[FM24] Ewood Evolution: Mikkel Søgaard

[danyates8]

We've hit January in a real strong spot, 3rd in the league and within 4 points from the top, there is a healthy gap to 4th place which is 11 points. We've got 6 games in January kicking of with an away trip to League One side who sit 6th in their division. Tough home fixtures against Fulham and Sheff Utd and Ipswich with away fixtures against Derby and Rotherham in between. As mentioned i'm not really looking to do any serious business transferwise during the window, a possible loan for an attack minded midfielder to ease the burden on Torp.

So here it is, our toughest run of the save so far which led to going 6 games without a win considering the final 2 fixtures of December. We made another tactical switch after the Sheff Utd result, the previous changes just weren't working for us, our chance creation became almost non existent. Oli McBurnie and Victor Torp had a slight drop of in form so I think we are putting an over reliance on them to perform for us, we need to figure out a way to get the best out of other players within our system. The wide players have had a drop off in output. I mentioned at the very beginning of the blog that the manager we've created isn't afraid to make changes. I'll detail them after analysing the first 4 fixtures.

First up we had Oxford and this was one of our worst performances since we've arrived at the club. We got caught out with a ball over the top early on and then conceded from a corner to be 2-0 down after 30 mins. We were dominating the ball and creating chances though, the lads came in at half time and I told them the performances wasnt matching the standards required and we grabbed a goal 3 mins after the break however we failed to build any momentum from the goal and within 5 mins had conceded again eventually losing 3-1 to be knock out of the FA cup at the first hurdle. Aynsley Pears was really poor for us, our long-term goalkeeping dynamic has changed slightly with Hladky announcing he will retire at the end of the season, Peacock Farrell has been attracting interest from the middle east and he wants to listen to their offers but we convinced him to leave it until the end of our season. That would leave us with Aynsley Pears so I will be looking for a new #1 in the summer. The scouting process has begun.

Fulham at home next up and we were honestly pretty unlucky, we created decent chances but Bernd Leno was exceptional in the opposition net and the game finished 0-0. I'm going to show a graph of our xG against opponents in the top 6 below, our results are actually fairly impressive picking up 12 points from 18. It's only really the Norwich game where we got dominated for xG and in that fixture we were down to 10 men so can be classed as an anomaly. We've still got Luton, Norwich and Hull to play again. 

Now we get onto the 2 frustrating fixtures. The game against Derby was a really tight, even clash. We managed to get the lead 10 mins after the break but within 6 minutes of our goal we found ourselves 2-1 down, there was an element of fortune about the first goal and it hit both post before going in. 2 mins later Kellyman finding space in the box to put Derby in front but the wild start to the 2nd half wasn't over just there. 1 minute after Derbys goal we got awarded a penalty which John Buckley had saved. Our heads dropped after that and we were actually pretty poor for the rest of the game and didn't create much at all.

Another penalty missed in this one and to make matters worse we conceded in the 92nd minute to lose 1-0. Sheff Utd didn't really threaten us that much apart from their goal which to be fair was well worked, we created good chances but could find a way past Ivo Grbic who finished man of the match with an 8.7. This was the game where I decided id seen enough, our worst run at the club so far with our winless run stretching to 6 games. I felt like being brave was the best thing to do given our current position, we were still in 3rd place at this point and promotion is still a possibility, if we don't make promotion I want to be in a position where I can say at least we give it our best shot. I don't feel pragmatism is the best approach here, I made some tweaks to the setup and this is what we have now come up with;

We now form our 3 at the back with a half back dropping in the space between the centre backs, both full backs offer support to the attack now. Our midfield duo hasn't changed roles however against tougher opposition I would consider dropping the CM-A to a more support role to give us a 3-2 buildup shape, the current shape gives us the 3-1 we were looking for at the very beginning of the blog and with the addition of both supporting wingbacks we can have a 3-3 buildup where the 2nd '3' is very wide.  I like the flexibility of this system, with a few simple role changes we can completely change up our buildup approach, the half back becoming a defensive midfielder again to have a 2-2 build-up however with the wingbacks that can easily become 2-4, we could invert both wing backs for the midfield support, having our more attacking wide players providing the width however then we would look to use an advanced playmaker rather than a deep lying playmaker. We are employing the high press again as I think giving the opposition more time on the ball with the mid block is actually hurting us.

As so often when you make changes you hope for instant results however within 15 mins against Rotherham we found ourselves behind again, we didn't panic as we know we are capable of turning things around and that's just what we did in emphatic fashion. I was hoping for a greater impact from our wide players with the most recent changes and it couldn't of gone much better, Markanday scoring a hattrick turning in easily his best performance since we arrived at the club. John Buckley getting on the scoresheet to ease the pain of his 2 recent penalty misses.

Not our best performance against Ipswich attacking wise but defensively we were really good. 2 games with the changed tactic and 2 good wins showcasing both attacking and defensive promise. We've put an end to the poor run and can hopefully now get back on track. It's looking like its going to be a really exciting final third of the season, our gap to 4th has been reduced by 6 points, Luton have hit form again and built their lead back up, Southampton and us have hit a bumpy patch and Norwich, Hull and Birmingham are looking like real threats now. 

Finally there was one deal we completed on deadline day, we brought in Andre Horta on loan for the rest of the season. 3.5k wages with a low playing time expectation but enough quality to step in if/when required. 

Edited July 30 by danyates8

[danyates8]

So after last months difficult spell we came into February looking to get back on track, we ended last month with 2 good wins after slight tactical tweak. We've got 6 games this month which includes a tough away trip to league trail blazers Luton and Birmingham. The other fixtures on paper are very winnable so if we've got an aspirations of promotion its essential we put together a good run.

We opened up the month with a home tie against Cardiff who had found themselves having a very poor season, I expected a win and we duly delivered, very comfortable scoreline where we scored with our 3 shots on target, McBurnie finding the net after his 5 game run without a goal. We did fall behind initially but we did equalise 4 mins later and from that point dominated. Adingra put in a man of the match performance, i've been pretty impressed with Adingra since his arrival at the club and will look to secure the permanent transfer regardless of whether we get promoted or not. 

Reading came up with us last season but have had completely contrasting seasons for us, they are struggling at the bottom end of the table and look set for relegation, to their credit they put up a good fight against us, it took us 60 mins to break the deadlock however once the first went in we took complete control. Aynsley Pears pulled of an insane, close range double save which earned him the man of the match.

Our biggest game of the save so far came against Luton, they've dropped 4 points already this month as they have drawn both games played so far. My intention for the more difficult fixtures was to bring an extra man in the midfield so I inverted the left back, instructed our inside forward to play a more traditional winger role. I feel we get better balance with these changes, the inside forward and CM-A were operating in a similar space and we were expecting our DLP-S to control the midfield on his own, with these changes we get support to our midfield and should create more space for our left hand sided attackers. The game finished 0-0 which honestly i'm delighted with, Aynsley Pears with a man of the match performance again. I think our scouting department have told him they've been instructed to look for goalkeepers!

The changes I made in the previous game left me feeling far more comfortable from a tactical sense, I know our results have been really good since our tactical switch but I think there is still room for improvement so i'll be sticking with the changes made in the Luton game. I feel our build up structure with the 2 in midfield - inverted wing back becoming the 2nd man - is far more effective, we give one of our more creative players in John Buckley more time and space to exploit the opposition. 

Bolton are fighting for their lives after a real tough season and that was proven in our fixture, they were really difficult to break down however we did grab an 89th minute goal which I thought was the winner but we had a lapse in concentration to concede with the last kick of the game, hindsight says it was my fault as we were caught on a counter. We should of looked to tighten things up and see the game out however we didn't and got punished for it. That makes it 6 unbeaten which is very pleasing considering our run of form last month.

Home tie against Blackpool next up and we delivered a confident, assured performance. The idea around the tactical switch initially was to improve our output from our wide players and since then our wide players have contributed 8 goal contributions which is a definite improvement and we managed to add to that tally during this fixture. Markanday has been in fantastic form the last month, he scored his first hattrick for the club and today put in another man of the match performance. Andre Horta scored a really good for us in this game, he has started this and the last game to give Torp a rest during our 'easier' fixtures. 

Birmingham provided the opposition for the final fixture of February, they've been fairly inconsistent recently but still find themselves in a playoff battle. It was another masterful performance from Aynsley Pears winning himself another man of the match award, his performances recently have been nothing short of excellent. Ryan Hedges getting himself on the scoresheet, i've been pleased with his performances since his return from serious injury. Tyrhys Dolan scored our 2nd, i've been fairly underwhelmed with Dolan this season, I know he suffered a really serious injury last season but I still expected more, he has 5 goal contribution this season which is half the amount of Markanday despite playing around 400 mins more. 

A real fantastic month, we've recovered from our dip in form last month and to make things better for us Luton have had another serious dip in form. They have failed to win a single fixture this month which has meant the 10 point gap they had has been eroded completely. Southampton have had a very similar month to us, returning the same points total however they've been more impressive defensively. 10 games to go and the title race is really becoming exciting. Can we do it? I did forget to mention the interest we've received as a manager, multiple Premier League teams have shown an interest in our services but they were all quickly rebuffed, i'm really happy at Blackburn as things stand and believe we are on the cusp of achieving something special. 

Edited July 31 by danyates8

[warlock]

Tactical tweaks look to be doing the business for you. Very tight at the top but, whatever happens, a great season.

How's Alberth Elis doing for you? I didn't want to rain on your parade when you signed him, but I managed him in a Bordeaux save a few months ago and he was very underwhelming. Has all the attributes but didn't seem to perform for me.

[danyates8]

6 minutes ago, warlock said:

Tactical tweaks look to be doing the business for you. Very tight at the top but, whatever happens, a great season.

How's Alberth Elis doing for you? I didn't want to rain on your parade when you signed him, but I managed him in a Bordeaux save a few months ago and he was very underwhelming. Has all the attributes but didn't seem to perform for me.

Yeah we have done exceptional up to this point. 

He has done okay to be honest, he hasn't nailed down a regular first team spot but I'm finding his versatility is a fantastic option for us, he is very good off the bench too. 

[warlock]

Just now, danyates8 said:

he is very good off the bench too

Always useful to have one of those 

[Jogo Bonito]

A good recovery to get back to the summit. It's close but hopefully your momentum will carry you through now!

[_Ben_]

Strong month! How does the tactic play out in game? Particularly interested in where the WB(s) sits?

[danyates8]

       

He does sit considerably deeper however is still aggressive during the attack, this particular example had Joe Rankin-Costello playing and he has get forward whenever possible as a trait. He was heavily involved in our build up play during this game and as he started from deeper his dribble output increased. 

Edited July 31 by danyates8

[danyates8]

10 games left to go, 3 teams level on points. Can we hold our nerve and find ourselves finishing within the top 2. I've not really stopped to think how impressive this achievement actually is, we expected promotion from League One but to translate the style and results to the Championship is an impressive feat. We've got 4 massive games during March. Firstly we are away to Hull who are currently 5th. Back to back home games then we find ourselves away to Huddersfield to see out the month. 

Another really impressive month overall, we've found form at the right time of the season and we can safely say we have pulled ourselves out of the dip in form. Defensively really good only conceding 1 goal in 4 games. Aynsley Pears deserves a mention, his 2nd half of the season has been really strong.

Hull away first up and it was another tightly contested clash from a team in the playoffs. Our performances against the teams around us have been excellent, there have been a number of close games where we have had the extra bit of quality to finish the chance or ride the wave and secure a draw and today was no different. A real lack of quality chances but the one occasion that McBurnie found himself with some space in the box he duly obliged and stuck the ball in the back of the net. 

We faced off against Leeds at home next up, they've had a poor season overall considering the strength of their squad, Will Still is their relatively new manager after joining in December however he hasn't been able to arrest their slide. We put in a confident performance to come away with the 2-1 win. John Buckley has done well to add goals to his game this season notching his 10th of the season so far, granted 5 have been penalties but he still has top put the ball in the back of the net. 

Facing off against Swansea was the moment that gave me full confidence we could achieve promotion mostly based off the reaction from the lads at half time. We were desperatley unlucky to not be winning at half time, we'd hit the post twice and were being frustrated by Swansea's 532 shape. They were sitting deep, 10 men behind the ball and doing their job in frustrating us however we were able to galvanise the lads at half time and our 2nd half performances was outstanding. Ryan Hedges and Simon Adingra have been the main beneficiaries of the tactical change both increasing their outputs. I'll be looking to bring Adingra in on a permanent deal too, his current deal at Brighton expires at the end of the season and we've got recent history of turning loan deals into successful permanent deals.

We finished the month with a frustrating 0-0 draw away to Huddersfield. We created enough chances but found ourselves on the receiving end of an impressive goalkeeping performance, these things can happen however our performance was still good.

A rock solid month keeping ourselves firmly in the promotion picture, Luton continuing their awful form coming out with 1 win in 4 during March. We now have a 5 point gap over them which meant a 15 point swing between us and them in 2 months. Southampton are chugging along nicely at this stage of the season and look our main threat. 

 

 

[_Ben_]

I'm going to say it - so please don't hold this against me..

You're promoted.

Luton have been faltering and Norwich look to be the form team in the playoffs at the moment. From what I can see, you've played them once - away - so I think, if you avoid defeat there, you're not going to be caught!

Huge congratulations on whatever the season brings from here.

[danyates8]

There's 6 more games until the Championship wraps up for another season, we've established a 5 point lead over 3rd place and we are only a few points away from back to back promotions. We haven't got the easiest month playing 4 contenders for the playoffs but we're in excellent form so im confident we can do enough to get over the line. 

We've done it! Secured back to back promotions with a truly magnificent end to the season, since our tactical switches we've remained unbeaten! Our wide players impact has significantly increased which was the main aim of the switch. Our ability to secure late goals is evident during the last month, our work rate, desire and overall determination to succeed has got us where we are. During this save i've taken a slightly different approach, the plan was to basically sign players ready for the first team who are going to come in an instantly improve the side veering away from younger players who need time to develop, the average age of the squad is sitting at 27.28, nearly 4 years older than my other saves. The strategy has worked wonders during our first two seasons, we've amassed 202 points over 2 seasons which is some feat. Our worst run of form being a 6 game spell where we failed to pick up a win but in hindsight tactical mistakes led to that.

Sunderland at home for our first game of the month and it was clinical finishing we had to thank, Sunderland created a far higher xG than us with much less of the ball but they were unable to capitalise on their good work whereas our finishing was excellent with another good performance from both wingers. McBurnie with his 24th of the season, he has been a sensational free signing who has earnt his chance at Premier League football again.

It was the Bristol City game that fully gave me the confidence we were going to achieve our dreams, Hayden Carter popping up with a 95th minute winner to send our travelling support crazy. The determination and desire I mentioned earlier was in full effect this game, we didn't drop our heads when we went behind on 56 minutes, in fact it had the opposite effect and galvanised us. We equalised 1 minute later through Ryan Hedges who has been in superb form the last few weeks then we pushed and pushed and were eventually rewarded for our efforts from a corner. 

Norwich had won 5 on the bounce before our clash, apart from ourselves they were the inform team in the division. We were able to secure a 2-2 draw after another late equaliser which was a fair result in the end, we were losing at the break but Alberth Elis pounced on a mistake at the back to put us level, Yerson Mosquera then went from hero to villain for Norwich in the space of 15 minutes, he was able to nod in after a long throw caused a scramble in our box however then scored an own goal after sticking a foot out from a dangerous Markdanday cross.

So this was it, beat Millwall and we were promoted. You'd think there would at least be a hint of nervousness however our performance was one of the most assured since we've arrived at the club considering the stakes. I feel the man of the match award for Aynsley Pears may be a little generous considering he had one save to make overall, we were far more dangerous, created significantly more chances and it was a nice touch that our two main men, Victor Torp and Oli McBurnie were the guys to put the finishing touches on what has been a fantastic season. 

Another come from behind victory against Stoke which sealed the title for us in another amazing season. Hayden Carter with another match winner, he and Scott Wharton are really dangerous from set pieces and get us around 10 goals a season between them. I feel they both can perform for us in the Premier League, Aynsley Pears has won me over with his performances in the 2nd half of the season, he has been excellent. 

That left a fairly meaningless game against Watford however I was determined to see out the season unbeaten, it was a fairly even contest where we lacked a clinical edge apart from one Oli Mcburnie chance. He ends the season with 26 league goals, making it 47 in 2 seasons, not bad work for a freebie. Watford equalised late on but were content to settle for a draw which made it 18 unbeaten for us since our tactical changes. Fulham had put together a really good end of season run and nick a playoff spot alongside Luton, Birmingham and Norwich, they all find themselves in very similar form coming into the playoffs so it's anyone's guess as to who will go up. Southampton finished in 2nd place - 3 points behind us. 

It just goes to show how brutal the Championship can be, Luton had been on top of the table for much of the season and they finished 13 points ahead of Fulham come the end of the season but that counts for nothing in the playoff and they were unable to navigate their way to the final losing 4-2 on aggregate. Birmingham had an impressive 2-0 away win in their first leg to thank for their progress to the final. 

With 6 games left of the regular season, Fulham found themselves 6 points off the playoffs however their impressive end of season form has carried on into the playoffs leading to a 4-1 dismantling of Birmingham in the playoff final, they will be joining us and Southampton in the Premier League.

So again the stats show we deserve our success this season, we were the leagues leading goalscorers alongside having the 3rd best defence which is a very potent combination. Similar to last season in the next post i'll detail some more stats surrounding the season just completed. My initial feeling around the squad is that we most definitely have some players who I feel are capable of making the step up to the Premier League. Harry Pickering has informed us of his desire to leave after only playing a rotation role this season, im happy to grant his wishes, Peacock-Farrell still wants to leave alongside Fraser. Hladky is retiring, Riordan I dont think will make the step up, he hasn't forced his way into our team so bringing in a young central defender with long term potential seems like a good idea, Callum Brittain's wage demands a what I deem excessive, he wants 45k per week which isn't something I agree with and back up right back Hany finds his contract expiring with no new deal on the table, scouting has begun for a new right back.  Carter, Wharton, Pears have all agreed new deals with Wharton having the best deal at 30k per week. Victor Torp has had a pay rise to 35k per week, fully deserved after another excellent season. 

[warlock]

 Outstanding!

Looks like a serious rebuild for next season, even if you keep some of the 'maybes'. Good luck with that.

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, danyates8 said:

Blues failed: oh no. Anyway...

Huge congratulations - I can't wait to see how you approach recruitment for next year but I love that the likes of Victor Torp will be playing in the top three levels with you. Any ideas of what budgets you might end up with?

[danyates8]

2 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

Blues failed: oh no. Anyway...

Huge congratulations - I can't wait to see how you approach recruitment for next year but I love that the likes of Victor Torp will be playing in the top three levels with you. Any ideas of what budgets you might end up with?

Yeah our initial budget is £38.4 million in the transfer kitty with around 200k spare for wages. We eaten slightly into the wages with giving out some new deals for our most important players but they are fully deserving. We've been clever with the 'promotion wage rise' clauses keeping them to a minimum, only Dolan having it in his deal. An exciting summer ahead.

[Jogo Bonito]

Congratulations on the second promotion! I love the end of year squad review (analysis and graphic) and hope you will assemble a squad to do you proud in the top flight!

[danyates8]

So it was another sensational season for us, we carried on the momentum we created last year into this season and we weren't to be stopped. The step up to the Premier League is a different ball game though and there will be a need for reinforcements for our squad. In the previous update I provided a graphic which was my gut feeling on the squads ability to step up to the next level which shows us the need for new signings, we will also have some movement within the staff as our assistant manager Sean O'Driscoll is retiring, we will be following the same philosophy as before, attributes matter but not as much as personality and play style they have to suit us, my gut feeling is to go into the Premier League and try to maintain our playstyle we have implemented over the last 2 years, that could be the death of us but as it has for other teams in recent history such as Burnley under Vincent Kompany however one difference we will be making is our core of players who got us here will be a main feature of our sides, we won't be spending £100 million. 

Victor Torp and Oli McBurnie carried on their form from the previous season and again were our most important players. We had 5 stand out players in the squad though who will provide the spine of our team for the coming Premier League season, Hayden Carter and Scott Wharton were fantastic for us again and will get given the chance to be our Premier League starting centre back pairing, John Buckley, Victor Torp and Oli McBurnie being the others. There is an element of risk putting faith in a group of players who were playing in League One for us only last year but I don't want to negatively impact the atmosphere we have created within the squad, I feel work ethic, desire and the determination of our squad can provide a strong base to give us the best chance of survival. In terms of personal honors it was another successful season for us, Oli McBurnie winning Championship player of the season award after finishing as the league's top goalscorer with 26 goals. We had 4 players in the team of the year and we were awarded the Manager of the Season award to top things off. 

 

So the positions we will be focusing on in the coming transfer window as a priority are the defensive midfield, right back and right wing areas. I feel if we can bring in some Premier League level quality for these positions it will leave us in a strong position going forward. I'm also going to focus on signing some youth players, I've neglected the youth teams for the last couple of years as we focus on getting back into the big time but now we are there I feel we will benefit hugely from investing into our u21s and u18s, our average age of the first team is 27.28 and we should look to blood in youngsters to bring this down. 

My early idea for the midfield is to bring in a real physical presence for the DM slot, I really like Marcel Lorber however I feel that we can get more out of him in a more advanced position and he will be competing with both Buckley and Torp for either of their spots, Lorber is a fantastically well rounded player filled full of potential and I feel he can be our long term CM-A, if we sign a right back like we expect which is a priority this then gives Rankin-Costello the opportunity to win his midfield place back. 

In terms of right wing, despite my admiration for Hedges and Markanday we have to be realistic and acknowledge they may struggle to make the step up required. Markanday still has age on his side however Hedges is now 31 and suffered 2 major injuries within 12 months, tearing both hamstrings however he did come back to fitness in the latter stages of the season and became a crucial player during our final months of the season. If I can bring in a quality player in this position im happy to use Hedges as back up and Markanday can become a rotational squad player for both wings. 

 

[danyates8]

Following our triumphant season in the Championship that saw us promoted as champions, we are now gearing up for a season in the Premier League looking to carry on the forward momentum. I fully believe that if we keep our key players and add to the group wisely during the transfer window we can achieve our main goal of survival. To give us the best possible chance to achieve that we will conduct a full club review to give us insights into the current state of the clubs staff and playing squad, hopefully highlighting areas for possible improvements.

 

[click on names in bold for expanded view]

Staff review

As well as building a trusted group of playing staff we have also done the same within our non-playing staff. We have been focusing on adding members who fit our philosophy rather than just bringing in people with the best attributes and the same will continue going forward. We know we have at least three important roles to cover with the impending retirement of our current Assistant manager Sean O'Driscoll and expiration of our Chief Scout and Head Physios contracts, I'm also expecting the board to increase the number of staff across the various departments. 

With the retirement of Sean O'Driscoll only 12 months after his arrival we are again looking for a new assistant manager, Chris Cohen was my number one choice last season however we were unable to attain his services as he had already moved to Rotherham, we couldn't get him this time around either as he had already made the move to become West Brom's assistant manager. I decided to approach the situation in a fairly unique way due to the boards acceptance of letting us hire 2 people for this role, we were able to bring in both Jody Morris and Tom Culshaw. With Jody having a greater focus on the tactical and attacking areas of the team and Culshaws focus on the defensive and technical aspects, I feel they can complement each other well and both bring something different to the table.  

Current chief scout Sean Kimberly remains on a rolling contract until we can find a suitable replacement, he isn't that impressive at all but I really want to our chief scout to match our philosophy so we will take our time if required and the same applies to our head physio, Andy Procter will remain with the club for the time being. 

Our scouting team will continue to expand and we have brought in John Vik and Jonas Thern who will become our Scandinavian experts, both are extremely adaptable individuals with a keen eye for long term potential and im hoping they can find us some gems over the coming years.

 

Playing staff

As we now find ourselves in the Premier League additions will be absolutley necessary. I'm going to do my best to improve the physicality of the team first and foremost then slowly bring in extra quality over the years where we can hopefully stabilise ourselves as a Premier League team. Here is a review of our current team one side note I have dropped another boo boo and progressed through the save to the point where the player stats are showing the current season rather than the last season so some players won't be clickable. 

Aynsley Pears - Rightly earned his spot as our number one goalkeeper and was impressive throughout the season, 18 clean sheets with 4 player of the match award, he became the man to win us points from the goalkeeping position something I rate very highly.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell - Only made 5 appearances all season, would of made a few more if he didn't suffer an injury at the same time as Pears. Has had interest from Saudi Arabia but hasn't seen any concrete offers for his services, very good chance he leaves in the summer. 

Vaclav Hladky - Is retiring at the end of the season so we will look to bring in a clear third choice keeper again. Didn't really perform to well when called upon so retirement is probably the best option.

We may end up needing 2 keepers again during this summer window depending on what happens with Peacock-Farrell. He is now worth around £6 million so if he does move on that's fantastic business for us as he was brought in on a free. Pears will be number one for us again in the coming season.

 

Dominic Hyam - Played an important role this season making 30 league appearances and he was as dependable as ever, he is a very good squad option for us and that will hopefully remain the case for the next few seasons, highly influential in the dressing room with a professional personality. I feel he can play an important role for any younger players we bring into the club as well.

Scott Wharton - Our captain, team leader and one of the most influential players at the club, has entered his prime now and is a fantastic central defender who I fully believe will be capable of making the step up to the Premier League, he is another great candidate to mentor any younger players arriving at the club and i'm hoping he will be here for a number of years yet.

Hayden Carter - Another crucial cog within our defence, Carter is very good in both boxes and is the most physically gifted of our current crop of defenders. He will play another important role in the coming season, is 26 now so is entering his prime years. 

Connor O'Riordan - Minimal appearances this season due to the form and experience of the other 3, for the betterment of O'Riordans career it's only fair we look to move him on and bring in some real long term potential. His potential has flattened out and it doesn't look like he has got much improvement left in him making him a League One defender at best.

Harry Pickering - He isn't to happy about his reduced role at the club due to the arrival of Liam Scales and if there is sufficient interest we may look to move him on, if that is the case i'll look to bring in a replacement who is adept at stepping into midfield and provide something to the attack, I feel we can benefit from having the ability to switch up which sides we attack from so having defensive and offensive cover for each role is essential. 

Callum Brittain - Found his position under threat this season due to the emergence of Rankin-Costello in the role, only making 19 starts drastically reduced from the season before. I feel he may struggle to make the step up to the Premier League but still may find himself a rotation role within the squad due to his flexibility.

Liam Scales - Became our number one left back and was dependable, better defensively than Pickering but not as effective going forward however and I believe that will be more valuable to us in the coming season, another player who is very versatile and can play various roles.

Joe Rankin-Costello - Im going to include Rankin-Costello with the defenders this year as thats where he played most of his minutes. He was an effective outlet for us from the right back slot and contributed with 9 goal contributions overall. I do think he still has a role to play in our midfield but I think his greatest strength is his versatility. 

Mohamed Hany- Drastically reduced role this season due to Rankin-Costello's emergence at right back, his contract is expiring in the summer and won't be up for renewal. 

 

Were going to look at bringing in a Premier League level right back to allow Rankin-Costello to play midfield role again this season, Callum Brittain can become the backup. We may need a left back depending on Pickerings situation and I feel bringing in some long term potential for centre back would be a wise strategy whilst we have such influential players already at the club who can benefit their development. 

 

Victor Torp - Another superb season from the Dane, 15 assists and 8 goals, his £1.9 million fee representing great value. I've got fully believe in his ability to step up to the Premier League however his greatest threat is already at the club, Marcel Lorber. We're going to look for a new defensive midfielder as a priority this season to bring in some much needed physicality and as a consequence that will give Marcel Lorber the opportunity to fight for a midfield spot higher up the field. 

Marcel Lorber - Easily our brightest hope for the future and i'm still shocked we picked him up for so little, his value has shot through the roof on promotion to the Premier League so were either going to have a player who we can build the team around for the next 10 years or make a lot of money and I'm comfortable with either situation. I feel we can benefit from moving Lorber further up the pitch, he is an incredibly well rounded midfielder.

John Buckley - Buckley was able to add goals to his game this season to make him arguably our most important midfielder. He is a key cog in the way we play, controlling the game from midfield, he is also improving his attributes at an impressive rate. Will be key to our fight for survival next season.

Lewis Travis - Only started 20 games for us but was reliable when called upon, will player another bit part role in the coming season but his aggressive, all action play style may really benefit us should we have to employ a more defensive tactic should we find ourselves on a bad run. 

Andre Horta - Played pretty well when called upon but we won't be looking to extend the deal any further, took the pressure of Torp during the latter stages of the season which benefited the team on the whole. 

Ryan Hedges - I really admire Ryan Hedges, suffered another torn hamstring this season yet was able to come back and perform to a high standard again. The exact same scenario happened the season before but to his other hamstring! Ended up with 11 goal contributions in 19 starts, I fear he hasn't got the ability for the Premier League but i'm not comfortable in letting such a determined, resolute individual leave us. I feel if we can bring in a younger player similar in playstyle he can learn from Hedges and that can benefit the replacement in the long run. 

Dilan Markanday - Another bit part role for Markanday this season but another great effort from him. 9 goal contributions from only 16 starts, he is a very effective back up player but i'm not sure that translates to the Premier League, his versatility to play either wing is something i'll consider but any bids we receive will be consider though I won't be actively looking to sell.

Simon Adingra - Really benefited from our tactical switch during the season and became one of our key players, his output really improving after the switch ending with 15 goal contributions. His Brighton contract expires this summer and I will be looking to convince Adingra his future lies at Ewood Park. 

Ryan Fraser - Useless. 1 assist in 15 starts, will be moved on even on a free if necessary.

 

Simply due to the physicality of the Premier League my number one focus is to bring someone in who will provide us with just that. If we can manage to convince Adingra to sign we can then put a good chunk of our budget towards a long term right winger for the club. As mentioned last year we haven't really go that much long term potential within our youth sides so if our financial situation allows we should look to bring in some prospects for the future.

 

 

Tyrhys Dolan - Remained injury free for the majority of the season however wasn't able to show the type of form his ability suggests he should be. He was our lowest rated performer across the season yet is our highest paid player, he also has a clause in his contract to get a pay rise upon promotion to the Premier League so his wage will rise even further. If a suitable offer comes in I would be really tempted to sell.

Alberth Elis - I really like Elis, his playstyle is perfect for the Premier League but his wage demands after promotion are silly, he wants to more than double his wage with no room for negotiation. Worryingly, Marcel Lorber supports Elis' demands but that hasn't caused any further unrest in the squad thankfully. I will consider bids for Elis as i'm fairly strict with our wage budget and won't give in to outrageous demands.

Harry Leonard - Was recalled to the squad for the 2nd half of the season to provide back up for our title charge but found himself only making 4 sub appearances. Similar situation to O'Riordan developing here and it may be best for Leonards career to move elsewhere. He is still young enough to have an impact for us but may struggle to gain minute's, especially now we're in the Prem.

Oli McBurnie - Our main man of the show again, finishing with 26 goals and winning the Championship player of the year. He has earned his shot at Premier League football by firing in 47 goals for us during the back to back promotions. I feel it could be wise to bring in a new striker, who is younger with clear long term potential as we have question marks around Leonard. 

 

So this summer will be the most important since we've arrived at the club. We've been given a £35 million pound budget to improve the squad. After conducting the squad review we now have a better understanding of what areas to focus on for recruitment and they are as follows;

• A new third choice keeper due to the retirement of Hladky
• A new defensive midfield who is gifted physically, allowing Lorber to move further up the field in order to unlock his true potential
• A long term right winger who can follow the guidance of Ryan Hedges
• A focus on younger players to improve our long term prospects
• A new young striker who can follow the guidance of Oli McBurnie

Similar to last season I like getting my transfer business done as early as possible, giving the new players the best chance to bed themselves into the squad. 

Edited August 5 by danyates8

[danyates8]

Now our squad review is complete we have a much clearer picture of where our summer recruitment drive should be focused, our scouting department has been left to their own devices and have come up with some really interesting candidates for us to explore, we have had a few disappointments with deals that we weren't able to get over the line most notably - Sami Ouaissa, he would of fit into the right hand wing role perfectly, is a fantastic age with great potential, we agreed a £15 million pound deal but in the end he chose to join Espanyol. Jarell Quansah of Liverpool was available, we explored a deal and agreed a fee of £9.5 million but the wage demands were beyond our reach, he joined Leeds who were happy to pay him 72k per week whilst still in the Championship. Taiwo Awoniyi, Zach Abbott and Callum Hudson-Odoi all play for recently relegated Notts Forrest, Hudson-Odoi and Awoniyi weren't representing any value in their transfer fees as they were both pushing £30 million. Zach Abbott has really interesting long term potential but the fee at this moment doesn't represent value for us, I'll be keeping a keen eye on his development over the next few years like we have done with other players, one of which we signed this summer.

This time around i'm going to detail the transfers out the building first and they are as follows;

As you can see we have generated some stand out transfer fees from our outgoings. Harry Pickering wasn't too pleased about only having a squad role last season so when Real Valladolid came in with a £19 million pound deal as a one off payment his head was turned and so was ours. I wasn't expecting such a generous fee for the player, maybe i've still got their League One values etched into my mind, one downside to this transfer is at the time of completion we only had a retention of 10% of the transfer fee so the money freshly brought in wasn't added to our transfer kitty. I spoke with the board and they agreed to up it to 40%.

Tyrhys Dolan is a fairly curious case, he has the attribute profile to be a really key player in our system but was unable to find consistent form for us, he did have that terrible ACL injury during our first season so maybe that contributed to any inconsistencies, Dolan had a clause in his contract for a 30% pay rise upon promotion so his 30k per week deal (which already wasn't value) rose to 39k per week, he hasn't shown me he is worth that much and had some slight interest from some Saudi Arabian clubs so I hired an intermediary to explore any potential deals, Al-Ittihad came back with a £19 million pound bid that was swiftly accepted, we would owe the intermediary 9% of any fee. Dolan moved on to pastures new and now finds himself of 425k per week, for some context our first team wage expenditure is 825k. 

Ryan Fraser was the next out the door alongside a fairly decent fee. £1.4 million for a free signing who has done basically nothing for us is an excellent deal in my opinion.

Oxford have just been relegated from the Championship so I felt they were excellent candidates for us to send some players on loan, they were interested in 3 of our players and was more than happy to accept the deals and see all 3 of the lads join them for a season. This next season is a big one for the 3 players in question, they are all fighting for their long term futures at tle club essentially becoming victims of our fast progression through the leagues. 

Now for the players brought in, we have done quite a lot of work this window. Usually I like to keep my transfer business to around 5/6 additions, I feel like any more can have a negative effect on team cohesion and tactical familiarity however with us arriving in the big time this year I feel it's crucial we lay some groundwork for our other squads not just the first team, we can set ourselves up for success in the future if we recruit well in this window. I'm going to split the incomings into 2 groups - Signings for now and Signings for the future. 

Signings for now - 

David Ozoh - I'll get our record fee out of the way first, £15 million potentially rising to £19 million depending on our survival in the Premier League sothis deal represents a fairly significant outlay however im more than comfortable with the deal as there are multiple factors that go in our favour. He fits the profile we are looking for almost perfectly, standing at a colossus 6'3 weighing 15 stone Ozoh is the physical specimen we were looking for. His physical attributes are very impressive, metals aren't far behind however could do with some work technically but he is exactly what we are looking for right now. He has only had one full season playing English football but it was an impressive one, 13 goal contributions for Derby last season, he played well against us both times.

 

Andres Garcia - I feel the fee may be a little on the high side at £10.75 million but again I feel long term it can actually represent some value for us. Only 23 years of age, adept with both feet and able to play both wings naturally, Garcia has the potential to be a real effective player for us as he comes in at a good level already, if he can reach his potential the fee could end up looking like a very good deal. One negative is the day before he arrived he suffered a serious hip injury that will keep him out for 7-10 weeks.

 

Tommy Conway - With Harry Leonard having question marks surrounding his long term suitability for the club I had my eye on young strikers, one name I kept being drawn back to was Tommy Conway. He had an excellent first season during this current save but has found himself a victim of Bristol City's inability to score, they were the Championships lowest scorers as we won the league last year. He has a number of impressive attributes for a striker with impressive finishing, composure, determination, work rate and off the ball however has lacked game time over the last couple of years, we brought him in for a fee potentially rising to £7.5 million with most of the payments split over the next 3 years. I feel working alongside Oli McBurnie will benefit Conway's game and he could turn into a valuable asset for us, you could argue Conway fits into the Signings for the future category but at the moment I feel like he is in line for a considerable amount of game time. 

 

Marcus Baggesen - With the departure of Pickering we needed to bring in reinforcements for the left back slot, we've already go Liam Scales who is a more defensive minded full back so to give us squad balance I felt a more attacking left back with the ability to step inside would be a good idea. Baggesen could be the best value signing we've made this summer, 23 years of age, experience in Serie A with a strong attribute profile and for £6 million im delighted with this deal.

 

Jayden Bogle - Our reinforcements for the right back slot come in the shape of Jayden Bogle, physically better than our current options despite being a similar ability technically I feel for £5 million this is a pretty decent deal for the club, English players always seem to have a premium price tag as we've seen with the fairly inexperience Ozoh. 

 

Simon Adingra -  We know Adingra well from last season and when the opportunity came to sign him on a free I was delighted, Adingra had a good season for us last year but I feel he has the ability to become our star. He has the attribute profile the fans love, he gets people of seats with his exciting style and with us being in the Premier League should get more space to operate, more space but less time!

 

That is the the 6 players i've brought in with the intentions of they coming into the side and having an important role to play, the next list of players all have the potential to become really important players for us but more so over the next few years rather than making an immediate impact, that's not to say they cant. 

Harrison Murray-Campbell - We brought Murray-Campbell in from Chelsea for £1.5 million pounds, only 20 years of age his versatility can be key for us going forward, he can play any role across the backline and i've got him retraining to become a defensive midfielder for us too, I feel he can be our utility man over the coming year replacing players such as Callum Brittain and Rankin-Costello.

Jordan Taylor - We spoke about Jordan Taylor last season, he caught my eye with some very interesting attributes despite being only 17 at the time, a year later he looks even more impressive despite limited game time, he will initially join our u21s but with the long term vision of becoming Lewis Travis replacement, brought in for £1.5 million. Great price for a talented youngster. 

Harrison Parker - With Dominic Hyam now reaching his 30s we needed to look to bring someone in as his long term replacement, Harrison Parker fits the bill perfectly, despite being only 19 he has a really exciting physical profile, his technical attributes have a really solid foundation and he has an very determined attitude. This for me is the most exciting youngster we've brought in so far and for only £1 million I anticipate this will be excellent long term business for us.

So up to now thats all the business we've completed, i'm still on the lookout for a third choice goalkeeper but i'm confident we can get that sorted. We also have Alberth Elis who is currently unhappy, he's not best pleased about us not considering a new contract for him, something that's his own fault as his demands are insane for his ability/age. We had another successful pre-season, I think the approach we are taking is clearly working, we have had one injury crisis during our time at the club but i'm sure that was down to luck rather than the training programme we've given the players.

Edited August 6 by danyates8

[Sahaj Oberoi]

I read the whole save from the start to this point, really enjoying the save. Keep going.

[danyates8]

2 minutes ago, Sahaj Oberoi said:

I read the whole save from the start to this point, really enjoying the save. Keep going.

Thank you for your kinds words it's greatly appreciated.

[Rick87]

Well done on the promotion mate, hopefully you can get Rovers established in the Prem. 

Your presentation and the custom graphics are great by the way. Really makes it stand out and good to read.

[danyates8]

1 minute ago, Rick87 said:

Well done on the promotion mate, hopefully you can get Rovers established in the Prem. 

Your presentation and the custom graphics are great by the way. Really makes it stand out and good to read.

Thank you for the kind words it's really appreciated. I have been experiencing a little bit of save fatigue with this one, the vast majority of my experiences on FM24 so far have been bringing teams back up from League 1 level so i've not had much chance to play with better players in better leagues or competitions yet. Comments like this are giving me the inspiration to carry on what I started so thank you very much. 

[danyates8]

After another successful pre-season under our belts we can head into the new season with confidence, we are coming off the back of back to back promotions but the bookies have us overwhelming favourites to go straight back down to the Championship, they must feel our squad is no where near Premier League level, we're 2000/1 to win the league. One thing I can say with confidence is we won't be doing the threepeat. 

 

Im convinced we can survive but when I saw the opening set of fixtures I did feel a tinge of anxiety, im hoping the positive atmosphere we have created over the last few years will give us the edge we're after. We have cultivated a fully dedicated dressing room who will give everything to the cause with fantastic team leaders who have been at the club for a number of years. We've face every team who finished in the top 5 in our first 7 games, it's a cruel start however if we can get out of the first couple a months with a couple of points it will give me confidence going into the next period. One positive about having such a tough start is we're going to have some runs where we face teams we believe we can get points off.

 

                    

So it's a unbelievably difficult start for us, we will use the next month as a barometer for the rest of the season, results obviously are the most important thing but ill be really considering our performances, if we aren't firing i'm not afraid to changes things.

 

Tough start, now this isn't something we're used to, one goal in 5 games but things aren't all as bad as it seems in my opinion, our performances against Chelsea and Arsenal can give us some hope going forward. Grimsby might be the most incredible thing I've seen on FM24 so far, I dont think ive seen a more impressive FM'ing anywhere.

Man City had hired a new manager coming into this season, Unai Emery was the man at the helm and they proved far to strong for us. We had a glimmer of hope when John Buckley scored a well worked goal but that was all we had to give and we came away with red faces. Every small mistake punished, Aynsley Pears and Victor Torp both being caught out.

So there were signs of hope against last years champions Arsenal, we were excellent in the first half and we dominated proceedings however our challenge was made virtually impossible on 28 minutes when new signing Marcus Baggesen made a two footed challenge for a straight red card. We saw out the rest of the first half in decent fashion but 60 mins against the champions with 10 men proved a step to far, Saka grabbed the first from the second phase of a corner and Archie Gray wrapped things up 5 mins from time.

3rd game of the season and its another top 3 side from last year, the start literally couldn't of been any more difficult however we can come from the game against Chelsea with our heads held high, we put in a fantastic defensive performance and the game was actually fairly even overall, new man David Ozoh was the standout player but the whole defence can be proud of their efforts.

Now for the most frustrating game i've experiences in years on FM, obviously I expected a comfortable, morale boosting victory against Grimsby however what we endured could convince the most die hard FM fan to turn off for the night. 30 shots, 4 clear cut chances created, woodwork hit 3 times and a penalty saved with the opposition keeper coming away with a 10 rating. Insane, a soon as we missed the penalty I accepted our fate.

Now for the only league game of the month where I believed we could realistically come away with all 3 points but it wasn't to be, it was a tight, scrappy game separated by one moment of quality. Aston Villa had actually had a poor start to the season like us so that gave me even more confidence pre game but our attacking threat has really been lacking so far, I know our competition has been elite up to this point but i'm still disappointed with our lack of goals. 

Its really difficult to gauge our progress so far, we won't have a month as difficult as that until January so the next couple of months are absolutley crucial to our chances of survival, the next game against Brentford in the league is absolutley huge even this early in the season. I'm giving considerations to a tactical switch, my gut feeling is we need to get another man infront of the defence. If we set up in a 4231 DM I think that may serve us well, our best players are both defensive midfielders, Torp and Buckley can play a more advanced role becoming a playmaker higher up the pitch, we want our players who can create in space and given our league standing and media expectations it's almost a certainty teams will push onto us thus giving us space in behind. If we get our playmaker higher up the pitch he can provide the chances for our striker and wingers rather than building up through the pitch. 

 

Edited August 7 by danyates8

[_Ben_]

Tough start but you’ve kept it tight(ish) at the back, are above one side and have the much easier run of fixtures. Plus, its minutes for the new recruits to settle and you to learn about them! Good luck. 

[danyates8]

1 minute ago, _Ben_ said:

Tough start but you’ve kept it tight(ish) at the back, are above one side and have the much easier run of fixtures. Plus, its minutes for the new recruits to settle and you to learn about them! Good luck. 

Yeah when I saw the fixture list I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing! Top 3 in the first 3 games just seems cruel haha

[warlock]

What @_Ben_ said. And remember, you only have to be better than three other teams and it looks like West Brom, Burnley and Southampton will be right in the mix.

[WillHoward42]

Awful fixtures to start of life in the Prem!