FM24 - Stopping Southend from Sinking

[ToMexico!!]

Southend United have had a turbulent past decade. A club once competing in the Championship back in 2006/07, they now find themselves at the foot of the Vanarama National League table before the season even starts as financial mismanagement has seen them handed a 10-point deduction to start the season with. 

A quick look at the finances first. 

Just shy of half a million in the bank but I expect that to be expunged quite quickly. 

We look to have three more payments of £180k to pay off, which sees most of our debt paid off. Short-term suffering for long-term gain. 

The board want us to develop players using the club's youth system; straightforward, ideal for me and cost-saving. They also want us to work within the wage budget; a given, years of poor decisions at owner level and highly-paid contracts have seen the club pay a high price. 

Build a new stadium; out of my control but as long as most of the funds can be found from outside of the club then so be it. Attempt to Avoid Relegation; starting off on -10 points will need us to get off to a good start, 50 points was enough to stay up last season so we need to accumulate at least 60 points this season. 

To make things even harder, we've been given a transfer ban until 1st January 2024. But, that does give us a chance to blood the youngsters. 

We have a squad of just 18 players but U18s to pick from. Standout players are;

Gk - Collin Andeng-Ndi signed from Isthmian D1N and local Essex side Basildon, he will take the number one spot in my starting XI

LB - Nathan Ralph - is on non-contract terms with the club at the moment, the 30-year-old is in his prime years. 

CM - Noor Husin - the Afghan international was once with Crystal Palace but didn't feature. He can command the central midfield area for us. 

ST - Harry Cardwell - the Scotsman is the only out-and-out striker at the club. Fingers crossed he can stay fit. 

 

UP THE SHRIMPERS!!

[Jimbokav1971]

Oof. 

What a challenge. I wonder if the sale on 1st Nov will be updated for the full game. It will be good for Sarfend fans, but will spoil a terrific challenge.  Good luck. #MartinOut.

[ToMexico!!]

5 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Oof. 

What a challenge. I wonder if the sale on 1st Nov will be updated for the full game. It will be good for Sarfend fans, but will spoil a terrific challenge.  Good luck. #MartinOut.

I don't know all the ins and outs of why the club has fallen to where it is now but from seeing bits and pieces on the local news things could be on the way up for the up. But it's certainly a challenge for the short term until some African leagues are made on steam. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 minutes ago, ToMexico!! said:

I don't know all the ins and outs of why the club has fallen to where it is now but from seeing bits and pieces on the local news things could be on the way up for the up. But it's certainly a challenge for the short term until some African leagues are made on steam. 

 

All you need to know is that Ron Martin is a wrong-un. 

[Rikulec]

I have a soft spot for Southend, they were the very first team I managed back in the old CM4 days! This looks like a massive challenge, best of luck!

[ToMexico!!]

August 2023

Six games in the opening month of the season with two wins and three draws secured. Harry Cardwell carried us in four of the first five games before a Jack Bridge double helped us come back from 2-0 down at halftime against Bromley. 

We're still bottom but next month could see us get out of minus figures and into positive points. 

[ToMexico!!]

1 minute ago, Rikulec said:

I have a soft spot for Southend, they were the very first team I managed back in the old CM4 days! This looks like a massive challenge, best of luck!

Thanks @Rikulec 

[Vakama2619]

Looks like a potential takeover incoming, although I've been mostly keeping my eyes on the other SUFC that looked like dissolving, I've still been keeping my eye on whats going on a Southend, gotta hope this takeover does go through although I'm getting similar vibes to the "takeover" announced by Scunthorpe last year that never went ahead. Best of luck with the save, will 100% be following. #MartinOut

[ToMexico!!]

7 minutes ago, Vakama2619 said:

Looks like a potential takeover incoming, although I've been mostly keeping my eyes on the other SUFC that looked like dissolving, I've still been keeping my eye on whats going on a Southend, gotta hope this takeover does go through although I'm getting similar vibes to the "takeover" announced by Scunthorpe last year that never went ahead. Best of luck with the save, will 100% be following. #MartinOut

I see the club put a statement today saying it may not happen as quickly as first thought. 

What is going on at Scunthorpe now? They've got a few ex-King's Lynn players, Clunan especially but I know he's been injured recently. 

[Vakama2619]

13 minutes ago, ToMexico!! said:

I see the club put a statement today saying it may not happen as quickly as first thought. 

What is going on at Scunthorpe now? They've got a few ex-King's Lynn players, Clunan especially but I know he's been injured recently. 

Had the man with many names take over from Swann in January, before he got exposed and the club went downhill, pulled funding and ended the lease at Glanford Park making them homeless, however a new consortium lead by Michelle Harness has taken over, and a deal in the process with Peter Swann to purchase GP, have been allowed to host the next 2 home games tho. Also in the promotion hunt which is good to see

[ToMexico!!]

September 2023

Things could be looking up for us already. 

[ToMexico!!]

September 2023

7 games this month with three more wins. A shock 1-0 win over then-table toppers York City was followed by back-to-back defeats. We were 2-0 up against Aldershot but failed to take the 3 points, we ended the month with a comfortable 3-0 win over Rochdale. 

11 points this season sees us jump out of the relegation zone into 20th place. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

I can't believe you didn't call this thread #MartinOut  

[ToMexico!!]

October 2023

 #Martin'sOut 

[ToMexico!!]

October 2023

Felt a poorer month with just one league win. Caldwell carrying us again. An easy win against lower-league opposition to reach the 1st Round of the FA Cup. We face Exeter. 

Currently 19th. 

The main debt has been paid off, the new board restructured the remaining debt to be paid at £2k per month. 

[ToMexico!!]

November 2023

An awful month. Injuries mounted, a few niggly injuries plus starting goalkeeper and striker Caldwell were both out all month. We were a cats whisker away from beating Exeter in the 1st Round of the FA Cup, they equalised in the 96th minute. 

We drop down to 23rd. 

[ToMexico!!]

December 2023

[ToMexico!!]

December 2023

Can you tell we got some players back from injury?

Sour note to the end of the month as we lose to Barnet. 

Dizzy heights of 14th.

[ToMexico!!]

January 2024

A decent month sandwiched between two 2-0 losses. Cardwell has struggled in the league but smashes four past Chorley in the FA Trophy.

 

We remain in 14th.

[ToMexico!!]

Goalkeeper Injuries

I've seen it's a known issue in the bugs forum. 

but breaking an arm catching a ball 

[ToMexico!!]

March 2024

Our first youth intake with Southend and it's pretty promising looking despite the 'poor' tagline. Six elite talents to supplement the squad with. 

• Andy Bell - AMC - the negatives unfortunately outweigh the positives; poor passing, dribbling, work rate, acceleration and pace all lacking. 
• Dru Crockett-Downey - AML - a more promising looking player; crossing, passing and technique all double figures along with aggression, work rate and acceleration. 
• Ben Friend - AMR - looks weaker than his opposite winger but improved physicals which are better for this level.
• Jamie Birmingham - MC - my pick of the bunch, 2* PA already. Poor passing which might see him drop to DM as a BWM. Mentally good; high aggression, determination, leadership, positioning, teamwork and work rate. 
• Everaldo - GK - Brazilian-born half-Italian. Poor personality/determination combination but who doesn't like a Brazilian goalkeeper in the depths of English football? 

[ToMexico!!]

March 2024

Signs for the club one day, and plays his first full 90 the next. 

[ToMexico!!]

Feb & March 2024

A couple of busy months with plenty of green. We're into the semi-finals of the FA Trophy, we play National League leaders Chesterfield for a chance of a final appearance. 

Harry Cardwell has continued to score goals for us, leading the line in good fashion. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to sign a new contract to stay with the club next season. 

10th place with four games remaining. There's an outside chance of a play-off place but it's highly unlikely. 

 

[ToMexico!!]

April 2024

The loss to Boreham Wood ended any chances for play-offs before they even began. We struggled against table-toppers Chesterfield in the FA Trophy, Scott Hogan scoring a double. We ended the season in fine fashion though, winning all three remaining games even against Rochdale despite us rotating the squad fully with youth players. Ben Friend and Simeon Hamilton both scoring on debut. 

A 10th-place finish in the end. 

[ToMexico!!]

End of Season Review 2023/24

National League - 10th - We finish the season just five points from a play-off spot which seems ridiculous considering we started on -10 points. If we +10 points on to our total that would have seen us finish in 5th place. 

FA Cup - 1st Round - an easy win over Eastbourne Borough before taking League One side Exeter to a replay. 

FA Trophy - Semi-Finals - we defeated Maidstone, Chorley, Aldershot and Solihull Moors en-route to a semi-final defeat to Chesterfield. 

Transfers IN & Transfers OUT

One player joined in January, Zimbabwean winger Jimel Chikukwa joined on loan from Halifax. Jason Demetriou left in July on a free transfer and Jack Bridge joined Exeter in January also on a free transfer. 

Top Scorer - Harry Cardwell - wanted to leave in January when a derisory bid came in from Scotland somewhere, promised him he could go if someone offered us £50k. Clearly, no one would so he stayed. He scored 32 goals in 40(6) games. 23 of those came in the league, which saw him finish level with Charlie Kelman as the division's top scorer. 

Most Assists - Noor Husin - the Afghani international managed a team-high of nine assists. 

Unsung Hero - Jake Hart - the 17 year old Striker filled in for Cardwell admirably. Nine goals this season with an xG of 5.55, he recorded a goal every 100 minutes mainly as a substitute. 

We sit with just shy of £1m in the bank thanks to new sponsorship deals of around £375k. We've been given £390k to spend on new players and an increased wage budget of £22k per week. 

[Rikulec]

Good first season in charge. 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

Can’t sniff at that league finish. Excellent work. Harry Cardwell is someone who has served me well on previous instalments of the game, I’m glad he’s proving the goods for you.

[ToMexico!!]

19 hours ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Can’t sniff at that league finish. Excellent work. Harry Cardwell is someone who has served me well on previous instalments of the game, I’m glad he’s proving the goods for you.

Thanks @DefinitelyTaylor

Cardwell wouldn’t sign a new contract so despite his goals he was released. I’ve been busy in the summer scouring and signing a bunch of new players 

An update of that to come soon. 

[ToMexico!!]

August 2024

Two players left to join other clubs, our on-loan player left and I released 13 players from their contracts including some youth players.

 

Despite a healthy transfer budget of £370k, I didn't want to spend it. Instead, we plumped for strengthening the club via free transfers. Nine players joined the first team. 

• Ben Fox - DM - two seasons with Northampton, Fox drops down another division. He can also play at CM. 
• Matt Olosunde - RB - a former Man Utd academy player, he was at Preston. I hoping for some attacking output from Matt.
• Rory Feely - CB - made the move from Ireland to Barrow, comfortable at both CB and RB. 
• Adam Berry - AML - a huge signing from Man Utd, the young winger joins with my blessing for us to be a stepping stone. 
• Jayden St Paul - GK - a backup option in goal.
• Remi Savage - CB - can also play at LB, previous clubs include Liverpool and Newcastle. 
• D'Margio Wright-Phillips - AMR - spent four seasons at Stoke but hardly featured. Hoping he can do the business on the right-hand side for us. 
• Billy Vigar - ST - an Arsenal academy graduate who scored 15 goals from Eastbourne last season. 
• Shaq Coulthirst - ST - spent three seasons with Ebbsfleet but didn't feature at all last season. 

[ToMexico!!]

August 2024

A good opening month in the 2024/25 season. We snatched a late goal to give us a point in the opening-day fixture. Billy Vigar scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Halifax, he scored twice more against Aldershot and then Dorking to help us to two more wins. We then suffered our first loss of the season away to Ebbsfleet. Feely and Fox rounded off the month  with a good win over a promoted Torquat side. 

5th place is a good start to the season, play-offs could be achievable this season I think. 

[ToMexico!!]

September 2024

A mixed month with both wins coming at home. Adam Berry finally got off the mark in the home win against Scunthorpe and then later netted a goal in the 1-1 draw with Solihull Moors. The losses to Rochdale and Gateshead were a shame as both teams were in play-off positions along with us. 

Teams are still sorting themselves out after 11 games played. Barrow currently finding themselves down in 19th place. 

 

[ToMexico!!]

October 2024

What a month, a huge month. Billy Vigar kicked things off with a superb hat-trick over Hartlepool. An in-form Adam Berry struck the only goal against Oldham before we demolished Chippenham 6-1 in the FA Cup 4th Round, we face Doncaster in the next round. We then suffered a couple of injuries; Billy Vigar ruled out for 3 months and his back up Shaq Coulthirst also ruled out for up to 8 weeks. 

We've coped admirably though, Adam Berry helping us to win over both Grimsby and Woking whilst we've scoured the loan markets for a replacement striker. We loaned in Tom Dickson-Peters from Norwich for the remainder of the season for just a £400 per week outlay against his contract. He scored twice against Spennymoor in his 2nd game for the club. 

We're flying high in 2nd place, just one point behind table-topping Gateshead. 

[Rikulec]

Brilliant month, keep it up. 

[ToMexico!!]

November 2024

Another great month, the televised FA Cup game opened the season and it took a solitary penalty at the end of the first half to advance. A comfortable win over Fylde was followed by a hammering of York with a Dickson-Peters hat-trick. Another win was followed by a small blip of back-to-back draws. We ended the month in another FA Cup game, beating fellow National League side Gateshead thanks to two Adam Berry goals. 

Still top and into the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. 

[ToMexico!!]

6 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Brilliant month, keep it up. 

A huge couple of months for Southend. Really enjoying the save and game at the moment. 

[ToMexico!!]

December 2024

A junior coaching upgrade was followed by...

Some proof it was needed perhaps?...

[ToMexico!!]

December 2024

The results keep coming. Comfortable wins over both Yeovil and Maidenhead with another against Halifax. A heavily rotated side needed two late goals and penalties to get past Dartford in the FA Trophy. A last-gasp Husin penalty saw us keep the unbeaten run going on boxing day. A couple of days later a huge crowd saw us take all three points against lowly Aldershot. 

A 10-point gap has opened up over Fylde, although both York and Gateshead have two games in hand. 

[ToMexico!!]

January 2025

A good start to the month in the league before we managed a draw against Championship side QPR in the FA Cup 3rd Round. A few days later we demolished Ebbsfleet and got another win over Torquay. 

The FA Cup replay was on TV, £70k was earned already before kick-off. A capacity crowd witnessed a humdinger of a match which ended 3-2 for the away side. A valiant effort. We also earned £400k from gate receipts. 

A massively rotated first XI was unlucky to draw and bow out of the FA Trophy on penalties. We then ended our 20-game unbeaten run at the end of the month, losing 2-1 to Scunthorpe. 

Still top, seven points clear with a game in hand over 2nd place. 

We made a signing back in November which I forgot to mention, our then-current LB, Nathan Ralph wanted a new contract that far exceeded our ability to pay. He was subsequently released and Reece Divine was signed to replace him. 

We sold two players, summer signing Matt Olosunde left for America having already signed a pre-contract agreement with them. Louis Lomas also wanted out, so he joined fellow NL side Rochdale for a small fee. 

[ToMexico!!]

February 2025

With the cups out of the way, we could just concentrate on the league and what a month it was. Five wins from six games including big wins over Gateshead and Oldham who are play-off hopefuls. 

13 points clear of 2nd placed Gateshead. 

[ToMexico!!]

March 2025

I think the poor intake / distribution is a little bit broken. 

• Ben Daly - DM / MC - if we can turn some of those 8's and 9's into double figures we have a decent player in there
• Lloyd Messiah - AML - the best of the bunch, low determination/personality combination. Some good technical and mental attributes already but poor physically.
• Scott Basi - ST - prefers a role we don't use in a pressing forward.  
• Giorgos Kyriakou - CB - poor defensive attributes for a CB, possibly more suited to DM. 
• John Paul Brannan - RB - awful physically, not much better technically. 

[ToMexico!!]

March 2025

We were on the wrong end of an eight-goal thriller away at Grimsby. Things improved with wins over both Spennymoor and Fylde before York beat us to see it come crashing down. We ended the month with a win over Dagenham & Redbridge. 

A play-off spot has been secured, we're 8 points clear with four games remaining. 

[ToMexico!!]

End of Season Review - 2024/25

Three wins from four games to finish the season off and we are crowned as champions of the National League. 

National League - 1st - pretty imperious once we got going, we went on a 20-game unbeaten run which included 16 wins in that time. 

FA Cup - 3rd Round - Chippenham defeated in qualifying, League 2's Doncaster and then Gateshead defeated to achieve a 3rd Round appearance. We drew with QPR before losing 3-2 in the replay.

FA Trophy - 4th Round - Poor performance in the Trophy, needing penalties to win the 3rd Round before them becoming our downfall against Hyde. 

Transfers IN & Transfers OUT

Top Scorer - Tom Dickson-Peters - the young Scotsman on loan from Norwich was a late October signing led the line extremely well. He outscored his xG of 17.06 by netting 25 goals. 

Most Assists - Adam Berry - the free signing from Man Utd was exceptional, not just with his 13 assists but also his 20 goals from left wing. He's currently wanted by a host of Championship clubs but we've offered him a new deal, tripling his wages. 

Unsung Hero - Billy Vigar - was signed to lead the line but got injured and was out for 2-3 months but he came back and continued to score some crucial goals. 

We've doubled our overall balance over the course of the season thanks largely to the FA Cup run. 

When the save started the original board were planning on building a new stadium but after the takeover, it was scrapped. Now the new board have begun the process of building another new one. 

[ToMexico!!]

May 2025

Some information I missed last season or haven't seen as of yet which I like. 

Dynamic ticket pricing, let's hope this works in Africa, I was sick of seeing both match-day and season tickets at £1 each every season. 

Thirty set-piece goals were scored, which seems huge. I don't think I set up anything special, maybe just having a good corner-taker in Adam Berry and Reece Devine as a replacement. 

[Rikulec]

Congratulations on the promotion!

[ToMexico!!]

5 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Congratulations on the promotion!

Thanks @Rikulec

[ToMexico!!]

June 2025

[robterrace]

2 hours ago, ToMexico!! said:

Most Assists - Adam Berry - the free signing from Man Utd was exceptional, not just with his 13 assists but also his 20 goals from left wing. He's currently wanted by a host of Championship clubs but we've offered him a new deal, tripling his wages. 

Thats one thing I've noticed so far, is that clubs in Championship/League One are more willing to take the risk on players from Conference football compared to previous versions of FM.

[ToMexico!!]

36 minutes ago, robterrace said:

Thats one thing I've noticed so far, is that clubs in Championship/League One are more willing to take the risk on players from Conference football compared to previous versions of FM.

Luckily we secured him to a new deal for 3 years at a cost of tripling his £1k p/w wages. A month into the new season and he's on Cardiff's radar.

[ToMexico!!]

August 2025

Feels like a tough start to life in League 2 but it is not, two wins over Gateshead and Gillingham. 

15th after five games. All we need to do is finish 22nd.

[ToMexico!!]

September 2025

The transfer window has come to a close and we've signed seven new players for the first team; 

• Zane Monlouis - CB - the 21-year-old was set to be released by Arsenal. Solid technical attributes for a CB, needs to work on his mental's like work rate and aggression. 
• Henry Timi Davies - ST - another signing from Arsenal. The Nigerian forward has good physicals and determination for this level and can finish but needs work.
• Dubem Eze - AMC - being retrained to CM. Was released by Norwich but is a well-rounded player for League 2. 
• Gideon Kodua - RM/RW - a cheap wage option for a backup on the RW. Currently injured for 3 months. 
• Harry Brooke - DM/MC - another player released by Norwich. Good mentally, and needs to work on his marking for the DM role. 
• Luca Stephenson - RB/DM/MC - a utility player released by Liverpool. Needs to work technically but has great determination/personality to improve. 
• Jack Marriott - ST - we needed an experienced striker so on deadline day I decided to see who I could get. The 30-year-old has the ability to keep us in the league.