the only way I know of competing with the bigger teams when I give myself these tough challenges. I can't go toe to toe with them on a level playing field. We would never win. 

This is everyone who has scored more than 2 goals for the 1st Team, (but doesn't include B Team players who have stepped up). 

33(12) Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * was the 1st choice central striker and he finished with 29 goals and 11 assists. 
25(21) Soliman (EGY) was the 2nd choice central striker who we re-signed for just £8.5M after I saw he was available when looking at him because of his strange International scoring record. (112 goals in 95 Caps). He only scored 15 goals, but they were often really valuable and earned us LOADS of points. 

33(16) (37a) Niño * was 1st choice left-sided striker and he didn't just score 19 goals, but also contributed 15 assists, (so 34 goal involvements). 
24(4) Qwabe (RSA) was 2nd choice left-sided striker and he contributed 7 goals and 7 assists. 

28(16) Guèhi (CIV) * was 1st choice right-sided striker and again he contributed double figures for both goals and assists with 13 goals and 12 assists. 
29(4) Amade (MOZ)(RSA) * was 2nd choice right-sided striker and he contributed 9 goals and 8 assists.

46 Camara (SEN) 6'2" was our 1st choice GK, (who missed 12 games through injury), and he contributed 9 goals and 3 assists (but missed 1 penalty this season). 
12 (36j) Camara (GAM)(ESP) 6'4" was our 2nd choice GK, (who only played 12 games), and he contributed 2 goals, )but missed 2 penalties this season). 

31(15) Madidilani (RSA) * was our 1st choice left-sided central midfielder. He scored 2 goals and created 9 assists. 
30(28) Tavares (POR)(GNB) * was our 2nd choice left-sided central midfielder. he scored 2 goals and created 5 assists. 

32(11) Sakanoko 2 (CIV) MC * was our 1st choice right-sided central midfielder. He scored 7 goals and created 9 assists. 
27(28) Hamdi (EGY) * was our 2nd choice right-sided central midfielder. He scored 3 goals and created 9 assists. 

34(8) Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * was our 1st choice RWB. He scored 6 goals and created 8 assists. 
26(25) Ilunga (COD)(BEL) 5'10" was our 2nd choice RWB. he scored 2 goals and created 6 assists. 

34(20) Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) * was our 1st choice LWB. He scored 4 goals and created 6 assists. 
23(18) (38c) Giménez was our 2nd choice LWB. he scored 1 goal and created 4 assists but only had an avg rating of 6.84.

The above list doesn't include any defenders, (because we don't score many goals from set-pieces), but it should be pointed out that other than our 1st choice GK missing 12 games, and our 2nd choice SLC missing an unknown number of games, everyone else played a LOT of games. We had to mix and match much more at centre-half, but elsewhere everyone remained largely injury free. With injuries we would never have won the league. I'd say that was the biggest difference. 

Other than remaining injury free, the strength of our 2nd string wide players and central midfielders also stepped up from previous years, (as did the defenders). 

I don't rotate players. I rotate whole teams. 

When I have to stick new players into a rotation I try not to interrupt the rotation being rested, (not always possible), and instead rotate in players from the B Team. There is no point be rotating 9 outfield player and then asking the 10th player to player 3 games in a row. It just doesn't work. 1. He's knackered in the 2nd game, but he's also in a team where he is disrupting the existing partnerships, and also stopping a young player coming in and developing new partnerships. 

Generally speaking the 2nd Team, (this is not the B Team but a 2nd full XI, (or 10 outfield players actually because the GK doesn't rotate), is made up of younger players who are still developing but who will eventually become 1st Team players. This isn't always the case, but it's certainly the aim. If I make one of our 1st Team player 3 games in a row because someone in the 2nd Team is injured, then not only do I screw both teams over, but I also screw over the next kid in line for a starting spot. It's better, (imo), to perform slightly poorer, but continue to develop the squad and continue the upward progression. 

I absolutely do use saved team selections and have done all the way through this save. Not only is it too hard to remember who is playing in what position in what team, but it also reduced the temptation to swap players between squads. I think I did that only once this season that I can remember, (to (37a) Niño *), and I was very careful with it. 

I make a decision as to who will be performing what role at the beginning of the season, and only transfers and serious injury impact on that. If a player develops well then great, but I don't want to make the swap, (generally), until the next season when it's a matter of form. 

[Jimbokav1971]

@Jtomsett11the other thing of course is that if I've got 3 players vying for 1 position, (say a LWB for example), then I can decide on who I want in the 1st Team and then in the 2nd Team and then decide if the 3rd player is eligible for the B Team or even U19's, (if appropriate), or has to go out on loan. What I mean is that for the 3rd player if he's too old for the U19's for example, and possibly earning too much to register for the B Team, then it's absolutely 100% clear right from the outset in the Summer that he needs to be loaned out or I risk stunting his development. This then raises other questions. Could I possibly sell 1 of the 2 players in front of him on the list, or can 1 of them go out on loan, (where they might develop more), and he comes in and takes their spot. It absolutely HAS to be done in the Summer though because without it, I simply have no idea who to buy, sell or loan. It's why I take so long doing them squad depth charts that probably bore you all senseless each season. 

If I sell someone or bring someone in during the Jan window then of course things change, but that's generally done to replace someone who's been injured or sold so you're really just filling a gap and there isn't a player to discard. I don't usually sign many players, (recent strikers aside), who have been signed to come in at the front of the queue. 

[Sonic Youth]

16 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I wasn't sure what made you ask about Brescia, but looking back, (searching for whatever you saw in my updates), I saw that they had made the Quarters of the Champions League. 

Actually they have won 3x Seria A titles in this save, (and been Runners Up on 3 more occasions). They currently sit 7th in Serie A, (with 1 game left to play), and assuming they finish 7th or better, (very likely), it will be 14th consecutive season of European football, (so yes they are definitely a top team now). They won the Europa League in 2031/32 and the Coppa Italia in 2041/42.

They had a Tycoon takeover in 2026, (name is Mohamed Jaureguiberry so hints at Middle east but I don't know for sure), but in 2036 he scaled down funding. By then though he had built them a new 49k stadium and their facilities are 19.20.20.20.18 so he's done his part. 

In May 2040 Chairman Jaureguiberry leaves and another Tycoon takes over, although he scaled down funding last year. 

The current board is mainly Spanish but with 1 Italian and 1 from Cameron. 

They're spending a ridiculous amount on wages. 3 players are earning £1M+ per month and 8 more are spending £500k+ per month. The wage bill for these 11 players alone is £9M+ per month, (or £108.5M per year). 

To offer some sort of comparison, our total wage spend was less than £43M last year, although it should be said that our wage budget for the whole year is £121M per year so we could certainly spend more. 

With regards to Man City, in 2033 Sheikh Mansour scaled back funding and then left in 2038, a consortium taking over with the surname Salinas, (so Spanish or South American perhaps). In 2043 there was a takeover from within and all the staff on the board are now English. They haven't finished in the top 3 in the Premier league for the last 11 years though. 

Tottenham got rid of Daniel Levy in 2031, but he was replaced by a promotion from within, (David Shepherd). He saw off 2 internal takeover bids and 1 failed Tycoon takeover before Scott Powell replaced him from within in 2043. The current board is English, Welsh and Irish, and they just look like a really well run club. 

They transfer sales seem to have funded the success of their club. 

2022/23 £9.5M
2023/24 £73M
2024/25 £44.5M
2025/26 £117M
2026/27 £129M
2027/28 £31.5M
2028/29 £42.5M
2029/30 £68M
2030/31 £177M
2031/32 £35.5M
2032/33 £60M
2033/34 £33M
2034/35 £178M
2035/36 £75M
2036/37 £105M
2037/38 £42M
2038/39 £214M
2039/40 £49M
2040/41 £69M
2041/42 £108M
2042/43 £70M
2043/44 £84M

Arsenal have a similar strategy with just promotions from within and no Tycoon ownership and again their success seems to be built on generating their own cash and investing it successfully. If anything they are more of a selling club than Spurs, but they're both making it work. 

2025/26 £118M
2028/29 £222M
2030/31 £168M
2037/38 £184M
2039/40 £166M
2041/42 £180M
2042/43 £118M
2043/44 £185M

yeah, I think Malaga fans but have been laughing by the end of the season. 

Pretty interesting game world that’s formed in your save 

Yes, it was Brescia in the Semi’s making the Quarters that caught my attention. Now Fiorentina have done the same 

That’s some sales Arsenal and Tottenham have done!

I’ve always found it interesting your squad choices in your team break downs, especially as some positions have a lot of players to choose from. Laying out your strategy above makes sense. Avoiding burnout of your best players for the important moments in the season becomes the difference between winning the league or not, or winning the Copa del Ray as what happened last season.

It will be curious to see what you think your squad needs strengthening or rejuvenating for the coming seasons.

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Pretty interesting game world that’s formed in your save 

Yes, it was Brescia in the Semi’s making the Quarters that caught my attention. Now Fiorentina have done the same 

That’s some sales Arsenal and Tottenham have done!

I’ve always found it interesting your squad choices in your team break downs, especially as some positions have a lot of players to choose from. Laying out your strategy above makes sense. Avoiding burnout of your best players for the important moments in the season becomes the difference between winning the league or not, or winning the Copa del Ray as what happened last season.

It will be curious to see what you think your squad needs strengthening or rejuvenating for the coming seasons.

I often don't go into much detail when it comes to squad depth. Largely because it's the 1 part of the thread that isn't really designed for you the reader. Everything else is for your benefit, but the Squad Depth is for me and if I ever decided not to update the thread, the Squad Depth charts would still exist somewhere, (probably Word). 

Although I don't give you explanations anymore, (I seem to remember giving some basic info at the start), it really has just reduced down to a record of my decision-making now. To my mind it doesn't really matter why I made a decision for a player to be 1st Team, 2nd Team, B Team, loan or sell. All that matters is that I made the decision and that's that. 

The reason it appears there are so many players in some sections, (particularly MC and SC sections), is that they don't just cover players in those areas. 

For example, if I was looking at SC's and I only selected players who could play in the SC slot, then the list would look like this. 

Now that seems like a lot of players. It is a lot of players. (It's 40 players). However when you consider that we play 3 up front, we need players for a 1st Team, a 2nd Team, a B Team and an U19 Team, before we take into account players going out on loan, or getting injured or suspended, then it's not quite as huge as it seems. 

3 players in each of the 1st Team, 2nd Team, B Team and U19's is 12 players, and that doesn't include subs. 

It also doesn't include players on the above list who aren't actually strikers, but who are still on the list. For example Sakanoko 2 (CIV) MC * & (37b) Manuel are both MC's and Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * is a RWB.

The only thing is though, that it doesn't tell the full story, because it doesn't include players who can't yet play as a SC, but who's best position within my tactic, (no wingers), will be as a striker. If I also include ML's, MR's, AML's, AMR's, AMC's and SC's, then the list looks like this and contains either 79 or 80 players, (sorry I lost count). Because I want to include players as far back as the ML and MR line, and because I want to include central players such as AMC and SC, it means that a player who can only play MC is now on the SC list, despite the fact that not only can he not play there, I actually don't want him to play there. The way the filter works however doesn't allow me to exclude central players in the MC slot, if I want wide players in the ML and MR slots, as well as central players in the AMC and SC slots. So effectively what happens is that players appear on multiple lists. 

The same can be said of the MC list, (which I want to show me just players who can play DM, MC & AMC), but often includes DC's and SC's. You might have noticed that some players have a position abbreviation within their nickname, ie. DC, MC or SC, and this is usually because that's not actually the players "primary position", but it's where I want to play them going forward. For example I have 2 left-sided centre-backs who are actually left-backs by trade. They were signed to fill a gap we had at a particular point in time. Now though I find myself playing with a right sided LWB and I'm wondering if that's a long-term solution or something I need to look at again as our fringe centre-backs improve. 

Because of the nature of the save, (Academy & Africans only), I'm always on the look-out for players, and I'm really looking to buy any young 5.0 PA Africans I can sign for a decent price simply so that we have options later down the line. I'm not sure that there are many players who I want to sign (within our financial restrictions), but who will improve our 1st or 2nd Team. 

Let me show you the transfers in this season, (which obviously doesn't include players who will join when the Summer window opens), but will hopefully explain what I'm doing, (or trying to do). 

Soliman (EGY) is sort of the exception to the rule. I wasn't actually looking to sign him at all. I commented about his International scoring record being inaccurate in the game and commented on him as an ex player, but because I had scouted him noticed that we could get him for £8.5M, (when we sold him for £25.5M. It seemed a bargain in just the spot we were looking for, so I jumped at the chance. He's already worth £34M-£46M after 1 season with us, so it would make sense to sell him, (again), but there is no interest yet so let's just see how things go. There is no rush. 

Saïdi (MAR) * has a "*" after his name to suggest that I think he's a real hot prospect, but actually he's no longer the 5.0 PA player that he was when I signed him, (which is a shame). I still like the look of him though and while still a teenager, he seems like he could be a nice little player. £5.5M for him is a no-brainer, but he's a long way away from the 1st Team or 2nd Team right now, so next season I expect him to be in contention for a B Team spot. No matter how good he is, (or isn't), we simply have to sign players like this when we get the opportunity, just in case they are good. The problem with that however is that we're trying to develop literally everyone and it's bloomin hard work. Looking at him now, (and not looking at who he is up against), I would expect it to be very hard for there to be 4 MC's ahead of him on the list for the B Team, (so effectively ranked 5th - 8th of MC's at the club). 

Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" was nothing more than a purchase for depth and financial game. You will note that there is no "*" after his name so before I signed him he wasn't a priority target and I didn't even expect him to ever play for us at that stage. SInce then however he's made the NxGn list and his PA has popped to 5.0. We signed him for just £1M and he's already worth £40M-£48M. I might have just stumbled on a star here, but it doesn't happen if I'm not willing to "throw away" £1M on him initially. It will be interesting to see what happens to his PA when he leaves ASEC Mimosas.

Haruna (GER)(NGA) * absolutely was and is a hot prospect. He's obviously got 5.0 PA, but importantly he's German 1st and Nigerian 2nd, (at least at this stage), so I'm hoping that he might become a permanent non-African African. We had to pay more for him, (and his wages are high for a 17 year old), but that just cemented in my mind that he actually really does have good PA. 

Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) is a strange one actually. He was actually signed because I got confused between him and Saïdi (MAR) *, (obviously easily done). He doesn't have the PA I was looking for to be a player for us, but with a £1M purchase price and a current valuation of £34M-£40M, he might be a nice little earner for us. His PA immediately dropped to 3.5 after we signed him. I guess you can't win em all. 

None of the above players were signed because I was looking for a player to fill a certain position or feature immediately in the 1st or 2nd Teams, (ignore Soliman because that was a one-off). They were simply signed because they had good PA and the price was right. You will also notice that, (ignoring Soliman again), they are all different positions. I need to keep in mind that if I bring in 5 strikers in 1 window, it's probably going to disrupt things significantly, (although I might still do it and just loan them out). It means that the scouting, individual training, PPM training and loan mechanics are a real pain, but it's the only way I know to get the job done. 

[Jimbokav1971]

EURO 2044. 

5 former players have been called up by their Nations for their EURO Finals squads. 

Astonishingly, there is no place for (27a) Crespo * in the Spain squad. 

How (27a) Crespo * hasn't made the Spain squad is simply beyond me. The bloke is an absolute goal machine. It's a ridiculous decision. 

4 of our current players have also been called up to the EURO FInals. 

[Jimbokav1971]

5.0 PA players. May 2044. 

There are actually only 6 players at the club who have 5.0 PA. 

Ly (BEL)(SEN) * had just started to break into the 1st team towards the end of last season and I really like the look of him. 

Haruna (GER)(NGA) * still looks pretty raw, so it's all dependent on how we can develop him. 

Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" is the surprise on the list, (after his recent appearance on the NxGn list). I wasn't expecting him to be anywhere near this good and I will have to rethink our GK strategy during the close season. 

Chrisantus (GER)(NGA) * wasn't cheap, but he's already started to make an impact at B Team level and there is still plenty of time for more development. I'm hoping that a 2nd season in the B team will really explode his CA. 

Soudant (MAR) * plays in a really competitive position at right back, but especially if Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * moves further forward, (from WBR to SCR as expected), then an opportunity might open before too long. The other option of course is that he could squeeze in as a right-sided centre-half, but I'm not overly keen on that at this stage. 

Odita (NGA)(POR) 6'3" DC * is a left back who I have signed to fill a gap for us at centre-half. He usually plays the central Libero role, but if we have to move either of our 2 left-sided DC's to DL, then he could find himself moved from DC to DLC. I really don't see him as a DL though. 

[Jtomsett11]

15 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

@Jtomsett11the other thing of course is that if I've got 3 players vying for 1 position, (say a LWB for example), then I can decide on who I want in the 1st Team and then in the 2nd Team and then decide if the 3rd player is eligible for the B Team or even U19's, (if appropriate), or has to go out on loan. What I mean is that for the 3rd player if he's too old for the U19's for example, and possibly earning too much to register for the B Team, then it's absolutely 100% clear right from the outset in the Summer that he needs to be loaned out or I risk stunting his development. This then raises other questions. Could I possibly sell 1 of the 2 players in front of him on the list, or can 1 of them go out on loan, (where they might develop more), and he comes in and takes their spot. It absolutely HAS to be done in the Summer though because without it, I simply have no idea who to buy, sell or loan. It's why I take so long doing them squad depth charts that probably bore you all senseless each season. 

If I sell someone or bring someone in during the Jan window then of course things change, but that's generally done to replace someone who's been injured or sold so you're really just filling a gap and there isn't a player to discard. I don't usually sign many players, (recent strikers aside), who have been signed to come in at the front of the queue. 

Thank you for both responses. The number of goals from around your team is very impressive, I hadn't realised just how many goals you scored this season!

This above completely makes sense. I am going to try saving teams at the start of next season as injuries etc. always throw me. 

Do you ever play the first team twice in a row if, for example, you had two easy home games followed by two hard away games, or do you just accept that you may only pick up 3 points in that spell? I'm also playing in Spain and had Madrid and Barcelona back to back for example. There was very little chance of me winning those games so I was tempted to play reserves twice in a row. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Thank you for both responses. The number of goals from around your team is very impressive, I hadn't realised just how many goals you scored this season!

This above completely makes sense. I am going to try saving teams at the start of next season as injuries etc. always throw me. 

Do you ever play the first team twice in a row if, for example, you had two easy home games followed by two hard away games, or do you just accept that you may only pick up 3 points in that spell? I'm also playing in Spain and had Madrid and Barcelona back to back for example. There was very little chance of me winning those games so I was tempted to play reserves twice in a row. 

The only time I would play either the 1st Team or a 2nd Team twice in a row is if either.....

1. There was enough time between the games for the 1st Team to play both games. 

2. I needed the 1st Team to play in 1 game, and then needed to change the order to prioritise another game, (but again, I would usually need time between games to make this worth it). 

3. There were so many players unavailable from the other option that I really could only play 1 Team even if it wasn't their turn. 

The way I see it, I generally try REALLY hard to not look at the results of individual games. Everything is about the upwards trending curve rather than winning any particular match, (even a Cup Final). I just keep developing players and stick with the thinking that if we don't do it this season, then we will do it next season. 

To give you an example, at the very start of this last season, the 1st Team started the 1st 4 matches of the season before the 2nd Team came in and smashed 7 past Slavia Prague in the 5th game. 

The reason I was able to do that is because there were 6 days between 1st and 2nd games, 8 days between the 2nd game and the 3rd game and then 14 days between the 3rd and 4th games, (which we frustratingly lost but I can't remember why now). The 5th game was only 3 days later so the 2nd Team came in and did really well. 

I don't rotate for the sake of it. I rotate when there is a need to rest the team that player the previous game. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2044.

GK.

1st Team. Camara (SEN) 6'2" & (36j) Camara (GAM)(ESP) 6'4".
B Team. Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" & (38l) Paradas 6'1".
U19's. (43e) Hackney. (Low Det+Unamb)
Loan. (38h) Morales 5'11".
Sell. Moussa (EGY) SELL, (41n) Pinedo. (Pro) SELL
Release.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2044. 

DL. This is a bit of a strange position for us in that the 2 players at the top of the list are both actually playing at centre-half, Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) * is actually a "righty" playing on the left and then the back-up to him are both Academy products (38c) Giménez and (40i) Asier (Pro), but I'm not convinced that they will ever be good enough to play regularly in a side that wins titles. With that in mind I think it's reasonable to expect that I go out and try to bring in a left back who can start in either the 1st Team or the 2nd Team.

1st Team. Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) * & (40i) Asier (Pro).
B Team. Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) & (44d) Eloi (Pro).
U19's. (43k) Izquierdo. (L.Det) SELL
Sell. (38c) Giménez SELL, (41k) Duque. (F.Pro) SELL, (43k) Izquierdo. (L.Det) SELL
Loan.
Release.

The player I have previously looked at is Tshabalala (RSA) *, but he's another "righty" so he's not ideal, but the reality is simply that we're limited in this type of save and maybe we just have to accept that we can't go out and bring someone better in. I will keep looking though. 

[Edit]

While looking at the DR's, I realised that there was a DR who was Either footed and who was going to have to go out on loan because I wasn't going to be able to squeeze him into the B Team never mind about the 1st Team. With our lack of numbers, (and quality at DL), it makes sense to give him the starting spot in the B Team and get him trained up at WBL.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2044. 

DR. We're much stronger at DR than we are at DL, (even ignoring that the best DL is actually a DR). 

1st Team. Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * & Ilunga (COD)(BEL) 5'10".
B Team. Soudant (MAR) * & Brossou (CIV) *.
U19's. (43o) Soldevila (Pro), (44f) Fresneda. (Real), 
Loan.
Sell. Naser (EGY) SELL, Dosso (CIV) DR SELL, (41h) Noguera 5'10" SELL, Conneh (LIB)(ESP) SELL, Yao (CIV) SELL, 
Release. 

[Edit]

Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) missed off my list, (because he was out on loan I think), so I'm going to remove Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * from the DR list and push him forward onto the SRC list. 

It means the new Squad Depth for DR looks like this. 

1st Team. Ilunga (COD)(BEL) 5'10" & Soudant (MAR) *.
B Team. Brossou (CIV) * & Saïdi (MAR)(FRA).
U19's. (43o) Soldevila (Pro), (44f) Fresneda. (Real), 
Loan.
Sell. Naser (EGY) SELL, Dosso (CIV) DR SELL, (41h) Noguera 5'10" SELL, Conneh (LIB)(ESP) SELL, Yao (CIV) SELL, 
Release. 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2044. 

DC. 

1st Team.
DLC. McCarthy (ENG)(GHA) 5'11" * & Ly (BEL)(SEN) *.
DC. Odita (NGA)(POR) 6'3" DC * & Idris (GER)(NGA) 6'5".
DRC. (37k) Jesús 6'6" & Boyer (FRA)(REU) 6'0" *.
B Team.
DLC. (40f) Lisco (ITA) (Bal) 6'1" & Rodrigo (MLI)(ESP) 5'10" SELL.
DC. Dabo (SEN)(FRA) 6'0" * & Conneh (LIB)(ESP) SELL.
DRC. Soudant (MAR) * & (39b) Agné 6'4".
U19's. (42f) Aguza (BIH)(ESP) 6'1" DC, (44b) Sert (GER)(TUR) (F.Det) & Kaunda (RSA)(ZIM) 6'2".
Loan.
Sell. (38b) Pavas (COL)(ESP) SELL, Conneh (LIB)(ESP) SELL, (41e) Cuesta. 5'11" DC SELL, Rodrigo (MLI)(ESP) 5'10" SELL
Release. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Moving? Jul 2044.

I was asked to interview for the Tottenham job, (old Manager has retired). Although I didn't get the job, it was the 1st time I think I have been offered an interview at a favourite club. In this save I started with favourite clubs of Barnet, Belenenses & Tottenham. 

I obviously wouldn't have taken the job, but it's interesting that we seem to be on other clubs radar again now. We haven't been offered a club job since Jun 2036 when Bayer 04 Leverkusen came in for us. It will be interesting to see if our recent successes change that.

In the end they gave the job to a 67 year old German who had most recent been manager of R.Madrid, and before that Liverpool, Real Hispalis, Man City, Roma, Bayer 04, Man Utd, Newcastle, RB Leipzig, Borussia Mönchengladbach, RB Salzburg & Mainz 05.

He's actually been successful and won lots of trophies.

Oh, he's actually a real manager who I had never heard of. 

He's won trophies just about everywhere that he's been, so I fully expect him to win absolutely nothing at Spurs. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2044.

MC.

1st Team. Madidilani (RSA) * & Sakanoko 2 (CIV) MC *. Tavares (POR)(GNB) * & Hamdi (EGY) *.
B Team. Saïdi (MAR) * & Ebiye (NGA). Sène (ESP)(MLI) & Kacem (TUN). (37b) Manuel
U19's. (42c) Rial, (44a) Juan (Unamb), (42e) Ramos, (42l) Jofre., (41p) Santos. (F.Amb), (43i) García (L.Det+Unamb), (44h) Ayala (ARG)(ESP)(LHeart), (44p) McKenzie. (ENG)(Sport), (43h) Rodríguez (ESP)(MEX)LDet, 
Loan. (38i) Iván, (42c) Rial, (41b) Gutiérrez (Spirit), (37h) Xavi, 
Sell. (41m) Iruarrizaga. DR SELL, (38b) Pavas (COL)(ESP) SELL, Msimango (RSA) SELL, 
Release.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2044. 

SC. We've got absolutely loads of players in this position, largely because it effectively covers both strikers and wingers. At the same time I think the HG players we have produced, (although really good), are just below the Elite level that we're looking for now. Players such as (33b) Marcos SELL, (38g) Muñoz SELL & (37g) Miguel SELL are good players, (good enough to play in La Liga), but aren't good enough to play for us if we want to win La Liga. I know they are products of our Academy and as such I prioritise them over players who we have signed from other clubs, but at the end of the day they're just not good enough and there's no point pretending otherwise. 

You might notice that I have a [************]  in the 2nd choice SLC for the 1st Team, and the reason for that is that I've accepted an offer for Qwabe (RSA) SELL. He only has 12 months on his contract, he's 23 already and while he's good, he's not "win La Liga & Champions League" good. I've decided to cash in on him, (someone made a bid), rather than signing him to a new expensive contract. The problem that leaves me with is that there's obviously a gap in the squad and it's not immediately clear who to fill it with, because we're a little short in CA in these wide striker positions. There is a nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that I should move Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * from WBR to SCR because we have some really decent PA WBR's, but the problem is I'm looking for a SLC rather than a SRC, so I'm as torn as Natalie Imbruglia.

1st Team. 
SLC. (37a) Niño * & [************] 
SC. Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * & Soliman (EGY).
SRC. Guèhi (CIV) * & Amade (MOZ)(RSA) *.
B Team.
SLC. Talal (MAR) * & Uzoma (NGA) *. 
SC. (37c) Castro * & Sylla (GUI) SC *
SRC. Chrisantus (GER)(NGA) * & (38d) Cisse (ESP)(SEN).
U19's. Haruna (GER)(NGA) *, (43d) Jiménez (Bal), (41c) Carlos (Bal), (41g) Rodrigo (Unamb), (44k) Neva (Casual), (42b) Carbonell, (42a) Jorge, (44g) Kennedy (SCO)(ESP)(Bal), (42m) Ranero, (42d) Bernal, (44l) Osorio (Pro), (42k) Idrissi (MAR), (42g) Garzón, (44c) Ferreras. (F.Pro), (44i) Puig (ARG)(ESP)(Unamb), (41f) Alejandro. (Bal), (43a) López  (L.Det), (43g) Bouzá (F.Sport), (41j) Pierre. (HAI) (F.Loyal), (45f) Gimeno. (Pro), (41i) Abraham. (Unamb).
Loan. (38g) Muñoz, Touré (CIV), (41a) Antón 5'8" (Driven) SC, (40b) Casas (Temp), (38p) Collado, (43b) Martí (Low Det+Unamb), (38m) Roldán (ESP)(BAS), 
Sell. (33b) Marcos SELL, Qwabe (RSA) SELL, Ali Labiadh (TUN) SELL, (37g) Miguel SELL, 
Release. Dladla (RSA) SELL *

Selected players. 

(37a) Niño * is a big player for us and after 34 goal involvements last season, (19+15), I really think he has a real chance of hitting the 20 + 20 mark next season and I can't remember the last time I had a player fo that in FM. 

(37c) Castro * is a player I had high hopes of, but he just hasn't developed as I would hope and this season is really make or break for him in the B Team. I want loads of goals and a CA explosion or I will have to show him the dorr. Injuries aside, he will start as many games as possible for the B Team in the middle of a front 3. 

Haruna (GER)(NGA) * is finding it hard to settle so rather than loaning him out or letting him under-perform in the B Team, I'm sticking him in the U19's and the idea is that he will simply score so many goals that he will "score himself happy".  Last season we had a very average looking player score about 40+ goals in the U19's, so this bloke should be aiming for 50+.

(42b) Carbonell is the bloke who scored 40+ goals for the U19's last season, and he actually did better than that, scoring 50+ goals in all competitions. As well as that, he made 8(3) appearances for the B Team, (without scoring), and even scored on his debut in Europe for the 1st Team. He's only showing as having 3.0 PA, but things like this make me stop and think. 

[Jimbokav1971]

U19's. Jul 2044. 

Because I commented on (42b) Carbonell scoring 40+ goals for the Youth Team, I thought I would delve a little deeper. 

Frustratingly, because all youth games are considered friendlies, you can see stats for appearances, goals, assists etc etc when looking at the squad screen. I would like these to be visible when looking at the U19's via the Youth Squad, but invisible when looking at the U19's from the Senior Squad. 

There are only 5 players in the U19's who have better than 1.0 CA.

Obviously 1 of these is (42b) Carbonell, but he only has 3.0 PA so while he might be excellent at this level, he's really not going to go on and have a stellar career. That being said. 50 goals in a season at any level, (even youth level), is 50 goals in a season and shouldn't be sniffed at, especially when he has another year to play at this level. 

Spanish U19 Division 1 Group 4. 

After winning the league we then went on to win the U19 Division 1 Final. There are 7 Groups and 8 teams required for a Quarter Final, so the winners of each league are joined by the best 2nd placed team, (which was Cadiz from our league). 

The youngsters also won the U19's Cup, and if you look at the Quarter Final scorers you will see a hat-trick by (41n) Pinedo. (Pro) SELL consisting of just 1 penalty and 2 free-kicks. By the way, it's worth pointing out that he was the top goal-scorer in this competition. 

Just to show you that the kids are human they did lose the Final of the UEFA Youth League, (on pens to Anderlecht). 

Just looking through the goal-scorers here, there are a few that stand out. 

(41n) Pinedo. (Pro) SELL is one of our young GK's and although I have already decided that he's not good enough and will be sold, it should also be pointed out that he scored 19 goals in all competitions for the Youth Team this season.  Only 12 of these 19 goals came in the league though, but he was 10/10 at 100% from the spot + 2 direct free-kicks.  

(43b) Martí (Low Det+Unamb) scored 4 goals in a single UEFA Youth League game, (against Astana), and it total contributed 15 goals and 9 assists over 11(12) appearances over the course of the season. 

(41d) Touray.(GAM)(ESP) SELL was allowed to join Numantia on a free, (despite becoming a Senior International), and he scored 21 goals and 10 assists in 30(1) appearances. 

It will be interesting to see what the U19's can do with some proper quality players in there. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Big bid. Jul 2044. 

We've turned down bids of £50M, £60M and even £70M for players, but this is on another level. 

£95M + another £13.75M after 20 International appearances, (which are likely to come over the next 2 seasons). We've also got 20% of any future profit, but how much profit is there likely to be when they're paying £109M for him? 

The other problem with this is that Guèhi (CIV) * is our 1st choice SCR and we've just sold our 2nd choice SCR Qwabe (RSA) SELL, so we're just a tiny bit short in this area. 

I had planned to push Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * forward from WBR to SCR, but I seem to have earmarked Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) to play both WBR & WBL by accident, so it's sort of confused things a little. 

Once I realised my mistake I went and signed another SCR so that Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * could stay art WBR. 

Allow me to introduce Moses (ENG)(NGA) * who we signed for a bargain price of just £24M, but it could rise as high as £60M. 

What I'm trying to explain is that I've just had to solve 1 problem in the SCR are and I'm in no mood to solve another one. 

The other thing to consider is that although £109M is a lot of money, but when you consider that we paid £65M for him in the 1st place, then it's actually only £44M profit. 

The last thing to consider is that we already have  in the bank, so what are we going to do with £448M that we can't do with £339M. With that in mind I think I'm going to have to have to turn down the £109M bid, (which is not something I ever thought I would be saying). 

[Sonic Youth]

8 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Big bid. Jul 2044. 

We've turned down bids of £50M, £60M and even £70M for players, but this is on another level. 

£95M + another £13.75M after 20 International appearances, (which are likely to come over the next 2 seasons). We've also got 20% of any future profit, but how much profit is there likely to be when they're paying £109M for him? 

The other problem with this is that Guèhi (CIV) * is our 1st choice SCR and we've just sold our 2nd choice SCR Qwabe (RSA) SELL, so we're just a tiny bit short in this area. 

I had planned to push Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * forward from WBR to SCR, but I seem to have earmarked Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) to play both WBR & WBL by accident, so it's sort of confused things a little. 

Once I realised my mistake I went and signed another SCR so that Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * could stay art WBR. 

Allow me to introduce Moses (ENG)(NGA) * who we signed for a bargain price of just £24M, but it could rise as high as £60M. 

What I'm trying to explain is that I've just had to solve 1 problem in the SCR are and I'm in no mood to solve another one. 

The other thing to consider is that although £109M is a lot of money, but when you consider that we paid £65M for him in the 1st place, then it's actually only £44M profit. 

The last thing to consider is that we already have  in the bank, so what are we going to do with £448M that we can't do with £339M. With that in mind I think I'm going to have to have to turn down the £109M bid, (which is not something I ever thought I would be saying). 

Tough choice, and not negotiable if I’m seeing that correctly. Could have seen then how strong their resolve was: £120m + add-ons 

Will rejecting the offer cause Guehi to throw his toys out of his crib?

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Tough choice, and not negotiable if I’m seeing that correctly. Could have seen then how strong their resolve was: £120m + add-ons 

Will rejecting the offer cause Guehi to throw his toys out of his crib?

Guèhi (CIV) * could expected to be unhappy, but I have what's usually a pretty foolproof solution, (at least in this save).

Because I'm managing in Spain, when I come across a player being unhappy with a transfer bid being turned down, I simply tell them that they have a min fee release clause, (which all players on a pro contract in Spain have), and that I am happy to let them leave if and when that clause is met. Most players are happy with that, but even those that aren't soom come round and regain their happiness. In my experience, the only real way to screw with a players happiness permanently is make him a promise that you fail to stick to. This is a no brainer in this instance because it's impossible to break my promise. If someone meets his clause then he's gone. The clause is £121M and if someone meets that them I'm fine with him leaving. 

From Hertha's points of view, (and actually I've only just realised it was them), if you are willing to pay £109M for a player and he has a min fee release clause of £121M, don't you just trigger the clause if you get turned down? Is the £12M really a deal-breaker at this sort of level? 

Anyway, Guèhi (CIV) * is already happy again, (although also injured frustratingly).

You will see in the top right hand corner under Positives that  sounds like it should be a negative but is listed as a positive. 

Actually, I think it's showing as a positive because I told him I would accept a bid if someone met his min fee clause, and because it's available and I can't turn it down it's classed as a positive. 

You can basically tell a player anything you want as long as you don't lie to them. I had a couple of players unhappy that they missed out on La Liga registration and straight away I just told them I preferred to register other players. Problem solved. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Min fee release clauses. Sep 2044. 

In earlier parts of of the save, we were stung with relatively low min fee clauses being triggered and losing really good players for smaller fees than I would like, (as we progressed as a club quicker than our contracts could keep up with). As a result I've been trying to stop that from happening again, (although with £350M in the bank, does any amount of money properly recompense us for losing a key player?)

There is usually a cost to be paid for a high min fee clause, but I'm happy to pay it). The right hand column here shows that we 5 players with a min fee release clause greater than £100M, and have 10 more players with a clause set to £100M. That gives us a little bit of a safety net at least. 

You might also notice that I refuse to include yearly wage rises, (or % of sell on clauses or even sub appearance fees). It's just a big no-no for me. 

Actually, I have checked and although there is no match highest earner clause at the club, no sell on fee % (or profit) and no yearly wage rise, there are actually a few players who's contracts somehow include an unused sub bonus, (which astonishes me!) How the hell did that happen? 

What's even worse is that Moses (ENG)(NGA) * is the last contract I negotiated I think and his is a whopping £12,000 just for sitting in the bench!

I'm livid!!!! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2044. 

Pre-season. I don't usually include pre-season fixtures, and am only doing so now because it includes the (27a) Crespo * Testimonial.

The only surprise is that he only scored 2 goals in the match rather than a hat-trick.

He's 33 now but still looking very sharp. Every time I see that we only received £1.5M for him it absolutely kills me. 

La Liga. It's fair to say that Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * has hit the ground running this season. Last season was his 1st with us and he scored 25 La Liga goals and 29 in all competitions. I think it's a fair assumption that he will obliterate that this season with 9 goals in his opening 3 games. 

Ridiculously, we're still not top as Sevilla have also run riot. 

With regards to Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * scoring 9 goals in the opening month of the season, his form chart identifies exactly why I wanted him, but also looking at his headers won where he's not quite so good). If anything I would like to see more dribbles though, (although the wide strikers are completing them fine). 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Registration confusion. Sep 2044. 

I've had an absolute mare. 

Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) is a WBR who also has a strong left foot so I want to re-train him to play as a WBL, (where we're a little short). Despite updating by pre-season depth charts, I've somehow failed to register him as either a WBR or a WBL for La Liga. 

He somehow played the 1st 3 La Liga games of the season, (before the registration deadline), but somehow afterwards he was no longer registered. 

On the plus side, he has been registered for the Champions League, and I will try to play him in as many domestic Cup matches as possible on top of the Champions League. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2044. 

La Liga. The 1st Team made it 5 from 5 in La Liga with a great late win over Sevilla, but all their hard work was undone when the 2nd Team got battered against Atletico Pamplona. It was really frustrating to go 5/5 and get a late winner against Sevilla, only for the 2nd string to just completely not turn up when given their opportunity. Pamplona might have even deserved to beat us by more such was their dominance. 

UEFA Champions League. The performances were goo in Europe, even if we came up a tiny bit short against Spurs. 

Goal-scoring GK's. The B Team had a pen, but for some reason the left back took it. I was sure I had sorted this for all 3 teams, but obviously not. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

FIFA Ballon d'Or. Oct 2044. 

I've had an Academy product win the Ballon d'Or before, but I don't think I've had 2 Academy products in the top 3 before. 

It's actually the 2nd Ballon d'Or for (27a) Crespo *, 1 is a big deal but 2 is special. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2044. 

La Liga. It was a really frustrating month despite that fact that we remained unbeaten and only conceded 1 goal. Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * scored 9 goals in 3 games in the opening month of the season, 2 goals from 5 games in September, and 0 from 6 this month, (although he obviously hasn't played in every game each month). On the plus side, keeping clean sheets when we're unable to score is brilliant, but our combined xG over the 3 nil-nils for us was 5.20 so how we didn't score at all is mind-blowing. 

We've still only lost 1 game after 3 months, but the 6 points dropped from our 3 nikl-nils this month have been costly and we drop to 3rd, 3 points behind an unbeaten Real Hispalis. 

I expect Real Hispalis to fall away as the season progresses, so Real Madrid 2 points ahead of us are our biggest challengers (imo).

Sevilla have lost 4 of their last 6 league games and are now a whopping 12 points adrift.

UEFA Champions League. We failed to score in this game too, but thankfully we had a young Czech striker to score an OG for us. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2044. 

La Liga. It was a decent month, (only dropping 2 points), but we know from experience that when either Real Madrid or Sevilla are on-song then a couple of points here or there can make all the difference. The 1st Team played the 1st 3 La Liga matches, with the 2nd Team playing the last game and both the Champions League games. 

We're now 4 points adrift of Real Madrid but there is a long way to go. 

UEFA Champions League. The European games were against tough opposition this month, (especially for the 2nd Team), but even with that in mind, the Bayern game is one to forget. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances. 

[Thebaker]

never sure which is harder to believe, that you only got 1.5 million for Crespo (even in La liga 2 it seems a small amount) or that Liverpool didn't play him at all

[Jimbokav1971]

AFCON call-ups. Dec 2044. 

At 1st glance this looks like a disaster, but actually it's not as bad as it might be. 

These are the roles of the players that have been called up. 

2nd Team SCR.
2nd Team MCR.
Surplus GK.
2nd choice GK.
B Team player SCR.
1st Team SCR.
1st Team MCR.
B Team GK.
B Team WBR.
B Team MCR.
B Team SCL.
B Team WBR.
1st Team DC.
B Team SC.
1st choice GK.
B Team DC.
1st Team MLC.
B Team MRC.
2nd Team WBR. 

When you separate them by position it looks like this, (and that doesn't look nearly as bad). Yeah of course GK is a problem area, and I have a feeling that I haven't registered the youngster who was 2nd choice for the B Team for just this eventuality. 

GK. 1st Choice, 2nd Choice, B Team, Surplus GK. 
WBL. 
WBR. 2nd Team, B Team, B Team.
DLC.
DC. 1st Team, B Team, 
DRC.
MLC. 1st Team, 
MRC. 1st Team, 2nd Team, B Team, B Team,
SLC. B Team, 
SC. B Team, 
SRC. 1st Team, 2nd Team SCR, B Team, 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2044. 

This could mean anything. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2044.

La Liga. The draw against Real Madrid means that even if we win our game in hand we're still going to trail them by 4 points. I hoped we might turn them over, but it was an even game and I don't think either side deserved 3 points. 

UEFA Champions League. The 2nd string have been taught a few lessons in Europe this season, but having said that, we've been more than a little unlucky to be drawn against Spurs, Monaco, Bayern, Udinese & PSG. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Thebaker said:

never sure which is harder to believe, that you only got 1.5 million for Crespo (even in La liga 2 it seems a small amount) or that Liverpool didn't play him at all

Liverpool have made a few errors like this. It's one of the reasons that other English clubs have out-performed them. 

I'm just happy we've produced a player that has had such a good career. I don't really mind that we got so little for him. It's just one of those things. £1.5M was actually a lot of money for us back then. 

[Sonic Youth]

Still hanging on to Real Madrid’s tail, lurking closely to take advantage when the opportunity arises.

Europe though is now a two game draw (depending on priorities).

Afcon. Was going to ask if you had any Gzk left! 

Amazing Crespo winning amazing awards. Good to see your other stellar striker coming third. The Hertha player in second is also considered awesome by the AI by the look of things 

Looking forward to your intake after that preview 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Still hanging on to Real Madrid’s tail, lurking closely to take advantage when the opportunity arises.

Europe though is now a two game draw (depending on priorities).

Afcon. Was going to ask if you had any Gzk left! 

Amazing Crespo winning amazing awards. Good to see your other stellar striker coming third. The Hertha player in second is also considered awesome by the AI by the look of things 

Looking forward to your intake after that preview 

Without the AFCON I think we would have a chance, but with it I think we will do well to finish 2nd. 

I wonder if in future, on alternate years when I know AFCON is going to hit us hard I should prioritise the Champions League ahead of La Liga and Cope del Rey? We will do lucky to qualify for the Champions League Playoffs at this rate. 

I couldn't bring myself to check the GK situation last night. I think I've screwed it again. 

So we're missing Camara (SEN) 6'2", Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" & (36j) Camara (GAM)(ESP) 6'4", and even if we could recall Moussa (EGY) SELL from loan, (we can't), then he would be on AFCON duty too. 

That leaves us with the following options.  

(38h) Morales 5'11" is ok, but he concedes a lot of goals when playing for the B Team, so it's not really ideal. 

These star ratings are ridiculous sometimes. If 1.5 CA stars is decent Primera Federación Grupo II player, how can 2.0 CA stars be a good LaLiga Santander player?

(41n) Pinedo. (Pro) SELL looks worse if anything, and I have already decided that he's not worth keeping around, even for AFCON back-up. 

This report at least looks more realistic. 

(43e) Hackney. (Low Det+Unamb) is the last option and I really don't rate him. His nickname tells you all you need to know. 

His personality means he's unlikely to get anywhere near whatever his PA is. I'm surprised I even offered him a youth contract. 

We've produced 2 really good GK's in this save, (28c) Bermúdez 5'10" & (31a) Fernando 6'5", and (36j) Camara (GAM)(ESP) 6'4" is decent, (but African). We could really do with producing a good European GK via the Academy. 

Crespo is an absolute beast. 

The intake will probably deliver a pile of poo like it has done for the last 6/7 years. That's a little bit harsh actually because we have produced some La Liga players. Just not top end La Liga players. It's also quite possible that we have produced stars and I just didn't develop them well enough. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oh wow.  Jan 2045.

I would pay a lot of money to sign this bloke. A LOT of money. (I wonder if he has a brother who's a lefty?)

[Jimbokav1971]

Too good to turn down? Jan 2045.

The 1st time round we bought Soliman (EGY) for just £475,000.

When we sold him for £25.5M, we made £25M profit. I liked him, but £25M was a lot of money at the time so I had to sell him. 

Then I was looking him up for info to comment about his weird International goal-scoring record and I saw he was available for £8.5M

Now Benfica are offering us £39.25M(£55.6M) and it's just a no-brainer that I can't turn down. 

It means that we will have made guaranteed profit on him of £55.75M over both transfers. 

When he was here the 1st time he scored 67 goals in 92(6) appearances.
This time around he has scored 18 goals in 35(29) appearances and some of them have been really vital goals.

I just can't turn it down for someone who's just a back-up. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Selection during AFCON. Jan 2045. 

I have Team Selections saved from the start of the season for both 1st Team, 2nd team, B Team and even B Team2, and here is how they look before the Supercoppa Final against Sevilla. 

1st Team. Remember, this is all about partnerships, so it''s decent that we've got 2 centre-backs available, and 2 strikers, and also both WB's are available. Ideally we will plug both the centre-half and striker holes with 1 player each from the 2nd Team, and then we're looking for 2 MC's from the 2nd Team.

2nd Team. We may not have 2 MC's available from the 2nd Team, but there is 1 MC available so that's Tavares (POR)(GNB) * pencilled in. We were looking for a centre-half, (and in particular a central centre-half so that's  Idris (GER)(NGA) 6'5" also pencilled in), and a striker, (and in particular a right sided striker so that's Amade (MOZ)(RSA) * pencilled in), and we have a starting XI. Oops. Forgot about a GK. We have an outfield X at least. 

By the way, if it wasn't a Final and it wasn't Sevilla or Real Madrid then I might have kept all 3 2nd Team centre-backs together as a group, but we can't afford to do that against this opposition. 

It means that our squad for the Supercoppa Final against Sevilla looks like this. 

It's a pretty decent lineup all things considered and when you consider that there are 7 players in the squad who are in their Senior International squad, (3 of whom are African Nations), it might have been a lot worse. 

Because I'm an idiot and the B Team were playing on the same day, (not ideal), I got to press the submit team and am faced with our 1 remaining GK and 6 subs unavailable. 

They scored their goal when our rubbish GK (41n) Pinedo. (Pro) SELL didn't deal with a long throw and the 2nd player who missed a pen, ((41a) Antón 5'8" (Driven) SC), was making only his 2nd appearance for the 1st Team, (both as subs). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Big bid. Jan 2045.

we had a bid of about £77M from both Man Utd and Chelsea a week or so ago, but Man Utd have just come in with a huge bid.

£120M guaranteed, (with £61M up front), possibly rising to £129M. 

Camara (SEN) 6'2" is contracted for 2 more years and then we have a +2 on top of that so I'm in no rush to sell, and we have a min fee clause of £140M. I hadn't actually considered that anyone would be willing to get anywhere near his clause so I'm a bit stumped. I don't want his clause to be triggered, but if he's going to go then I want to be in control of the deal rather than just having to accept straight cash. I've mentioned already that we can't spend the money we already have, so what the hell am I going to do with another £140M? 

[Jimbokav1971]

New El Presidente (finally). Jan 2045.

I think Rafael Duran had already served 4 terms, but was eligible for a 5th. (I'm personally delighted that he's gone, but let's see what the new bloke is like before we get carried away). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2045. 

La Liga. Because this was while AFCON was on, I shouldn't be too annoyed with dropping 5 points, but I actually am. I'm flipping furious!!!  

I was ok with the Espanyol game. We played well and should have won comfortably, but we couldn't score so fair play them. 
The Almeria game however was a complete shambles. It was the game after the Supercoppa Final, (which we lost). Usually this wouldn't be as much of a problem because the team playing after a loss would often be a different team, (due to my rotation policy), but due to the fact that it was during AFCON we were basically just muffling together a side with who was left. We won the xG battle but missed our chances, (and had a goal ruled out), but the difference between this and the Espanyol game is that we concede not once but twice. They didn't have many opportunities, but still managed to take 2 of them.  The 2 points dropped to Espanyol was a bit rubbish, but the 3 points dropped to Almeria was appalling. 

We're somehow only 6 points adrift of Real Madrid, (because they dropped 3 points this month when they lost the derby to Atletico), so actually things might have been much worse. 

UEFA Champions League. We've had a tough run in the Champions League so far this season with some really tough opposition, but not only were we up against weaker opposition this month, but both games were at home and we ran riot, hitting 6 in each game). As a result we're into the Playoffs for the Champions league Knockout Rounds. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. I'd never heard of the opposition before this. I doubt we will hear from them again. 

Supercopa de España. I've already shown you this result. We were close to the win and I do wonder if I hadn't lost 6 subs and the rubbish GK to the B Team would we have sneaked it? 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

 

 

 

Finances. 

[Sonic Youth]

That was a tough final result in the end. Close enough to be able to taste victory.

Tough month so far, with a few tricky decisions with your squad.

That’s a huge offer for a GK! Would it have been the record for one if completed?

That Fullback looks great! Looks a player to spend transfer funds on