[FM24] Tulach Bòide [Scotland Tier 13]

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. I commented at the end of last month that we were misfiring up front and my solution was to drop SLC (29a) Morrison (Temp) and replace him with SLC (29g) Hanzel (POL)(SCO)(Spir), (who had performed better for the 2nd Team). (29g) Hanzel (POL)(SCO)(Spir) has come in and scored 4 goals in 4 games as we've re-found our mojo up front. The Petershill result was sort of to be expected as they are the side who really dominate the ball, (62% in this game), and they seem to be our kryptonite. 

We find ourselves in 6th in the league with 10 games still to play. We're 5 points off the promotion placed and our old friends Kello Rovers & Vale of Leven are both in there sitting pretty. Now that we seem to have found our scoring boots again, I'm actually hopeful of finishing in the top 3. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 more goals for (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" bring him to 12 goals for the season and 38 career goals. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 38/42 from the spot at 90%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. We're scoring goals and that's great. More of a surprise though is not conceding many. I like the look of clean sheets. I had forgotten what 2 in a row looked like! 

Transfers. Re-signing (23) Currid (Bal) 5'10" wasn't about any great ability he has, (he's pretty average). It's simply about bringing in a 3rd DR because we only have 2 and 1 of them has been injured. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 1 more goal brings (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" to 13 goals for the season. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 39/43 from the spot at 91%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Mar 2030. 

This looks decent, but it will be interesting to see what the individual players look like. 

These are a selection of the players that stand out for me. 

(30b) McAllister (NIR) (F.Det) looks good technically and mentally, but is a little lacking physically. I don't plan on throwing him straight into the 1st Team next season, but I would like to see what he could do from the bench. He looks like just about the best player we have ever produced. 

(30f) Severin (SCO)(IRL) (PRO) doesn't have the same quality, but is probably more suited to playing senior football.

(30k) Cadden (Real) is a player I had down initially as an MC, but maybe an SC is where we would get the most out of him?  We only play 2 in midfield, so it's sometimes hard to squeeze players in there. Up front is easier because we play 3, (and 2 lots of 3 at that). 

(30l) Docherty (F.Pro) is a player I really like the look of. The only problem is that I'm desperate for a WBR rather than a WBL, so I might be playing him on the wrong side. 

(30m) Runciman (F.Pro) 6'0" looks good, but while we have quite a few players with these sore of technicals and mentals, we don't have many who have pace of 8 and we definitely don't have any who have acceleration of 9. With passing better than his marking, I might just give him a go at Libero in the middle. 

Comparisons to the existing squad. The positions I really wanted to come through were WBR and SC and I don't think we got that even though I think I can shoe-horn players into these positions. 

MC. If we look at all players who can play MC, this intake will have a significant impact on our playing squad. We appear to have, (at least according to CA stars), have 4 players similar to our 2 1st choice MC's, (29d) Smith (Temp) 5'8" and (29m) Foth4 (Real), and who are significantly better than our 2nd Team pairing (29o) Caddis (Cas) and (26n) Severin (Unamb). This should improve us significantly next season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Mar 2030. 

GK. While there is a fair sized gap between our 1st choice and the 2 intake GK's, it's possible/probable that we will lose (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" before too long because he's quite good and is only on a PT contract until the end of the season. If/when he leaves, the ability of the 2 new players in this area will be key. 

DL. We're not great at either WBL or WBL so it's great to see (30l) Docherty (F.Pro) come in and be able to play on both sides. 

DR. I was desperate for a WBR, (so desperate that I brought back someone I had preciously released), and while (30n) Urquhart (Unamb) certainly helps us in the here and now, the fact that he's both (Unamb) + (L.Det) means that he's unlikely to improve much even when 1st choice. 

DC. I really think that (30m) Runciman (F.Pro) 6'0" could be a game-changer because we have been sooo desperate for a little bit of pace in our back 3. 

MC. This is a huge intake for our midfield area, (as mentioned in the previous post). 

SC. This is not what we wanted at all in terms of front players. We don't really have anyone specifically suited to playing through the middle. I'm really thinking hard about swapping the HoYD after this intake. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. We've been in good form recently, but that all came crashing to an end when we had a 1st half sending off against Rob Roy. We're 5th, 2 points off the promotion zone with 4 games to play. 

Debuts. Last season I blooded players from the intake almost as soon as they had arrived, and I think our late-season performances suffered as a result. This season I'm determined that I'm going to stick with the 2 Saved Team Selections, (with the possible exception of wing-backs & 1 centre-half and even they will be eased in), and players will only play when the player who was previously playing is unavailable for some reason. Our 1st choice MLC was suspended for the 1st game so (30b) McAllister(NIR)(F.Det) * came in to the starting line-up in a straight swap. This is the 1st time I have played a "trialist" in a league game, and part of my thinking was really just that "when in Rome..." 

In terms of how he did, his 4 key passes were higher than the player he replaced has managed in any of his previous 7 league games, so that's certainly something to keep an eye on. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 more goals for (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" brings him to 15 goals for the season and 41 career goals. That's decent for a 20 year old. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 41/45 from the spot at 91%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Impact of recent intake on CA and PA of other players. Apr 2030. 

CA. We've got 3 players who's CA is now rated by silver stars rather than gold stars. 

I've released the 1st 2 players on the list, but (26m) Hastings (Unamb) 6'2" will have to wait until the end of the season because he's on a PT contract rather than NC. 

PA. We now have 15 players at the club who no longer have 5.0 PA

• 3 of them have already gone/are going because their CA turned silver. 
• 6 of them are (Unamb) and I want to release them but 1 is already gone, (see above), and I can't release (28e) Crilly (NIR) (Unamb) 6'4" because he's our 3rd choice DL. 

I'd love to get rid of more of our L.Det players.

• (30h) Brass (Unamb) is gone because we aren't (Unamb) + (L.Det)
• (29o) Caddis (Cas) is 7th choice MC and I hate casuals so he's gone. 

I don't feel able to get rid of more right now. 

That leaves us with 41 players at the club. 

26 in the 1st Team.
15 in the 2nd Team.

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2030. 

 West of Scotland First Division. I think it's fair to say that the end of the season didn't go as I'd planned. 

Goal-scoring GK's. Nothing this month. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 41/45 from the spot at 91%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%.

Finances. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

New HoYD. 

I've binned the old HoYD. Not because he wasn't producing decent youngsters, but because he was producing youngsters in the wrong positions. He's been the HoYD since shortly after the start of the save and he's done a good job, but it's time for a change. 

Usually when I'm looking for a HoYS I look for the following things. 

• Personality. 
• Det
• JPA
• JPP
• WWY
• Preferred Formation

Because I'm changing HoYD's because of the preferred formation though, that has to jump to the top of the list and nothing else matter, (or certainly matters less). 

• Preferred Formation. You might be wondering why I've chosen to go for a 523 DM Wide preferred formation when I don't play that formation. The truth is that while I don't play that formation, it's actually better for what I want than the sort of 523 Narrow that I'm closest to using. The reason that I like it though is because I like to play wingers in the wider attacking positions and playing the narrow formation doesn't give me that. It gives me proper strikers. 
• Personality. (Unamb) is a rubbish personality, but I think that the influence the personality has on an intake is minimal, and if I'm correct then it doesn't really matter, and if I'm wrong then this will help prove me wrong .
• Determination. (5) is rubbish, but like Personality I think the influence his Det has is minimal, but we will find out either way.
• JPA. 12 isn't great, but it's better than 3 which is what the old bloke had. 
• JPP. 11 isn't great, but it's better than 2 which is what the old bloke had.
• WWY. 8 isn't good at all, and it's certainly not as good as 13 which is what the old bloke had. 

I guess we will find out what sort of difference he and these attributes make.

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2030. 

Facilities. I tried to argue my case when they said no, but they blamed money and they're right. It's fine though, if I can't get the job done with the facilities as they are now, then I've learned nothing over all these years. 

Finances.

[Jimbokav1971]

Jul 2030.

Season Preview. The board still think that Threave Rovers are the hot favourites, (even after they missed out last season), and Vale of Leven are likely to be in the mix again after falling away at the end last season. 

Friendlies. 

Competitions. All the board care about is the league, (which is good), but they want us to get promoted, (which is bad).

Season Tickets. I think we get 1 more message abouts season tickets so it might still rise from 40. 

Finances. We could really do with some prize money. 

[phnompenhandy]

You've caught up with me in terms of in-game time, but you're in a much healthier position, finance and facilities wise. Good luck going forward!

[Jimbokav1971]

Recap. Aug 2030. 

We've risen from the 13th tier to the 7th tier in consecutive seasons, but last season we missed out completely on promotion and the board seem pretty insistent that we're successful the 2nd time round, (which seems a tad harsh). This will be our 1st season at the same level and to be honest I'm quite glad. It will give me an opportunity to see how much we've improved year on year, (which is often hard as there is not much developing going on and instead player just keep getting replaced by those in a subsequent intake). 

As well as 6 promotions, we've also won 4 league titles and 3 Cup competitions, (and been runners up in a 4th).

I started with Sunday League Rep and no badges. 

I don't know if this screen is new, or I have just missed it before, but I'm surprised that my WWY is only 5. 

We've scored a lot of goals, (and conceded quite a few too).

Although this says I've "bought" 6 players, it just means I signed 6 players. They were all signed for free and all of them were players who were products of our Academy and who had previously left. 

I am Will Smith! 

We started off with 1.1.1.1. facilities, and it's fair to say that they're a little better than that now. 

[Thebaker]

first time i have heard of one the teams in the league,  i think Clydebank used to be a top division side a long time ago.

I guess promotion isn't that unrealistic for the board as there are 3 spots and the media rate your team as 4th favourites and one of the teams above you has just been promoted

[Scribe]

Congratulations on the success so far. I grew up not so far from Tullibody and I'm currently managing their biggest local team Alloa in my save, so have been following with some interest.

 

I don't think I could ever bring myself to hire a HOYD with unambitious personality! Having said that, the ones I do hire with good personalities don't seem to make the slightest difference in my youth intake personalities, so you might be right. Despite being pretty youth focused myself, my WWY attribute was fairly low too, but when I started praising the Under 18's training performance a bit more it seemed to lift it up.

[Jimbokav1971]

39 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

first time i have heard of one the teams in the league,  i think Clydebank used to be a top division side a long time ago.

I guess promotion isn't that unrealistic for the board as there are 3 spots and the media rate your team as 4th favourites and one of the teams above you has just been promoted

I've hear of quite a few, but that's as much about the real life places as the actual football teams. 

I have family up there so places like Wishaw, Larkhall, East Kilbride, Bellshill & Coatbridge are all familiar place names even if I hadn't heard of the football teams themselves.

Clydebank were indeed in the Premiership when I was a kid, but the game says they were founded in 2003, (yet they have the history of the original club), so I'm assuming they they went must and were reformed. 

There is also a Clyde FC who were not as big back in the day, but are bigger now simply because they didn't go bust. 

Yeah promotion seems more realistic when you look at it like that, and I think that shows the strength of the last intake in terms of CA. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, phnompenhandy said:

You've caught up with me in terms of in-game time, but you're in a much healthier position, finance and facilities wise. Good luck going forward!

Have some stuff to do this morning, but after that I plan on catching up on some threads, (and yours is top of the list). Will be interesting to compare. 

[Jimbokav1971]

31 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Congratulations on the success so far. I grew up not so far from Tullibody and I'm currently managing their biggest local team Alloa in my save, so have been following with some interest.

I don't think I could ever bring myself to hire a HOYD with unambitious personality! Having said that, the ones I do hire with good personalities don't seem to make the slightest difference in my youth intake personalities, so you might be right. Despite being pretty youth focused myself, my WWY attribute was fairly low too, but when I started praising the Under 18's training performance a bit more it seemed to lift it up.

Thanks very much. 

I had never heard of Tullibody before this save, although obviously heard of Alloa. Really enjoying it so far, (despite the aquaplaning to success). 

Yeah, you are spot on with regards to the HoYD personality, but the positions/roles that he's bringing through are causing me problems so I thought it was time to test my theory. 

Initially he was simply the best HoYD I could find with the preferred formation I wanted, and his (Unamb) + (L.Det) was a negative, but now I plan on it being a positive because I think I'm going to show that the influence he has on intakes personality is minimal, (I think I described it once as "super-charged tutoring/mentoring". 

Time will tell. If I get LOADS of (Unamb) + (L.Det) players coming through then I mighty have to concede that he has more impact than I thought, but until we get there let's keep an open mind. 

[Thebaker]

i think the personality does play a role, it probably depends as well on working with youngsters attribute. Don't forget the personality of the other youth staff also has an influence on youth players coming through, they often have favourite staff who are similar in personality.

I also wonder if the general first team squad personality has any effect.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Thebaker

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Thebaker said:

i think the personality does play a role, it probably depends as well on working with youngsters attribute. Don't forget the personality of the other youth staff also has an influence on youth players coming through, they often have favourite staff who are similar in personality.

I also wonder if the general first team squad personality has any effect.

Some really good points. 

The truth is that I think EVERYTHING has an impact, but each thing in itself has quite a small impact. 

Does the personality of a HoYD have an impact on the personality of a player in the intake? Yes I think it does, but I think it has a small impact. 

Does the personality of staff on their favoured personnel list have an impact on the personality of a player in the intake? Yes I think it does, but again I think it has a small impact. 

Does the personality of the senior squad have an impact on the personality of a player in the intake? Yes we know it does, but only his arrival. I don't think there is an impact before that. 

I don't think the personality youth staff play a part in the development of intake players unless they are on their favoured personnel list. 

I don't think staff personality is magnified by individual attributes though. 

Maybe we will get a little clarity as I progress. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). We played so many Cup games that we couldn't fit a league game in.  We actually had a free Saturday on 17th Aug and the only reason I can think that we didn't play was because our league opposition were playing in earlier Rounds of a Cup. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). 

(Our opposition play in the same league as us). That's a bit rubbish. I've just read what @Makoto Nakamurahas done in the Scottish Cup and we're a million miles off that. I was really hoping for a couple of easier rounds. A good performance and a comfortable win. 

(Our opposition are 2 leagues below us). They caused us a few problems when they had the ball, but we scored at will when we had it. 

Scottish Non League Cup. 

(Our opposition are 3 leagues below us). Pretty comfortable despite the goals coming late. 

Strathclyde Demolition Cup. 

(Our opposition are 1 league below us). They started well, but we proved too strong in the end. 

(Our opposition are in the same league as us). A deserved result in a game we bossed. 

Junior Cup.

(Our opposition are 1 league above us). A really comfortable win. 

Debuts.

Loans. This is the 1st player we've loaned out in the save, (and I'm usually a serial loaner outer). Nobody is listed for loan and we've had quite a few enquiries already this season, so maybe our players have just started to reach a level where this becomes viable. Anyone who isn't a starter in either the 1st or 2nd XI can go on loan as far as I'm concerned. Fort William appear to be on the NW of Ben Nevis and I only know about them because there was a TV series about them being something like the "Worst Football Team in the UK" or something like that. I quite enjoyed it at the time and they seem to have improved significantly since then (irl), 

Transfers. As long as players are going to Semi-Pro clubs where can re-sign them on a free, I'm quite happy to let players leave to play regular football where they weren't going to play regularly here. While it's actually a permanent transfer, it might as well be a loan because I can bring them back if I want, (during a window). 

Goal-Scoring GK's. Nothing this month. 

Finances. 

[phnompenhandy]

6 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Fort William appear to be on the NW of Ben Nevis and I only know about them because there was a TV series about them being something like the "Worst Football Team in the UK" or something like that. I quite enjoyed it at the time and they seem to have improved significantly since then (irl), 

Not exactly. After they finished last in the Highland League every year for donkey's years, with points totals in single digits, the rules were finally amended to allow relegation, and they went straight down. They tried all sorts like hiring a manager from Pakistan, but they still came last. They do win games in the North Caley, but haven't come close to winning the thing. Their reserves play in the amateur Skye league. And yeah, their ground is at the foot of Ben Nevis.

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). We've somehow gone from playing 0 games in the league to playing the most games, while at the same time progressing in each of the Cups.  I think it's actually worked in our favour as we have just rotated from Saturday to mid-week and if anything it's helped us while the opposition has chopped and changed or played with fatigued players. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). This is such a big competition for us. I'm not expecting to go and do a @Makoto Nakamuraand get all the way through to a money-spinning  away tie at Celtic Park, but I really would like to go up against a club in the Scottish Pyramid proper. 

(Our opposition are 1 level above us).

Scottish Non League Cup. We've never done very well in this competition but there is only 1 level of non-league above us, (I think), unless the Highland/Lowland leagues are included. 

(Our opposition are 2 leagues below us). A comfortable win. Never in doubt.

Strathclyde Demolition Cup. Winning this trophy gives us access to another trophy so this is one I'm always keen to do well in. We've already won it once and were beaten in last seasons Final. 

(The opposition are in the same league of us). I actually think that there's a good competitive rivalry developing between ourselves and VoL, but the game hasn't recognised it yet. We've been promoted with them twice and last season we both missed out on promotion in the last month of the season. I expect to have some big battles with them again this season. If we go up, I really hope they do too.

Debuts. 

Goal-scoring GK's. We had a pen this month and although (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" shot on target, the GK saved it, pushed it onto the bar and when it came back out we scored from the rebound. (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" did make amends with a pen save of his own though.  He's not been playing well though, (despite being our best GK). He punches too often and too poorly and that's so dangerous when there are so many goals scored from outside the area. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, phnompenhandy said:

Not exactly. After they finished last in the Highland League every year for donkey's years, with points totals in single digits, the rules were finally amended to allow relegation, and they went straight down. They tried all sorts like hiring a manager from Pakistan, but they still came last. They do win games in the North Caley, but haven't come close to winning the thing. Their reserves play in the amateur Skye league. And yeah, their ground is at the foot of Ben Nevis.

When I say significantly... I mean they sometimes win now. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). We're 2 points off the promotion places and 3 points off the top and I'm happy with that. We've already played 13 Cup games this season, (and it's clear that's where my focus has been, certainly in terms of the Scottish Cup), so to be in contention at this stage when I expect to get stronger as the season progresses is a good sign. It was great to beat Vale of Leven again. VoL are based to the NW of Glasgow on the Southern shores of Loch Lomond so while there is a growing competitive rivalry, they're over 1 hour away in a car so no local feeling at all. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). Progress in this competition isn't just about money, but is also about increasing our Rep and of course the more games the games and development opportunities for our players. The more games the better as far as I'm concerned. 

(Our opposition are in the league above us). We completely dominated and should have won by 5 or 6. 

Scottish Non League Cup. We've never really got too far in this competition. I don't even know what level the top teams who compete play at. 

(Our opposition are 1 level below us). We deserved to go through, but we still weren't good. 

Strathclyde Demolition Cup. Some really good performances against some good opposition in this competition. 

(Our opposition are big-hitters in our current league). We absolutely battered Threave and should have won more comfortably. This was our 2nd team by the way, against the favourites, (and currently top) in our league unbeaten. It was then that beat us in the Final of this competition last year. We've won the competition 3 times in 7 seasons between us. Can we make it a 4th? 

Junior Cup. If we're going to lose a Cup game this month, happy that it was this one. 

(Our opposition are at the level above us). It's our 1st loss of the season I thought we were poor. The stats show it was a close game, but they always seemed in charge. 

Goal-Scoring GK's. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). The 2nd Team have played the 4 mid-week games here and have been a little unlucky. They've actually played quite well but gave Threave a 3 goal headstart before they started playing, conceded goals in the 80th and 88th minute to lose to Rob Roy and against Clydebank had 3 different goals ruled out by the ref. 

We sit 3 points outside the promotion places, but I'm not concerned at all about our form. We've played 12 league games this season and 8 of them have been played on a Wednesday, (meaning that the 2nd Team played the games). Under those circumstances I'm actually really pleased and I'm confidant that we will improve as we play fewer Cup matches. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). We've never got past this round before. Part of me wants a big club, but I'm greedy and the 1st Team are in good form, so part of me also wants a winnable tie and progress to the next round. 

(The opposition are a league below us). I think we were a little sloppy and should have won more comfortably. Still, we got the job done and are into the 4th Round where I hope we will either get a winnable tie or an away game against someone in the SPL. (I'm pretty sure they come in at this stage). 

Scottish Non League Cup. 

(The opposition play in our league). Comfortable win. 

Strathclyde Demolition Cup. Really annoyed and frustrated about crashing out of this competition. Largs are in the relegation places of our league. Our 2nd Team are better than them. 

(The opposition are in our league). Rubbish game. Rubbish performance. Rubbish result.  We had some glorious chances to win the game but didn't take them and we miss the chance to play in a 3rd Final in this competition. 

West Of Scotland Cup. Once we go out of the other Cups, I might rotate things and play the 2nd Team in this competition and the 1st Team in the league. 

(The opposition play in the league below us). Convincing performance and result. 

Goal-Scoring GK's. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 43/48 from the spot at 90%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%.

Finances. We've never had over £100k in the bank in this save before, so to fly up to £160k is brilliant. Really pleased at how the overall curve of the save is progressing. 

[Rikulec]

How much money do you feel would be the threshold for you to ask for upgrades to your training and/or youth facilities?

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2030. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). We're hanging in there and are just 2 points off the promotion spots at just gone the halfway point of the league campaign. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). The draw for the Fourth Round has been made and while it's not the jackpot we were hoping for, it is at least a club in the top 4 Scottish leagues. 

Brora Rangers are currently 9th in League 2. They won the Highland League 4 times when there was no promotion route to League 2 and they've twice survived via the Playoffs twice since they went up. They've only won 4 of 22 league games so far this season and only 1 of their last 9 games. Their morale will be shot to pieces, but they do have a whole weeks rest before our game. I think there is a chance of winning, but they are still hot favourites. They're 3 leagues above us, but we have a chance. Maybe our best chance is that they will underestimate them and they will attack us and we will outscore them in a high-scoring game. If we win then we get £90k prize money, but bigger than that it's an opportunity for a bigger prize on the other side. 

Scottish Non League Cup.

(Our opposition are in the league above us). I know they are a league above, but this is still a rubbish result. 

West Of Scotland Cup.

(The opposition are in the same league as us). The took an early lead, but as soon as we went ahead early in the 2nd half the result was a done deal and even a red card couldn't disrupt us. 

Facilities. Now I've maxed out Junior Coaching and have 11 Coaching staff, (or shortly will do), I think the time is right to upgrade the Training and Youth Facilities. Obviously these are more expensive, and we will have to earn the money 1st through Cup prize money and gate receipts, but it's the obvious next step despite the level of the pyramid we're at. 

When this upgrade kicks in it should max out our Junior Coaching, (and move YR to L18), and I really think we're going to get some decent players come through in  the next 2-3-4 seasons. This is a quite frankly ridiculous level of facilities for the level of the game we're playing at. 

Goal-Scoring GK's. He was 2 from 3, but (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is now 3 from 5. I'm starting to really dislike him. If he's not letting shots go straight through him, he's punching the ball away into central areas and then watching while the ball goes flying into our net. The sooner he's not our best GK the better. I can't remember the last time I disliked a GK so much in a winning team. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 44/50 from the spot at 88%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

37 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

How much money do you feel would be the threshold for you to ask for upgrades to your training and/or youth facilities?

I haven't got a clue. These sorts of things are different in every Nation. I'm going to ask for Youth Facilities 1st, (which should help the CA of players coming through), and I'm pretty sure that YF will always be cheaper than the same level of TF.

I'm basically just going to upgrade what I can, when I can, and will have to guess at the increase in price as we go. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2031. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). With us only playing 1 competitive game per week, our form obviously improved and we moved into the promotion places. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). I thought we had a chance against Brora Rangers of League 2 because they were in such poor form, and I thought we might have a chance in a high-scoring game against them. As it happened it was 0-0 at HT and then they scored early in the 2nd half and then we levelled on 49 mins. After that it was complete dominance and they couldn't live with us. 

(The opposition are 3 leagues above us). 

Raith Rovers are 6th in League 1 and started the save in the Championship. They are still Semi-Pro, (so that shows you how far we have to go to turn Pro) and have 1,000+ watching them most weeks. We've not got much of a chance of beating them at all. I thought we had a shot against Brora Rangers. I don't think we have a shot against Raith Rovers. 

Facilities. Try as I might I couldn't get them to change their mind about improving the Youth Facilities. 

They agreed straight away to upgrading the Training Facilities though. The only negative is that even the 1st upgrade of this cost £220k and that just about cleared us out. 

Records.

1st Interest from a big club. We've had loads of offers for our players, but I've just ignored all of them for anyone who has made any appearances this season. This one caught my eye because Annan Athletic are a big club, (at least relatively speaking). They're 1st in League 2 and are Semi-Pro, (just to give you an idea of how far we have to get to turn Pro). This is the 1st player that someone in the top 4 tiers has come in for. He looks great, but his physicals are rubbish. I'm not saying he's going to be amazing, but it's a significant moment that we have produced a player who can play in the top 4 leagues in Scotland, (at least according to Annan Athletic). 

Goal-Scoring GK's. 2 more goals to the tally this month.

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club).

Finances. We were up to £200k+ at one point, but the Training Facilities upgrade almost completely emptied our bank balance. 

[phnompenhandy]

Boo! For knocking out Brora Rangers! I thoroughly enjoyed myself seeing them beat Wick Academy in March 2020 with a team full of ex-Inverness CT players.  They played genuinely quality football for that level and it put them a country mile ahead in the Highland League, which they were guaranteed to win. But it was the last game they played, as the covid lockdowns hit straight after and the season was cancelled. By the time the league was up and running again, Brora had lost their momentum and they've not been the same. I feel they've been hard done by and deserve better.

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2031. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). We got lucky against Vale of Leven, (where the result might have gone either way), but we got unlucky against top of the table Bellshill as we had a player sent off and a goal ruled out and still should have won. I mentioned that over the previous couple of seasons I felt like we were "aquaplaning" a little and that I was just along for the ride, and with that freak Cup result and these results in the league that feeling has returned.  We're winning games we shouldn't be winning and losing games we should be. Maybe this is just a period and we need to get through it? 

Trying to look at the positives, (I'm clutching here), we had a 200+ home attendance for a league game for the 1st time against Bellshill. Just a shame we couldn't give them a better result. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). I loved getting to the 5th Round of the Cup. It's been a target for a while and I was so chuffed when it happened. I wasn't chuffed or happy at all when we beat Raith Rovers though because I don't think it's right.  They're 5 leagues above us and we're away and I dunno. It just feels a bit fake.  I think I would have almost preferred it had we lost on pens. I actually punched the air when we scored our 1st goal, and clapped when we made it 2-2 in the 117th min, but when we won the pens it just left me feeling a little empty. We shouldn't be winning this game, even on pens. 

(Our opposition are 4 leagues above us). I have my reservations about how we managed to win this, (it shouldn't be happening), but if there was 1 thing that made it happen then it was the injury, (broken finger), to regular GK (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" that led to the enforced selection of (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * and he saved 2 pens in the shootout as well as 5 shots during the game. I mean when does it get unrealistic? When we start beating Pro teams while in the 7th Tier? When we beat Celtic or Rangers? Where we win the whole thing and play in Europe?  [Sigh]

West Of Scotland Cup. We were pretty dominant. 

(Our opposition are in the league below us). 

Facilities. We're still waiting for upgrades to our Training Facilities and also our last double upgrade to our Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment. The Youth Intake is due next month and I was hoping that it would "pop" before then. Even without that I think we're likely to be in for a hell of an intake. I really think there are big opportunities for some 5.0 CA players over the next few intakes. Our Rep will have taken a nice boost because of the Cup games and we've been banging out the upgrades. 

I expect us to be something like 4.1.20.18. once the upgrades pop. 

Goal-scoring GK's. Nothing this month. 

Finances. Even our bank balance annoys me at the moment. We shouldn't have this £180k in the bank.  You all must think I'm mad to have the hump about winning, (and you're probably right), but it just doesn't feel right. We shouldn't be winning that last game. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but I don't think so. The reason I play the game like I do is because it's challenging, (or at least it's meant to be). I'm even playing with a flippin Libero ffs! 

Edited December 18, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, phnompenhandy said:

Boo! For knocking out Brora Rangers! I thoroughly enjoyed myself seeing them beat Wick Academy in March 2020 with a team full of ex-Inverness CT players.  They played genuinely quality football for that level and it put them a country mile ahead in the Highland League, which they were guaranteed to win. But it was the last game they played, as the covid lockdowns hit straight after and the season was cancelled. By the time the league was up and running again, Brora had lost their momentum and they've not been the same. I feel they've been hard done by and deserve better.

There are loads of Covid related football stories like that. Covid was such a *******!

[phnompenhandy]

I'm with you on the Raith rovers result. I habitually abandon saves when they get too easy and unchallenging. Fortunately, I've got a crook of a chairman who's Glazer-esque in leaching funds out of the club.

Hopefully for you, there's plenty challenge in the tank.

[Jimbokav1971]

3 minutes ago, phnompenhandy said:

I'm with you on the Raith rovers result. I habitually abandon saves when they get too easy and unchallenging. Fortunately, I've got a crook of a chairman who's Glazer-esque in leaching funds out of the club.

Hopefully for you, there's plenty challenge in the tank.

If this was a finely tuned, experienced group of ex-pros who had dropped down the league for whatever reason and we were far too good for this level then I could sort of get my head round it. Don't get me wrong, I've pulled off some amazing Cupsets over the years of playing CM/FM but even when we scored in injury time I still thought we would lose. To get this sort of performance/result with a team who..... 

I'm about to play Motherwell in the next round and 10 of our 11 starters are teenagers and the 1 who isn't is 21.
All of our bench are teenagers. 
We have 6x 16 year olds in the match squad. 
We have 10x 17 year olds in the match squad. 
We don't actually have any 19 year olds in the squad. 
We have just 2 18 year olds in the squad. (I hope that adds up to 20 players). 

It just doesn't seem right. On the other hand, I can completely understand why we can go and get a good result against a much stronger team and then lose against a weaker side the following week, because the players are so young and are going to be inconsistent. I really get that. I complete understand the negatives. I just don't agree that their ceiling for performances in the here and now should be anything like it is now, and worse than the Raith Rovers result being spoiled, it's actually taken the shine of the Brora Rangers result. 

I'm trying to push through it. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Mar 2031. 

I was hoping for some 5.0 CA players, but it didn't happen.  Yeah I know that's being ridiculously greedy, but I honestly think it's a possibility. After all we have a double Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment upgrade still to go through and we also have a 1st Training Facilities upgrade in the pipeline. (I personally don't think that the Level of Training Facilities should have much/any impact on the standard of Youth Intake, but SI say that it does.... and who am I to argue......) 

I've recently mentioned that I've changed the HoYD to someone with both an (Unamb) personality and also (L.Det). I haven't lost my marbles and the thinking behind this was that I wanted someone with a preference for a specific formation and he was simply the best that was available. 

If this intake had come through with no Unamb players and very good Det, then what I would have said is that it takes a while, (years), for the influence of the HoYD to kick in and you shouldn't read much into the positive results at this very early stage. With that in mind, I don't want you to react the other way when you see quite how much Unamb & L.Det we have in this intake. 

Yeah, I appreciate that it doesn't look good, but let's judge him after a few intakes. 

I won't show you all the players, but here are some that have caught my eye.

(31i) Kelly (F.Sport) looks phenomenal. I think he's one of the best players we've ever produced and looks FAR too good for this level. 

(31j) Fullerton (Unamb) looks AMAZING!  If he came through at a top club I would be happy.

(31d) Johnston (NIR) (Unamb) is a much-needed right back and his physicals look great, (for this level). With a tiny bit of debvelopment he could be really good, (and look at tackling, crossing and some of those mentals). Damn. Just realised he's a righty DL, (so for me he's actually a DR). 

(31n) Wilson (Unamb) 6'6" should be nicknamed "McCrouch", but let's see how he does 1st. There is lots to like about him. He's unusual and could be phenomenal at the back post. Just such a shame his heading isn't actually very good. Need to work on that & strength. 

The last player I want to show you is a bit different. I mentioned that in my previous L10 England save I encountered quite a few players who had "unusual" Primary Nationalities who turned out to have better PA than the other players for the level we were playing at, and some of them went on to big things before we had even turned pro. There is no guarantee that this bloke will be good, but it's well worth keeping an eye on him. 

[Edit]

Keeping the thinking along those lines, "non-home Nation players coming through with better PA", it's interesting to note that there are 4 players in this intake who's Primary Nationality is non-Scottish. They just happen to be ranked 1-4 by PA.... 

Edited December 18, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

NxGn 2031. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2031. 

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). We're in good form and I'm astonished at how few goals we're conceding now. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). The journey ends, finally.  

(Our opposition are 6 leagues above us in the SPL). They are the 1st Pro club we have played in the save. 

West Of Scotland Cup.

(Our opposition are in the same league as us). 

Debuts. You get 2 debuts in Scotland. You get your debut when you play your 1st game as a trialist before signing your contract, and then you get another debut after you sign your contract and join the club. 

New contract. Another 1 year deal. 

Records. 

Goal-Scoring GK's. he might only be 16, but (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * has taken his opportunity and is off the mark. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club).
(30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 1/1 from the spot at 100%.

I know (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" has scored 46 goals for us, but I was actually quite pleased when he got injured because it meant I had to play someone else. 

The last competitive game (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" played in was in the Cup game against Brora Rangers. Working backwards, the goals he'd conceded in recent games were 2, 1, 0, 0,  2, 2, 3, 6, 3, 1. 
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" has conceded 20 goals in the last 10 games at a rate of 2.0 goals per game. 

Since (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * came in he has conceded the following number of goals. 0, 2, 2, 0, 5 (Motherwell), 0, 0, 2, 1, 0.
(30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * has conceded 12 goals in the last 10 games at a rate of 1.2 goals per game, (and 5 of those goals came in the Cup against Motherwell who are 6 leagues above us). Do I also need to add that we won 3 penalty shootouts with him in goal too?

I think I have a new GK.  

Finances. 

[WhiteCat33]

I'll be interested to see how your HOYD pick turns out going for a different priority.  I've been tracking the data in my Barbados save to see how things developed. Granted its in a ultra minor nation but even with fairly professional and model citizen HOYDs over 40 years I still have about 25% unambitious and 20% balanced. Before I switched to a MC HOYD it was about 15% Fairly professional. I'd be surprised if you end up with more than 40-50% unambitious over time, which sounds high but if there is a base chance of about 25% then it's not nearly as drastic of a drop.

Where I'd think you'll notice it most is the lack of fairly professional players, but until you have good facilities development is questionable anyways.

I agree on the foreign player theory, it's much more pronounced in tiny nations but the number that turn out stars seems far higher than ones who fail especially from dominant nations. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by WhiteCat33

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2031.

West of Scotland First Division. (7th Tier). I rotated the squad for the St Cadoc's game ahead of the Cup Final, safe in the knowledge that even if we lost and Threave Rovers won, it would take a 20 goal swing for them to pip us to 3rd. We lost but they could only draw anyway. 

West Of Scotland Cup. We played really well in the Final, but Auchinleck Talbot are a hell of a side and have just been crowned Champions of West of Scotland Premier League. They are now fighting it out in the Playoffs and also have the Junior Cup Final to play. They are a very good team and most of their squad have played in the Scottish Football league. 

(Our opposition are in the league below us). 

(Our opposition are Champions of the league above and are now competing to get into and win the Playoffs to Scottish League 2).

Debuts. 

Records. I'm not sure why it was so high. It was held at Fir Park, (home of Motherwell). Auchinleck, (I've never heard of them), get between 800 and 2,000 at their home league matches. Really don't understand this.  I don't think we got any of the money anyway. I think Motherwell take their cut and the SFA take the rest. 

(31j) Fullerton (Unamb) from this seasons intake had quite an impact. 5 goals and 3 assists in 5(1) appearances. 

 

Facilities. We're still waiting for a double upgrade of both Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment to come through, as well as a 1st Training Facilities upgrade.

Competitions. I'm not positive, but I think there might be a chance that we played more Cup games than league games this season!  

No. We played 30 league games and only 26 Cup games.  Thank God we're not in Europe eh!  Somehow though, at the end of all that, we won absolutely nothing. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club).
(30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 2/2 from the spot at 100%.

Finances. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

50 minutes ago, WhiteCat33 said:

I'll be interested to see how your HOYD pick turns out going for a different priority.  I've been tracking the data in my Barbados save to see how things developed. Granted its in a ultra minor nation but even with fairly professional and model citizen HOYDs over 40 years I still have about 25% unambitious and 20% balanced. Before I switched to a MC HOYD it was about 15% Fairly professional. I'd be surprised if you end up with more than 40-50% unambitious over time, which sounds high but if there is a base chance of about 25% then it's not nearly as drastic of a drop.

Where I'd think you'll notice it most is the lack of fairly professional players, but until you have good facilities development is questionable anyways.

I agree on the foreign player theory, it's much more pronounced in tiny nations but the number that turn out stars seems far higher than ones who fail especially from dominant nations. 

I think we will probably end up replacing the HoYD before we get anything concrete, but it will certainly be interesting to keep an eye on. I used to go into loads of detail and now I just can;t be bothered. 

Completely right about the personalities not being important right now, but it's not really about the facilities. It's simply that the chances are we will have a better player come along in an intake in the following few seasons anyway, so how much developing can happen anyway? We had 1 single non-teenager earlier this season I think, (and we're in 2031). I might have finished asking for Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment upgrades for a while, but I think the full impact of their increase has yet to be seen and as our Reputation increases, (as we get promoted and do well in Cups), that will also have an impact in the Youth Intake. I really am expecting some absolute belters in the next few seasons. 

Interesting to see someone else support my "obscure Nation" thinking in Youth Intakes. I'm not saying that it happens 100% of the time, but it happens plenty enough to catch my eye. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. May 2031. 

GK. I know that (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" might be top of the PA list and have scored 46 career goals by the age of 21, but I really just don't like him. He punches FAR too often, and he's rubbish at saving pens. Usually saving pens isn't a big deal, but with so many Cup fixtures, (that usually got to pens after 90 mins), the ability to save pens, (however the game calculates that), is important. 

(30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * played in 3 penalty shootouts this season, (winning all 3), and saving 5 of 14 pens in the process. He also scored 2/2 pens himself and saved 1/3 pens in normal time. 

1st Team. (30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" *
Backup. (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1"
U18's. (31k) Lawrie (Unamb) *
Release. (29p) Mackay (F.Sport) 5'11"

DL. It's really frustrating that we'got not 1 but 2 DL's who are actually righties. First (29h) Fullerton (Bal) and then (31d) Johnston (NIR) (Unamb) are both in contention for a starting DL spot, but I can't get away from the fact that they're actually righties. I'm training them on their weaker foot, but the chances are we will get someone through the next intake who's better than that but I have to assume we won't and plan for that. 

(29h) Fullerton (Bal)  (31d) Johnston (NIR) (Unamb) 

1st Team. (30l) Docherty (F.Pro)
2nd Team. (25e) Foth2 (Unamb) WBL
U18's. (31d) Johnston (NIR) (Unamb)
Release. (28e) Crilly (NIR) (Unamb) 6'4
Release. (29h) Fullerton. (Bal)

DR. 

1st Team. (31l) Reid (Unamb) *
2nd Team. (30n) Urquhart (Unamb)
U18's. (31e) Johnston (L.Det)
Release. (29e) Romanis. (Unamb)
Release. (30d) Thom. (F.Sport)

DC.

1st Team DLC. (29n) Hogarth (Bal)
1st Team DC. (29b) Kemp (SCO)(IRL)(Real) DC
1st Team DRC. (30m) Runciman (F.Pro) 6'0"

2nd Team DLC. (31g) Connolly (SCO)(IRL)(Bal)
2nd Team DC. (31f) Dunne (L.SB)
2nd Team DRC. (30i) Thomson (Bal) 6'3"

U18's DLC. (29f) Innes (Bal) 6'2"
U18's DC. (31p) Wilson (Casual)
U18's DRC. (29c) Burroughs (L.Det) 5'11" 

Release. (26g) Thom (F.Pro) 6'2" DC

MC. 

1st Team MLC. (30b) McAllister(NIR)(F.Det) *
1st Team MRC. (30j) Johnston (Bal)

2nd Team MLC. (31m) Docherty (Unamb)
2nd Team MRC. (29d) Smith (Temp) 5'8"

U18's MLC. (30e) Allan (SCO)(IRL) (L.H)
U18's MRC. (29m) Foth4 (Real)

Release. (30f) Severin (SCO)(IRL) (PRO)
Release. (31o) Walker (Bal)

SC. 

1st Team SLC. (31i) Kelly (F.Sport) *
1st Team SC. (31j) Fullerton (Unamb) *
1st Team SRC. (30c) Smith (Bal) *

2nd Team SLC. (29a) Morrison (Temp)
2nd Team SC. (30k) Cadden (Real)
2nd Team SRC. (29i) Miller (Unamb) U18's

U18's. SLC. (29g) Hanzel (POL)(SCO)(Spir)
U18's  SC. (29j) Callaghan (F.Det)
U18's SRC. (30o) McDougall (F.Det)

Release. (27k) Dunbar (Pro) SRC
Release. (28h) Mackay (Bal)
Release. (28a) Gunn (Bal) SC
Release. (31o) Walker (Bal)
Release. (29l) Weir (Jovial) 6'1"
Release. 

There are a couple of observations to make from the Saved team Selections from next season. 

1. We're finally getting to the stage where not everyone has 5.0 PA. (Almost everyone but not everyone). That's going to make it easier going forward. 
2. The weakest area of the squad is DL/WBL. We have a 2nd choice player there who is only 3.5 PA and in that's pants. 
3. We have absolutely loads of striker and wingers, and while I have released quite a few, the change in HoYD, (and his preferred styles should help to resolve that. 

2031.1.

2031.2.

[Jimbokav1971]

First International call-up. May 2031. 

Despite him having a good season, 20 goals and 13 assists from 34(18) appearances in all competitions, he's actually dropped down from 2nd Team starter to just U18's player this season due to players in the intake arriving with ability already ahead of him. a CA of only 2.0 and PA that has now dropped to 4.0 show just how fast we're developing as a club. I don't like this early period of the save where there is very little continuity and the starting XI is basically getting replaced every 2 intake cycles. 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2031. 

Squad size.

We now have 22 players in the Senior squad. (2x 11's).
We also have 20 players in the U18's squad, (and that's fine to cover whatever we might need). 

Transfers.

The following players have been released while I sorted through my plans for next season. 

When someone buds £0 for a player who isn't in my Senior squad, (2 lots of 11's), then I seriously consider accepting the offer even if the player has good PA, (they all have good PA at this stage), because the chances are he will be going somewhere with better facilities and even if he plays occasionally then there is chance of improved development and then if he improves well enough then we can simply re-sign him on a free. My thinking will have to change when the type of club interested in our players changes, (from Semi-Pro to Pro), but at the same time if they're not in our 1st 22 players now, it's unlikely that they ever will be, (other than on a temporary basis). I have to be careful about letting players go, (particularly WB's and defenders), in case we get injuries though. 

Poached player.

We have another to add to the list. (That makes 6 now). Luckily he's not good, but sooner or later we're going to lose someone good I think. We're just too far away from turning Pro and our Facilities are too good. 

The other 5 have all shown up at small clubs and they're not worth showing you. 

Facilities. The last Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment has finally popped. 

We will need at least 1 more Youth Recruitment upgrade, and we're still waiting on the Training Facilities upgrade which I assume will be done this Summer. 

We've got £200k in the bank so........ but I couldn't persuade them to invest. 

So they want me to be signing first-team ready players do they? 

They're not showing me much love at the moment. 

Ticket Prices. I'm delighted to see our prices going up, and fingers crossed our season ticket sales will have a bit of a boost too after our exploits of last season. It's obvious that the Projected Yearly earnings are wrong, but I think that's because it compares actual earnings from last season to guaranteed earnings from this coming season, and lots of our income, (from Cup games for example), is not guaranteed so isn't included, 

Finances. We've never had money at this stage from the Cup before. I don't know if it's because we got so far last season, or possibly just because we're now playing at a higher level this season. I suspect it's the former.

I really should remember to review things before we pay our tax bill each season. Things like upgrades, contract extensions and player purchases etc etc should be timed so that they reduce profit as much as possible to lessen the tax burden, 

[Jimbokav1971]

Something weird has happened to my game. 

I use "Zoom out 85%" for the size of text and images so that I get to view the full page of FM. 

I also use 125% for the scale and layout on my laptop, so that images and text appear slightly bigger. 

That pairing has worked fine for me.

I've just loaded FM up though and despite no settings being changes, I now can't see everything I used to see before. 

What I see now is this.

But what I used to see was this, (except it was less spread out and was a really nice fit on the screen). This is too zoomed out and obviously my whole laptop is zoomed out now rather than just the game. Nothing has changed so I don't understand what's happened. Any suggestions? 

I want the detail of screenshot 2, but with the zoom in of screenshot 1 the way I always have. Help please. 

[Edit]

I know it's just this box that is missing, but it's not actually that box that's important, but the size of the attributes box without it. 

[Edit]

Cancel that. It's just me being an eegit.

I had touched the taskbar and increased it by a tiny amount and this meant that in windowed mode the available space wasn't deemed large enough to fit that box in, (but was working fine out of windowed mode). 

As soon as I reverted the taskbar back, (it was a tiny amount), everything returned to normal. 

Christ, how to confuse an idiot in 1 easy step. 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Jun 2031. 

2nd International call-up. 

If you are wondering why his history page looks a little strange, it's because he played for us in a league game while a trialist before he actually joined us. 

Reputation. 

This graphic only includes teams in the West of Scotland leagues and while we're listed as playing in West of Scotland First Division, as soon as the season ticks over we will be promoted to the West of Scotland Premier Division. 

Auchinleck Talbot are the only club listed on the list who have a Regional reputation and after winning a treble last season, (including beating us in the West of Scotland Cup FInal), and they are about to move up to the Lowland League. 

Competitions. We will no longer be playing in the Strathclyde Cup, so we're down to 5 competitions now. 

Finances. 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Jul 2031. 

Season Preview. We're predicted to finish 4th, and that shows just how strong that last intake was in terms of CA. 

6 of the (31) intake are already in the 1st Team or 2nd Team line-ups.
9 more from the (30) intake. 
5 more from the (29) intake. 

That just leaves 2 players and 1 of them is WBL (25e) Foth2 (Unamb) WBL who is by far the weakest player in the group and the other is 2nd choice GK (25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1", (neither of whom I expect/hope to last the season). 

Expectations. The board expect a top half finish, and in view of the pre-season prediction of 4th, that's not as surprising as you would expect for a promoted side. Each intake gives us such a boost and this is taken into consideration. 

In terms of what my expectations are, it would be silly not to a title challenge based on predictions, but at the same time I would like to have a really good go at the Cups again, especially if we won't be eligible for some of them next season if we were to get promoted. 

Friendlies. 

 

Offer from Premiership club.  It's only a trial offer, (and I have obviously said no), but this is the 1st time I've seen a Premiership club express an interest in any of our players. Have we already produced a player with the PA to play in the Premiership?  That's unlikely isn't it? He's contracted for another year so it will be interesting to see how he gets on. He was brilliant at the end of last season after coming through the intake. 

Facilities. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2031. 

West of Scotland Premier Division. (6th Tier). 1 min and 12 seconds was how long it took to score our 1st goal of the season. 

We're the only side in the league with max points after 2 games. If we can keep this up for a few games more we might build up a nice little early lead. I appreciate that we were at home to the sides predicted to finish 6th and 10th, but it's still a decent start. 

Junior Cup.

(The opposition play at the same level as us). 

Youth Player poached. I think this is #7 and of more concern he actually has quite good PA. 1.5 gold stars means a PA of approx 110-120(ish) I think. If I look at Falkirk, (who finished 10th of 12 in the Scottish Premiership last season (avoiding relegation), their best player has a CA of 121 and their highest PA player has PA of 143. They've had a few players with CA of less than 110 feature already this season. Dundee FC were 1 of the promoted sides last season and the highest CA in their squad is 121 so that suggests that this player is poached player has the potential to be either a Top Championship player or an average Premiership player. That's a real kick in the nads.  To anyone who is confused about this, the CA and PA ratings for poached players isn't the same as the CA/PA ratings for your own players. The rating of your own players is gauged against your own players, but for poached players it's a standard level that is the same across the board no matter what level you are playing at or in what Nation. 120-130(ish) won't be spot on, but my rule of thumb is that you split a max of 200 PA into 20 groups of 10, (10 levels of silver stars + 10 levels of gold stars), and then then you add 1 level, (trust me it works). 0.5 gold stars is the 11th level of rating so this puts him in 100-110 bracket, and then you move him up 1 level, (just because that's what you do), and that moves him from 100-110 to 110-120 PA. I haven't checked this for a few issues of the game, but I still think it works the same. After we get a few more players through I will check their CA/PA when it becomes obvious that I'm not signing them. 

Season Tickets. an increase of just 3 isn't much, but it's better than nothing. 

Facilities. With the 1st Training Facilities upgrade completed last month I thought I would ask for the Youth Facilities again. Unfortunately I couldn't persuade them. I'm not concerned. I still think we have some untapped levels even at our current level of facilities. We don't really want or need new Coaching staff, but I just thought I would try to get ahead for when we do. 

Goal-Scoring GK's. Nothing yet.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2031. 

West of Scotland Premier Division. (6th Tier). What an absolute shambles that Blantyre result was. We absolutely battered them and should have won about 4-0, but they scored 1 rubbish goal and we didn't score any goals. 

Junior Cup. 

(Our opposition are at the same level as us). We saw 2 penalties saved with the score at 0-0. I say penalties, but they were more like pass-backs. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 passbacks and 1 pen taken this month. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club).
(30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 3/5 from the spot at 60%.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Penalty shootouts. Oct 2031. 

I haven't quite decided yet if I like penalty shootouts or not.  Part of me thinks, no, I've drawn with them so I deserve a replay, whether that be a money-spinning away tie or a better chance of beating them in a home game, but also part of me likes the no-nonsense, (very Scottish), approach that says that you're getting the job done today 1 way or the other. No messing about, no replay, no extra-time, (most of the time). Just get straight ta pens and get it sorted! 

I don't know whether it's because there are so many Cup competitions or because..... I just don't know actually, but we don't usually draw many games. (We usually win them or lose them), but there seems to have been quite a few shootouts in this save and it's added a slightly different dimension to the save. 

2023/24. 5 Shootouts. 4 won. 1 lost. 

  

   

2024/25. 1 Shootout. 0 won. 1 lost. 

 

2025/26. 1 Shootout. 0 won. 1 lost. 

2026/27. 3 Shootouts. 2 won. 1 lost. 

  

2027/28. 2 Shootouts. 0 won. 2 lost. 

  

2028/29. 3 Shootouts. 0 won. 3 lost. 

   

2029/30. 3 Shootouts. 2 won. 1 lost. 

   

2030/31. 4 Shootouts. 4 won. 0 lost. 

   

Total. 22 Shootouts. 12 won. 10 lost. We haven't had a single season yet without at least 1 shootout, and 1 season we had 5 (FIVE) of them! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2031. 

West of Scotland Premier Division. (6th Tier). Honestly, we could have scored 10! How we only scored from the penalty spot is beyond me. 

Scottish Cup. (The Big one). Well that didn't last long. 

(The opposition are at the level above us). It appears as if lighting doesn't strike twice. At least not every year. We absolutely battered them, but they scored the 1 and we scored 1, and they scored 6 pens and we only scored 5. 

Junior Cup.

(The opposition are at the same level as us). The 2nd Team played in this game and won with a little to spare. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 3 pens scored from 4 taken this month. 

(23) Brass (Bal) 6'2" is 5/8 from the spot at 63%. (Is no longer at the club).
(23) Ewing (Bal) 6'1" is 17/20 from the spot at 85%. (Is no longer at the club).
(25c) Christie (F.Sport) 6'1" is 46/52 from the spot at 88%.
(26p) Marsh (CAN)(SCO) 5'10" is 15/17 from the spot at 88%. (Is no longer at the club).
(30a) Ogilvie (Fickle) 6'2" * is 6/10 from the spot at 60%.

Finances. This will be the 1st time we have played on TV.