FM24 - Athletic Club (Bilbao) - Loyalty and Long Term Saves!

[KristianT]

Maybe we can make a player exchange - Luaces to you and Lasarte to me?

Eneko Blasco is not able to produce as many goals as last year (although he is providing more assists), so I still haven't found THAT striker. Although Iñaki Simon is absolutely nuts - 32 games, 19 goals, 18 assists and 7.61 avg.rating so far! Hmm.. maybe I shouldn't complain. Per March 3 I have five players with 11 goals or more.

[Batkan]

Season 26/27 

Champions!

What a amazing season, we were killing it. Played so good but end season was so dramatic. Last 2 months was hell.  One week had 3 games!! All others 2.

Last 2 months we were Cupa del Rey finalists vs Valencia who never defeated us in 4 season, CL semifinals with Arsenal who we destroyed in league phase earlier, and first in league with no more matches with Real or Barca and we were in great form. Needless to say i was very excited and hoping for at least 2 trophies! But it started like throw.  Lost first place in league with shocking defeat vs Alaves despite xG 3,5- 0,5 in our favor.  Then loose in cup finale, i screwed here team meeting with overpressure  players, and then destroyed by Arsenal 4-0 and lucky it was not even more. 

But we show determination and killed league until the end. Last match was title decider, Valencia who won cup vs us almost destroyed our dreams but we beat them. Last 10 min so dramatic they were attacking all the time and had 4 corners in a row in 92 min etc but we managed to win and with that win the league!

[KristianT]

Congrats on the league title!

[KristianT]

Season 34/35

La Liga - winners again. 6th in 7 years now. Sealed it in the penultimate match, ended up 2p ahead of Real, and only 6p ahead of Barcelona who are coming back

Copa del Rey - winners v Barcelona

Supercopa - semifinal v Barcelona

Champions League - another semifinal exit, this time vs Arsenal. On xG we should gone to the final, but a bad away game cost us. I sold a LB in January and suspensions and injuries hit hard towards the end of the season and that might have contributed to the loss. Will look to buy back 2-3 defenders that have improved away from Bilbao.

Player of the year is once again Inaki Simon. I mentioned him in the last post, and this season he did even better. 28 goals and 26 assists in 53 games. No one scored or assisted more than him. Last three seasons: 108 games, 77 goals and 67 assists. That is 1,3 goal or assist per game over three years.

Sancet overtook Unai Simon for the record appearances. He now has 501 and won't retire for at least one more year. Not as dominant, but still good enough and a good leader.

 

[Batkan]

Congrats! You doing great! 

I have major problem suddenly with salary cap rules! Dunno if this is bug or what? Main team is doing fine and i never had issues with limit, but suddenly B team have 3,5 million per year salary cap! Dunno how is it possible since last year no rules existed!? They finished mid table last season. Majority of players have 300-400k per year salary and few have million.,, I can literaly register only 20-30% team. How on earth this happened i dont know. Last year no rules and i could register anyone and no problems. Also Basconia promoted last year from 4 division to third and they have no rules whatsoever same like last year and B team last year. 

Dunno what to do. Need to loan out or sell  or demote to Basconia majority of B team players and only u18 can play since they dont have to be registred.

Edited Sunday at 21:11 by Batkan

[Batkan]

Disaster

[bowieinspace]

There's a salary cap for the B team - certainly in the 2nd tier, it won't have come in suddenly in 2027 I don't think. I get around this by:

1) Using under 19 players who don't need registration

2) Not renewing contracts for B team players who won't ever make the first team - they default to month to month deals (I've had players stay until their late twenties on youth deals also haha) and it reduces their impact on the cap, as wages in the B team go crazy after a few seasons

[KristianT]

Experienced the same thing and solved it like bowie describes. A third solution is to not do the registration yourself. On deadline days I just register for the first team and then don't do it for B and C team. You get past that by pressing "continue".

[Batkan]

Ye but it sounds like a bug. So i decided remove from loan list and register best non first team players in Basconia, younger then 19 ofc , since Basconia dont have rules, at least for now. Seems weird. Most of them unhappy now because of move.

Keeping up B team in second tier with only u19 players will be tough this season. Maybe B team relegate and Basconia promote to second league haha

Dont understand why rules didnt exist last season but do now.

For main team i signed Laporte! He is still very good. He realised his mistake by not signing for us last season but for PSG suckers. He still looks fantastic. Best DC in team by far, especially since Yeray started deteriorate but i am getting really worried for DC future.

This is are best and only decent DC in youth teams. He even weirdly started as DL but i training him as DC. Dont have much potential according to staff (all scouts and analysts have 20 judging player potential) but should improve to decent player.

Not much luck finding decent DC newgens in other teams too.  Hopefully more luck this year with newgens. Maybe i should hire new Head of Youth who prefer tactics with 3 DC, that could increase likehood of DC spawning i think. Also Guerrero looks better and better. I will give him more playtime this season

Edited Monday at 09:15 by Batkan

[KristianT]

This last season I actually had mainly 18-19 yos in the B team and they went and won La Liga 2. Earlier years with some 20+ yo players I kept just to have some players there that doesn't change every year, but then they have always ended up around 4th-8th. Now they won with what should be a weaker and more inexperienced squad.

[bowieinspace]

On 01/07/2024 at 21:42, KristianT said:

This last season I actually had mainly 18-19 yos in the B team and they went and won La Liga 2. Earlier years with some 20+ yo players I kept just to have some players there that doesn't change every year, but then they have always ended up around 4th-8th. Now they won with what should be a weaker and more inexperienced squad.

Yeah I've generally found my B team becomes a consistent top 6 team with mostly 18-19 year olds after a few years in the division, and the wage cap does gradually increase to provide a bit more room for manouver. 

[KristianT]

Do you play now, @bowieinspace, or have you finished for FM24?