Carambau Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 Oh yeah the good old fruitless takeover Even worse you lost your parent affiliate... your form doesn´t look too bad though and you´re still up there so a little winning run will put you in place (top) again 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 The Long Road - New Year 2029 TL, DR - we're still doing well, overperforming on the pitch to a quite ridiculous degree, but by god it's a hard slog. We're operating with a minimal squad of barely two players per position with little spare capacity (and no help from the u18s). Which makes the winter injury list particularly problematical. Our medical centre has looked like this in the last two months: In November we lost both right wingbacks at the same time and in December we've been without two AMs at the same time. So it's been a constant struggle to put out a fit 11 and we've often had to leave spaces on the bench. Despite the constant soundtrack of sobbing violins, we've done much better than anyone expected: More often than not, we're doing better in games I expect us to lose and struggling in games where we're probably favourites. Ipswich and Boro were both in the promotion hunt while Swansea were in the bottom half. Only the Fulham game went according to the form book. It was a similar story in December. Only the Bristol City game went the way I expected while I thought we should have beaten Stoke (as we proved later in the month) and done better against Portsmouth. To end the year with a second win against Boro, this time in the FA Cup, was good news as the £100k prize money and share of the gate kept us in the black for a few more weeks. Overall, we're still confounding the pundits and the bookies: If we could by some miracle earn promotion it might be the salvation of the club because, otherwise, our future looks bleak. Regarding the transfer window, CB Kerron Samuels has left the club - he wanted a new deal we couldn't afford and was transfer listed at his request since the end of last season. He eventually went to Burton Albion for £220k. Unfortunately, I only get 30% of that and moving the bulk of the funds into the wage budget means I have £3.4k p/w to find a replacement. Worse, we have three key players on expiring contracts - GK Reyes, ST Forde, and club captain Stephenson - and I can't offer any of them a new contract. Several others want new deals - we're paying way under the going rate for Championship players - and it's a constant battle to fend off dressing room meltdowns by promising improved contracts at the end of the season (which is almost certainly a lie) or just flat out telling them the club can't afford it (which at least is true). It has been impossible to find free loan deals at this level, so it's unlikely we'll be able to reinforce the squad. Let's hope for a miracle 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 Even if you don't get the promotion, the increase in reputation may give you a financial boost in sponsors and match tickets for the next season. You'll probably have to redo a big part of the squad because the reputation update might come after the budgets are set, but be optimistic. Either way, you'll get through it. Now, good luck with the last matches! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfieLucas Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 Going really well in the Championship. No need to worry about relegation this season, which was the main goal? Keep it going and who knows what May brings! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 3 hours ago, lfds89 said: be optimistic 2 hours ago, AlfieLucas said: Keep it going Cheers, both! I'll certainly see this through to the end of the season at least, if for no other reason than I'm really curious to see what happens. Whether we win promotion or not, it's going to be interesting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 (edited) The Long Road - January 2029 January turned out to be a busy month, with five league games, an FA Cup tie, and the transfer window. We also paid our first transfer fee of the save. Transfer business Despite the threat of losing certain key players on free deals and expiring contracts, the only departure of January was the pre-arranged sale of CB Kerron Samuels. Long-standing interest in ST Shaq Forde mysteriously disappeared long before deadline day and he remains a Darlington player for now. As January progressed I was hoping we could replace Samuels with either a cheap loan or a free signing but eventually had to accept that neither was happening. Instead, in the final week of January, the recruitment team found a likely target that we could sign on a very cheap deal: Frederick arrives from Oxford United on a deal that cost us just £40k this year but will eventually rise to £140k, and for a wage we could afford. I wish he had a better work ethic but beggars can't be choosers. In an ideal world I'd have liked another DM but since we were spent up I'd given up on that idea. Until transfer deadline day when the scouts flagged a likely prospect: Good mentals and great physicals were obvious attractions, but to my astonishment parent club Brentford were willing to let him come to Darlington for free - no fee, no wage contribution. How could I refuse? With that recruitment we managed to increase the squad back to two players per position. Meanwhile, on the pitch we continue to exceed expectations: Oxford and Burnley were Top 4 sides - against the former we were deserved winners; against the latter we robbed them with the late, late winner from Forde. There then followed two of our best performances of the season putting four past Coventry and then - in an astonishing performance - repeating the feat against mid-table Premier League Leeds in the FA Cup. It was thoroughly FM that we followed that with a sloppy 0-1 defeat at home to a Huddersfield side constantly battling against relegation. We spent the month often top of the league but bobbing around the Top 3 of the Championship. Taking just one point from the final 6 allowed Fulham to overtake us: That's a Fulham side that just spent £52m in the transfer window! Forde continues to be a vitally important player for us, but a new face from last summer is also staking a claim for player of the season: Former Chelsea youngster Boniface was meant to be a backup at left wingback but has made the position his own with a series of outstanding performances. Our reward for that FA Cup win over Leeds is another money-spinning away tie at local 'rivals' Newcastle that might keep us in the black for another month or two. Edited August 11 by warlock 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfieLucas Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 A good month that keeps you right in the mix, hopefully you can keep it up. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 The Long Road - February 2029 The month saw a sudden and dramatic downturn in form as we played 6 games and failed to win any: This is easily our worst run since the save began and I can't explain it, any more than I can explain our consistent overperformance to this point. Some things are obvious, most notably that three of our most important players are unhappy, and have been for some time. GK Reyes wanted a new deal at the end of last season but we couldn't get close to what he wanted. DM and captain Stephenson was in a similar situation. And ST Forde wanted a move to a bigger club but we never received a single bid. At the end of the January window when it became obvious he wasn't getting the move, he withdrew his transfer request - and simply stopped playing. He hasn't scored since mid-January and has a 6.3 average rating for his five games in February. It was a tough month with just two home games and the opposition ranging from tricky to (in the case of Newcastle) impossible, but we've played and won harder games before. I would usually look at a tactical switch but nearly all of our recruitment has been geared towards the 343 and, with 6 central defenders and a lack of options in midfield and attack, we're locked into that for the rest of the season. The results have seen us fall from scrapping for the title to clinging on to the last playoff spot: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 The February struggle is real. The other teams see you as a threat now. 4 points from third is still pretty good. Good luck for the next matches! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyates8 Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Tough run and like you mention its probably morale related. Still in contention for playoffs and then anything is possible! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 (edited) Just caught up with this again. Was really looking good as you powered your way towards the unthinkable, but despite the recent form seeing you fall back it really has to be considered just how you have put all those difficulties to one side and kept delivering. You're still contenders for a Play-Off spot, I have no idea how you do it or how you manage to absorb all the financial restrictions. Really a top effort, whatever happens next mate. Edited August 12 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 13 Author Share Posted August 13 The Long Road - March 2029 Just like that, we recovered some decent form: It wasn't quite 'just like that'. First, I called a team meeting and told the lads that we had the ability to get back to winning ways. Second, I had harsh conversations with the five worst performers and told them that their recent performances were unacceptable and there would be consequences if things didn't improve. Third, I found one tactical tweak that I could make within the confines of the 343 straitjacket we find ourselves in: Looking closer at matches this year I decided we were lacking creativity in central midfield. The problem being that all four of our DMs are very defensive - two anchormen and two BWMs - and none had better than average passing. But two of our AMCs - Earthy and O'Neill - are capable of playmaking from a little deeper. So I sacrificed one of the DMs and introduced an AP in the middle of the pitch. Which of those things - morale boost, hairdryer or tactical tweak - had an effect I don't know, but we were immediately better. All of our opponents this month have much stronger squads than us with Swansea and Watford paying 6x our wage bill, Boro and Birmingham 10x, Norwich 15x and Fulham a frankly unfair 30x. To emerge unbeaten from the six games was a great over-achievement. Shaq Forde, who had been our worst performer in February got back to something like his best form with three goals this month and most of the team put in much better performances. We have improved our league position by two places but, barring a massive collapse by Fulham and Burnley, a playoff position is the best we can hope for (although we could easily drop out of the playoffs if we're not careful). Five games to go; time to see what we're made of. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Crunch time! Wishing you all the best to finish in the top 6! A top 2 finish would be fantastic but the chances are slim. ...but who knows, its football, bloody hell 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 13 Author Share Posted August 13 4 hours ago, Carambau said: Wishing you all the best Your wishes were appreciated... and useful The Long Road - April 2029 The playoffs it is... We were very good in the run-in but had left ourselves a little too much to do. Fulham were out of sight and we needed to win all our remaining games and hope for Ipswich and Burnley to slip up if we were to take the runners-up spot and automatic promotion. In the event, Burnley did slip up but so did we against Blackburn, allowing Ipswich to claim second place: Our win over Bristol - delayed because of yet another waterlogged pitch at Blackwell Meadows - saw Bolton leapfrog into 5th. So that's who we face in the first playoff round. We also had one more bit of bad luck. Backup striker Matty Warhurst, who was excellent early in April with three goals, broke his ankle against Portsmouth and will be out until the start of next season. Which leaves us rather short-handed up front for the playoffs. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Brilliant! Burnley's form in the last games was terrible. There's a real chance! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 13 Author Share Posted August 13 The Long Road - playoff semi-final A convincing win in the away leg. We restricted Bolton to long shots with none on target. Thankfully, their attempts to kick us off the pitch did not result in injury. Ahead of the return leg, the media suggested we came into this one in poor form . Of our last 12 games we've won 8, drawn 4, lost 0. I'll take that kind of poor form all season long. And we repeated our poor form in the game: Shaq Forde came up trumps with a brace that saw us comfortably through. A worthy way to bid farewell to Blackwell Meadows - our next game will be the playoff final at Wembley. We'll face Burnley, who beat Bristol Rovers. Next season will see us take up residence at Darlington's newest sporting venue, the 11,000 capacity Chris Senior Park. Wouldn't it be nice to move in as a Premier League team? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 FM almost got me into domestic difficulties - only just remembered that it's recycling night so had to do chores before the biggest game of the save so far... The Long Road - Playoff Final As if the game wasn't going to be difficult enough, FM decided to throw some obstacles in our path. Stephenson recovered sufficiently to make the bench, but we would have to play without a backup 'keeper or cover at RWB. I spent most of the game praying to the FM gods to spare us any other injuries during the match. Thankfully, they seem to have listened. With so much at stake the game itself was a scruffy affair with little quality on display. Especially in our defence where an early mistake allowed Burnley to take the lead after just 7 minutes. We had more of the ball, they had more and better chances but, not for the first time this season, 'keeper Reyes was magnificent, allowing us to reach the interval just the one goal down. With Burnley pressing hard to increase their lead, I made two tactical tweaks at half-time, increasing our tempo a notch and adding 'pass into space'. Almost immediately after the restart we found the equaliser when O'Neill chipped a ball to Celi, who cut inside off the left wing and squared it to Thorndike, who slotted home from inside the box. The remainder of the 90 minutes was much the same with Burnley hammering away at our defence but failing to find the breakthrough. And the pattern continued into extra-time before we went to what seemed like an inevitable penalty shootout. Burnley missed their first spotkick, we missed our third and it took another 16 efforts to separate the teams before Burnley 'keeper James Trafford hit a soft shot that Reyes saved. With my nerves completely shredded, Darlington head for the top flight for the first time in their history. How long we can stay there will depend very much on whether the board can find enough money to finance an overdue rebuild of the squad. Fingers crossed! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dong21 Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 6 hours ago, warlock said: With my nerves completely shredded, Darlington head for the top flight for the first time in their history. Absolutely incredible achievement On paper, your side should be nowhere near the Premier League. Kudos to you for your perseverance. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 (edited) Congrats! Now its time to rake in the big money Lovin this! Excited to see how your new team will look in the EPL! Edited August 14 by Carambau 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 The Long Road - end of season 28/29 Time for a look back at our Championship season, and a look forward to life in the Premier League. Boniface had a dramatic debut season with the Quakers, justly winning both Young Player of the Season and Fans' Player of the Season awards. He was also our leading source of assists. Forde was top scorer with 31 in all competitions, and won the Championship golden boot with 27 league goals. Generally, all of the Team of the Season are included on merit, consistently performing above their attributes or coaches' expectations. On reviewing the coach reports ahead of the transfer window it is concerning that only Boniface, Sang and Andiyapan are rated good enough for the Championship; everyone else is judged at L1 or L2 level. We have no players of PL quality or potential. The board have been far more generous than I feared but our budgets are some way short of what I hoped for: The wage budget equates to just over £20m p/a. The three teams just relegated from the PL, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Forest, were all spending around three times that: It looks like most of the transfer budget will have to go into wages and we'll try to put together a squad using free transfers and loans. With expiring loans and contracts we're set to lose 5 or 6 current players, and another 4 or 5 have been transfer-listed. The bulk of the remaining players will be pencilled in as backups so we'll need - somehow - 8-10 signings, good enough to be starters but happy to accept Championship-level wages. It's difficult to say at the moment, but I'd guess we'll be able to offer around £30k p/w for 'star' and 'important' players, and around £15-25k p/w for the rest. I imagine there'll be a steady procession of current players outside my office looking for big pay rises, too. We've done the impossible before but this might be a bridge too far. Sunderland, who were promoted last season, secured 15th place this time so it can be done, but they're a much richer club than we are and have 10 players earning between £50k and £99k p/w. A fair summary of my thoughts might be: eek! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyates8 Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Huge congrats on the promotion! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Just catching up on this mate and wow, stunned to see you got another promotion. Winning on penalties is a grand way of doing it, when it works! I may be one of the few who remembers watching Darlo live in a play-off final, a long time ago when they played Plymouth at (probably the old) Wembley. Maybe you were there too? How are you shaping up for the new season? A bit of a budget, but are you up for that challenge? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: watching Darlo live in a play-off final, a long time ago when they played Plymouth at (probably the old) Wembley. Ah, 1996? I think. I was living in Hertfordshire then, father of two young boys - no time or money for football, apart from watching my lads on Sunday mornings turn out for the local village sides 2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: How are you shaping up for the new season? About as well as you'd expect . No-one wants to join us. I had dreams of signing a few old-timers; not a chance. The recruitment team isn't helping - I think I've had scout reports on close to 1,000 players and not one rated as even Championship quality. Vast majority of recommendations are of non-league or L2 level. I tried a few likely targets from the sides relegated to the Championship - Scott McKenna at Forest was one I really wanted and we could afford - but no-one would even enter into contract talks. I have made a few signings and have probably improved the squad but certainly not enough. Media prediction is to finish dead last and, for once, I think they're right. So to your last point - am I up for the challenge? The honest answer is, I don't know. On one hand we'll make a fair bit of money this season, get relegated and go back to the Championship filthy rich with parachute payments. On the other, that means a year of bad results and plunging morale. Coincidentally, I was reading a Guardian preview of Southampton's upcoming season and a Saints supporter posted that winning promotion to the PL was like winning a competition where first prize was getting punched in the face repeatedly. And I thought, yes - that's about right. This has also been my longest FM save ever as we go into season 7 and I'm getting itchy feet. I'll probably give it a month or two and then decide. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 11 hours ago, warlock said: No-one wants to join us. I had dreams of signing a few old-timers; not a chance. The recruitment team isn't helping - I think I've had scout reports on close to 1,000 players and not one rated as even Championship quality. Vast majority of recommendations are of non-league or L2 level. I tried a few likely targets from the sides relegated to the Championship - Scott McKenna at Forest was one I really wanted and we could afford - but no-one would even enter into contract talks. I have made a few signings and have probably improved the squad but certainly not enough. Media prediction is to finish dead last and, for once, I think they're right. So to your last point - am I up for the challenge? The honest answer is, I don't know. On one hand we'll make a fair bit of money this season, get relegated and go back to the Championship filthy rich with parachute payments. On the other, that means a year of bad results and plunging morale. Coincidentally, I was reading a Guardian preview of Southampton's upcoming season and a Saints supporter posted that winning promotion to the PL was like winning a competition where first prize was getting punched in the face repeatedly. And I thought, yes - that's about right. This has also been my longest FM save ever as we go into season 7 and I'm getting itchy feet. I'll probably give it a month or two and then decide. Pretty much the answer I was expecting! Seven seasons is a great effort, but the fact it's always been success (and at a club close to your heart) has made it easier to reach that point. A year of heavy defeats will be tough to take, but probably a tinge of curiosity remains right? If you walk away, perhaps another challenge (or a break) may see you through to FM25. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 14 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: a tinge of curiosity remains right? Of course. I was ready to call the save done last season if we'd finished somewhere around the middle of the Championship but having stumbled into the top flight I felt there had to be another season. As it happens, FM has made up my mind (as it often does!). My two best signings of the window were an upgrade at GK, and a very good young striker out of the Tottenham academy. Whatever else happened, I was happy with those two. Then on the day after the transfer window closed the 'keeper broke his ankle in training and will miss half the season, while the striker suddenly kicked off about the lack of depth in goal, a row that quickly escalated to him demanding a transfer. So an already difficult season became much harder. And that was enough. There will, of course, be another save. In fact, if FM releases to the usual schedule I reckon I can get another two or three multi-season saves completed . The question is where? It feels like I have unfinished business in France so that's a strong possibility. And I still haven't done a proper save in Germany so there are plenty of options. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 Did you try asking your DoF for transfer proposals? He came up sometimes with good ideas in my save at least... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 4 hours ago, Carambau said: Did you try asking your DoF for transfer proposals? Oh yes. He came up with some good players, who we couldn't afford, or cheap lower-league players, who were no better than what we had. It's been a long road, but I've taken the Quakers farther than they've ever been before and after I've gone, they'll be a Championship side, with their own ground, with tens of millions in the bank. I'm happy with that 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dong21 Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 On 17/08/2024 at 23:16, warlock said: Scott McKenna at Forest was one I really wanted and we could afford - but no-one would even enter into contract talks. Shame - I would have liked to see how my trusted Estrela captain would have fared for you in the Prem! On 19/08/2024 at 12:45, warlock said: It's been a long road, but I've taken the Quakers farther than they've ever been before and after I've gone, they'll be a Championship side, with their own ground, with tens of millions in the bank. I'm happy with that You’ve certainly taken the club on a great journey. Continuous overachievement, for sure. It’s been fun to follow along. I’ll be keeping an eye out for where you end up next 👀 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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