My career in Plymouth with DoF challenge

[ChaosReiter]

Rules are very simple:

What I can't do: Player transfers, contracts, staff hiring, recruitment focuses, set pieces, opposition instructions and general training. 

What I can do: I can make board requests, design tactics, I'm in charge of players' individual trainings, and I can hire/fire DoF and head of youth development. 

Aim: Just want to figure out how successful I can be under these restrictions.

My preference: I always design my own tactics based on players I have which is the biggest part of fun I have in this game. Sometimes my tactic sucks and sometimes it works extremely well, that's football.

Game Settings: Real World game mode.

Update rhythm: Slightly faster from the beginning to the first winter transfer window (monthly report), after that (that's when the DoF starts to do his work) will slow a bit down.

 

 

 

Our history is long but not particularly illustrious, that's why I'm here? No, I just need a job and the fish here tastes well. We've just been promoted from League One, and despite reinforcing our squad, we're still a bottom-dweller in the Championship. The owner has set the goal of avoiding relegation.

Ged Roddy and John Morling are the best I found who are willing to come here working with me. They are not at an excellent level but still slightly better than the former DoF and HoYD. Let's see if they would help us in the coming season.

 

Sep. 2023

The time has come to early September, and the summer transfer window has ended (now we have the same squad as in reality). Let's take a look at the team's situation.

 

At the beginning, we barely managed to assemble a starting eleven, with no room for tactical choices. As time went on, newly signed players gradually joined the team, finally filling the substitutes' bench. What surprised everyone was that, whether it was the preseason friendlies or the subsequent Carabao Cup and league matches, our performance was extremely impressive! Especially against promotion favorites Southampton and Watford, we won both games.

GKs：

 

Our starting GK Mike Cooper has been injured for over half a year, but he's expected to return in about two months. In the meantime, sub GK Callum Burton and Conor Hazard, who just transferred from Celtic, have both impressed in the matches last month. It seems we don't need to worry about this position.

Defenders and DMs:

 

The best player among these positions is Hayden, who is on loan from Aston Villa. His attacking ability is outstanding. The other positions are not particularly outstanding.

AMs：

 

Morgan Whittaker is very young, but he's already our star player. Nice Physicals and Technicals.

Strikers:

We have 3 forwards of similar level, with Ryan Hardie being an excellent PF. The younger Ben Waine is more suited to an AF role.

This is the tactics. 3-2-4-1 while attacking and 5-2-2-1 in defense. The tactics have been working extremely well so far.

Problems in squad and tactics:

1. On the left flank, I also need a WB who excels in attacking, but Mumba is only good with his right foot, and the other players who can play in this position are not good enough.

2. Joe Edwards, the sub WBR, is another weakness, he is our captain, has the driven personality, but he's 32 years old and not that good on the pitch.

3. The speed of the three CDs is too slow.

4. The overall level of DM still needs to be improved.

 

I hope our DoF, Ged Roddy, can see this post and help me solve these problems. 

Anyway, we had a perfect start as an underdog, let's see if everyone underestimated us, or we just got lucky by chance.

 

This month we have 6 matches, most of the opponents are in the upper-middle tier, including two consecutive matches against Norwich.

[ChaosReiter]

 

A tough September, as we only managed to secure one victory. The team's performance this month is just as predicted when analyzing the squad earlier. Our attacking ability is good, and if we can strengthen the defensive end, the team's level will improve. We were knocked out of the Carabao, dropped to 7th on the league table. What's worse, both our Sub WBs Edwards and Earley will be out injured for several weeks. It's worth mentioning that in the away game against Hull, we were trailing 0-3 until the 75th minute. However, we managed to claw back to a 3-3 draw, showing the valuable fighting spirit of the players.

The staff's activities this month:

Hired a GK coach and a recruitment analyst to fill up the staff team; Created a recruitment focus on DM.

I'm looking forward to signing an excellent DM in the winter. One of our current first-choice DM Jordan Houghton, is very active on the field and has also provided 2 assists in 8 league matches, but his defensive performance is really unsatisfactory.

 

So far, our performance still exceeds expectations by far. The opponents in October are generally mid to lower-table teams, presenting a good opportunity for us to solidify our record.

 

 

Oct. 2023

 

Another excellent month! We won the vast majority of the matches, only losing to the mighty Ipswich Town. Their solid defense left us helpless. We once again secured a high position in the league table, only 2 points to the top, surprising all the doubters. We were expected to struggle in the relegation battle, but now I would be surprised if we didn't end up in the top half of the table. Of course, barring any unexpected circumstances beyond my control in the winter transfer window.

 

The biggest hero is Whittaker, who has played in all 14 league matches, contributing 5 goals and 3 assists. Another player worth mentioning is our substitute forward, Ben Waine. He has only received a total of 144 minutes of playing time but has scored 4 goals, which is surprisingly efficient and currently ranks first in the league.

 

Staff's activities this month:

Hired another 2 recruitment analysts and a sports scientist. And the best scout we have was appointed by Leeds with a real small amount of money. Sad.

 

 

The team is in quite a good state across all levels now. In the upcoming November, we only have 4 matches, and three of the opponents are much stronger than us. Let's hope the lads can maintain their excellent performance.

 

Nov. 2023

Despite not performing as brightly as before, it's still satisfying. After 18 rounds, we're now in 5th place, and no one thinks our performance is due to luck or chance anymore.

 

In terms of players, our starting PF Hardie is tied for 2nd place in the top scorer list. It's a pity that he missed a penalty in the recent match against Coventry. And we have 4 players who have made progress in their abilities this month: starting CB Lewis Gibson, starting GK Conor Hazard, starting AM Morgan Whittaker and starting DM Adam Randell. This is exactly what I want to see.

Staff's activities this month:

 

Hired another sports scientist, so now our staff team is complete.

 

Next month is the notorious December in the Championship, known for its intense schedule. We will have to field substitute players as starters in some matches, making it the most severe test for us before the winter transfer window.

Before heading to the next month, let's take a look at the data analysis and fine-tune the tactics a bit. We are at the top 5 of the table, so the data that barely exceeds or even falls below the average is worth noticing. Of course, every tactic and team has its own characteristics, and it's impossible to be perfect. We just need to identify the areas we need to improve.

 

Compared to the abilities of the players, most of the overall data is satisfactory. We've had quite a few shooting opportunities, but our shot accuracy is too low. So I'm going to simply add the "WORK BALL INTO BOX" TI so see how it goes, if we lower the number of shooting opportunities too much, I'll revert it back and analyze the data for each player, making adjustments on their PIs.

In team attacking, nothing to worry about, but in team defending, we got a problem. We let the opponents have 5.14 passes per defensive action, that's way too many. The reasons for this high data are multifaceted: It could be that opponents frequently resort to clearing the ball in their own half against us, or our players' positioning is too conservative, or there are issues with coverage on the pitch, and so on.

 

The distribution of defensive actions is generally fine, so I think the issue lies in the roles and PIs of the players.

 

Since all the players' TRIGGER PRESS TI is balanced, coupled with this graph, our defensive actions should be more concentrated in our own half rather than near the midfield. So I think we should make the 2 DMs more aggressive. This can be addressed by changing their roles or adjusting their PIs. My decision is  change Houghton from DLP to BWM, and let the other DM Randell to DRIBBLE MORE and GET FURTHER FORWARD to cover the loss in attacking. And also, change TRIGGER PRESS TI from more often to much more often. We'll see if these changes will help or not the next month.

 

 

If anyone has made it this far, and if you're still interested, please let me know if you would like to continue receiving monthly reports like this, or if you prefer to receive updates after each match. Thank you very much.

Edited February 9 by ChaosReiter

[ChaosReiter]

Dec. 2023

The preview doesn't look good.

But with facilities like these you can't expect anything else.

 

Both of my requests have been approved, and we will benefit from them next season.

 

This month, we achieved a record of 5 wins and 2 losses. We secured away victories against strong opponents like Leicester and Southampton. However, in matches where substitutes played a significant role, we struggled. After 25 rounds, we still sit comfortably in 3rd place in the standings, and we've already opened up a gap with the teams below 5th place. Before seriously considering promotion, which was beyond our imagination at the start of the season, we need to see what our DoF will do for us in the coming winter transfer window. He may sell some key players, but on the other hand, he could also bring in players who can help us.

Staff's activities this month:

Offered Callum Wright a new 4-year contract which is really fat. 17.5k p/w, nearly double the Whittaker's salary.

He has made 19 appearances for us, scoring 1 goal, providing 1 assist, with an average rating of 6.7. I don't think he deserves such a hefty contract. I can only hope that other clubs will trigger his release clause. My DoF is starting to make me uneasy, but I can't change any of his decisions.

 

With such budgets, I don't have high expectations for what the DoF will accomplish in the winter transfer window. I just hope he doesn't sell off the players I appreciate, and I'll be thankful for that.

Edited February 9 by ChaosReiter

[ChaosReiter]

Jan. 2024

 

The owner has seen our brilliant performance in the first half of the season and has given us the opportunity to modify our goals. However, he seems to be too conservative. Of course, we will choose 'Avoid Relegation', which will provide the DoF with an additional 10K budget and 18K wage budget.

Jan. 3, 2024    26th round of league, Plymouth (3) vs Watford (20)

 

Watford, who were relegated last season, were expected to try to return to the Premier League, but now they ended up finishing just 20th, only two points above the relegation zone. They had a poor start to the season, and their manager was sacked in early October. Surprisingly, they hired an inexperienced performance analyst from Leeds United as their new manager, their performance was even worse since then... There's a noticeable gap in morale and sharpness between both sides, and we also have the advantage of playing at home. We should win this match. I've decided to give youth academy player Jenkins-Davies a chance in this match. Although his abilities and potential are only 2 stars/2-3 stars, he has been performing exceptionally well in training. If we lose the AM we've loaned, he will have regular playing time, so we need to be prepared in advance.

A big win, but Leicester and Norwich, who are ahead of us in the standings, have also won all their matches, so the point difference remains the same.

 

Jan. 6, 2024    3rd round of FA Cup, Plymouth vs Exeter

 

I'm not too worried about the outcome of the match. After all, they are just the bottom team in League One. Although there is a difference in strength, this match is still very important. Winning in the West Country Derby can bring us more fans, which means more income.

An easy win which brings us 122K prize money. Nice, every penny counts. We will play with either Luton or Portsmouth in the next round. Portsmouth, go beat them!

Oh, good job on scouting! We can afford half a fingernail of Dorrington. Why not go scout Mbappé and De Bruyne as well? Wait a minute, I suddenly realized that Dorrington is a perfect loan option. He can improve our defense massively. I'm sorry Mr. Scout. 

 

Jan. 13, 2024    27th round of league, Huddersfield (14) vs Plymouth (3)

 

Midfielder Jack Rudoni is their key player, I'll assign Randell to mark him. DoF made an offer to someone I don't like and I'll let you know when the deal is done. Hopefully it won't.

 

Their defense is fierce and solid. We haven't even created a threatening scoring opportunity.

We remain the 3rd position.

 

Thankfully, he rejected the contract. We already have 3 forwards, and it's absurd for the DoF to spend two-thirds of the budget on acquiring a fourth forward for a single-striker formation.

Sign someone I can use please!

Another progress on facilities. The owner is quite reasonable.

 

Jan. 20, 2024    28th round of league, Plymouth (3) vs Cardiff (5)

 

Tough opponent. We need to limit their two wingers.

We have the possession but no further luck. The magic of the underdog is slowly fading away. Auto promotion seems to be getting further and further, we should face reality and play it safe.

The deadline is in one week.

 

Jan. 27, 2024    4th round of FA Cup, Luton vs Plymouth

Right before the match, DoF made a move. What?! You loan someone you don't even know how good he is? But it's a good sign that he changes to focus on defenders.

Back to the match, we don't have much chance against Luton, but we still need to give it our all for the bonus.

A satisfying result, this is the best we can get. In the meantime, Norwich beat Man City 2-0, my goodness! The winner between Luton and us will play against Oldham, a team in Vanarama National League. If we can beat Luton in the second leg, we have a good chance of advancing to the quarter-finals!

The deal is done. Ismaël Doukouré will play for us for the rest of the season. he has 3 stars abilities and great potential. Nice physicals and defendings. This is a good deal.

 

Jan. 20, 2024, 3 hours before window close    29th round of league, Plymouth (3) vs West Brom (18)

We remain 3rd position after this victory.

Compared to our meager wage bill, we should be proud of our performance so far. The deadline has passed, Ismaël Doukouré is our only deal. 

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by ChaosReiter

[ChaosReiter]

Feb. 2024

 

Feb. 3, 2024    30th round of league, Swansea (12) vs Plymouth (3)

 

We have the upper hand in the game, but their aerial advantage makes our defense helpless. We dropped to 4th after this match.

 

Feb. 7, 2024    4th round replay of FA Cup, Plymouth vs Luton

 

The players have been amazing in this match! The first goal was a testament to teamwork, with Warrington expanding the defensive area, Cundle's exquisite footwork delivering a brilliant pass, and Waine's excellent positioning crucial. We made it! We shall marching on.

 

Feb. 10, 2024    31st round of league, Sunderland (6) vs Plymouth (3)

Sunderland is only 3 points behind us. This match is crucial for ensuring a spot in the playoffs.

We dropped to the edge of the playoff zone. Defending against high balls remains one of our biggest issues.

 

Feb. 14, 2024    32nd round of league, Plymouth (6) vs Coventry (23)

 

There's only a four-point difference between 2nd and 7th place, that's crazy.

 

Feb. 17, 2024    33rd round of league, Plymouth (6) vs Leeds (7)

We've climbed to 5th place, just 2 points behind the auto promotion zone.

 

This is the comparison of the stats between our 2 starting AMs. Although they play different roles, the 0.57 difference in average rating is still surprising. Wright prefers ball controlling but he makes fewer progressive passes than I expected. I'll change his role form AP to SS, so he can have more chance to attack directly.

 

Feb. 24, 2024    34th round of league, Middlesbrough (17) vs Plymouth (5)

This draw hurts.

 

Feb. 28, 2024    5th round of FA Cup, Oldham vs Plymouth

We received 262K prize money from this victory.

We are an exceptionally united team.

[ChaosReiter]

Mar. 2024

 

Mar. 2, 2024    35th round of league, Plymouth (5) vs Ipswich (8)

Much easier than I expected. Only 2 points to the auto promotion zone.

 

Mar. 6, 2024    36th round of league, Sheffield Wednesday (20) vs Plymouth (5)

Such a disappointing draw, we were 2-0 leading earlier but can't hold the advantage. They scored 2 goals with through balls.

 

Mar. 9, 2024    37th round of league, Blackburn (11) vs Plymouth (5)

Here's the problem we have. While we are attacking, there are too many players crowded in the middle, compared to other 3DC tactics, our 2 WBs find it difficult to create threats on the wings.

 

I added an extra striker to spare the room and replaced the starting WBL with a left-footed player. Hope it will work better.

 

Mar. 16, 2024    FA Cup Quarter Final, Plymouth vs Liverpool

We held on until extra time, eventually losing 1-2 to Liverpool. We should be proud of ourselves.

 

Mar. 23, 2024    38th round of league, Plymouth (5) vs Preston (19)

Only one point to the promotion zone!

 

Let's check our 3 attackers, see if the players' data aligns with the intended design of our tactics.

Ryan Hardie, playing as PF-at, our only starting forward for most of the time. He leads the league's top scorer list with a margin of five goals. From the data, his pressing and interceptions are particularly outstanding. Although he doesn't attempt many shots, his xG and goals are impressive. His main weakness is that he excels mainly in seizing opportunities inside the box and tends to lose possession too often when dribbling in the attacking third. He is close to his full potential now so we can't solve this by improving his ball controlling abilities. I can only set his PI to Dribble Less, hope that will help.

Ben Waine, sub forward, playing as AF. He has wonderful finishing data as Hardie, and has the same problem as Hardie. He can still improve so that's what I'm going to do.

Morgan Whittaker, playing as AM-at. He scored 14 goals and have 5 assists in 37 games. He's a bit too much of a lone-wolf than I expected. I'll let him dribble more and take more risk. Hope these changes will make him do more teamwork.

 

Mar. 30, 2024    39th round of league, Norwich (1) vs Plymouth (5)

Most of their players have much better quickness than ours, it's lucky we didn't get even worse result.

[ChaosReiter]

Apr. 2024

 

[ChaosReiter]

May 2024

The match begins!

4', In the Ipswich vs. Huddersfield match, Ipswich scored a goal to lead 1-0. As a result, we were pushed out of the playoff qualification zone in the live standings.

45+2', Leicester also scored a goal in another match, leading Blackburn 1-0 for the time being.

 

In the first half, Hull consistently tried to slow down the pace of the game. We kept up the pressure, but with little effect. Their defense was solid, and they posed a threat with several counterattacks.

51', Huddersfield has equalized! Ipswich once again falls behind us!

60', Hull has a corner opportunity. The corner is taken, and there's chaos in the box. Suddenly, the referee blows the whistle, awarding a penalty to the opposition! The referee believes Doukoure shoved Dorrington. They easily convert the penalty, we're in trouble! 

64', We've got a corner, Randell delivers it to the near post, Gibson rises high and heads it in! 1-1! We've equalized! At the same time, Leicester has been equalized as well, there's a new change in the standings.

73', Leicester's goal has been breached again, they are now trailing 1-2! I'm not sure what happened in that game, but Blackburn scored two goals in a few minutes!

78', Leeds United scored against Southampton. They have entered the promotion zone.

80', Only 10 minutes left until the dust settles. If we win this game, Leeds United and Southampton draw, and Cardiff loses to Rotherham, we can get promoted directly. But this really requires a miracle, no, 3 miracles.

82', Another corner kick opportunity for us. Butcher also sends the ball to the front post, again it's Gibson. Can he score his second goal? The ball hits a defending player near the post and bounces out, unfortunately! But the ball doesn't go far, Gibson gets the ball in the goal area, three defending players completely block his shooting line, he can only pass the ball behind him to Butcher. Butcher slowly dribbles the ball into the penalty area, he is observing the position of his teammates, just as the defending players are about to pounce, Butcher suddenly chips the ball towards the far post! Hull's defending players must have been praying that no one is there, but there's a green figure already rising high, it's Bundu! The ball is in! 2-1! Mustapha Bundu! The hero!

We won the game. We did everything we could, but no more miracles.

Norwich and Leeds secured automatic promotion, while we will participate in the playoffs.

 

May 15, 2024    Championship Playoffs Semi Final First Leg, Leicester vs Plymouth

Their performance was nearly flawless, and even luck wasn't on our side.

 

May 18, 2024    Championship Playoffs Semi Final Second Leg, Plymouth vs Leicester

We are just a few goal differences away from our dream. If we had one more victory, or even one more crucial goal, our dream of promotion would have come true. But that's football; there are no ifs. We will show the world our best, and our fans will always be proud of us. The season has ended, not our dream.

Edited February 11 by ChaosReiter

[ChaosReiter]

I made a new tactic for the next season, and the squad planner too. What I need is a decent DM plus 2 WB, hope our DoF can receive the hints.

Our wage budget rises from 238K to 250K, too much shorter than I expected I have to say. Let's see what our DoF can do for us with the funds.

Hardie wins the scorer list, he is named in ToTY too.

 

Another upgrade facility request has been approved.

 

 

The new season will begin in few days, here are the transfers that the DoF has made so far:

Justin Hoogma, 3-star CA and 3.5-star PA, a decent DC, nice physical and defending. Cost us 1M. Surely will be our starting DC.

Liam Bennett, 2.5-star CA and 3.5-star PA, young player, very nice personality. Cost us 700K. Will be our starting WB on the right.

Jack Taylor, 3-star CA, 3.5-star PA, very balanced on abilities, a decent midfielder, cost us 325K. Often gets injured.

This is our squad at start of the new season, I feel that compared to last season, we haven't significantly improved. Our transfer budget has been used up. Hopefully, our luck will be better than last season.