milenec11 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 (edited) 48 minutes ago, _Ben_ said: No. It's the original game database as this was started on the early access, way back in October. The current salary cap is €19,750 per week - so a huge reduction from Bundesliga wages and, to be fair, even MLS wages. The squad can have seven foreign players with no more than five in the matchday squad, so it's all about youth development - which is part of the reason I've chosen here. Perhaps the most challenging task I assume . So the transfer would be any price but the organization must have 237.000 € wage ?!?!? All the organization?!?! for sure the most challenging Edited May 28 by milenec11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 Jake Gibbons lasted just fifteen games, becoming the first CPL manager to lose his job, presenting a nice opportunity, to which I was the successful candidate. After fifteen games, the picture of the league is becoming pretty clear - this is a three horse race between Cavalry, Ottawa and Forge, with them, surely, taking the most momentum into the playoffs when the regular season ends after twenty-eight games. Statistically speaking, there are some interesting trends - such as the intense possession football of Dean Upson at Vancouver and Forge's insistence on not dribbling the ball, almost at all! Our season, whilst not being a total disaster, has really tailed off, leading to the sacking of Gibbons. No wins in eight games, including harrowing home losses to Valour, 3-0 came after some promising performances where we beat Ottawa 2-1 and Cavalry 2-0, with the latter away from home. Goalscoring appears to be an issue, with just three goals in the last eight fixtures - something that will be at the forefront of my mind when I'm working through my tactical ideas early into my tenure but, fortunately, it feels that the league is actually quite low scoring this season, saving my defensive worries. I'm hoping that, as the years go on here, the shape of the league will change and the managers will bring quality and style, creating an exciting competition that anyone can win. There is clearly some potential within the squad but the job now is to get my feet under the desk, do all the learning about the players and team and go from there! The Halifax Wanderers Football Club, founded in 2018, has swiftly become a cornerstone of Canadian soccer, thriving on the foundation of its vibrant community and rich maritime heritage. Competing in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the club calls Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia, home—a city renowned for its cultural vibrancy and picturesque waterfront. Nestled in the heart of Halifax lies the Wanderers Grounds, the club's iconic stadium and the pulsating heartbeat of soccer in the region. Boasting a seating capacity of approximately 6,500, this historic venue provides an intimate and electric atmosphere for fans on matchdays. With its central location and storied past, the Wanderers Grounds serves as more than just a stadium; it's a symbol of pride and identity for both the club and the city. Beyond the roar of the crowd, the Halifax Wanderers have invested in top-tier facilities to nurture talent from grassroots to professional levels. The club's youth and training facilities are second to none, featuring state-of-the-art equipment and expert coaching staff. Here, young players are given the opportunity to develop their skills and showcase their potential under the guidance of experienced mentors. This commitment to youth development has borne fruit, with several notable players emerging from the Wanderers' youth system to make their mark on the professional stage. From promising prospects to seasoned professionals, these homegrown talents have played a crucial role in the club's success, both on and off the pitch. Their journey from local academies to the bright lights of the Wanderers Grounds is a testament to the club's dedication to nurturing talent and fostering a culture of excellence. Financially, the club stands on solid ground, maintaining stability and sustainability in its operations. While not boasting exceptional wealth, the Wanderers' financial health is characterized as "okay," indicating prudent management and a focus on long-term viability. Local support for the Halifax Wanderers is nothing short of remarkable, with 4,000 dedicated season ticket holders packing the stands on game days. Moreover, the club's online presence is steadily growing, with 10,878 followers across various social media platforms, further solidifying its reach and influence within the community and beyond. - - - Assuming my role as Head Coach, I won't have any say in the hiring and firing of anybody but my immediate coaching team, headed by the Assistant Manager and Head of Youth Development - who'll largely assume a role of Head of Player Development, given the fact that I'll intend to just run one squad of 23 players, despite HFX being one of the couple of clubs with an actual U19 team, although they aren't in a league or play any fixtures. Frédéric Gros, born and raised in the vibrant city of Quebec, Canada, has emerged as a promising figure in the realm of sports management and coaching. At 29 years old, he stands as a testament to the power of passion, dedication, and hard work in shaping one's career. From an early age, Frédéric exhibited a profound love for sports, particularly soccer. Growing up in Quebec City, he was deeply immersed in the local sporting culture, spending countless hours honing his skills on the field and fostering a keen understanding of the game's intricacies. As he embarked on his academic journey, Frédéric's commitment to sports only deepened. He pursued higher education at the prestigious University of Calgary, where he crossed paths with Marcus Torbjörnsson, a friendship that would later prove instrumental in his career. During his time at university, Frédéric actively engaged in coaching at the grassroots level, driven by a desire to impart his knowledge and passion for the game to the next generation of athletes. This hands-on experience not only solidified his understanding of coaching principles but also instilled in him a profound sense of responsibility towards nurturing young talent. After completing his studies, Frédéric transitioned seamlessly into a career in sports management, where his exceptional leadership qualities and strategic acumen quickly garnered attention. His innate ability to inspire and motivate others, coupled with his astute tactical insights, saw him rise through the ranks with remarkable speed. Germán Palacios was born in the vibrant city of Toronto, Canada, in 1990. His childhood was deeply influenced by his Colombian heritage, where soccer wasn't just a game but a way of life. Growing up in a household pulsating with the rhythms of Colombian football culture, Palacios developed an insatiable passion for the beautiful game from a tender age. Every weekend, young Germán could be found glued to the television screen, enraptured by the mesmerizing performances of his favorite players and the electrifying atmosphere of the matches. Whether it was the skillful dribbling of Carlos Valderrama or the precision passing of Andres Escobar - watched, mainly on film given his shocking death when Germán was just four. Each game fueled his dreams of one day making a mark in the world of soccer. Inspired by the artistry and camaraderie of the sport, Palacios took to the field himself, honing his skills with unwavering dedication and an unrelenting work ethic. His talent and passion soon caught the attention of coaches and scouts, paving the way for a promising career in soccer. Despite the challenges and setbacks along the way, Palacios remained undeterred, drawing strength from the lessons instilled in him by the sport – perseverance, resilience, and teamwork. His journey from the bustling streets of Toronto to the hallowed grounds of professional soccer stadiums was a testament to his unwavering commitment to his craft. In 2037, Palacios embarked on a new chapter in his career, joining Halifax, a prestigious soccer club, as the head of youth development. Armed with his wealth of experience and a profound understanding of the game, he set out to nurture the next generation of soccer talents, instilling in them the same passion and dedication that had propelled him to success. Aside from these two, the coaching team is a little threadbare and I'll be putting out adverts as soon as I can to try and reshape the team a little. - - - So, Canadian football! Hardly the pinnacle of sporting success, nor even the most famous sport in the country. However, there seems to be a decent number of players within the squad and I hope that my team allow me to keep the core of them to build a team around. The squad feels pretty big but the depth within it quite quickly tails off from the top players. Below is the inherited squad: Each thumbnail can be clicked to see the player profile. Jake Heath is the star of the show here! At 19, he'll contribute the vast majority of the minutes towards my U21 goal and will be the first name on the team sheet. A really well rounded midfielder who, despite seemingly favouring the attacking side, hasn't actually ever scored. He's new here after signing from Pacific FC in the summer and I feel he could absolutely be a wish-Reckert in a Segundo Volante role, or similar. Hutchinson is another new signing - this time from Forge FC - and is a solid centre back option, who I hope will excel in ground duels. Whilst he's tall and good at jumping, his heading ability is, sadly, somewhat lacking. Paprocki is a new signing, after coming through the Hacken academy and spending time in Sweden's second tier - really emphasising the level that we are on here. For some reason, he's unregistered and, actually, hasn't played this season. I need to see why he's not made the squad (assuming it's salary driven) and work from there. A nice spread of attributes with a slight mental bias will help us in the attacking areas. Whilst Ortiz is the worst dribbler I think I've ever seen, his technical ability is pretty strong! One of the players that generated this season, and, as such, comes with no background history, he'll be decent for a little while but I imagine will tail off pretty soon. With the unknown about Dominik, he might just become the most static Enganche that I can create! Each thumbnail can be clicked to see the player profile. Jordan Dicks and Jake Heath could become the midfield pivot that propels us up the table! The former doesn't really work too hard but is a nice passer and will help us move the ball forward. He's new here after spending time in the lower levels of American soccer and I look forward to seeing him settle. Osborn has just generated and is a pretty solid left footed centre back, who'll partner Hutchinson in the heart of my defence. I'll look at using his 'brings ball out of defence' trait with his not terrible dribbling to look at a different way of building from the back. Jepson feels like the stereotypical lower level striker - pacey and knows where the net is. Despite just generating, his scoring record has been strong and I'll look to keep that up. Each thumbnail can be clicked to see the player profile. I like the look of Terence and foresee that he'll get some minutes this season. I want him to build a more physical base but there is hope! Maciej scored one of the three goals that we've scored in our last eight and has already appeared five times this season. Quick off the mark with some flair - I think he could be a decent option. - - - Now that the formalities are over - it's time to knuckle down, work through some training routines, build a tactical base and begin to work with this crop of players. I'm not favoured, yet, so I've got plenty of work to do to turn this around! Then, I want to think about how I report things back, too. Three posts in two days signifies that I've done a lot of playing and a lot of writing of late, so expect a slight slow down from now on! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Nice place to start your Canadian adventure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipky Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 A very intriguing location to play in. I've never touched North America on FM so I'll definitely be following. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoudini24 Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 The ability level of players is way higher than I expected, this should be fun! Great idea to manage in Canada, never thought of it myself. I've tried MLS a few times, but at the start of the save it's a bit boring for me. I always keep it as a "last destination" before retiring my manager on the yearly journeyman save, but I am not even close to reaching that this year, as I was sucked in a Youth Only challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted May 29 Author Share Posted May 29 On 28/05/2024 at 13:11, danielgear said: Nice place to start your Canadian adventure. 11 hours ago, Slipky said: A very intriguing location to play in. I've never touched North America on FM so I'll definitely be following. Halifax does, indeed, look a beautiful city and I'm just coming to terms with the distances between the clubs with our derby against Ottawa being a near 3,000 mile round trip! I've also never managed here but have always liked the small leagues: SPL, Switzerland, Austria etc, so I think the eight-team league should allow for some nice immersion into what is going on! 2 hours ago, BillHoudini24 said: The ability level of players is way higher than I expected, this should be fun! Great idea to manage in Canada, never thought of it myself. I've tried MLS a few times, but at the start of the save it's a bit boring for me. I always keep it as a "last destination" before retiring my manager on the yearly journeyman save, but I am not even close to reaching that this year, as I was sucked in a Youth Only challenge. Yeah - I'm pleasantly surprised, too! Hopefully we have the facilities to kick on and develop them, too. That'll be perfect, knowing that I can feasible keep too many given the tight salary controls but to be able to move them onto the MLS and then the non T7 leagues in Europe would be great. I'd also like to see the Canadian national team develop, too. I think the CPL is a bit of a watered down MLS, which is great for me, because I've not learnt the rules of the MLS! The plan, from here, is to earn my keep as an up and coming data driven manager before moving into Europe at a level like Poland, Austria, Romania etc and then go from there. However, that'll be a good few years. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted May 29 Author Share Posted May 29 June 2037: Match-week 16 | vs Ottawa (h) | Match Overview | Goalscorers: Ortiz (5 this season) | Assists: None | Just the one game in June and it was a home derby against Atletico Ottawa, who, on paper, are a much stronger team than we are. Their 433 shape, with best player Barroso on the right wing meant that I went for a 4231 shape – probably my norm – with Benjamin Diallo at right back, tucking into the midfield, leaving Jonathan Parkin as the narrow left back against Barroso. With an attribute disadvantage, I had to go for a numerical advantage with the false back three, pulling the left winger slightly deeper and instructing the DM(s) - Ortiz – to sit narrower, restricting the space. The pass map shows that it worked nicely, as the two wide men on the left were the closest together in and out of possession. On the right, I instructed Danny Green, a man who has barely produced anything this year, to hold his shape and give us more width, given the inverted wing back behind him. Stretching the play but still facing a DM, meant I wanted the technical prowess of Stanko Bozíc in the middle as an AM(s) and, overall, he was good, creating 0.22 xG. Dicks, the Volante – in the absence of Heath – was the main creator, with 0.19xA, although a large number of his passes were backwards, as he looked to be safer in possession that I’d necessarily like. Danny Green’s sixty-eight touches and seven dribbles were all out wide, meaning his heat map looked very different to left winger, Jovanovic's. By forcing Barroso inside and restricting his space with a numerical advantage, we allowed him thirty-seven touches – just two in the final third – and twenty-four passes, with his most advanced completions both being from throw ins. Despite Ottawa being possession hungry – with a 53% average this season, we restricted that to 45%, compacting their offensive spaces and forcing them to go sideways. 6.3% of their total passes completed were progressive, compared to the 5.3% of ours, although we did complete exactly one hundred more passes with 54% of them being completed by defenders. Ottawa’s system is to not press intently and, to be honest, this proportion meant that we lacked a bit of sting in our own build up, getting lucky in the 82nd minute with a penalty that, probably, was deserved. Our xG total of 1.56 looks a lot less healthy without the penalty – 0.56xG – but, defensively, we were sound, with no shots on target and an xGA of 0.29, with the visitors clocking 0.048xG per shot compared to our 0.096. It's always pleasing to start with a win, however that win comes! Elsewhere in the CPL, Cavalry – our next opponents – won 2-0 against Forge in a game that had just four shots on target. Pacific’s 0-0 draw with Valour was somewhat more exciting with the away side having thirteen shots and a pass map that really shows their commitment to getting the ball wide in the early transitions. July 2037: Match-week 17 | vs Cavalry (a) | Match Overview | Goalscorers: None | Assists: None | Moving Edgar Ortiz to a IWB role might just be a stroke of genius that eradicates his humongous ball carrying weakness, allowing me to both have a numerical advantage in a deeper transitional area and attribute advantage against Cavalry’s best player, Neil Pitt. For reference, Neil has eighteen goal involvements and an average rating of over 8.0, winning PoTM in 60% of the games they have played this season, helping them to a ten-game unbeaten run. Cavalry’s pressing was very targeted – not so much at my defence, which brought about the addition of ‘Play out of Defence’ but as soon as we reached the pivots or the aforementioned Ortiz, they would swarm. With just seventeen touches, and one inside the opponent’s box, Daniel Jepson looked somewhat isolated. A penalty save in the second half gave me hope but their quality, and, more so, our lack of offensive quality, told as we failed to muster a shot on target and limped home with a 2-0 defeat. Elsewhere, Ottawa survived a late onslaught to beat York 2-1, whilst Forge recovered from their defeat to beat our next opponents, Valour, 3-0 away from home. A missed penalty but still over 2.0xG created, allowing the hosts little more than a sniff gives me hope for what is to come. Lastly, Vancouver dominated against Pacific but could only muster a 0-0 draw; their xG total of 1.06 to 0.16 means they extend their unwanted record as biggest xG underachievers, having scored just fourteen from 19.44 xG this season. Dean Upson’s side still are way ahead in terms of possession and pass completion but seem to be struggling to finish, despite another league high of 46% shots on target rate. Match-week 18 | vs Valour (a) | Match Overview | Goalscorers: Green (2) | Assists: Dicks (2) | A slightly altered defensive shape, bringing in the least technical man I’ve ever managed - Robert Bender (yes, there is also surely a joke about the names in my double pivot, there). This was designed to allow Osborn a bit more freedom to move forward, reducing the number of defensive passes we are having and increasing our attacking options. Here you can see his completed passes as a L(s) compared to that as a BPD(d) in the Ottawa tie – a clear example of getting him into the action a bit more. That being said – the one defensive minded player I did want to get on the ball, Ortiz, was quiet in his seventy-four minutes. We went behind early but a cracking strike from Danny Green, worth less than 0.05xG, brought us back on level terms. Arguably, we were the better team but an away draw, at this point, is still valuable. Elsewhere, our next opponents – Vancouver – were battered 4-0 by Ottawa, creating just 0.14xG. I watched the goals back: their first came from a keeper unable to claim a cross, the second was from a freekick where they were outmuscled, the third as they failed to reclaim a second ball from a corner and the fourth from a pot-shot that the keeper really should have saved! Winger David Maitland completed eight dribbles whilst youngster Dimitri Pavlenko, the centre mid, was involved the most. York recovered to end Cavalry’s unbeaten run, winning 2-1, whilst Forge scored five goals from 1.05xG, conceded none from 1.50xG in a surprise result against Pacific FC. Match-week 19 | vs Vancouver (h) | Match Overview | Goalscorers: Winn (1) | Assists: None | A game of relatively low quality but a game in which we picked up three points, opening up a little gap between the teams in the playoffs and those not. The foundations of my playing style are there but just nine touches, a season low, for Daniel Jepson – up top – is really making me consider how I get the best out of my attacking play, as the ‘chaos method’ that I employed at Bayer truly seems a level above what these players are capable of. From the total of forty-nine passes my AM and ST received, you can see that there is just a tiny amount in that Zone 14 and, as a team, we just don’t operate there. So – right now, we’re caught between styles: fluid, chaotic counter attacking (we’re still second in the standings and have increased our dribbles/90 by 0.47 per game in compared to the total at game week fifteen), which we seem to lack the off the ball movement for, and patient, work the box type play (we’re also still third in this metric, having increased by 1% since I took over as well as an increase of, on average, four more passes in the opponent’s box per game). Ultimately, I need to be able to do both and, somewhat concerningly, given this is my first venture into this style, the buck will stop at what creative players my management team can acquire and keep at the club. Danny Green has been a revelation in this chaos approach, with a huge number of dribbles as he fires himself inside the top 7 in the league. However, the standout – for me – is his inability to then create something from it, with a poor number of key passes. This is when I watched a @GIMN video. I shouldn’t have! I’ve always known about deeper, more complex stats but haven’t had the time to properly calculate them. This time, I have. Following on from his superb guide, I’ve counted all of the shots and worked through the four games I’ve managed so far, trying to get an indicator of Green’s, and the rest of the team, Expected Goal Chain and Expected Goal Build Up. Here is a quick tour of what both of those elements mean, taken from StatsBomb: “This metric is defined by the number of Expected Goals in which a player has participated; if the player has participated in a play that ends in a shot, the xG of the play will be added to this metric. In this way, we give value to players who are often part of passing sequences that end in a shot. In a specific play we might think that his importance is far from what happens later if his action is a five-metre horizontal pass, but when we extend these actions over time, in the long term, if the player is involved in numerous actions that end in a shot, his relevance within the team will be justified and well valued by the metric in question. If the player is an attacker who is involved in many moves, he will have a lot of xG Chain, hence it is one of the metrics included in the striker radar, but this reaches an extra value for wingers or attacking midfielders with an incidence in the construction of moves ending in a shot. A good way to summarise this metric is to define it as the possessions that end in a shot that pass through the boots of the player in question, whether the possession is four passes or more than 20.” “The spirit of xG Build up is based on knowing which players are part of passing chains that end in a shot but without taking into account the last two links – shot and last pass -, thus measuring midfielders, centre-backs or full-backs who have an important influence on their team’s possessions” Below shows our xGC and xGB for the previous four games, for anyone who has played more than one full game worth of minutes. The %GC and %GB are the total number of contributions to the chains, divided by the total value, given as a percentage. The higher, the more involved a player is. Just like any data, this can be interpreted incorrectly. For example, you can see the Ortiz has been involved in 13.42% of all the xG we have created so far. However, he scored a penalty and that doesn't credit any one with the assist, so, therefore, you'd look at his xGB rating for a clear interpretation of his creativity, which, unfortunately, hasn't quite hit the heights that I'd want. Another really interesting point is that of Jepson - a man who I've maligned considerably, yet his work in the earlier build ups - therefore, not the pass and the shot, is pretty strong and he's always been that 'assist pass - 1' role for us so far. I'm not entirely sure that is what I want as he's my primary goal scorer but it does take some of the heat off his performances. Despite being horribly un-technical, Bender's work in the middle hasn't gone unnoticed, with Dicks also performing really strongly and contributing lots. I am looking forward to having star player Heath - who has not played yet under me due to injury - back to add more creativity to that role. This is something that is really useful but, currently, is just not a realistic data collection, given the time that I've spent for this on just four games. However, it does allow me to look at players like Hutchinson, the centre back, who is being outperformed by his partner Osborn - although the latter is a L(s) usually compared to a BPD(d) and then the difference between IFB(d) Parkin and IWB(s) Ortiz. Again - the context is that the latter is learning that new role and will need to settle there before I truly see the fruits of his labour, should there be any. - - - In other games, Cavalry continued their mini stutter with a 1-1 draw at home to Valour, which opened the gap between us in fifth and them in sixth to three points. Cavalry battered them and Neil Pitt was outstanding, yet again. Pacific drew 2-2 at home with York United and, just like their drubbing in the previous match week, can be disappointed to only draw as their 2.21xG was over three times that of their opponents. Ottawa failed to capitalise on Cavalry’s dropped points as they drew with Forge, missing a penalty and creating over 3.4xG in the process. Whilst the top five all qualify for the playoffs, there is a big gap between Cavalry (36), Ottawa (35), Forge (33) and then York (23) and us on 22. Hopefully, we can continue the run going long enough to cement a playoff spot this season. Match-week 20 | vs Forge (a) | Match Overview | Goalscorers: None | Assists: None | Very tired legs meant that I went into the Forge game with five enforced changes: no Ortiz, Hutchinson, Parkin, Green or Bozic . The mish-mash side were pressed highly by Forge and we just looked uncertain trying to play through their press. Our shooting opportunities often came from well worked moves, where we moved quickly when in the opposition half, as seen here and here but, largely, our finishing was of poor quality and we didn't work the keeper as much as we should have. Jepson's confidence - as he heads into his ninth hour without a goal - is shot and his ability to hold off defenders in our build up was non-existent as his lack of strength led to Forge's first goal, which was, to be fair, taken beautifully. Elsewhere, Cavalry seem intent on dropping the top of the table place, as they could only draw 3-3 with Vancouver, whilst Valour and York played out an entertaining game in which Valour won, leapfrogging us in the league. Ottawa were unable to capitalise on Cavalry's slip up as they drew with bottom of the table Pacific despite dominating for the second week in a row. Connor Rolls, Pacific manager, still finds his job insecure but - my appointment aside - there has been no other movement in the league. - - - With our fitness all over the place, I've sent a couple of the lads on holiday as we now have a thirty-six day gap to our next fixtures: a double header against Vancouver in the Amway Canadian Championship. There are a couple of non-CPL sides here but the winners will be joined by the Canadian MLS teams, so, hopefully, I can avoid them. It's been a tough ride so far - we're not scoring many and we look poor in quite a few areas. Maybe some of this is coming off the back of my time at Bayer but there are still significant holes to be filled as we enter the transfer window. However, for the first time ever, I've got literally no control over who comes in and who leaves my team, with me having the sole focus of getting that squad to perform well! I can only hope they do a good job! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteinkelssonFM Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Genuinely surprised by the talent on display, maybe I am being obnoxious to think Canadian football would be more inferior. Heath is an absolute baller, to have those attributes at 19 goes a long way to highlight the fact that the well rounded youngster, could easily become a phenomenon. You must be buzzing to get him involved post injury. Will you be looking to schedule in a few friendlies to play that big gap between fixtures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 18 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said: Genuinely surprised by the talent on display, maybe I am being obnoxious to think Canadian football would be more inferior. Heath is an absolute baller, to have those attributes at 19 goes a long way to highlight the fact that the well rounded youngster, could easily become a phenomenon. You must be buzzing to get him involved post injury. I'm in exactly the same boat! I think that, honestly, we're not a million miles from MLS standard, particularly from it's earlier days. I'm almost certain that we won't be troubling them for years to come but, if we can develop players - like Heath - and move them on to somewhere like the MLS, I think we'll have done well. Yeah - the trio of Ortiz, Dicks and Heath should be the creative spark that we really need to create some high quality chances again. 18 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said: Will you be looking to schedule in a few friendlies to play that big gap between fixtures. I think so, yeah. Individually, we're not really used to the roles that I want but that takes time, as does the team: I've added plenty of 'Match Tactics' sessions to the next couple of weeks, with then some more key areas - attacking direct, defending from the front, ground defence, chance creation as well as some much needed recovery work! - - - The bit I am most scared about is that, now I'm in the transfer window, I really have no idea who could be lining up for me next time we take the field! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoudini24 Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 3 hours ago, _Ben_ said: The bit I am most scared about is that, now I'm in the transfer window, I really have no idea who could be lining up for me next time we take the field! That's the best part of DoF challenges! Who's in charge of transfers? You mentioned your Assistant Manager and HoY, is there a DoF in place and if so, did you pick him yourself to align with your formation/style of play? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 18 hours ago, BillHoudini24 said: That's the best part of DoF challenges! Who's in charge of transfers? You mentioned your Assistant Manager and HoY, is there a DoF in place and if so, did you pick him yourself to align with your formation/style of play? I've got to say - spoiler alert, here - that I've loved the transfer window! I'm just creating a flowchart to show the hierarchy of the backroom team, which will go in the next update but, no, I haven't picked him and no, he doesn't fill me with confidence! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 For my own clarity, if nothing else, I wanted to spend a few minutes working through the backroom panels to ensure that what is in the game matches with how I want this project to run. Therefore, I decided to see if I could marry up my thoughts - from the below flow chart - with those options. I think I'm close... Oli Mellor and Callum Weir are two men, neither chosen by me, who have an important role in the running of this club. I'm hoping that, as time goes, by, chairman Derek Martin will be able to advertise for, and recruit stronger members of staff for this area as the playing side (left in the image) will become significantly stronger than the recruitment and retention side (right). Whilst both Mellor and Weir have favoured formations that I will be utilising, neither of them are great at recruitment and negotiating, which means we may end up paying over the odds for players who aren't good enough. Sitting beneath them in Fabrice Fort who - honestly - isn't the best at really identifying who is currently good and who could be good, but I'll have to trust that he can do a good enough job. My initial plan is to let the recruitment team just get to work on things, but, in future windows - I may utilise the 'Request DoF Suggestion' area to create a list of three players that he recommends for that role, choosing one to add to his list of transfer targets. However, that is something that will be explored at a later date. With that, I entered my first ever transfer window without control... - - - Honestly, it’s pretty scary not having full control of the players who join and those who leave the club. But this sense of pessimism has, largely, been turned into excitement given the type of players that have joined us this summer window. Ross Byrd joins on loan from divisional rivals Forge FC, after being second choice for much his career that has taken him from FC Dallas to San Jose Earthquakes, DC United and Vancouver Whitecaps. With this vast experience, he’s earned just the three MLS appearances but does come with a history of, at least, working with higher quality staff and players than many of my current crop have done. The loan, at any point, can be made permanent for around €50k, so it’ll be interesting to see whether there is any movement on this. Obviously, the recruitment team saw this as an opportunity to upgrade on our current number one, Ibrahim, who – to be fair to him – has done nothing wrong. Statistically, there is a difference and I like Byrd’s distribution even if he does concede a little in his handling. My job, as Head Coach, is to now allow both of these players to co-exist as a shared number one. I don’t know quite know how I’ll keep them both happy but that’s my job! Sobhan Hashemi is pretty much exactly the type of playmaker that I think we need. He came in on a free after spending the last six years at LA Galaxy, but – in probably a recurring theme – only has the solitary MLS appearance to show in that time. Prior to that, he was a regular at North Carolina Fusion after he left Vancouver Whitecaps. He can dribble, pass, possesses good technique and decisions, works well in a team and has really good vision. Combine that with a trait that, essentially, works with all of those attributes – and I think I can forgive his slightly weak frame. He’ll be a bit more static than I, ideally, want in that role but as a man who can pick a pass – I think he could be great. Bruno Marques - a free transfer from non-CPL side FC London (of Ontario) - is a really interesting purchase from those above me. His game is clearly built around speed - something that makes up part of my player ideology but he's far from the finished product right now. He's scored well in non-league and the combination of his speed off the mark, dribbling, finishing and technique is surely a bit part to play in it. My idea, with him, is to utilise him as a right winger - given that the primary job for that side, with Ortiz as an IWB(s) behind, is to hold his position, high and wide, and then make these runs. Neither he nor Danny possess much footballing intelligence but the youngster has space to grow and offers a really nice ball carrying option, something that the less pacey winger has already shown that he can exploit. As a real 'project player' I feel like this is a great opportunity to dig deep into his player development and see what I can make of him. A slightly odd signing, all things considered, but one that could give me the most 'joy' if I can make it work! Jacob Hull is direct competition for Daniel Jepson although I feel that the market could've allowed better recruitment in this area. That being said, even the recruitment team felt that he wasn't first choice, with two previous options rejecting the club. However, Hull is pretty well rounded for a striker and his physically tall frame will help us, although his lack of strength and aerial prowess may mean that I need to continue to analyse and rethink our set pieces going forwards. Hull started life at the Vancouver academy but struck top form whilst playing at FC Manitoba (another Canadian side that play in the lower levels of US football) before scoring fifteen times in seventy three matches for Atletico Ottawa at this level. There is proof that he can do it and, given the struggles of Jepson and - so far - the untested idea of Gordon Winn being converted to a striker, I think he's worth a shot. - - - July 2037 Match reports can be accessed by clicking on each thumbnail. Just the one league match this month as I settle into - probably - updating the fixtures each calendar month with other little spotlights. We started with a double header against Vancouver, dominating most of the time and justifying that with five goals. It's clear that the rest and the three friendlies along with heavy tactical work has paid off, given our familiarity increase. Vancouver were lucky to come away with anything in the second leg as a speculative lob and a hugely deflected shot gave them the bragging rights in a game that should've been put to bed early on. Despite Ross Byrd's four goals conceded across these three games, his work - particularly in the second game against Vancouver - was really strong, allowing us to play out from the back better than we were able to do before. A Danny Green masterclass propelled us to a massive victory over bottom side Pacific as a slight tactical change, from the 2-3-2-3 shape - seen below - ensured we coped with their 442 shape. I've been utilising Dicks as an A(d), which then creates some lovely interplay with the L(s) and IWB(s) in the transitional stage, but, this time, wanted to ensure that we were not going to be easily countered, so, instead, asked him to sit in a false centre back using the HB(d) role. Ahead of them, I used a F9(s)/SS(a) combo - my one and only attack duty - to create havoc between their two banks of four, deviating from the DLF(s)/AM(s) combo that I have started with in most games. This shape, narrow, compact and aggressive with players moving between the lines is absolutely beautiful to see and I'm really pleased I'm seeing evidence of that so early within my tenure here. From the initial build up - where the keeper has a choice of a L(s) or a NCB(d) to build up from: the former encourages a calmer, press-beating play whereas the latter will look to wider areas quicker and spring an earlier counter - to the different styles of wide men, one cutting inside late on and the other providing cover and running options for the SV(s) near him, I think there is scope for this to become something fantastic! With only one league game for us, there is little change in the table, but our comprehensive win has moved us ahead of Valour and York FC, who are our next opponents. Cavalry's poor form continues but it certainly still feels that we are some way off the top three and, with just seven games left of the regular season, I'd happily plump for a solid fourth place. September is hectic. We play eight times and, from what I'm told, will also have the annual graduation of youth players - a particular highlight for me! I'm hoping to continue plugging away at somewhere near my current 50% win ratio. If we do that, we'll be just fine! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteinkelssonFM Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Fair play mate with regards to going hands off with regards to the recruitment process. Not quite sure I could go down that route as I like control. I really like the visual highlighting how you play in the progressive phase, the central overloads will no doubt place your opponents under significant pressure, and the movement between the lines again providing headaches. How do the team manage with transitions down the flank, do you have them pressing intensely? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 17 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said: Fair play mate with regards to going hands off with regards to the recruitment process. Not quite sure I could go down that route as I like control. I know. I think that the only thing I'll still have control of is the end of season draft, which, to be fair, excites me as I've never done one before! I'm really impressed with who they've brought in but wouldn't fancy it at a big club where there is real money available! 17 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said: I really like the visual highlighting how you play in the progressive phase, the central overloads will no doubt place your opponents under significant pressure, and the movement between the lines again providing headaches. How do the team manage with transitions down the flank, do you have them pressing intensely? It gets even better when the keeper joins in! A 335 shape there covering the entirety of the pitch. As we transition forward, we become narrower and more mobile and it's just causing so many problems for defences at present. We do counter press but I think the real winner here is that I tend to play on a Balanced mentality, at least to start the game, then changing to positive as and when required. You can see the individual mentalities that this brings: When we're moving into those narrow, aggressive shapes - the three defensive players are so quick to drop back once the ball is lost and then those on Balanced will also not press as intensely - they're default is 'Balanced' trigger press and really only do that when there's specific player instructions in place for that. It creates a really split press where, upon loss, my attacking four will rally around to win it back and my defensive six will regroup. It means that the work rate of the Volante, Heath, is even more important as he goes between the attacking and defending phases a lot. Currently, we sit fourth in possession won in the league this season, down from second when I took over. That is, however, largely because we are much better at not losing it in the first place. The only area I'd say that we are struggling with, because of this shape, is the right back area after a transition, as that's where we've conceded the most from: Ortiz, despite being comfortable with how the role plays, isn't secure as a right back and, to be honest, I do want to have a look at how that role plays and whether it's worth even using! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 Another month complete here in Halifax and we've, somehow, found some fantastic form! September 2037 | vs York (0-0) | vs Cavalry (1-1) | vs Valour (5-1) | vs Vancouver (1-6) | We started the month off with a strong draw away at York where the top two performers were both of the goalkeepers. Our use of possession was good but, as we may find going forward, particularly when legs are tired and squad depth isn't quite what it could be, that possession is somewhat placid and lacking cutting edge. Two dras in a week as the first of three Cavalry ties this month ended one all. However, unlike the York tie, this was all us and we should've capitalised on 2.40 non Pen xG. Alex Osborn - from our upping of focus on set pieces - got our only goal of the game but created 0.74xG in total, a game high. Gordon Winn, excelling in his DLF(s) role up top was the prime creator, with 0.82 xA but we our downfall, their equaliser, came in literally the only spell of the game where they had any control. Disappointing but a real sign of how far we've come. Another huge xG win and overall huge win as we put five past Valour. Winn's hattrick was the highlight as he tucked away an Ortiz penalty that'd been saved. Unlike the Cavalry game, we were far more counter attacking, sitting - purposely - a little deeper to allow for more spaces between their lines, which Green (6), Paprocki (4) and Marques (2) exposed with their dribbles across the game. Against Vancouver, we went one better and recorded our second 6-1 away win in the space of two months. Another huge xG total - 3.34 - and six different scorers, with Dicks now taking over penalty duties following Ortiz's miss. We tried, time and time again, to expose spaces between their full backs - particularly on the left where their midfield offered them little protection and Parkin's nine progressive passes caused problem after problem from left back. | vs Cavalry (1-0) | vs Forge (0-0) | vs Cavalry (3-0) vs Ottawa ( 1-2 ) | A win with the last kick of the game in the first leg of the Canadian Cup following a penalty, this time from Heath. Three penalties in three games feels somewhat of a lucky streak, but the quality of play across all three games has been great. We were a little less dangerous than the previous two games, as you'd expect from four games in fourteen days but I felt that the progression of Ortiz was something that I need to continue to build on and utilise: he was strong throughout and, whilst not creating any xA, he was a part in most of our moves that led to shots. Wednesday to Saturday games aren't easy and our even more fatigued legs just about played out a draw - but, interestingly, our sixth xG win in a row, against Forge. Their 3-4-2-1 shape is quite different to most in this league at the moment so it'll take some time to get used to how they play and what they do, but, for a team chasing the top spot, this is a great result. Our first xG loss, but, importantly, still a comprehensive goal victory in the second leg against Cavalry, putting us through to a semi final against MLS side Montreal. Cavalry weren't truly in the game but a couple of really big chances made the stats favour them, when, honestly, our two early goals had completely killed the tie. Jepson's - in particular - was a great showing of a turnover high up the pitch, a direct run and a great finish. A quick turn around from, honestly, quite a dodgy penalty means that Ottawa will sweat going into their last game, knowing a will will be needed to secure top spot and, as such, a bye into the latter rounds of the playoffs. For us, though, it's showing that we can mix it with the best! Just the one game left in the main stage of the league next month as we host Pacific, who are completely out of contention, likely to be joined by Vancouver unless the strangest goal swing goes in their favour! I think that, approaching this from the Head Coach perspective, I've had to think about how I show myself that I'm doing a good job, or not. I've said this many times across this thread but, as a Villa fan, I've been overwhelmed by how different some of the players now look under Emery as opposed to under Gerrard. I was able to gather performance data from the day of my takeover - where no matches had been played - to partway through the month (as I didn't know how long it would take to extrapolate) and, with that, I've been able to dig into whether the players are now better under me than they were under Jake Gibbons. When I took over, Winn, Paprocki and Bender were not registered and, since then, some players have played less than two hundred minutes - a sensible change metric - or have been replaced by one of the four new signings that came in during the window, so the above graphic shows the eleven players who played a fair bit 'then' and who are still playing a fair bit 'now.' The first thing to note is that a percentage increase is green and a percentage decrease in red, however, that is a broad brushstroke and includes negative stats such as fouls conceded or non-contextual things such as passes attempted. Straight from the off, the work with offensive set pieces has paid off with Osborn and Hutchinson both far more involved going forward. However, the caveat is, given that both of them are actually poor at heading despite their size and physicality, is that we haven't actually increased their output (although Osborn has since scored). They're gathering significantly more xG and, once I've taken the time to analyse the current set piece efficiency and prioritise development of new routines, should see that work come to fruition. Osborn has clearly, under me, been given a lot more freedom and is now playing as my Libero, wit results justified in a near 200% increase in key passes and 150% increase in expected assists. He's also become slightly more press heavy, largely because we do counter press in places and he's far more advanced than he was before, but that has come with a near 50% increase in fouls. Likewise, both he and Hutchinson have seen a sharp increase in their blocks, which I usually attribute to last ditch defending, in this case coming when our high line or counter press has failed. Ortiz looks to have regressed but his move to an IWB(s) means that he's been much further from goal and, as such, has shot much less. What it has done though is got him on the ball a bit more and an increase of just over 10% in his key passes must be considered great considering his far less advanced starting position. Naturally, all of his defensive metrics have hugely increased, too. Despite not being a great ball player, Parkin has made massive improvements in this area but has, since turning to an IFB(d) become a lot safer and is no longer bombing down the wing to get crosses in. The midfield duo of Heath and Dicks have both had their shackles removed and have license to get forward and shoot, although Dicks' outputs have been skewed from the few games where he deputised in the VOL(s) role as opposed to his normal HB(d) or A(d) role. However, even those latter roles have been more dynamic than he's been used to with much higher outputs of pressures yet less actual tackles, blocks and clearances, as he harries rather than ends up in last ditch situations. Danny Green - often mentioned - has an over 75% increase in his dribbles, with the desire for him to hold his position high and wide instead of whatever he was doing before. That has also allowed a significant increase in his shooting metrics as his little purple patch continues. Up top, Jepson has become far less of an out and out striker and has begun to contribute far more to other areas of play. Of course, it's a concern to see my first choice striker's stats diminish but part of the run saw him in a huge goal drought, bereft of confidence. Yet, as I've said in the media when asked, he was still getting into strong positions but just not getting his shot away or rushing his chances. Now that his drought is over, I hope to see continued development across all areas of his play. Results aside, I think I've shown some really good progression with individuals within the team, ensuring that players are now over performing their attributes and, as trust in me still isn't quite where it could be, things are going really, really well. However, the next generation of Halifax players won't be coming from my youth intake! To end this overwhelmingly positive update, our youth intake was pretty terrible! Only Paolo Carducci, Shaun Brandon and Qasim Mohsen will be kept and, to be honest, none of them look like they'll amount to much! - - - October sees the regular season end, my first foray in CPL playoffs and, probably, the culmination of my cup run as we stand little chance against Montreal! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) | vs Pacific | vs York | vs CF Montreal | vs Forge | vs CF Montreal | We huffed and puffed and tried our hardest to get to the end of the season, but, eventually, it has petered out, leaving a bit of sad taste in my mouth. However, that cannot discredit from the wonderful half season we've had, particularly noticeable when comparing the first half to second half of the season. Even against Pacific we started to look tired - particularly in our attacking play - as we peppered their goal with shots, but, sadly, all from long range barely working their keeper. Pleasingly, though, they were unable to break through our defences and I am happy that, if one area falls apart, the other can maintain its intensity. With that, the league was wrapped up and a foregone conclusion. Until I looked at the table. Cavalry ignored the rules whereby domestic U21 players must play 2,000 minutes, with Strickland being born in 2015, not after the 1st January 2016 deadline thus becoming the first team I think I've ever seen to be kicked out of a competition and fined over ten thousand Canadian dollars. My original expectations to play Valour were then thrown into disarray as our fixture was changed to face York, who can consider themselves very lucky to have made it! The first phase of the playoffs was pretty easily navigated thanks to a Zamarripa double. But, again, the fatigue was so clear to see throughout. What followed was three very, very tired performances. We were barely able to hold onto the ball vs Montreal - 29% and 25% possession and just lacked all of the spark to press and disrupt their play. A deserved loss to Forge ended our league campaign, with the final won by table topping Ottawa - probably, just about, giving the league to the team that deserved it the most. Our reliance on key players - with that graphic ignoring any injuries - shows just how much depth we will need next season if we want to push on. - - - As I've delved quite deeply into xG chains, percentage increases and general playing style as the (half) season has progressed, I feel that deep analysis now isn't really going to provide me anything that I don't already know. However, the in-game scatter graphs are always a useful base. Firstly, our pressing intensity makes us very dissimilar from a lot of the clubs at this level but, surely, something that teams will react to as we go into next season. It’s also a huge part of our end of season downfall as tired legs just fell apart and we were unable to maintain the level of intensity. Whilst our offensive set pieces appear to be decent – I now have a measurable metric to compare them to and hope to build on as we move into the off season. Defensively, we have recovered from a stumbling start but do really need to focus offensively on being more clinical in front of goal. That expected goal output is being fuelled by my attacking midfielders but, honestly, Paprocki should’ve created more, with only his scoring output keeping him in the eleven. Sadly, his personality and media handling have meant that he’s quite a hard character to work with! I also need to look at the tackling disparity between Hutchinson and Osborn, although both – despite being poor at heading – have recorded pretty decent aerial outputs. Statistically, we’re definitely moving in the right direction and I look forward to an off-season to really work with the players I have and those that are added by the club. You’ll notice that both Cavalry and Pacific will start the next season with new managers as Rory Webb – a man favouring a 3421, the shape I’ve struggled a bit with – and Alan Marcina take over. Alan is, by far, the best and most decorated manager in CPL history having managed in the USL as well as the MLS in two different stints. I reckon that this move might make them favourites next year! My first taste of a draft has been interesting! This, given that I control this, despite having handed over all transfer business elsewhere, gives me my only control over incoming players and I can bring in up to two. The inbox message, above, lists the top players out of the thirty-five 18-year olds that can join the club and I'm then asked if I want to scout them. However, that happens on the day of the draft - rendering those reports utterly useless. It means that I get a mixture of information, such as the unknown Arthur Manning to the slightly more well known Mikey Mitchell. With that, I can then use statistical outputs - baring in mind that these are from unloaded leagues below the quality of ours, or just ask my assistant - but, in this case, he didn't seem too keen. As far as I'm aware, the draft runs on last season's finish, so we (in the non-modelled league) came sixth and, as such, were rewarded with third pick in each round. Unlike the MLS, there is no trading these draft picks and each team has the same number. I made two additions: Fabio Hughes and Mikey Mitchell were both chosen because they provide cover in areas where we don't currently have it. My recruitment team may choose to strengthen these over the off-season but, with the little control I do have, wanted to ensure numbers. The quality of these players, overall, isn't amazing but I do see them as project players for the club. Only ourselves and Cavalry were active, with them picking Nathan Ord as the eighth pick of round 1 and then Carlo Panarello in the last pick of the draft. - - - With no games now until April 2038, the long off season will be used to fine tune a lot of things behind the scenes as well as deal with whatever squad we enter next season with. I've played a lot of late, and I expect that to slow down somewhat now but I've really enjoyed this dive into what has been - for me - a completely unknown country. If there any questions, screenshot requests or otherwise, please let me know! I'm loving it here. Edited June 2 by _Ben_ 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoudini24 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 17 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Until I looked at the table. Cavalry ignored the rules whereby domestic U21 players must play 2,000 minutes, with Strickland being born in 2015, not after the 1st January 2016 deadline thus becoming the first team I think I've ever seen to be kicked out of a competition and fined over ten thousand Canadian dollars. That is absolutely incredible! I am curious to see if it's going to happen again, or if it was an one-time thing because of the league generation. 17 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Fabio Hughes and Mikey Mitchell were both chosen because they provide cover in areas where we don't currently have it. My recruitment team may choose to strengthen these over the off-season but, with the little control I do have, wanted to ensure numbers. The quality of these players, overall, isn't amazing but I do see them as project players for the club. Only ourselves and Cavalry were active, with them picking Nathan Ord as the eighth pick of round 1 and then Carlo Panarello in the last pick of the draft. Always fun to participate in the draft. What did you know about them before picking them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_ANZFM Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Canada, eh?! Soar-ee. (I’d been saving that while catching up on the last couple of pages. Think I too share the opinion that upon reaching the upper echelon of the game, things start to become a little stale. Then seeing the way you’ve dove back in like this really has me considering a return to the depths on my own game. Will just require re loading some/lots of the lower leagues again. Man, what a story teller you are. The lengths at which you go to set the scene are simply unmatched. Never mind the detail you then provide based around the actual gameplay. This current chapter so far has elevated this thread to new heights. Cannot wait to see how it all unfolds. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 5 Author Share Posted June 5 On 03/06/2024 at 13:27, BillHoudini24 said: I am curious to see if it's going to happen again, or if it was an one-time thing because of the league generation. I know! They've picked up some good players over the summer but their first team doesn't have anyone under 21 who I'd say would buck this trend! It'll be interesting to see how they manage it across the season. On 03/06/2024 at 13:27, BillHoudini24 said: Always fun to participate in the draft. What did you know about them before picking them? Not a huge amount, to be honest. It goes against pretty much everything I stand for when recruiting but just had the scouting grade and most of their attributes visible! --- 7 hours ago, Chris_ANZFM said: Canada, eh?! Soar-ee. (I’d been saving that while catching up on the last couple of pages. Think I too share the opinion that upon reaching the upper echelon of the game, things start to become a little stale. Then seeing the way you’ve dove back in like this really has me considering a return to the depths on my own game. Will just require re loading some/lots of the lower leagues again. Man, what a story teller you are. The lengths at which you go to set the scene are simply unmatched. Never mind the detail you then provide based around the actual gameplay. This current chapter so far has elevated this thread to new heights. Cannot wait to see how it all unfolds. Appreciate the kind words - thank you so much! Yeah - I've been re-energised by the lower level, lower stakes kind of approach. Also, adding in the DoF element - which, at Bayer, would've seen €100m signings but here sees unpolished diamonds, I feel very much more connected to their development. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 20 hours ago, Chris_ANZFM said: Man, what a story teller you are. The lengths at which you go to set the scene are simply unmatched. Never mind the detail you then provide based around the actual gameplay. He’s something else eh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_ANZFM Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 7 hours ago, SixPointer said: He’s something else eh! Very much so! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_ANZFM Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 (edited) 20 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Also, adding in the DoF element - which, at Bayer, would've seen €100m signings but here sees unpolished diamonds, I feel very much more connected to their development. You’re a braver man than I. Thought many times about letting my staff handle transfers, but I never quite had the nerve to actually allow it 😂 Edited June 6 by Chris_ANZFM 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 The cold Canadian winters mean that the off-season here is particularly long: November to April to be precise. That brings with it a chance to make quick progress but also a hugely long pre-season schedule and a long transfer window before a ball is really kicked in anger. That being said, it gave me time to have a little look at the backroom team as well as react to the transfers that my recruitment team made. However, the biggest change was at the top: Nikola Bursac - in his first non-playing role - comes in as the new director of football. When compared to Oli Mellor, he's a clear upgrade and it was nice to see that my board acted swiftly after Mellor's contract expired and he decided to leave. As a player, Bursać’s career began at Woodbridge Strikers SC in January 2017. He subsequently moved to TSC in July 2018, where he also spent time on loan at FK Radnički Sremska Mitrovica and FK Spartak Subotica, making a combined total of 18 league appearances. His playing career continued with a stint at Radnički Sremska Mitrovica from 2021 to 2022, followed by a move to Spartak Subotica from 2022 to 2023, and finally to Vizela from 2023 to 2035. Over his 18-year playing career, he made 270 appearances - with one season in the top flight at Vizela - and earned six caps for the Canadian national team, debuting against the UAE in June 2031. Bursać’s knowledge in football is extensive, particularly in Canada, Portugal, and Serbia, suggesting a deep understanding of the footballing landscapes in these regions. His competencies extend to several key areas, including the ability to judge player and staff potential and abilities, negotiation skills, and tactical knowledge. His mental attributes such as adaptability, determination, level of discipline, motivation, and people management are also notable, indicating his suitability for high-level administrative roles. In terms of tactical preferences, Bursać favors a 4-2-3-1 formation as his preferred setup, with a secondary inclination towards a 4-3-3 formation. His playing mentality is balanced, and he is recognized as a motivator and youth developer, which is further supported by his strength in analyzing data. These attributes align with his job role interests, which prominently include director of football, technical director, loan manager, and head of youth development. Bursać also shows interest in managerial and assistant managerial positions, along with coaching and various analytical roles, but less so in positions like goalkeeping coach, fitness coach, and physio. If I'm being picky - I'd like to have a DoF who has handled non-hands on, or, at least, been a part of a recruitment team before but Nikola comes with a good reputation as an ex-international and has links to both Serbia and Portugal, which will hopefully broaden our recruitment network. Nikola and his team made light work on his first transfer window, recruiting four unattached players: Hans Age Fjellheim represents, I think, some shrewd business - tightening up on our deficiencies on the left wing but also an ample replacement on the right. Like many of the signings before him, Hans' career has been spent outside of the first team, but, unlike those previous to him, his has been spent at a top academy. With over one hundred competitive adult appearances for Bodø/Glimt's second and third team. His last season came in the third tier of Norwegian football, probably a level or two down from ours, but he scored six times in seventeen games, creating another three. Agile and pretty athletic, his ability to progress the ball - with dribbling (12), agility (14) and pace (11) - looks to be pretty good, as does his unpredictability: flair (12). That being said, I think I'll need to work on his final ball given his below average for this level passing (8) and anticipation (10). Hans is one of the highest earners at the club and I will not ever have any say in this - which does, slightly, scare me. He's certainly a player who could take time to gel - I often find that wingers who favour running, adding in those who are not listed as particular consistent and especially those without a full grasp of the native tongue, often struggle because they aren't afforded space easily and, probably more importantly, can find themselves way out of the game for long periods of time. It'll be interesting to watch how this young man conducts himself across the early games of his career with us! Fellow Norwegian Joakim Gundersen arrived next, with little surprise given the relative proximity of the two nations. Born in Askoy, the professional youngster will add to the positive characters within the team and I hope that his already basic grasp of the language will improve quickly as he adapts. His career has also been spent in the 2 teams of bigger Norwegian sides, this time Brann. He's played forty times over the last two years in the third tier there and, as a versatile defensive option, will be important to us. I'll be looking to ensure that at no time he is ever allowed to run with the ball, instead making use of another physical figure in the defence. Davis Barnes is where the signings start to get a bit odd! With Daniel Jepson and Gordon Winn settled as first and second choice striker, and with Bruno Marques and Sobhan Hashemi also able to play there, bringing another striker in feels a little counter intuitive. Barnes is a 22-year-old advanced forward from Peabody, MA, USA and his market value is estimated between $900K and $1.4M meaning he's already one of the most valuable. He arrives with seventeen MLS appearances since coming through the New England Revolution system but clearly hasn't kicked on and may present as an issue with his fickle personality - particularly if another club comes sniffing. Therefore, despite the slightly sour taste left after taking up valuable salary cap space, I am presented with an idea that really was the driver in this small squad, player development phase: retraining. After a lot of analysis and watching of my best, arguably, player, Jordan Heath, I think that Barnes could be a real outside of the box thought for a Segundo Volante. We had our issues with scoring last year and the more creative players I can get into the offensive third, the better. With the running ability of wingers Fjellheim and Green, I think that more of a playmaking Volante, rather than a box to box Volante could work and, given his balance, technical ability and first touch coupled with decent flair and finishing, he could be a danger arriving late and taking first time shots. Whilst not the best defensively, his marking is above average for this level and I can work on polishing a few other things and adding a couple of traits to influence the strongest area of his game. I must admit to being quite excited about this move, after all! Adrian is a direct replacement for Dominik Paprocki - the biggest underperformer from last season - who, amazingly, was sold for $90k back to Sweden, which, I'd imagine, triggered this deal. However, I don't think that the introduction has done him any favours - as I've, potentially, now got the best player at the club. Born on January 25, 2012, Adrián brings versatility to his team, capable of playing in multiple positions including left midfield, left wing, right wing, and central attacking midfield. His professional demeanor and consistent performances make him a standout player in the league. Fourteen appearances in La Liga (and a relegation) with Oviedo before falling out of favour and never quite getting his career back on track in Sweden with Jonkopings came before the move to Canada where he'll move in as a classic number ten. His strengths lie in his acceleration (12), agility (13), balance (13), and pace (11), making him a formidable presence on the pitch and he is also highly skilled in dribbling (12), passing (11), and technique (14). His mental attributes include high levels of determination (16), flair (14), and vision (10), which contribute to his effectiveness in creating scoring opportunities. However, his heading (5), marking (2), and positioning (2) are areas where he shows less prowess and - as such - I need to keep him as far away from our goal as I can. I really think that his combinations - particularly if I can add a trait like plays one twos - with Barnes or Heath in the Volante role could be beautiful and could allow us to unlock defences. With hi physical playing style,and exhibiting traits such as shooting from distance, shooting with power, curling the ball, and an inclination to round the keeper and I think that these can all help unlock a really good combination in the centre of the park. With three years required for Canadian citizenship, I think he could potentially even go on to become a nationalised player for us, if he can deliver just what I think is possible. Ultimately though, he counts towards maximum squad registration rules both domestically and continentally and has an injury-prone nature, meaning that, without careful management - this could end the same way as the man he replaced! - - - One thing that I am really enjoying about this level is finding value within players, not only attribute wise, but also wage wise. With a weekly salary budget of €19,750, teams have to think carefully about who they sign, register and play, allowing a roster of just 23 players. I'm looking at how other teams are developing their squads and feel that, even with my hands off approach, I can do what I can to ensure that we are operating in both a profit and using the allocation of money wisely. Below are the weekly wages of the current first team squad: At the lower end of the salary spectrum, we have players such as Mikey Page, Bruno Marques, and Fabio Hughes. Mikey Page earns the least at $220 per week, followed closely by Bruno Marques at $240 per week and Fabio Hughes at $325 per week. These figures are in line with those players who are newer to the team, less experienced, or not yet established as core members of the squad. In the mid-range salary bracket, several players earn identical wages, highlighting a potential standard rate for a specific player tier within the team. Jonathan Parkin, Gordon Wrin, José Gustavo Zamarripa, Danny Green, and Edgar Ortiz each earn $400 per week. Slightly higher is Kofi Ibrahim at $425 per week. Alex Osborn stands out slightly above this group with a weekly wage of $500. The next tier includes Daniel Jepson at $650 per week and Jordan Dicks at $725 per week. Sobhan Hashemi earns $825 per week, while Davis Barnes receives $975 per week. Adrián, at $1000 per week, marks the upper boundary of the mid-range earners. These players likely constitute the backbone of the team, providing essential skills and experience without commanding the highest salaries. Interestingly, though, some of my top players are in here and, surely, if they have another successful season, will be badgering for new deals. The upper echelon of the salary structure is composed of players who earn significantly more, reflecting their likely status as key players or those with substantial experience and value to the team. Jake Heath and Joachim Gundersen each earn $1300 per week, indicating their importance and possibly leadership roles within the team. Ross Byrd earns $1600 per week, placing him among the highest earners and suggesting a pivotal role in the team's strategy and performance. Topping the chart are Hans Åge Fjellheim and Nicholas Hutchinson, each earning $1700 per week. Their top-tier salaries indicate they are likely the most valuable and possibly the most senior players on the team but I do have that burning question of ‘are they?’ Gunderson, Byrd and Fjellheim are all new players and, whilst this indicates – hopefully – an increase in quality joining the club, it also does raise questions about the negotiating ability of my recruitment team as I cannot afford seven, eight or nine of these players on these wages. That leaves me with approximately 22% of my salary budget - €4265 per week - left over, along with three foreign player slots left. Furthermore, this is the last year of the easy U21 Canadian minutes as Jake Heath is a 2017 birth and will not qualify next year, so I need to take a keen eye on how the board plan the next couple of transfer windows. Furthermore, I need to look back, in a couple of months, to see whether these wages are justified and, if not, think creatively about how I can replace these players. I am happy to use the 'Unwanted List' but that, ultimately, doesn't secure a sensible and money-efficient replacement! I tested out Chat GPT's image to text feature to summarise the main points of my pre-season: CPL Invitational Semi Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Vancouver FC The CPL Invitational Semi Final saw Wanderers FC lock horns with Vancouver FC, a club known for its robust defensive play and disciplined tactical approach. Despite the wet weather conditions and an attendance of 1,783 fans at Wanderers Grounds, the match was a tightly contested affair. Both teams employed a cautious strategy, with Wanderers FC sticking to their tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation. Neither side managed to break the deadlock in regular and extra time, leading to a penalty shootout. Ross Byrd was the hero as he saved the sixth and final penalty, allowing HFX to progress. CPL Invitational Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Flower City Union In the CPL Invitational Final, Wanderers FC faced Flower City Union, a team renowned for its swift counter-attacks and clinical finishing. The match, played under persistent rain with 2,090 supporters in attendance, was a high-stakes encounter. Wanderers FC took the lead through Hans Åge Fjellheim’s well-timed strike in the 56th minute, a moment that seemed to tilt the balance in their favor. However, Flower City Union showcased their resilience, scoring twice in the latter stages to secure a 2-1 victory. Wanderers FC maintained their 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the match but couldn't withstand Flower City Union’s late surge, missing out on the title. Halifax Open Semi Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Pacific FC Wanderers FC’s journey in the Halifax Open brought them against Pacific FC, a club known for its dynamic midfield and tactical flexibility. Despite the wet conditions and a large turnout of 3,751 spectators, the match was fiercely competitive. Danny Green’s goal for Wanderers FC ensured the match ended 1-1 after regular time. With the stakes high, the game proceeded to a penalty shootout. Wanderers FC, shifting to a more defensive 5-2-3 formation, showed remarkable composure, winning the shootout and booking their place in the final. This victory highlighted their ability to adapt tactically and perform under pressure. Halifax Open Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. TSS FC The Halifax Open Final featured Wanderers FC taking on TSS FC, a team known for its aggressive pressing and attacking flair. Played under wet and surprisingly warm conditions at 17°C, with 2,090 fans cheering them on, Wanderers FC delivered a masterclass performance. Goals from Gordon Winn (43'), Fabio Hughes (45+1'), and Daniel Jepson (85') underscored their dominance. Sticking to their 4-2-3-1 formation, Wanderers FC controlled the tempo and exploited TSS FC’s defensive frailties, clinching a 3-0 victory and the Halifax Open title. Nova Scotia Cup Semi Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Charleston Battery In the Nova Scotia Cup Semi Final, Wanderers FC squared off against Charleston Battery, a team with a reputation for solid defense and structured gameplay. The match, played on a breezy day at Wanderers Grounds with 1,796 spectators, was intensely contested. Gordon Winn found the net in the 47th minute, but Charleston Battery equalized, leading to a 1-1 draw at the end of regular time. The third penalty shootout of the pre-season, however, was not successful for the home side. Nova Scotia Cup Third Place Playoff: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Abbotsford MF Mariners The final match in this series saw Wanderers FC take on Abbotsford MF Mariners in the Nova Scotia Cup Third Place Playoff. Known for their attacking prowess but vulnerable defense, Abbotsford MF Mariners faced a relentless HFX side. Despite the wet and chilly 8°C weather, with 1,797 fans in attendance, the home side put on an attacking clinic. Alex Osborn’s hat-trick (7', 20', 59'), Daniel Jepson’s brace (16', 25'), and goals from Mikey Page (46'), Sobhan Hashemi (64', 90') and Hans Åge Fjellheim (87) led to an emphatic 9-2 victory. Wanderers FC’s 4-2-3-1 formation proved devastatingly effective, highlighting their offensive depth and tactical acumen. - - - Whilst Chat GPT is very good at summarising the statistical elements of the games, it fails to add any emotional thoughts to my pre-season, which, to be honest, hasn't been smooth. Dogged by training concerns, a huge difficulty in achieving match fitness - leading to the slightly rushed advert and appointment of Haakon Vaaga, hardly a long term option, I feel that we are not quite as prepared as we could be. However, I'm onto season two here in Canada, full of optimism about a new chance to develop a new squad and see what happens from there! 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 2 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Whilst Chat GPT is very good at summarising the statistical elements of the games, it fails to add any emotional thoughts Robots don’t have feelings? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 4 hours ago, SixPointer said: Robots don’t have feelings? I know but I can imagine that they'd be having all sorts of malfunctions if I'd forced them to watch the dross that was pre-season! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 5 hours ago, _Ben_ said: I know but I can imagine that they'd be having all sorts of malfunctions if I'd forced them to watch the dross that was pre-season! Just gives you the opportunity to tweak and tinker and find the right blend to make things work. I’m sure the league season will prove a lot more fruitful Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litmanen10 Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 I’m holiday at the moment, been reading the last couple days various updates. I like your playing style and it encouraged me to play FM again when I’m at home in a different style, thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 11 hours ago, SixPointer said: Just gives you the opportunity to tweak and tinker and find the right blend to make things work. I’m sure the league season will prove a lot more fruitful Things have started nicely, actually. I’m still really struggling with match fitness as we’re playing twice a week pretty much every week from the off. Odd given that we’ve got 28 games in seven months! 7 hours ago, Litmanen10 said: I’m holiday at the moment, been reading the last couple days various updates. I like your playing style and it encouraged me to play FM again when I’m at home in a different style, thank you! Thanks for the kind words! I’m just writing up my next update, which sees me return to some more numerical analysis - something that I don’t think I’ve done enough of lately. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 The first ten games are always a good indicator of where we are as a team after a long off season, with heightened importance as I’ve not experienced this period of time before at the club. The board would like us to reach the quarter finals of the CPL - better known as just making the end of season playoffs - but, honestly, I think we have more than to just settle for that. I think we've made a really strong start to the season and our third place is absolutely justified. We made a really hot start to the season, with the only 100% record after three games and that without a goal conceded, too. Goals, even back then, were mainly from the midfield as now ex-midfielder Paprocki netted twice in a hammering of York. Since then, we've struggled a little - Valour were comfortably dispatched but the run of four without a win has seen teams overtake us at the top. The loss at home to Pacific hurt somewhat - 1.96xG created without a really strong chance and nearly 70% of the ball - something that often happens when we lack that cutting edge. That being said, the positives from that - conceding twice from three shots on target - were dissipated in the tepid 0.51xG we created against Cavalry, succumbing to their 1.83xG and intense pressure for the majority of the game. There is still, however, a lot of time left. I'm feeling happy that we're in a decent position here... With an enforced salary cap, there needs to be a much tighter grip on where that money goes. Granted, I don't actually control who comes in in any real detail, although, going forward, may have - at least - a one in three chance if my idea takes off, but I can control who I move on using the Unwanted List. Additionally, I don't control the contracts that are offered at signing and the contracts that are renewed but, in this scenario, my job is to ensure that I'm getting the most I can for my money. We're not a rich team, by any stretch of the imagination, but we are financially stable given these constraints, which does give me scope to be clever in the movements, maybe bringing in players before we sell. With just seven weeks of the season gone, the base wage totals are fairly straightforward - their weekly wage multiplied by seven. From that, I can calculate their costs across a number of metrics, with, obviously, some having more importance to me than others. From the scoring perspective, I'm finding great value in Bruno Marques, who, as one of the cheapest weekly wages, is also the joint top scorer for us. On the other hand, Daniel Jepson has really struggled in front of goal, netting just once - five games ago - and has underperformed his xG. This was a common feature as he went through an eleven hour goal drought last year and something that I really need to take into account as the season goes on. The biggest concern here is the parity between Marques - the right winger - and Fjellheim - the left winger. The former has earned 14% of the wage of the Norwegian but has provided significantly more from a slightly more defensive midfield role. I am pleased with the outputs of defender Osborn, particularly as his three goals have come from open play and he is excelling in his Libero role. That continues for Osborn onto the creating metrics as his $500 per key pass is among the cheapest (even if I've coloured the data incorrectly). Again, this creative area is somewhere that Marques is excelling in, along with right back Edgar Ortiz. Nicholas Hutchinson - the true non-creative player in this team - isn't providing anything in this area and, that is fine but I d need to look at the likes of Hashemi and Zamarripa, two players often used as late, creative substitutes, who just haven't convinced me based on the wages they're taking home. Progressively, Danny Green and, once again, Bruno Marques are impressing, which is great, given their relatively advanced position. However, both with support duties mean that they are looking for the space to dribble into. There is also nice parity between the first choice defenders in terms of their costings, with no real standouts anywhere in team apart from Winn - who has been used largely as a striker, and Hashemi - who has just, honestly, not impressed. Danny Green and Hans Fjellheim lead the value for money metrics in terms of ball retention statistics, which, for the latter, is great given his higher basic wage, showing my intention to continue to press relatively high and cut off passing lanes. Whilst Barnes continues to learn how to play as a DM, I'll forgive the lack of parity between his and Heath's outputs here, as, whilst the latter has taken home a third more, he has produced more value for money in each of those metrics, and, actually, most metris overall. My takeaways from this are as follows: Marques probably deserves to be paid more but, as a youngster, is likely to hit barren spells. If I can review this across the season and it maintains, I may recommend a new deal for him. Fjellheim isn't justifying his wages in front of goal but is doing just about ok in terms of creating. I do expect him to kick on though. These metrics do a disservice for Hutchinson, who is integral for his bravery and physical presence. That being said, he is an expensive asset, particularly as he's not even been able to contribute from set pieces. That isn't necessarily all his fault, though. Sobhan Hashemi isn't quite justifying his wage, whereas players like Fabio Hughes are. Gunderson is very expensive in terms of dribbles but - for him to be recording dribbles, he'd be going against my instructions. Thankfully, this value for money is redistributed into his progressive passing. There is, though, justification that he could move to a more central, holding midfielder if this continues given his value-for-money ball recovery metrics. Jepson needs to find his scoring boots because his creative side isn't up to much either this season! My plan, when re-evaluating later in the season, is to utilise the DoF Unwanted List, as seen below: I'm hoping that, using this, I can trim the excess from the squad and then - possibly - use the inverse (the three recommended players when selecting a position or role) to replace them with a one in three from a recommendation. That, at least, will allow me to address areas of the squad that are thin as we've started this season without adequate cover in certain areas and it will come back to hurt us later in the season, almost certainly. With a thought on slightly targeted recruitment, I'll be able to double down on statistical analysis of my own players or players that have been produced on the three man list. I saw this tweet and my desire to create scatters and statistical driven assumptions just came back. With that in mind, I wanted to showcase and dig into a current standout within my own team - Alex Osborn. Alex is now thirty and, as such, won't go on forever, meaning that I'll need to have a replacement sourced for him in the next two to three years in the best case scenario. As I've watched him more and more this season, looking at the 235 shape that we make in possession, the more I see him as a key element in our build up play. In the 3-2 win over York United, Osborn played more passses well inside the opponents half than he did inside his own, scoring a goal to round things off. He's obviously very valuable inside our own penalty area, winning the ball and starting attacks but also as the first pass in any build up but the fact that his heat map shows time spent in progressive areas is a real strength to his game. Having a progressive defender such as Osborn is really key here and I wanted to see just how good he is. The graph on the left shows defenders in the CPL who have amassed at least one dribble or progressive pass. Obviously, these metrics are a little less robust as, given we're just ten games into the season, provide a maximum nine-hundred minute output, which is less than the one-thousand cut off I often use. The graph also shows players who can play as a centre back and, therefore, includes Sergio Oliveira, Tom Thompson, Prince Itoua and Dino Gavran - all arguably more progressive than Osborn but also all players who have spent the majority of their season - at least - as full backs or wing backs. That would suggest that, indeed, Osborn is the most progressive centre back in the CPL despite not actually being the most suited attribute-wise. However, to improve him, I'll need to reach outside of the scouting scope and, given that the majority of transfers have come from Scandinavia, built upon my knowledge (Colombia comes from Palacios, the HoYD, Norway from an U19 coach and Portugal from Bursic), I decided to start my search there. Using Osborn's outputs as a baseline, looking at at least 0.4 dribbles per 90 and 3.5 progressive passes, I was able to create another scatter diagram. Whilst Osborn now fits into the traditional defender category, he really doesn't but it does show that there are far more progressive defenders than he. Obviously, I have no knowledge of players like Ekberg but know he's in the Swedish third tier and, therefore, isn't likely to be strong enough to improve the squad. My plans are to get back into this style of player analysis, building reports on the three players suggested in the DoF recommendation, as seen with this example: Now, here, two of the three recommendations are in the lower leagues of Spain and, as such, their data can be a little unrealistic but it's a step I'm looking forward to and will give me some extra incentive to really work through these lists to get to know the three targets and order them in terms of preference. Then, they'll be added to the list of Transfer Targets and we will go from there. Maybe I'll get my first target, maybe I won't... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 (edited) So far so good as we rise to the top of the CPL. It's been a bit of a hectic time outside of FM, so a lot of these games have been played on the fly and without the input that I like to give them. However, I've seen passages of play, such as Dicks - the Libero - breaking through and playing in Jepson in our win over Vancouver, that tell me, with this current squad, we are in a really good position. That cannot be said for the bottom team and Pacific's new manager faces a tough task of salvaging anything from this season. A lot of the squad have performed admirably but I must highlight the performances of four of my players: Ross Byrd was a contentious deal, initially. The recruitment team brought him in on loan and then made it permanent after he immediately dislodged Ibrahim. Realistically, though, since game one, I've not looked back. Defensively, he's really solid and is saving more than he's expected and he's pretty strong - comparatively - with his feet. Osborn has been brilliant for us in the Libero role as I outlined in my previous update. I love the fact that, with a 2-3 shape in early transition, he's afforded so much space and has a strong enough rest defence to continue to push on. These metrics never look great for a defender because what I've included covers so many roles and is compared with an average of full backs and centre backs, but he's absolutely a favourite of mine, even if he's not outstanding attribute-wise. Jake Heath is outstanding attribute wise and is providing the perfect link between defence and attack in the Volante role. His dribbling ability and creativity has been key in allowing us to score goals, often finding himself feeding Fjellheim, who has shown that he can provide the final ball. It feels odd that, even in my last post, I've been quite demanding of him but, actually, as the highest earner and as a youth international of an established nation, he should be doing what he's doing! On the pitch, his ability to fly past his player and create havoc is pretty wonderful to watch! The board have rewarded this playoff push with a new contract for me and I'm delighted to extend my stay. Given the time frame and size of the Canadian league, I think that, once I have a settled period of time, I can play through things pretty quickly. I'd like - regardless of successes or lack of them - quite a long stint here before I look to make the move to Europe. With Olofsson, I didn't really stick around at any clubs after the initial success, but I might look to set criteria so that I'm more likely to do so here... My favourite area of the game and, honestly, the area I really felt that was missing at super successful massive Bayer. I mentioned that I felt players, at that level, would come through and just be good - with far less micro management needed. That being said, the pool was tiny because, in an elite team, I couldn't afford to be carrying a player. However, now, especially with the rules stipulating that minutes must be given to young Canadians, plus the bigger picture of growing the national team, I think I've found my zone of proximal enjoyment! I've recently added two new coaches: Kjetil Svarteberg and Keneth Runage, with the latter being far, far too good for this level but both seemingly willing to make a move to Canada after answering my advert. This allows me to significantly improve the coaching areas as I've deployed them both to the Technical areas of their games, as that is the main line of enquiry when it comes to gaps within my players. I've got myself two really promising youngsters now in the first team and, even at 18, I feel that they both have significant potential. In the longer term, I'm looking to ensure that I have a conveyor belt, similar to what Ottawa are able to do at the moment, of youngsters from the academy. The next Carl Cort (for those of the appropriate age and/or knowledge of cult heroes of the Premier League) but, hopefully, more like the next Trayon Braithwaite is my youngster Terence. He popped up immediately as someone I identified as having potential way back when I took over and his coach report definitely suggests that there is scope for it. However, his recent development has been far from promising, except for the growth I've seen in his quickness - his sole focus for the last year. I think now is the time for first team minutes and a really structured training plan for him. I want to work on three areas: agility and balance, attacking movement and shooting, so I shall rotate those monthly whilst keeping him on the Shadow Striker (Attack) regime. This hits plenty of key areas for his game and gives a training plan that looks like this. Realistically, he's never going to be fast but will be, by 20 or 21, mobile enough to get around in the final third. On the positive side, his personality has come on leaps and bounds from his Unambitious nature when I took over - happening organically and away from a mentoring group. Terence does have some deficiencies, particularly in the defensive areas of his game and is small and fairly un-physical in his nature but I think that the combination of first touch, technique, flair and vision could lead to a player who, once he can get between the lines, will be a nimble little playmaker. Whilst the trait, right now, detracts from the time spent on the training pitch - tries killer balls often feels like the perfect use of the time and this will precede work on trying to purposely move him into vertical and horizontal channels. From there, it's all about attribute development but, given the positive personality, I think I can be quite demanding of his performances on the training pitch and during matches. One of the 2.11% of the Portuguese Canadians from the province of Ontario and, unlike Terence, incomparable with Wikipedia's list of famous sportspeople of his ethnic group - Bruno Marques is the second youngster I want to really put some hours into. It makes me feel even more engaged in that he was actually not a signing that I made, instead was brought in through the previous recruitment team, which leads me to believe that, with improvements here, I can make more of these. His recent development has been decent but, again, I have a personalised plan. I want to work on his attacking movement, passing and ball control but there are also key areas that get covered nicely by two roles - Trequartista (Attack) and Wide Target Forward (Support) - therefore, he will rotate both in a training plan that looks like this. Unlike Terence, his personality is not the strongest, so I'm also introducing him to a mentoring group with two strong tutors who both have good personalities and decent traits. This will, over time, hopefully both ensure he stays in the core group but also build his professionalism, which may not be far off the upper threshold anyway. With so many traits already potentially being passed down to him, I'm going to focus solely on attribute development and, given his personality, I want to jump on anything positive - playing or training. I worry that he may struggle to take on board constructive criticism given there are no factors that define he can handle pressure or be professional so will refrain, unless necessary, to be too critical at this point. - - - The future is, hopefully, very bright but this is just the start! Edited June 13 by _Ben_ 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lestri Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 13 hours ago, _Ben_ said: So far so good as we rise to the top of the CPL. It's been a bit of a hectic time outside of FM, so a lot of these games have been played on the fly and without the input that I like to give them. However, I've seen passages of play, such as Dicks - the Libero - breaking through and playing in Jepson in our win over Vancouver, that tell me, with this current squad, we are in a really good position. That cannot be said for the bottom team and Pacific's new manager faces a tough task of salvaging anything from this season. A lot of the squad have performed admirably but I must highlight the performances of four of my players: Ross Byrd was a contentious deal, initially. The recruitment team brought him in on loan and then made it permanent after he immediately dislodged Ibrahim. Realistically, though, since game one, I've not looked back. Defensively, he's really solid and is saving more than he's expected and he's pretty strong - comparatively - with his feet. Osborn has been brilliant for us in the Libero role as I outlined in my previous update. I love the fact that, with a 2-3 shape in early transition, he's afforded so much space and has a strong enough rest defence to continue to push on. These metrics never look great for a defender because what I've included covers so many roles and is compared with an average of full backs and centre backs, but he's absolutely a favourite of mine, even if he's not outstanding attribute-wise. Jake Heath is outstanding attribute wise and is providing the perfect link between defence and attack in the Volante role. His dribbling ability and creativity has been key in allowing us to score goals, often finding himself feeding Fjellheim, who has shown that he can provide the final ball. It feels odd that, even in my last post, I've been quite demanding of him but, actually, as the highest earner and as a youth international of an established nation, he should be doing what he's doing! On the pitch, his ability to fly past his player and create havoc is pretty wonderful to watch! The board have rewarded this playoff push with a new contract for me and I'm delighted to extend my stay. Given the time frame and size of the Canadian league, I think that, once I have a settled period of time, I can play through things pretty quickly. I'd like - regardless of successes or lack of them - quite a long stint here before I look to make the move to Europe. With Olofsson, I didn't really stick around at any clubs after the initial success, but I might look to set criteria so that I'm more likely to do so here... My favourite area of the game and, honestly, the area I really felt that was missing at super successful massive Bayer. I mentioned that I felt players, at that level, would come through and just be good - with far less micro management needed. That being said, the pool was tiny because, in an elite team, I couldn't afford to be carrying a player. However, now, especially with the rules stipulating that minutes must be given to young Canadians, plus the bigger picture of growing the national team, I think I've found my zone of proximal enjoyment! I've recently added two new coaches: Kjetil Svarteberg and Keneth Runage, with the latter being far, far too good for this level but both seemingly willing to make a move to Canada after answering my advert. This allows me to significantly improve the coaching areas as I've deployed them both to the Technical areas of their games, as that is the main line of enquiry when it comes to gaps within my players. I've got myself two really promising youngsters now in the first team and, even at 18, I feel that they both have significant potential. In the longer term, I'm looking to ensure that I have a conveyor belt, similar to what Ottawa are able to do at the moment, of youngsters from the academy. The next Carl Cort (for those of the appropriate age and/or knowledge of cult heroes of the Premier League) but, hopefully, more like the next Trayon Braithwaite is my youngster Terence. He popped up immediately as someone I identified as having potential way back when I took over and his coach report definitely suggests that there is scope for it. However, his recent development has been far from promising, except for the growth I've seen in his quickness - his sole focus for the last year. I think now is the time for first team minutes and a really structured training plan for him. I want to work on three areas: agility and balance, attacking movement and shooting, so I shall rotate those monthly whilst keeping him on the Shadow Striker (Attack) regime. This hits plenty of key areas for his game and gives a training plan that looks like this. Realistically, he's never going to be fast but will be, by 20 or 21, mobile enough to get around in the final third. On the positive side, his personality has come on leaps and bounds from his Unambitious nature when I took over - happening organically and away from a mentoring group. Terence does have some deficiencies, particularly in the defensive areas of his game and is small and fairly un-physical in his nature but I think that the combination of first touch, technique, flair and vision could lead to a player who, once he can get between the lines, will be a nimble little playmaker. Whilst the trait, right now, detracts from the time spent on the training pitch - tries killer balls often feels like the perfect use of the time and this will precede work on trying to purposely move him into vertical and horizontal channels. From there, it's all about attribute development but, given the positive personality, I think I can be quite demanding of his performances on the training pitch and during matches. One of the 2.11% of the Portuguese Canadians from the province of Ontario and, unlike Terence, incomparable with Wikipedia's list of famous sportspeople of his ethnic group - Bruno Marques is the second youngster I want to really put some hours into. It makes me feel even more engaged in that he was actually not a signing that I made, instead was brought in through the previous recruitment team, which leads me to believe that, with improvements here, I can make more of these. His recent development has been decent but, again, I have a personalised plan. I want to work on his attacking movement, passing and ball control but there are also key areas that get covered nicely by two roles - Trequartista (Attack) and Wide Target Forward (Support) - therefore, he will rotate both in a training plan that looks like this. Unlike Terence, his personality is not the strongest, so I'm also introducing him to a mentoring group with two strong tutors who both have good personalities and decent traits. This will, over time, hopefully both ensure he stays in the core group but also build his professionalism, which may not be far off the upper threshold anyway. With so many traits already potentially being passed down to him, I'm going to focus solely on attribute development and, given his personality, I want to jump on anything positive - playing or training. I worry that he may struggle to take on board constructive criticism given there are no factors that define he can handle pressure or be professional so will refrain, unless necessary, to be too critical at this point. - - - The future is, hopefully, very bright but this is just the start! Been playing FM for a long long time now, and you alternating the role they will be training in every month is the first time that idea has ever crossed my mind! Love learning the different ways people approach Youth Development. Both of them look very handy, will be keeping an eye on how they go at the end of the year! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 14 Author Share Posted June 14 11 hours ago, Lestri said: Been playing FM for a long long time now, and you alternating the role they will be training in every month is the first time that idea has ever crossed my mind! Love learning the different ways people approach Youth Development. Both of them look very handy, will be keeping an eye on how they go at the end of the year! Thanks! It's something that I felt would be interesting - six months a year focusing on a slightly different skillset within the overarching role type might improve some of those hard to hit areas - particularly in Marques as the WTF(s) role includes aerial stuff that the T(a) role just doesn't! My concern, however, is the impact it'll have on their role familiarity, which, for Marques here, is poor. Not that it is holding him back at all on the pitch though, so I'll just keep an eye out! It's early days and I know this means very little, but Ondaan has made a nice start. I'll keep checking back to see whether these are just marginal up arrows or these attributes actually reach the thresholds to round to a higher number! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 Honestly, I didn't quite expect this... Table toppers just fourteen months or so after seventh placed stragglers does feel a bit off and, ultimately, for me, does feel like I've achieved this without truly completing my tactical journey. With Gundersen and Medjo (who is profiled below), I've been given the two full backs who pretty much perfectly fit in with the base style that I started with. That means I've been able to run the same style, pretty much regardless of opposition, throughout and, now that I've upgraded the quality on Parkin and Ortiz, am finding that these successes are coming more and more often. Granted, Valour ended seventh, but we absolutely tore them to shreds and that seven could have been seventeen! Despite a poor draw with Vancouver, we then did the same to Forge and Pacific, showing the gulf between Cavalry and Ottawa - last season's top two - and ourselves as we've pretty seamlessly made the jump. There is, quite clearly, a bigger picture here. Firstly, I still have to overcome two games in the playoffs as our table topping position means we are given a bye early on but, secondly, my plans here are bigger than just Halifax. I want to continue to build this fluid, chaotic and beautiful playing style without the handle on who gets recruited into it but I also want to see Canadian football push on, winning the Canadian Championships from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal then performing better in the Concacaf Champions League. With the salary restrictions, the last two will always be harder but, if the time comes that I'm no longer enjoying this league phase, I may call it quits and head back to Europe. Right now though, it's been pretty good fun! Takeover talks somewhat derailed any incomings over the summer transfer window and, under new chairman Charlie Bell, expectations will surely rise. However, one signing as added to the team: Steve Medjo feels somewhat of an unrealistic signing, if I'm honest. A pre-contract agreement that Bursac signed a matter of days after joining the club stinks of an FM transfer! How would he know about this lad, who was playing domestically in the top tier but without international recognition through tournament play. That being said, Steve is a top quality player and is almost perfect for my tactical needs and wants. Able to use the ball when in transition as well as being relatively solid defensively in all areas other than maybe heading. He also provides me with a strong set piece taker and allows me to rebuild my designs for attacking corners. However, this signing does raise some concerns for me - longer term - about the state of my squad: With the winter change in DoF, I've seen a marked shift in their recruitment policy. This could put a big dent in my plans if or when I end up with more than the limit of five non-Canadians in each matchday squad or seven in the entire roster. The only noticeable differences between the two are that Bursac's other nationalities - Serbia and Portugal - give him an advantage in knowledge of those areas, but he hasn't recruited from either, and that his reputation is quite significantly higher than Oli's. The only other explanation that is, honestly, viable, for the signings of Fjellheim and Gundersen is that both coaches who applied for my vacancies are Norwegian, broadening the club's knowledge of here - although in a really gamey way! That could have also identified Adrian, who joined following a spell in Sweden. With contract expirations likely to take out four homegrown players - with one, due to Danny Green's performances, against my wishes, I do worry about how clever the AI are here. Will they purposely target Canadians when they know my requirements are for Canadians or will they simply go out and try and find the 'best' that is available? That could be the cause of some issues further down the line. Additionally, our player development - historically - has been poor and that puts even more onus on me getting it right at this moment in time. However, after just three months of game time, I think I can be happy with the preliminary analysis of my two youngsters from the previous update: Marques has made remarkable progress with growth in Decisions (+1), Off the Ball (+1), Passing (+1), Vision (+1) and Determination (+1) as well as some further developments across the breadth of his game. In that time, he's played 1036 minutes, creating seven goals and scoring two, ensuring that his average rating is allowing for positive progress with his attributes. Whilst there has been no movement with his personality, his determination has risen and will hopefully continue to do so. I've been very vocal in praise for his training - every fortnight - and have also praised every match performance above a 7.5 rating, with a specific area of his game that he has done well in - largely, in this period, his creativity. His 1810 league minutes across the season basically account for all of the target total of 2000, which is great too. Whilst the progress line for Ondaan is flat, he's improved in Balance (+1), Anticipation (+1) and Decisions (+1) across the 429 minutes he's appeared in, scoring three times. Whilst the number of minutes is significantly lower than Marques, I also feel that the time spent on his player trait, which currently sits at 'progressing very well with his work developing his new trait' means that he's had time away from the maint training, limiting the benefits. Going forward, identifying tutors who can pass on positive traits early on means that more time can be spent on developing attributes at this vital age. However, overall, this little experiment seems to be working nicely and I'll absolutely continue with these two, adding in four new youngsters from my recent youth intake: Rhair Borba is the gem of the intake, in my eyes. He's already really quite well rounded for the role I think he could be used in - a Libero. At sixteen, I feel that there are few really weak areas, dribbling aside and, have, as such, created a training plan that will utilise two different roles - CWB(s) and L(s) that encourage dribbling development. As time goes on, he'll move into a mentoring slot and the generic Libero traits may come in - bringing the ball out of the defence, which, ideally, would come from mentoring with Alex Osborn. I'm really excited to dig into his development! A very close second in this list is Cunha, another Portuguese descendant who I will hopefully grow to love. He's a pace merchant and could, just about, become a ball carrying striker who doesn't just need to sit on the last man. With that in mind, two roles: P(a) and T(a) will be used in his training plan with the latter designed on making him a little more intelligent when he is on the ball, particularly his decision making, concentration and composure. Gavin Hayward has a training plan build on solidifying some really strong mental attributes for a boy of his age as well as pushing some technical areas that do feel somewhat underdeveloped. I'm hopeful that he can move into a defensive full back role, which, potentially, could be used on whichever side - given his two footedness. Beni Shushan has some quite big deficiencies but his training plan is intended to round out a few areas of mental weakness as I look at the potential to make use of not too shabby marking and tackling and convert him to an aggressive wing back, giving me yet another option to build up with. Add these four to Ondaan and Marques, already in the first team and a surprise emergence of Maciej Abramovicz - who has just been given some minutes in the run in - and I think I have some really intriguing project players. I think that this is particularly important as, based on current thoughts, a lot of the imports will not help me meet the registration rules and I both need to be clever, such as exploring the use of Adrian as a DLF(s), and forensic when developing players to come into the team. I even was able to say that in a press conference... That being said, with just twenty-three players allowed in the roster, including these four means I have just nineteen spaces left for those truly ready for the first team. Lots to think about in this area! But, in the meantime, it's postseason play! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeper#1 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Honestly, that's just a part of North American sports. Near last place one season; battling for the championship the next. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 We fall just short, again. October is a really strange month in Canadian football: the big (MLS) sides enter the Canadian Championships at the latter phases and yet the playoff schedule is built around a Wed-Sat-Wed layout, which, in congested times is fine but then why have six weeks off in July and August?! Surely the Canadian weather isn't that conducive to mass heatwaves and hard ground, making it unsuitable. Google tells me that Nova Scotia sees around eleven days of rain and average temperatures north of 16 degrees - perfect for football! But...that cannot be the excuse. Twice we've come unstuck against Cavalry and we've now twice (expectedly) lost to Montreal in the last two seasons. I'm not going to avoid the big three at the semi final stages because nobody else beats them but I need to look at how I create a squad that can stay competitive there and then have enough legs in the final just three days later. That being said - it's still an insane season. In terms of performances, Marques' direct dribbling and creativity, combined with that of Medjo and Ondaan, finished supremely by best player Adrian shows we have the makings of a top side. We will have to have that, though, with board expectations to meet this next year and go better the year after. Failure to do so will see me join Forge and York managers, who have just been moved on. To do that, I think I need to be really clever with my roster management. Enter 'finishers.' I read a lot of football stuff and this X thread a couple of articles around the first ever substitute coach have made me think about what I have at the club, considering that I am not the prime recruiter. I don't really resonate with all of these ideas but, in terms of just getting a deeper understanding of how I can change games with different types of players - especially as I don't have room nor money for two players per position with ample backup then a plethora of youth players, I felt it was worth an investigation. With just €19,750p/w to play with, a minimum of 20 players and a max of 23, a total of seven non-Canadians (of which only five can start) and the imposed rules around 2,000 minutes of Canadian U21 time means that I can create a nice Carroll Diagram to show my thoughts: The players in white currently contributes towards the U21 Canadian rule - and, given that there are at least twenty-eight games (a total of 5040 minutes for both starting players), I expect to meet the criteria with ease. From this, I think I currently have a squad of 20 players who are able to be registered and play parts this season. I'm currently pretty happy with the quality within my starting XI and have some nice tactical ideas to get the most out of Adrian as a more advanced player than last year, putting most of my eggs into one basket that Ondaan can have a true breakout year. It's really important for me that I keep a strong core of Canadian starters, given that six of them must be in the starting XI and, likewise, reduce the amount of non-Canadian non-starter players, as they take up valuable slots and are, largely, more expensive. In two more years (two and a half for Medjo), the current crop of starting non-Canadians will have - hopefully - taken citizenships and can allow for a wider recruitment net, but that is really not the aim of this program as, even if they do reach that under the age of 21, I don't think that their minutes actually count, and, if they do, they certainly don't take effect until citizenship is gained. At this point, with a total of 20 players, I'd like my team to look at Canadian's finishers who offer pace on the wings and ball winning ability in the middle - two areas that are really impactful in different parts of games. Whether or not that happens, I don't know! - - - As I head into 2039, I've decided to up the ante in terms of opposition - facing Dallas, New England Revolution and Nashville before a double header against Orlando in the first round of the Concacaf Champions League. Whilst I expect absolutely nothing, they did finish 20th in the Supporter's Shield last time around and - like most teams early season - might be so unfit that, if I get my own pre-season right, we could minimise that gap in quality. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etothe2power Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 On 08/06/2024 at 08:15, _Ben_ said: The cold Canadian winters mean that the off-season here is particularly long: November to April to be precise. That brings with it a chance to make quick progress but also a hugely long pre-season schedule and a long transfer window before a ball is really kicked in anger. That being said, it gave me time to have a little look at the backroom team as well as react to the transfers that my recruitment team made. However, the biggest change was at the top: Nikola Bursac - in his first non-playing role - comes in as the new director of football. When compared to Oli Mellor, he's a clear upgrade and it was nice to see that my board acted swiftly after Mellor's contract expired and he decided to leave. As a player, Bursać’s career began at Woodbridge Strikers SC in January 2017. He subsequently moved to TSC in July 2018, where he also spent time on loan at FK Radnički Sremska Mitrovica and FK Spartak Subotica, making a combined total of 18 league appearances. His playing career continued with a stint at Radnički Sremska Mitrovica from 2021 to 2022, followed by a move to Spartak Subotica from 2022 to 2023, and finally to Vizela from 2023 to 2035. Over his 18-year playing career, he made 270 appearances - with one season in the top flight at Vizela - and earned six caps for the Canadian national team, debuting against the UAE in June 2031. Bursać’s knowledge in football is extensive, particularly in Canada, Portugal, and Serbia, suggesting a deep understanding of the footballing landscapes in these regions. His competencies extend to several key areas, including the ability to judge player and staff potential and abilities, negotiation skills, and tactical knowledge. His mental attributes such as adaptability, determination, level of discipline, motivation, and people management are also notable, indicating his suitability for high-level administrative roles. In terms of tactical preferences, Bursać favors a 4-2-3-1 formation as his preferred setup, with a secondary inclination towards a 4-3-3 formation. His playing mentality is balanced, and he is recognized as a motivator and youth developer, which is further supported by his strength in analyzing data. These attributes align with his job role interests, which prominently include director of football, technical director, loan manager, and head of youth development. Bursać also shows interest in managerial and assistant managerial positions, along with coaching and various analytical roles, but less so in positions like goalkeeping coach, fitness coach, and physio. If I'm being picky - I'd like to have a DoF who has handled non-hands on, or, at least, been a part of a recruitment team before but Nikola comes with a good reputation as an ex-international and has links to both Serbia and Portugal, which will hopefully broaden our recruitment network. Nikola and his team made light work on his first transfer window, recruiting four unattached players: Hans Age Fjellheim represents, I think, some shrewd business - tightening up on our deficiencies on the left wing but also an ample replacement on the right. Like many of the signings before him, Hans' career has been spent outside of the first team, but, unlike those previous to him, his has been spent at a top academy. With over one hundred competitive adult appearances for Bodø/Glimt's second and third team. His last season came in the third tier of Norwegian football, probably a level or two down from ours, but he scored six times in seventeen games, creating another three. Agile and pretty athletic, his ability to progress the ball - with dribbling (12), agility (14) and pace (11) - looks to be pretty good, as does his unpredictability: flair (12). That being said, I think I'll need to work on his final ball given his below average for this level passing (8) and anticipation (10). Hans is one of the highest earners at the club and I will not ever have any say in this - which does, slightly, scare me. He's certainly a player who could take time to gel - I often find that wingers who favour running, adding in those who are not listed as particular consistent and especially those without a full grasp of the native tongue, often struggle because they aren't afforded space easily and, probably more importantly, can find themselves way out of the game for long periods of time. It'll be interesting to watch how this young man conducts himself across the early games of his career with us! Fellow Norwegian Joakim Gundersen arrived next, with little surprise given the relative proximity of the two nations. Born in Askoy, the professional youngster will add to the positive characters within the team and I hope that his already basic grasp of the language will improve quickly as he adapts. His career has also been spent in the 2 teams of bigger Norwegian sides, this time Brann. He's played forty times over the last two years in the third tier there and, as a versatile defensive option, will be important to us. I'll be looking to ensure that at no time he is ever allowed to run with the ball, instead making use of another physical figure in the defence. Davis Barnes is where the signings start to get a bit odd! With Daniel Jepson and Gordon Winn settled as first and second choice striker, and with Bruno Marques and Sobhan Hashemi also able to play there, bringing another striker in feels a little counter intuitive. Barnes is a 22-year-old advanced forward from Peabody, MA, USA and his market value is estimated between $900K and $1.4M meaning he's already one of the most valuable. He arrives with seventeen MLS appearances since coming through the New England Revolution system but clearly hasn't kicked on and may present as an issue with his fickle personality - particularly if another club comes sniffing. Therefore, despite the slightly sour taste left after taking up valuable salary cap space, I am presented with an idea that really was the driver in this small squad, player development phase: retraining. After a lot of analysis and watching of my best, arguably, player, Jordan Heath, I think that Barnes could be a real outside of the box thought for a Segundo Volante. We had our issues with scoring last year and the more creative players I can get into the offensive third, the better. With the running ability of wingers Fjellheim and Green, I think that more of a playmaking Volante, rather than a box to box Volante could work and, given his balance, technical ability and first touch coupled with decent flair and finishing, he could be a danger arriving late and taking first time shots. Whilst not the best defensively, his marking is above average for this level and I can work on polishing a few other things and adding a couple of traits to influence the strongest area of his game. I must admit to being quite excited about this move, after all! Adrian is a direct replacement for Dominik Paprocki - the biggest underperformer from last season - who, amazingly, was sold for $90k back to Sweden, which, I'd imagine, triggered this deal. However, I don't think that the introduction has done him any favours - as I've, potentially, now got the best player at the club. Born on January 25, 2012, Adrián brings versatility to his team, capable of playing in multiple positions including left midfield, left wing, right wing, and central attacking midfield. His professional demeanor and consistent performances make him a standout player in the league. Fourteen appearances in La Liga (and a relegation) with Oviedo before falling out of favour and never quite getting his career back on track in Sweden with Jonkopings came before the move to Canada where he'll move in as a classic number ten. His strengths lie in his acceleration (12), agility (13), balance (13), and pace (11), making him a formidable presence on the pitch and he is also highly skilled in dribbling (12), passing (11), and technique (14). His mental attributes include high levels of determination (16), flair (14), and vision (10), which contribute to his effectiveness in creating scoring opportunities. However, his heading (5), marking (2), and positioning (2) are areas where he shows less prowess and - as such - I need to keep him as far away from our goal as I can. I really think that his combinations - particularly if I can add a trait like plays one twos - with Barnes or Heath in the Volante role could be beautiful and could allow us to unlock defences. With hi physical playing style,and exhibiting traits such as shooting from distance, shooting with power, curling the ball, and an inclination to round the keeper and I think that these can all help unlock a really good combination in the centre of the park. With three years required for Canadian citizenship, I think he could potentially even go on to become a nationalised player for us, if he can deliver just what I think is possible. Ultimately though, he counts towards maximum squad registration rules both domestically and continentally and has an injury-prone nature, meaning that, without careful management - this could end the same way as the man he replaced! - - - One thing that I am really enjoying about this level is finding value within players, not only attribute wise, but also wage wise. With a weekly salary budget of €19,750, teams have to think carefully about who they sign, register and play, allowing a roster of just 23 players. I'm looking at how other teams are developing their squads and feel that, even with my hands off approach, I can do what I can to ensure that we are operating in both a profit and using the allocation of money wisely. Below are the weekly wages of the current first team squad: At the lower end of the salary spectrum, we have players such as Mikey Page, Bruno Marques, and Fabio Hughes. Mikey Page earns the least at $220 per week, followed closely by Bruno Marques at $240 per week and Fabio Hughes at $325 per week. These figures are in line with those players who are newer to the team, less experienced, or not yet established as core members of the squad. In the mid-range salary bracket, several players earn identical wages, highlighting a potential standard rate for a specific player tier within the team. Jonathan Parkin, Gordon Wrin, José Gustavo Zamarripa, Danny Green, and Edgar Ortiz each earn $400 per week. Slightly higher is Kofi Ibrahim at $425 per week. Alex Osborn stands out slightly above this group with a weekly wage of $500. The next tier includes Daniel Jepson at $650 per week and Jordan Dicks at $725 per week. Sobhan Hashemi earns $825 per week, while Davis Barnes receives $975 per week. Adrián, at $1000 per week, marks the upper boundary of the mid-range earners. These players likely constitute the backbone of the team, providing essential skills and experience without commanding the highest salaries. Interestingly, though, some of my top players are in here and, surely, if they have another successful season, will be badgering for new deals. The upper echelon of the salary structure is composed of players who earn significantly more, reflecting their likely status as key players or those with substantial experience and value to the team. Jake Heath and Joachim Gundersen each earn $1300 per week, indicating their importance and possibly leadership roles within the team. Ross Byrd earns $1600 per week, placing him among the highest earners and suggesting a pivotal role in the team's strategy and performance. Topping the chart are Hans Åge Fjellheim and Nicholas Hutchinson, each earning $1700 per week. Their top-tier salaries indicate they are likely the most valuable and possibly the most senior players on the team but I do have that burning question of ‘are they?’ Gunderson, Byrd and Fjellheim are all new players and, whilst this indicates – hopefully – an increase in quality joining the club, it also does raise questions about the negotiating ability of my recruitment team as I cannot afford seven, eight or nine of these players on these wages. That leaves me with approximately 22% of my salary budget - €4265 per week - left over, along with three foreign player slots left. Furthermore, this is the last year of the easy U21 Canadian minutes as Jake Heath is a 2017 birth and will not qualify next year, so I need to take a keen eye on how the board plan the next couple of transfer windows. Furthermore, I need to look back, in a couple of months, to see whether these wages are justified and, if not, think creatively about how I can replace these players. I am happy to use the 'Unwanted List' but that, ultimately, doesn't secure a sensible and money-efficient replacement! I tested out Chat GPT's image to text feature to summarise the main points of my pre-season: CPL Invitational Semi Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Vancouver FC The CPL Invitational Semi Final saw Wanderers FC lock horns with Vancouver FC, a club known for its robust defensive play and disciplined tactical approach. Despite the wet weather conditions and an attendance of 1,783 fans at Wanderers Grounds, the match was a tightly contested affair. Both teams employed a cautious strategy, with Wanderers FC sticking to their tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation. Neither side managed to break the deadlock in regular and extra time, leading to a penalty shootout. Ross Byrd was the hero as he saved the sixth and final penalty, allowing HFX to progress. CPL Invitational Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Flower City Union In the CPL Invitational Final, Wanderers FC faced Flower City Union, a team renowned for its swift counter-attacks and clinical finishing. The match, played under persistent rain with 2,090 supporters in attendance, was a high-stakes encounter. Wanderers FC took the lead through Hans Åge Fjellheim’s well-timed strike in the 56th minute, a moment that seemed to tilt the balance in their favor. However, Flower City Union showcased their resilience, scoring twice in the latter stages to secure a 2-1 victory. Wanderers FC maintained their 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the match but couldn't withstand Flower City Union’s late surge, missing out on the title. Halifax Open Semi Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Pacific FC Wanderers FC’s journey in the Halifax Open brought them against Pacific FC, a club known for its dynamic midfield and tactical flexibility. Despite the wet conditions and a large turnout of 3,751 spectators, the match was fiercely competitive. Danny Green’s goal for Wanderers FC ensured the match ended 1-1 after regular time. With the stakes high, the game proceeded to a penalty shootout. Wanderers FC, shifting to a more defensive 5-2-3 formation, showed remarkable composure, winning the shootout and booking their place in the final. This victory highlighted their ability to adapt tactically and perform under pressure. Halifax Open Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. TSS FC The Halifax Open Final featured Wanderers FC taking on TSS FC, a team known for its aggressive pressing and attacking flair. Played under wet and surprisingly warm conditions at 17°C, with 2,090 fans cheering them on, Wanderers FC delivered a masterclass performance. Goals from Gordon Winn (43'), Fabio Hughes (45+1'), and Daniel Jepson (85') underscored their dominance. Sticking to their 4-2-3-1 formation, Wanderers FC controlled the tempo and exploited TSS FC’s defensive frailties, clinching a 3-0 victory and the Halifax Open title. Nova Scotia Cup Semi Final: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Charleston Battery In the Nova Scotia Cup Semi Final, Wanderers FC squared off against Charleston Battery, a team with a reputation for solid defense and structured gameplay. The match, played on a breezy day at Wanderers Grounds with 1,796 spectators, was intensely contested. Gordon Winn found the net in the 47th minute, but Charleston Battery equalized, leading to a 1-1 draw at the end of regular time. The third penalty shootout of the pre-season, however, was not successful for the home side. Nova Scotia Cup Third Place Playoff: Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Abbotsford MF Mariners The final match in this series saw Wanderers FC take on Abbotsford MF Mariners in the Nova Scotia Cup Third Place Playoff. Known for their attacking prowess but vulnerable defense, Abbotsford MF Mariners faced a relentless HFX side. Despite the wet and chilly 8°C weather, with 1,797 fans in attendance, the home side put on an attacking clinic. Alex Osborn’s hat-trick (7', 20', 59'), Daniel Jepson’s brace (16', 25'), and goals from Mikey Page (46'), Sobhan Hashemi (64', 90') and Hans Åge Fjellheim (87) led to an emphatic 9-2 victory. Wanderers FC’s 4-2-3-1 formation proved devastatingly effective, highlighting their offensive depth and tactical acumen. - - - Whilst Chat GPT is very good at summarising the statistical elements of the games, it fails to add any emotional thoughts to my pre-season, which, to be honest, hasn't been smooth. Dogged by training concerns, a huge difficulty in achieving match fitness - leading to the slightly rushed advert and appointment of Haakon Vaaga, hardly a long term option, I feel that we are not quite as prepared as we could be. However, I'm onto season two here in Canada, full of optimism about a new chance to develop a new squad and see what happens from there! Just curious as you mention on a few occasions particular attributes as being above and below average for the CPL. what is the average for this level? I’m also curious about the DNA spectrum on the player screenshots. Is that part of your skin? Does it require anything extra to have that display? I apologize if this is old news in the forum but I’ve been reading over VFTT…I didn’t know you were documenting your save here too! Thanks for the interesting save and continuation…very enjoyable and informative keeping up with your progress! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 8 hours ago, Etothe2power said: Thanks for the interesting save and continuation…very enjoyable and informative keeping up with your progress! Firstly, thank you for the kind words! I've been a long time forum dweller since the days of The Dugout and FM Now and kept in touch with Dan across that. He asked me if I wanted to post my threads there last year and - honestly - I was honoured! 8 hours ago, Etothe2power said: Just curious as you mention on a few occasions particular attributes as being above and below average for the CPL. what is the average for this level? Yeah. It's not really a panel that I like as it feels hugely unrealistic but in the comparison screens (physical, mental and technical) you can see that we're largely better than the rest. I hadn't looked at this since I took over so it probably does explain our quite sudden rise to the top! 8 hours ago, Etothe2power said: I’m also curious about the DNA spectrum on the player screenshots. Is that part of your skin? Does it require anything extra to have that display? It's part of my skin - Statman - but, unfortunately, I've fallen out of love a little bit with it - in part due to wanting to play the game but also with the uncertainty around what FM25 will look like for skinners. Because of that, it's never actually made a release but it's just a graphical way of showing the total of the five key attributes I've used across this save: decisions, determination, first touch, technique and pace. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Facing either a Mexican side or an American side at this stage of the competition signals that, pretty much, the cup run is over. We're not a million miles from the bottom end of the MLS sides but, once the game is taken over two legs, it really becomes hard for us to maintain any kind of quality. Truth be told, both of these games were nowhere near as close as they look on the scorecard, with our illustrious opponents creating 600% of our total xG in the first leg, despite us taking a shock lead early on. I think that this gap will be the breaker of the spell here in Canada. Sooner rather than later, I will rise to the top of the CPL with Halifax but still not be able to make headway in these competitions. Do I fancy twenty-eight wins to then get to four games - two here and two in the Canadian Championships - where I lose before rinsing and repeating? Absolutely not. Are we at the stage where I need to have this conversation? Again. No. Five signings this off-season as my recruitment team continue to get it pretty much spot on in terms of what I'm after... Hans Age Fjellheim was the biggest talking point as his move to Sarpsborg smashed the Canadian record sale and brought us €1.5m. Despite being the best player in the league, moves like this are impossible to turn down and, honestly, part of the jigsaw I am going to try and build here, albeit with a future twist to Canadian nationals moving to Europe. My board re-invested none of the money from this sale into these signings but, overall, we've improved the quality within the squad. James Connolly is probably the direct replacement and, whilst in comparison with Fjellheim, he's a little less well rounded - I do think that his ceiling is going to be a bit higher. Being Canadian, too, I do feel a little more invested in his development as he joins the ever-growing list of project players I now have. Yeremay moves in after spells in the second string MLS sides and is a really interesting prospect, too. When compared with Fjellheim, I feel he is a slightly different type of player and, certainly, his height will be something that I look to build upon as a wide man, Ciro Ragaglia, a beautifully versatile jack of all trades but still actually pretty good was the last signing and has all the makings of a top quality Libero, in my eyes. Rowan Presland looks to be a top deal after being snagged off the back of three really strong EFL League One campaigns with Cambridge and actually has featured in the Premier League with his boyhood club, Luton. We also added Sam Brown - once on the books of CF Montreal - late on as a backup right back. I'm now left with something that looks a little like this: No spaces left now in either the roster size of the non-Canadian players, meaning that I'll likely have to sell in order to create spaces for future recruitment. That being said, I think that this is now - by some way - the best team in the league. Whilst I am not hugely worried about where the Canadian youth minutes come from as the core of the players will get plenty of game time, I am still not quite sold on the idea of the finishers just yet; we lack just that little bit of variety across certain areas and I need to pay attention to that! I've always been an advocate of tactical fluidity and that sense of chaos in the attacking third. The above four images show just parts of the flexibility within the approaches I can take. Each player in these images, whether they are on a Support or an Attack duty, is classed as being Attacking - which is ideal for the type of risk taking and directness that I crave. These options can be utilised against different opponents and I really feel that I don't share my thought process enough: for example, Yeremay could be deployed as a WT(a) when we're facing a team with small full backs or tired players, where his build up play can get people around him. Alternatively, Connolly - as an IF(a) - could be used against high pressing wing backs when there is space to exploit. Against lower blocks where we need space, using an AF(a) would stretch play and occupy defenders giving Ondaan more space and, inversely, Ondaan could be deployed as an SS(a) when I'm using Adrian to pull defenders out of position. I do think that we now have the best squad and I've enjoyed this hands-off approach to recruitment. The next step is to then take that and become really fluid with my tactical approaches. What might now happen, though, is that we reach a point where domestic success is achieved yet continental success is so far off that my interest wanes. Canada has been a great side-step in this career but I'll openly admit to not keeping this up any longer than is fun! Edited June 20 by _Ben_ 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeper#1 Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 Next stop: Toronto FC or CF Montreal? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 Back to Europe? How about ASSE as a place to target since they are probably a "Yo-yo team" in your save. Build up like you usually do and win Ligue 1 for the first time since the 1970's! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_ANZFM Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 I think Canada has been a fantastic step to rejuvenate the safe but I sort of always felt there’d be a cap to it. Are there any other destinations you think might be worth a look at in terms of a next step? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
uroszila Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 Great career so far, really enjoying it. If I were you, I would go to either one of the Canadian MLS teams or maybe to Scotland and take over Aberdeen or Hibernian and try to break the Celtic/Rangers dominance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 17 hours ago, uroszila said: Great career so far, really enjoying it. If I were you, I would go to either one of the Canadian MLS teams or maybe to Scotland and take over Aberdeen or Hibernian and try to break the Celtic/Rangers dominance. On 20/06/2024 at 21:57, keeper#1 said: Next stop: Toronto FC or CF Montreal? On 20/06/2024 at 22:49, Hootieleece said: Back to Europe? How about ASSE as a place to target since they are probably a "Yo-yo team" in your save. Build up like you usually do and win Ligue 1 for the first time since the 1970's! On 21/06/2024 at 03:34, Chris_ANZFM said: I think Canada has been a fantastic step to rejuvenate the safe but I sort of always felt there’d be a cap to it. Are there any other destinations you think might be worth a look at in terms of a next step? Thanks for the ideas and suggestions! Honestly - I'm a little torn. This save is great but, as you'll see when I update in about five games or so, it's not actually presenting the challenge I felt it would. Whether that is the league reputation and how I've manage to to bring through foreign players that wouldn't necessarily be in my scouting range due to the recruitment hand-off or that there is no history here because of the added league and, as such, the players and staff are less developed, I don't know. My worry, with moving to either the MLS or to somewhere like Scotland is that I'll have a similar thing. These clubs don't have managers or full squads nor is there a real picture of the league! When we're done in Canada, it's likely we're done for good and a new venture will begin. It's likely that I'll utilise the fact I haven't started on the beta and add a variety of different leagues, too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipky Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I honestly feel the journey's coming to a well-deserved end. It's been fascinating to read but maybe it's time to open a "final save" kind of thing for FM24. Canada's been a lovely change of pace but I feel you've outgrown this league way too quickly and with the fact other leagues have little histories or "lore" to them - I wouldn't be opposed to follow a new journey if that's what you choose. Still closely following, despite my lack of comments or engagement. Go on, Ben! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 10 hours ago, Slipky said: I honestly feel the journey's coming to a well-deserved end. It's been fascinating to read but maybe it's time to open a "final save" kind of thing for FM24. Canada's been a lovely change of pace but I feel you've outgrown this league way too quickly and with the fact other leagues have little histories or "lore" to them - I wouldn't be opposed to follow a new journey if that's what you choose. Still closely following, despite my lack of comments or engagement. Go on, Ben! I think you're probably right! There's a few loose ends to tie up: I want to see how my youth development focus with Ondaan and Marques has fared over a whole year - to see whether that is something to pursue in future plus I want to look back at some of the players I've managed. For example, Jorgensen, below, who has held the fort quite well since I left Leverkusen... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 Hmmm. I guess that I kind of expected this, given the constant strengthening process we have been through over the last windows, but, honestly, I didn't expect it at this level. Put it down to shoddy AI management or not, Ottawa's new coach has taken them from title challengers to basement dwellers, taking another side away from any potential challenge. The performances of Ragaglia - here, compared with an attacking midfielders given his utter freedom as a Libero - and duo Connolly and Yeremay show the domination and how easy it has been to integrate new talent that, honestly, we probably had no right signing. At the start of the season, I feared that our new look attacking structure would struggle to convert the goals we needed - hitting a low of -4.37xG differential by game week five, but, since then, they've roared back and now sit comfortably above it. So now we pair the most potent offence with the tightest defence and, as you can, have become truly unstoppable. Like, not even trying unstoppable. That, for me, is the biggest sign of staleness within a save. My move to Canada was to reinvigorate that, and, it absolutely has, but it's just come to an end somewhat quicker than I wanted. That being said, HFX only have one CPL to their name and we failed miserably last season, falling at the final hurdle. Therefore, there is one more just for me in this chapter before the likely closing of the entire Norsemen book, and that is to bring this trophy back to Nova Scotia. What a journey this has been - from Sundsvall to Leverkusen and this sidestep at the end! 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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