[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]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

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 

I'm pretty sure we would have won the Final with a full strength bench, (even with AFCON call-ups), but I messed it up. I like having a B Team, but having them play on the same day as the 1st Team is REALLY annoying. Ideally they would play every single game the day after the 1st Team, but I just have to accept that we lost because I was too lazy to to the required detail. 

Losing just 2 points relative to Real Madrid is not to be sniffed at, especially when you consider the other results. Really can't complain. 

I assume it would be a record for a GK, but not sure if it was a full record for all players in the save. (I doubt it). If I can remember how to find the page I will have a look now and have a quick look through. 

2022. £52M Porto to Real Madrid. 
2023. £90M Parthenope/Napoli to Chelsea.
2024. £91M West Ham to Liverpool.
2025. £129M Villarreal to Man City, (I had never heard of him).
2026. £198M Real Madrid to FC Bayern. (Wow that's a lot of money!) (ps Brighton sold an ARG player for £100M+ too).
2027. £135M Rennes to Man Utd. (I had never heard of him).
2028. £157M Real madrid to FC Bayern.
2029. £173M Real Madrid to Juve.
2030. £114M Leicester to Liverpool.
2031. £157M Leeds to FC Bayern.
2032. £96M SC Freiberg to Chelsea.
2033. £119M Newcastle to Man Utd. (Newcastle also sold a player for £99M to Chelsea in this window). 
2034. £102M Parthenope/Napoli to Man Utd.
2035. £98M Spurs to PSG.
2036. £91M Southampton to Man Utd.
2037. £134M Sevilla to FC Bayern.
2038. £157M Fulham to Man City.
2039. £108M. Man Utd to Real Madrid.
2040. £159M Man City to Spurs.
2041. £117M Toulouse to SC Freiberg.
2042. £119M Real Madrid to Man Utd.
2043. £75M(£97M) Sheff Utd to Spurs. (Sheff Utd have a phenomenal Academy in my game as well as in real life). 
2044. £110M Man City to PSG. 

It's interesting looking at stuff like this. The record transfer fee increased every year for the 1st 5 seasons in the save, but haven't managed to break it since. All the big established names are there early on as you would expect, but in the last few years we see both Spurs and SC Freiberg spending £100M+ on individual players. Also interesting to see Man City selling player for £100M+ in 2 of the last 5 seasons, (and there was another for £97M), so they are adapting to having to self-fund the club by selling players. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2044. 

La Liga. Another frustrating month. The Celta Vigo game was one we should have won but the Sevilla game was the real kick in the teeth. We should have beaten Celta Vigo and at the very least drawn at Sevilla. Again though, we were able to stop (27a) Crespo * from scoring.

The 5 dropped points mean that we're way off the pace now in the league. We're 15 points behind Real Madrid, 11 points behind Real Hispalis, (who still haven't fallen away as I expected), 5 points behind Sevilla and just 1 point behind Atletico. The good news however is that we have 2 games in hand on the top 3, (so the margin is actually 9 points, 5 points and 0 points IF we win our games in hand).

At this stage I think it will be a result if we finish in the top 4 and qualify for the Champions league, but at the same time it wouldn't be a disaster if we qualified for the Europa League instead and had a crack at that, (which would be much more winnable). 

UEFA Champions League. We're through to the next round, but we were poor in the 2nd leg. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey.We dispatched both Bilbao & Pamplona, but the 1st leg against Atletico was poor and it means that we need a result in the away leg. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Day. Mar 2045. 

Well this looks interesting, but is probably a loan of boloney. 

Still..... the more I look at it.... 3x 5.0 PA players and a 5.0 Excellent Intake rating. 

(45a) Falqué (Unamb+L.Det) looks really good, but L.Det + Unamb is an absolute horror show. 

(45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" looks fantastic, (if a little short). 

(45c) Fritsche (AUR)(GER) Bal looks a little muddled, but we will see how he develops. 

[Jimbokav1971]

NxGn 2045. Mar 2045. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2045. 

La Liga. 3 wins from 3 with 0 goals conceded is great, but we still find ourselves in 4th, loads of points behind but with 3 games in hand. The good news is that we have been knocked out of both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, but the bad news is that we have no less than 8 (EIGHT) league games scheduled for April. 

UEFA Champions League. We were poor in the 1st leg and a little unlucky in the 2nd leg. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. The 1st leg was a draw and we were poor in the 2nd leg, deserving to crash out. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

 

 

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

April 2045.

La Liga. We were initially planned to play 8 La Liga games this month, but it appears that the last game got postponed for some reason. It appears to be quite an inconsistent month, but actually it's quite the opposite. The 1st Team were really consistent with 4 wins from 4 against Valladolid, Villarreal, Pamplona & Sabadell, but the 2nd Team took only a single point from Levante, Barca & Hispalis. When we score 2 goals away to Barca and another 2 goals away to Hispalis without taking any points, I think the blame lies with the defenders. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

 

Finances. 

[turnip]

I reckon Perez will be a beast

[Jimbokav1971]

13 minutes ago, turnip said:

I reckon Perez will be a beast

It's so hard to tell. Players I thought were going to be great turned out to be duds and I'm sure I've made loads of mistakes the other way around too. 

8x 5.0 PA players. 

We've currently got 8 players at the club who have 5.0 PA rating. 

It's interesting that where as (45a) Falqué (Unamb+L.Det) * and (45c) Fritsche (AUR)(GER)Bal* have fallen off the 5.0 PA rating they started with, (45d) Gomis (ESP)(SEN) Unamb * has actually increased to 5.0 PA. 

(45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" * is ranked #1 by PA and his mentals look amazing. He also has a decent personality. He has only played for the U19's so far. 

(45d) Gomis (ESP)(SEN) Unamb * wasn't shown to you originally because he didn't have 5.0 PA and 3 others did. He's already made his debut for the B Team and I'm hoping that his personality won't prove too much of a hindrance. 

Ly (BEL)(SEN) * has already been capped by Belgium while a teenager. He's made the step up to the 1st Senior squad this season and made 19(3) appearances. It's obviously tough playing a teenager at centre-half at this level, (even when we rotate), but it's the best way to develop these players so there's a trade-off between winning the next game and developing players for future seasons. I've generally got the balance pretty good, but think our defence might have been a little light on CA this season, (certainly the 2nd string). His appearances this season should aid his development and he will be that much stronger for it next season. 

Haruna (GER)(NGA) * was unhappy at the start of the season, (homesick and wanted to leave), so I thought I would take the pressure off him and leave him in the U19's rather than the B Team. He's still managed to make 5(6) appearances for the B Team, (scoring 3 goals), and has scored 15 more goals in 11(1) appearances for the U19's. He will definitely move up to the B Team next season. 

Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" * was a real surprise. Initially just signed because he was decent and cheap, he has come on leaps and bounds and performed well for the B Team this season, (with 9 goals). He will probably stay in the B Team next season, (maybe), but he's already a La Liga standard GK so maybe I should loan him out)?

Chrisantus (GER)(NGA) * is confusing the hell out of me. There's no doubting his quality, (and we paid a lot of money for him), but despite the fact that he's only just turned 20, I'm not really sure how to use him... The problem is that he's not a really clinical central striker, but he also isn't a really quick wide striker, so he doesn't really fit in. 5.0 PA though when you've been here for a little while is pretty good though, so I need to just keep developing him. Because of how much we're paying him, I'm not sure we will be able to play him in the B Team next season. He's scored 13 goals in 35(2) appearances for the B Team this season, but he's been playing centrally most of the time and I think he's better, (but not good), in either of the wide positions. 

Soudant (MAR) * is a player I really like the look of, but I think I have really let him down this season because I was unable to register him for the B team, (because of his wage), but he also didn't make either the 1st Team or the 2nd Team lineups so his chances have been few and far between. He definitely needs to play a full season next season somewhere. 

Odita (NGA)(POR) 6'3" DC * was signed for his CA rather than his PA, so it's great that there appears to be so much room for development. He actually plays as a centre-half, (middle of the 3), rather than as a left back. 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2045.

La Liga. We finished the season strongly, amd our 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid was instrumental in handing the title to Real Hispalis for the 1st time since 1935. We only finished 2 points off the title-winners and I'm absolutely furious that we haven't won the title. We coughed up so many needless points, (8 alone in April), and it really is ridiculous that we came so close. 

Goal-scoring GK's. Although the season is over for the 1st Team, both the B Team and U19's are still playing so Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" * could add to his tally. 

 

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

FIFA Club World Cup. Jun 2045.

I've got absolutely no idea how we qualified for this.  

Spurs beat us in the Semi's in 2040/41.
Liverpool beat us in the Quarters in 2041/42. 
Hertha beat us in the Quarters in 2042/43 & 2043/44.
Leverkusen beat us in the Last 16 this season. 

We had 15 players away on International duty for the 1st game. 

Despite all the unavailability and being unable to field a full bench, we won with ease and while Camara (SEN) 6'2" scored 2 goals, he also hit the bar with another free-kick so might have had a hat-trick. 

We've been drawn in a mini group with Arsenal of England and Tigres of Mexico. 

I thought Arsenal might prove too strong for us with is fielding a mixed side of 1st Team & 2nd string players because of International fatigue, but we raced to an early 3 goal lead and even conceding 4 goals couldn't halt our progress. 

We absolutely smashed Tigres, and 5 or 6 nil would have been a fairer reflection of our dominance. 

We weren't good in the Quarters against Man Utd, and it wasn't helped by a red card either, but we hung on in there and despite seeing our 1st pen saved, came out on top in the end. 

Liverpool pushed us all the way, but our strike force were not to be denied and after coming from behind to force ET, we eventually won it without the need for pens. 

Chelsea raced into an early lead before we pegged them back and eventually equalised in the last minute of normal time. They went ahead again in ET before having a player sent off and in pushing for the winner we left ourselves open to the counter and our old friend (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" made it 4-2 and effectively finished the game in the 119th min. We gave it a right good go, but came up just short in the end. 

[Thebaker]

That youth intake looks like maybe your best yet although i'm nor convinced that they will make it, some of their attributes look off for thier positions, Perez seems the most likely.

Losing the title was tough, maybe a bit of a throwaway. I think Cristantus may have topped out for his technicals to be so low (for a player of that value) and maybe your coaches are not seeing that.

[Sonic Youth]

Good end to the season. Damage was done earlier as you mentioned. Still qualified for ECL at least…

I think it is funny that Betis was the winner and not Real Madrid, considering how it looked earlier.

Nearly got the FIFA Club World Cup! Does Pascual always play against you to have a now customary non-celebration celebration?

I guess your offseason will be about closing those holes in your squad depth for 1st team/2nd team for those moments when situations become apparent (cough..GK..cough, cough).

[Johnny-Trotter]

You qualified for the Club World Cup because it was played in Spain and the host country seems to usually get one further spot. I'm guessing all other high level Spanish sides (Real Madrid, Sevilla) qualified through their performance in the Champions League and you were the highest 'next' team to get the host spot.

[Jimbokav1971]

15 hours ago, Thebaker said:

That youth intake looks like maybe your best yet although i'm nor convinced that they will make it, some of their attributes look off for thier positions, Perez seems the most likely.

The Youth Intake did look good, but I'm really reluctant to get carried away because experience has taught me that the snapshot of the Youth Intake on Day 1 just can't be trusted. 

To give you an example, on the recent intake there were 3x 5.0 PA players, a 4.0 PA player and then not much at all after that. 

That was only 3 months ago and look at the situation now, (and it was already significantly different after just 1 month). 

We now only have 1x 5.0 PA player (45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" *, and although the 1st thing that strikes me is that he's the only one of the top 4 players still on a Youth contract, it also shouldn't be ignored that he's also the only top 4 player with a decent personality. 

Obviously I've signed all 4 to long-term contracts, (as long as I could +3), and also stuck a £100M clause on them too, (just in case), but the truth is that I'm really not that convinced that any of them will be particularly special. 

(45a) Falqué (Unamb+L.Det) * has an advantage in that he starts with a better CA, (so there is less distance to travel to get near his PA), but I expect his development to be hugely limited by his (Unamb) + (L.Det) personality. He will however benefit from the fact that he will be played in one of the front 3 positions quite simply because there are 3 positions he could slot into, (rather than 2 in central midfield for example). 

(45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" * is a DC rather than an MC so he too will benefit from having 3 positions that he could play in, and of course he has a decent personality too.

(45c) Fritsche (AUR)(GER)Bal* is very much an MC so only has 2 spots to compete for in each team. The difference between 2 spots and 3 spots doesn't sound significant, but when you multiply that by the 1st Team, the 2nd Team, the B Team, the B Team bench, and then U19's and U19's bench, you're effectively comparing 18 spots at SC & DC to 12 spots at MC.

(45d) Gomis (ESP)(SEN) Unamb * is a 2nd DC and although he's (Unamb), he doesn't also have the dreaded (L.Det) to go with it. I really do wonder if the star ratings of young players are downgraded when they have poor personalities? 

In summary, I think that (45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" * absolutely is the most likely to succeed from this group, but there is still no guarantee that he is any good, (even with still showing at 5.0 PA 3 months after intake). 

[Jimbokav1971]

15 hours ago, Thebaker said:

Losing the title was tough, maybe a bit of a throwaway. I think Cristantus may have topped out for his technicals to be so low (for a player of that value) and maybe your coaches are not seeing that.

I think a big part of Hispalis/Betis winning the title is that we sold them (33b) Marcos SELL and scored 26 La Liga goals for them, (and 7 more in Europe). 

I'm really not 100% sure what to make of Chrisantus (GER)(NGA) * or exactly what to do with him. The Coach Summary says he is currently 2.0 CA and he's still showing at 5.0 PA, but at the same time I haven't seen much development form him. He played last season in the B Team, (and did ok with 15 goals and 9 assists from 37(2) appearances), but I don't think playing at that level was enough to explode his development in the way that might be possible. He's also earning £70k per month now so he's getting right to the top end of what's possible in the B Team with the budget available. I think the answer is to loan him out to a La Liga side, (or similar), where he will play regularly even if they contribute nothing financially to the deal. I think he's one of these players that with the right loan move could just explode in a few months. I really hope I haven't screwed him up already. Maybe the answer is to send him to a lower level of league..... (but that negates the possibility of his development exploding). It's such a tough one. 

There was nobody interested in him originally but I have just added him to the development list and we will see how that changes things. 

I really hope that he hasn't topped out already. 

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Good end to the season. Damage was done earlier as you mentioned. Still qualified for ECL at least…

I think it is funny that Betis was the winner and not Real Madrid, considering how it looked earlier.

Nearly got the FIFA Club World Cup! Does Pascual always play against you to have a now customary non-celebration celebration?

I'm absolutely furious that we didn't win the league after everyone else imploded at the end. #

I commented in the thread that I thought Hispalis/Betis would fall away, but like I mentioned earlier, they were inspired by (33b) Marcos SELL who outscored (27a) Crespo *. 

I didn't even know we would be playing in the World Club Cup, so to get as far as we did, (with players unavailable), was great. 

After (27a) Crespo *, (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" is one of 3 top top top end strikers we've produced. The other being (29a) Gil at Atletico. 

It's interesting that despite obviously having a significant rotation policy in place, we completely dominated the top goal-scorers chart in La Liga. 

We had the 1st and 4th players on the list and 2nd and 3rd were both products of our Academy, (so I'm doing something right). 

By the way, this is what (37a) Niño * looks like now. He plays on the left of a front 3. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I guess your offseason will be about closing those holes in your squad depth for 1st team/2nd team for those moments when situations become apparent (cough..GK..cough, cough).

I'll be completely honest with you. I don't really don't usually look at "plugging holes" in the squad, although I certainly did go out and sign 2 strikers a couple of years ago with the sole intention of improving our 1st and 2nd choice central striker positions. 

Instead I just snap up every I can in any position and then see what we have available when I need it. 

Last season there was only a modest outlay. 

Soliman (EGY) came in for £8.5M and then left for £39M. 

Saïdi (MAR) * spenty his 1st season back out on loan and his 2nd season was in the B Team.

Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" * was just signed because he was so cheap and he's turned out to be much better than expected. 

Haruna (GER)(NGA) * was a player I really chased hard, but he's been homesick and it's been a struggle so far. 

Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) * is a strange one. The truth is I only actually signed him because I got confused and mixed up between him and Saïdi (MAR) * and it was only when 2 of them arrived that I realised what had happened. He's actually been a pleasant surprise as we were short at WBL and I swapped him from right to left. 

This season we've spent more money, but the bottom 4 players have only just arrived as the Summer window opened. 

Moses (ENG)(NGA) * was a player I really wanted because I can see him getting capped for ENG and being available when others are away at AFCON. 

Zonon (BFA) * went straight back out on loan and has only recently arrived properly. 

Saadi (ALG) * was just signed because he was available so cheaply. 

Kaunda (RSA)(ZIM) 6'2" * looked great on his scout report, but his PA was downgraded when he arrived. 

Charles (NGA)(ESP) * was all about getting one over on Sevilla. 

Lakhsassi (MAR)(FRA) * is a player that I have been chasing for ages, and I had to add some ridiculous clauses to get the deal done. (I will have to keep an eye on that). 

Mensah (ENG)(GHA) * was being looked at initially as just another option up front who would be non-African, but when we sold Soliman I knew he could slot in there centrally on a short-term basis while his usual position would be on the left up front. 

None of these, (other than Soliman, and even he was mainly signed because of the price he was available at), were specifically signed to fill a gap in the squad. They were just signed because they were either good enough right now or I thought they might become good enough. I'm really using a scatter-gun approach rather than surgical precision when it comes to transfers. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Johnny-Trotter said:

You qualified for the Club World Cup because it was played in Spain and the host country seems to usually get one further spot. I'm guessing all other high level Spanish sides (Real Madrid, Sevilla) qualified through their performance in the Champions League and you were the highest 'next' team to get the host spot.

I hadn't realised it had been played in Spain. 

We were actually the only Spanish club in it. Loads of English clubs though. Very strange. 

Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Leipzig, Hertha, Bayern & us. 

That doesn't tally with the Champions League Quarters this season. 

Or last season.

Or the season before. 

And not quite the season before. 

Or the season before. 

Maybe it's based on club coefficient?  Yeah, That;s it. Well I didn't know that.  

[john1]

Wow, how did Real Madrid threw it all away in the end   Especially dominating early part of the season.

[Jimbokav1971]

9 hours ago, john1 said:

Wow, how did Real Madrid threw it all away in the end   Especially dominating early part of the season.

Simple really. They lost 4 of their last 7 games, (including to us), meaning that they took only 10 points from a possible 24 over the run-in. 

This was us over the same period. We lost twice, (including to Champions Hispalis/Betis), and took 25 points from a possible 33 during the run-in. 

Hispalis/Betis tried hard to bottle it themselves in the last month, but R.Madrid weren't good enough to take advantage and we were coming from too far back. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Loan deals. Jul 2045. 

Last season I was a little lazy with loaning out players, (it's such hard work), and I freely admit that I dropped the ball a little. This season I'm going to be bang on it and send a lot of players out. With that in mind I wanted to have a look at how much income we have generated via loan fees? (I appreciate that this doesn't include wages and it's quite possible that paying wages could be more beneficial financially than demanding a fee, but it's all we have). 

Last season we generated loan fees of £2.4M,

In 2043/44 we generated loan fees of £1.9M.

In 2042/43 we generated loan fees of £8M. 

In 2041/42 we generated loan fees of £4.9M.

In 2040/41 we generated loan income of £1M.

In 2039/40 we generated loan income of £2.8M.

In 2038/38 we generated loan income of £1.2M.

Before that it was £500k, £82k, £400k, £1.6M (in 2034/35), £52k, £18k, £145k, £13k, £34k, £7k, £25k, £7k, £3k, £2k, nothing and £1k. 

The biggest individual loan fee we have received for any player was £1.8M for Moussa (EGY) SELL to Ajax, and he was also involved in a £1M loan move to West Ham last season so he's also probably the player who has generated the most loan income over his career. 

This season we are going to smash some of these records I think. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2045. 

GK.

I was considering keeping Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" * here this season and using him in the B Team again while (36j) Camara (GAM)(ESP) 6'4" acts as back-up for the 1st Team, but with me putting more extra into loans and the fact that Bakayoko (CIV) 6'2" * is already classed as a "Good la Liga player", it makes sense to get him out on loan simply for his development rather than the money, (although the money will be great).

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

Edited June 30, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Depth Charts. Jul 2045. 

I was pretty sloppy when I did these last season and there were at least 2 different occasions where I included a player in 2 different positions, so I'm going to have to do better this season. 

The other issue I had last season was that I again had issues registering the players because some of them were getting paid to much, (so need to go out on loan). 

The budget last season was £727,000, (and I think that's based on a % of our turnover but not 100%, but this is B Team turnover rather than whole club turnover), but it makes me wonder about selling players when they are in the B Team rather than in the 1st Team.....

I didn't used to like doing that because although you got the money, the transfer didn't actually appear on the Transfer History page because they had been sold by the B Team rather than the 1st Team. Anyway, just an idea. 

£727,000 divided by 25 players is approx. £29k per month, so that at least gives me an idea as to who should be included in my B Team thinking. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2045. 

DL. I recently responded to @Sonic Youththat I wasn't specifically looking to sign players in any particular position, (and I completely missed the GK cough line too so apologies), but I'm looking at our left backs here and I think I've made another blunder. 

The top 2 players can play as DL's but I play them at DC.
Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) * is a righty who I have shoe-horned into playing on the left. 
Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) * was a right back who couldn't play on the left at all this time last year, but because he is either booted I threw him in there and he did ok in his 1st season. 
(40i) Asier (Pro) & (44d) Eloi (Pro) are decent HG options, (especially for AFCON time), but they're never really going to be good enough to play regularly. 

I'm going to keep an eye out for a DL @Sonic Youth(and a GK too actually). 

Velta Vigo have made a bid of £9M(£11M) + 20% profit for (40i) Asier (Pro), but I've decided to keep him after much deliberation. He's on a 3+1 contract and it makes more sense to loan him out and then recall him in Jan to cover AFCON. 

[Edit] The other thing I should mention is that if I accept a fee for (40i) Asier (Pro), then I'm pretty sure I won't be able to recall him in Jan, so I may have to ignore the fee and just concentrate on getting him game-time. 

1st Team. Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) *
2nd Team. Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) *
B Team. (44d) Eloi (Pro)
B Team 2. [Blank]
U19's. (45e) Castro (F.Pro)
Loan. (40i) Asier (Pro) 
Sell. (43k) Izquierdo. (L.Det) SELL, 
Release. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2045. 

DR. You might notice that there are loads more options on the right compared to left back. The plan was for Kitoko (BEL)(COD) * to be moving forward to SCR, but we've got so many good forwards that it's hard to move him in there and of course his 13 assists from WBR is something I'm not too unhappy about at all. 

1st Team. Kitoko (BEL)(COD) *
2nd Team. Brossou (CIV) *
B Team. (43o) Soldevila (Pro)
B Team 2. [Blank]
U19's. (44f) Fresneda. (Real) & (45o) Vivar. (Fickle).
Loan. Soudant (MAR) *, 
Sell. Ilunga (COD)(BEL) SELL, Conneh (LIB)(ESP) SELL, 
Release. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2045.

DC. I thought we were going to have bigger numbers here, but actually there is only 1 player going out on loan and that still leaves 1 empty slot in the B Team 2 line-up.

1st Team.
DLC. McCarthy (ENG)(GHA) 5'11" *
DC. Odita (NGA)(POR) 6'3" DC *
DRC. (37k) Jesús 6'6"
2nd Team.
DLC. Ly (BEL)(SEN) *
DC. Idris (GER)(NGA) 6'5"
DRC. Boyer (FRA)(REU) 6'0" *
B Team.
DLC. (40f) Lisco (ITA) (Bal) 6'1"
DC. Kaunda (RSA)(ZIM) 6'2" *
DRC. (39b) Agné 6'4"
B Team 2.
DLC. (42f) Aguza (BIH)(ESP) 6'1" DC
DC. (43j) Manel. (Bal) 5'10"
DRC.
U19's. (45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" *, (45b) Pérez (Driven) 5'10" *, (45d) Gomis (ESP)(SEN) Unamb *, (44e) Conde. (F.Det) 6'0", 
Loan. Dabo (SEN)(FRA) 6'0" *
Sell. Rodrigo (MLI)(ESP) 5'10" SELL, (42l) Jofre. SELL, (42p) Nzimande.(RSA)(IRL) SELL, 
Release. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2045. 

MC.

1st Team.
MLC. Tavares (POR)(GNB) *
MRC. Sakanoko 2 (CIV) MC *
2nd Team.
MLC. Lakhsassi (MAR)(FRA) *
MRC. Hamdi (EGY) *
B Team.
MLC. (45c) Fritsche (AUR)(GER)Bal*
MRC. Saadi (ALG) *
B Team 2.
MLC. (42c) Rial 5'7"
MRC. (38i) Iván
U19's. (43c) Bordas (Res) MC, (44a) Juan (Unamb), (45g) Sergi (Pro), (45n) Oliver (F.Pro), (45n) Oliver (F.Pro), (43h) Rodríguez.(ESP)(MEX)LDet, (44h) Ayala.(ARG)(ESP)(LHeart), (44p) McKenzie. (ENG)(Sport).
Loan. (39c) Franco (ESP)(BAS) 6'4", (41b) Gutiérrez (Spirit), (42e) Ramos, Ebiye (NGA), (44a) Juan (Unamb), 
Sell. Sène (ESP)(MLI) SELL, (37b) Manuel SELL, (37h) Xavi SELL, Kacem (TUN) SELL, (42l) Jofre. SELL, 
Release. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jul 2045. 

SC. 

1st Team.
SLC. (37a) Niño *, Mensah (ENG)(GHA) *
SC. Salifu (ENG)(GHA) *
SRC. Amade (MOZ)(RSA) *
2nd Team.
SLC. Moses (ENG)(NGA) *, 
SC. Mensah (ENG)(GHA) *, (27a) Crespo *
SRC. Guèhi (CIV) *
B Team.
SLC. Zonon (BFA) *
SC. (41a) Antón 5'8" (Driven) SC
SRC. (42b) Carbonell
B Team 2.
SLC. Uzoma (NGA) *
SC.
SRC.
U19's. (44l) Osorio (Pro), (43d) Jiménez (Bal), (45a) Falqué (Unamb+L.Det) *, (43b) Martí (Low Det+Unamb), (44g) Kennedy (SCO)(ESP)(Bal), (44c) Ferreras. (F.Pro), (45f) Poveda (FRA)(ESP) Bal, (44k) Neva (Casual), (45j) Fumagalli (ITA)(ESP), 
Loan. Sylla (GUI) SC *, (37c) Castro *, Chrisantus (GER)(NGA) *, (38d) Cisse (ESP)(SEN), Talal (MAR) *, Haruna (GER)(NGA) *, (40b) Casas (Temp), (42g) Garzón., (41c) Carlos (Bal), (38m) Roldán (ESP)(BAS), (42d) Bernal, (42a) Jorge, (43a) López. (L.Det), 
Sell. (38g) Muñoz SELL,Touré (CIV) SELL, (42m) Ranero SELL, (42k) Idrissi (MAR) SELL
Release. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

20 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Squad Depth. Jul 2045. 

DL. I recently responded to @Sonic Youththat I wasn't specifically looking to sign players in any particular position, (and I completely missed the GK cough line too so apologies), but I'm looking at our left backs here and I think I've made another blunder. 

The top 2 players can play as DL's but I play them at DC.
Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) * is a righty who I have shoe-horned into playing on the left. 
Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) * was a right back who couldn't play on the left at all this time last year, but because he is either booted I threw him in there and he did ok in his 1st season. 
(40i) Asier (Pro) & (44d) Eloi (Pro) are decent HG options, (especially for AFCON time), but they're never really going to be good enough to play regularly. 

I'm going to keep an eye out for a DL @Sonic Youth(and a GK too actually). 

Velta Vigo have made a bid of £9M(£11M) + 20% profit for (40i) Asier (Pro), but I've decided to keep him after much deliberation. He's on a 3+1 contract and it makes more sense to loan him out and then recall him in Jan to cover AFCON. 

[Edit] The other thing I should mention is that if I accept a fee for (40i) Asier (Pro), then I'm pretty sure I won't be able to recall him in Jan, so I may have to ignore the fee and just concentrate on getting him game-time. 

1st Team. Yakubu (ENG)(GHA) *
2nd Team. Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) *
B Team. (44d) Eloi (Pro)
B Team 2. [Blank]
U19's. (45e) Castro (F.Pro)
Loan. (40i) Asier (Pro) 
Sell. (43k) Izquierdo. (L.Det) SELL, 
Release. 

Kind if not what I meant (going out and buying someone), instead using who you have and seeing who has improved enough after a season to step up. Plus as you’ve mentioned, sorting out the registrations as I recall one or two decisions weren’t obvious for you until the moment you went to call on a player and he wasn’t available as expected. Plus considering a GK who won’t get called up by for African Cup of Nations 

Fullback feels the same as last season going through your squad breakdowns too, and DC depth has regressed if you’re looking for a player!

Still, looking good for next season even with those squad dilemmas.

[Jimbokav1971]

SWEAR WORD! Jul 2045. 

Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word and some pointing
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word and some pushing and shoving, (but nothing too serious). 
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word with significant violence. 
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word with really serious violence, including the use of weapons. 
More swearing. 

They only went and met his release clause, (and I didn't notice). 
More swearing. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

14 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

SWEAR WORD! Jul 2045. 

Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word and some pointing
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word and some pushing and shoving, (but nothing too serious). 
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word with significant violence. 
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Swear word
Really bad swear word with really serious violence, including the use of weapons. 
More swearing. 

They only went and met his release clause, (and I didn't notice). 
More swearing. 

Wow! Just when I thought he would have an even better season with you!

Getting players into double figures of goals and assists on multiple seasons is a special player.

[Jimbokav1971]

I may or may not, have done something amazing stupid. Jul 2045. 

We were up to £500M in the bank and I was really frustrated by the sale of (37a) Niño * and I kept changing my mind between the 2 options to replace him.

Option 1. Promote Moses (ENG)(NGA) * from SLC in the 2nd Team to SLC in the 1st Team and replace Moses (ENG)(NGA) * in the 2nd Team with Talal (MAR) *, (who I had planned to send out on loan). 

The upsides of this is that it still leaves the 2nd Team with a clinical striker and also gives Talal (MAR) * the opportunity to develop. 

The downsides of this is that Moses (ENG)(NGA) * contributed 12 goals and 12 assists from the 2nd Team last season and I think this will significantly weaken them and possibly cause us to drop points when we rotate. 

Option 2. Promote Mensah (ENG)(GHA) * from SC in the 2nd Team to SLC in the 1st Team, but at this stage his replacement would probably be..... oh I really don't know. (37c) Castro * possibly??? and I think this would weaken the 2nd Team significantly and we would drop points as a result. 

I wasn't really happy with either of these options and was giving myself time to think when I saw that (29a) Gil was only valued at £32M and I would love him to return so I submitted a bid and had it accepted by them but couldn't even negotiate terms with the player because he had just signed a new contract. 

It did give me another idea though. (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" scored the last goal against us in the Champions League Club World Cup last season and looks excellent. He's interested so let's see if I can get Chelsea to part with him. No dice from them. They want £178M or something ridiculous. 

There was 1 other option though. I mean it's silly. I shouldn't have even bothered trying. Yeah it was a ridiculous idea. They would never sell him to us in the 1st place, and even if they did it would be for mental money and the chances of him being willing to come back to us after all this time..... No, it's a waste of time.....

But I might as well give it a go right? 

The good news is that he only cost us £30M and we've signed him to a 2 year contract with him having a +1 if he plays 20 games in his 2nd season. 

The bad news is that we're paying him £1M per month and his physical ability seems to be on the wane.m 

Despite that I'm pretty sure he will still score goals, (for the 2nd Team). 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

2 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I may or may not, have done something amazing stupid. Jul 2045. 

We were up to £500M in the bank and I was really frustrated by the sale of (37a) Niño * and I kept changing my mind between the 2 options to replace him.

Option 1. Promote Moses (ENG)(NGA) * from SLC in the 2nd Team to SLC in the 1st Team and replace Moses (ENG)(NGA) * in the 2nd Team with Talal (MAR) *, (who I had planned to send out on loan). 

The upsides of this is that it still leaves the 2nd Team with a clinical striker and also gives Talal (MAR) * the opportunity to develop. 

The downsides of this is that Moses (ENG)(NGA) * contributed 12 goals and 12 assists from the 2nd Team last season and I think this will significantly weaken them and possibly cause us to drop points when we rotate. 

Option 2. Promote Mensah (ENG)(GHA) * from SC in the 2nd Team to SLC in the 1st Team, but at this stage his replacement would probably be..... oh I really don't know. (37c) Castro * possibly??? and I think this would weaken the 2nd Team significantly and we would drop points as a result. 

I wasn't really happy with either of these options and was giving myself time to think when I saw that (29a) Gil was only valued at £32M and I would love him to return so I submitted a bid and had it accepted by them but couldn't even negotiate terms with the player because he had just signed a new contract. 

It did give me another idea though. (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" scored the last goal against us in the Champions League Club World Cup last season and looks excellent. He's interested so let's see if I can get Chelsea to part with him. No dice from them. They want £178M or something ridiculous. 

There was 1 other option though. I mean it's silly. I shouldn't have even bothered trying. Yeah it was a ridiculous idea. They would never sell him to us in the 1st place, and even if they did it would be for mental money and the chances of him being willing to come back to us after all this time..... No, it's a waste of time.....

But I might as well give it a go right? 

The good news is that he only cost us £30M and we've signed him to a 2 year contract with him having a +1 if he plays 20 games in his 2nd season. 

The bad news is that we're paying him £1M per month and his physical ability seems to be on the wane.m 

Despite that I'm pretty sure he will still score goals, (for the 2nd Team). 

Now this season has an extra flavour to it! 

This means that Crespo finally gets to play for Cueta in La Liga 

It’s also curious how he’s seen as only 3 stars too.

Is he playing through the centre?

I also preferred option A if you had gone internally too.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Sonic Youth
Internal

[Rikulec]

Ooooh, I love this.

[Jimbokav1971]

35 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Now this season has an extra flavour to it! 

This means that Crespo finally gets to play for Cueta in La Liga 

It’s also curious how he’s seen as only 3 stars too.

Is he playing through the centre?

I also preferred option A if you had gone internally too.

The star ratings are just silly. 

He will absolutely play through the centre, but for the 2nd Team rather than the 1st Team. 

Option A is what I  had just about decided upon, (before I did this), but that would have still weakened the 2nd Team much more than this. 

This could be good. 

[Jimbokav1971]

22 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Ooooh, I love this.

Yep. I do too. Very unexpected as well. Not planned at all. 

[Jimbokav1971]

12 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Wow! Just when I thought he would have an even better season with you!

Getting players into double figures of goals and assists on multiple seasons is a special player.

We've been really spreading the goals and assists about. Hopefully this will keep that up. 

[Jimbokav1971]

16 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Kind if not what I meant (going out and buying someone), instead using who you have and seeing who has improved enough after a season to step up. Plus as you’ve mentioned, sorting out the registrations as I recall one or two decisions weren’t obvious for you until the moment you went to call on a player and he wasn’t available as expected. Plus considering a GK who won’t get called up by for African Cup of Nations 

Fullback feels the same as last season going through your squad breakdowns too, and DC depth has regressed if you’re looking for a player!

Still, looking good for next season even with those squad dilemmas.

I might have found the GK, but not sure I can get a deal done at the moment. 

DL seems more problematic. 

I think DC is due an upgrade, but nobody seems to be developing hugely from within and I haven't got a finished product ready to sign externally either. 

I think that before we lost (37a) Niño * we were looking slightly stronger than last season, but although I'm sure (27a) Crespo * will do well for us, the change in dynamic up front in the 1st Team might disrupt us early in the season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Job Offer. Jul 2045. 

Last season we were offered an interview at Spurs, but didn't get the job. It was our 1st club interaction in a LONG time. 

Now though PSG have come in for us. (I actually hate PSG for what it's worth). Monaco beat them to the 2041/42 French title, but that's the only season in this save they haven't won the title. 

We still haven't been offered the Barca or Real Madrid jobs, and we have only been offered domestic jobs in Spain, Germany and now France. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Close. Jul 2045. 

I thought that I had solved our GK problems during AFCON, but he wouldn't negotiate terms. 

I have finally managed to get my man, (although I think he was the 4th one I tried and we have had to over-pay to get him both in terms of fee and wages). 

Faty (FRA)(SEN) 6'4" is French 1st and Senagalese 2nd, but knowing my luck he will opt for Senegal now he has joined us. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Saved Team selections. Jul 2045. 

1st Team. 

2nd Team. 

B Team. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2045. 

We've been absolutely decimated by injuries. I can't remember the last time I started a season like this. We haven't been able to play either the 1st Team or the 2nd Team. Instead it's been a hodge podge of the two and I really don't like doing that where I can help it. 

Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * is our 1st choice central striker and he lasted 62 mins of the opening game. Luckily we had (27a) Crespo * on the bench and he not only came on and scored, but then scored 2 more in the next match. 
Mensah (ENG)(GHA) * is the new 1st choice SCL, (in the absence of (37a) Niño *), but he missed the opening 2 games of the season with a knock. 
Faty (FRA)(SEN) 6'4" is the new non-African African GK who we've just signed and he missed the opening month. 
McCarthy (ENG)(GHA) 5'11" * is our 1st choice DLC and he missed the opening month and his replacement in the 2nd Team is the weakest player in the 2nd Team starting XI Ly (BEL)(SEN) *.
Saïdi (MAR)(FRA) * is the 2nd Team WBL. His physicals have taken a right hammering with his injury. 
(27a) Crespo *, who was only playing because Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * was injured, then got injured in our 3rd game. 

So we've got GK, DC, WB, and 4x SC's. The only thing missing is a MC. That's without all the other injuries we've had. These are just the one's that have impacted is this 1st month. 

La Liga. I know it's early days, but we've already taken 3 points of Sevilla, (as well as (27a) Crespo *), Real Madrid have already dropped 5 points and Hispalis have dropped 3 points too. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Records. You couldn't write this script. I was honestly quite proud of myself for not bringing (27a) Crespo * straight into the starting XI upon his return such is my love for him, but no, I did the proper thing and he started on the bench, only to come on after 62 mins, score and then score 2 more in the 2nd game which he was forced to start, and then score against his old club Sevilla before getting injured just 19 mins into the game.  So he's only played 171 mins and he's already scored 4 goals. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2045. 

La Liga. The Real Madrid loss was partly down to our injuries, but also the fact that I was unable to rotate the players properly from the Barca game just 4 days before. Our 1st Team played in the 3 La Liga games and the 2nd Team played in the 2 Champions League games, but as you can see with so many players out, (or returning but struggling with fitness), it has an impact on performances. On top of that, the fact that there are new relationships being built within cells and players aren't used to playing with eachother yet, means that there is significant scope for improvement. Real Madrid were FAR too good for us and the scoreline probably should have been bigger. We got slapped!

My thinking before the Barca/Real Madrid games was that I wasn't really sure how to win both, (with so many players out), and in the end I went for the safe option of trying to make sure we won the Barca game at least, and then hoping for the best against Real Madrid. What I really didn't want to do was lose both of them. In hindsight I should have rotated the side MORE for the Real Madrid game rather than playing much the same side again 4 days later. Rotation has worked well for me and I need to stick with it. 

On the plus side, we're 2nd with a game in hand and only Atletico & Levante are unbeaten and they've drawn 6 games between them already. I would rather win most of our games and lose occasionally rather then have loads of draws. 

UEFA Champions League. Our 2nd Team have struggled in Europe so far, but it's not really a surprise with so many players injured and out on loan. We have some easier games coming up so I'm still hopeful of making the playoffs. The way this abomination of a tournament works now, you can afford to lose quite a few games and still qualify. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

National Team production. Oct 2045.

Ourselves and Barca seem to be dominating here, but you will notice that the list doesn't include (27a) Crespo * who has been over-looked throughout most of his career. It also doesn't include (29a) Gil who has somehow never been capped. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Ballon d'Or. Oct 2045.

(37a) Niño * had a great season last year, (27 goals and 12 assists), but he was unable to replicate the achievement of (27a) Crespo * the year before. 

[Jimbokav1971]

World Golden Glove. Oct 2045.

Camara (SEN) 6'2" wins this for the 2nd year running and (28c) Bermúdez 5'10" comes 3rd, (after finishing 2nd last season and 3rd in 2041/42).

[Jimbokav1971]

Injury problems. Oct 2045.

This is a perfect example of what we have been up against so far this season. It only shows 2 current injuries, but there seem to be loads of players, (like Salifu (ENG)(GHA) *), who seem unable to shake off little knocks. He's meant to be our 1st choice starting SC, but we've only been able to start him in 3 of 9 games so far this month and he's been injured in 2 of them and being withdrawn on 78 mins. He's only managed 1 single shot so far this season and where as the most eagle-eyed amongst you might point out that he's just got a groin issue that I haven't managed very well, the groin issues aren't all on 1 side.  On the plus side, he appears to have just been unlucky and there is no recurring injury. We've had a few different players like this at the start of this season. The issue isn't just replacing, (in this particular case), Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * with (27a) Crespo *, (because obviously (27a) Crespo * is great), but if (27a) Crespo * is playing for the 1st Team and he's meant to be playing for the 2nd Team, then who plays for the 2nd Team? And if he plays in both, doesn't that defeat the purpose of having 2 rotating sides? 

The injuries themselves have been small, but not only to they disrupt match-day, but they also cost the player in terms of missed training sessions and fitness levels in a key stage of the season. 

Compare the above to his injury record last season, (which is almost non-existent).

[john1]

Such a shame you lost Nino Not bad replacement with Crespo

Insane amount of money you made via loan. Any tips? I struggle to send players out on loan with loan fee

[Jimbokav1971]

5 minutes ago, john1 said:

Such a shame you lost Nino Not bad replacement with Crespo

Insane amount of money you made via loan. Any tips? I struggle to send players out on loan with loan fee

If I'm completely honest, I don't actually control it manually at all. I don't ask for a particular price, (and I'm happy to receive anything at all for young players). I just let the buying club set the fee. The key would seem to be having the players and making them available to loan out in the 1st place. 

When you consider that we have  in the bank, making a fre £M on loan deals doesn't really make much different, but as they saying goes if you look after the pennies then the pounds will look after themselves. I tend to bring in money from loans and sell-on clause and friendlies, (from selling clauses), and it's all free money as far as I'm concerned. It's not just 1 thing that makes a difference. It's all the little things together.

The biggest advice I can give you is make sure that your brightest prospects are playing somewhere. If you can squeeze them into your 1st Team squad then great, but if they aren't foing to get competitive football with you then make sure he gets it somewhere else. 

The other thing is, make sure that the contracts you are offering, (with +3 options where possible), are long enough to allow you to benefit from the development of a player. If you are only signing a young player to a 3+1 deal then although you have them for 4 seasons, you are effectively going to have to either offer them a new contract or sell them after 3 season. Change that +3 to a 5+3 and the 17 year old that you would have to sell/negotiate a new contract for at 20 years old, stays with you until he's 24 with a 5+3 deal. You will have to pay more to extend this contract like this, (assuming your board agrees), but loan fees are just 1 way to recoup some of that cost. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2045.

La Liga. Although the 1st team dropped points against Villarreal, I was actually quite pleased. The Santander/Villarreal games were the 1st time so far this season that we were able to rotate from 1st Team to 2nd Team properly and retain a good performance in both games. The 2nd Team blasted Racing Santander away on the Wednesday and then the 1st team were really good against Villarreal on the Saturday but Salifu (ENG)(GHA) * had a stinker, (he's bound to take some time to get up to speed after am interrupted start to the season), but the team around him looked good. 

(27a) Crespo * has 9 goals in 9(3) games and there is much more to come from him. 
Moses (ENG)(NGA) * is the 2nd Team SLC and he's started really well, contributing 6 goals and 3 assists in 9(3) appearances. 
Guèhi (CIV) * was 1st Team SCR last season but has been dropped to 2nd Team SCR this season, but it has done wonders for his form as he has contributed 6 goals and 5 assists in 8(4) appearances, where he only scored 11 goals and 11 assists last season. 

The 2nd Team strike-force, (above), have been on fire, but the 1st Team have struggled in comparison with all 3 of them contributing just 6 goals and 2 assists between them. Fingers crossed they put that right next month. 

UEFA Champions League. Another tough opponent, but a better performance. 

Records. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

Finances.