(FM 2024) Destined for greatness? (A Journeyman Save) Chapter 2: Darlington (Looking to get Darlington into the Football League in England and take them to greater heights) ENDED

[Sahaj Oberoi]

So I am going to start a new save. I will take the advice I got from the previous thread. And I am going to approach Football Manager differently.

My first club is going to be Manchester United and my main aim is to manage each club for a very long time.

I will be replacing Erik ten Hag as manager on this save and let's see whether I can recreate the magic at Manchester United or whether I will just be another manager who succumbs to the pressure at Manchester United.

 

Edited August 8 by Sahaj Oberoi

[Sahaj Oberoi]

This is what the Manchester United squad looks like. We can honestly do something this season.

 

[_Ben_]

What past experience have you set yourself as? What coaching badges have you got?

It’s pretty much impossible if you’re not down as an ex-international as you’re going to have to work so hard to win all of the players around. 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

3 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

What past experience have you set yourself as? What coaching badges have you got?

It’s pretty much impossible if you’re not down as an ex-international as you’re going to have to work so hard to win all of the players around. 

Put it as Sunday League Footballer, no badges. But it is okay I will try to win all my players around. Like I said, the way I approached the game in the previous save was different. I used to put all the players in form together, shoe horning them into various positions hoping that things happen but I will do it based off quick pick and I hope to pick up results. If I stay in the job cool, if I don't it is not the end of the world.

[_Ben_]

23 minutes ago, Sahaj Oberoi said:

Put it as Sunday League Footballer, no badges. But it is okay I will try to win all my players around. Like I said, the way I approached the game in the previous save was different. I used to put all the players in form together, shoe horning them into various positions hoping that things happen but I will do it based off quick pick and I hope to pick up results. If I stay in the job cool, if I don't it is not the end of the world.

I know that FM does allow this option but I think it’s wholly unrealistic and expect you to be sacked within 3 months. @Jimbokav1971 did something like this with Chelsea and struggled from day 1 with player power. 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

2 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

I know that FM does allow this option but I think it’s wholly unrealistic and expect you to be sacked within 3 months. @Jimbokav1971 did something like this with Chelsea and struggled from day 1 with player power. 

Well lets see now how long I last at Manchester United. I hope I am able to create the team I want and be given the time I can get.

[Sahaj Oberoi]

The summer transfer window is now done in the 2023-24 season at Manchester United.

Major incomings:-

1. Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus- 92 million pounds.

2. Cristian Romero from Tottenham- 59 million pounds.

3. Raphinha from Barcelona- loan with an obligation to buy.

4. Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace- 59 million pounds

5. Davide Frattesi from Sassuolo- 27.5 million pounds.

 

Major outgoings:-

1. Lisandro Martinez to Tottenham- 54 million pounds.

2. Raphael Varane to Al Ahli (KSA)- 38.5 million pounds.

3. Harry Maguire to Newcastle- 19.5 million pounds.

4. Eric Bailly to Al Ettifaq- 17.5 million pounds.

5. Brandon Williams to Al Shabab- 5.75 million pounds.

6. Tom Heaton to Nottingham Forest- 275k pounds.

7. Facundo Pellistri to Burnley- loan

 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Mid season update (2023-24 season)

We started off really well in the league but now we find ourselves on the brink. The one thing about this Manchester United side is that they are consistently inconsistent. We are currently in 13th place in the league with 22 points from 19 games. The main talking points are the good form of Dusan Vlahovic and Jadon Sancho. Another major talking point is about how I converted Scott McTominay into a centre back. We need things to work in our favour though. We also made it to the Round of 16 in the Champions League, we got knocked out by Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup fourth round and we are yet to play the FA Cup.

 

[danyates8]

With respect i'm surprised you've lasted as long as you have.  

[Sahaj Oberoi]

3 minutes ago, danyates8 said:

With respect i'm surprised you've lasted as long as you have.  

Thank you very much.

[leobiazzi]

With all due respect, you should be getting better results even without coaching badges. I think Jim got a top 8 and won the FA Cup with Chelsea (also no badges) and I rate Chelsea considerably worse than Manchester United. Losing to teams like Fulham, Nottingham Forest, and Bournemouth are worrying signs.

I don't want to be rude or bash you, but you might be approaching FM entirely wrong both in terms of tactics and handling the dressing room. I had Rashford and Mason Mount turning into some of the best players in the world when I played with Manchester United in this FM (which isn't hard by any means lol, they have great stats). After following your posts, I feel that you're stuck in a hole and that you blame your players/team for the lack of success.

How long have you been playing FM? Have you set up the individual and general training? Are you talking to your players in between matches like Ben suggested in the other thread to build morale?

If I were you, I'd watch a bunch of educational content to learn/re-learn some fundamentals-- BusttheNet is an excellent channel and I'm sure people in this sub can recommend others.

You can also pick an easier club with all the badges to learn some stuff before moving on to more challenging saves. I had a hard time when I stopped playing FM in 2014~ and came back post-2020. The game had changed a bit and taking easier saves made me learn some stuff.

All that said, don't give up! I think you'll win more matches if you start applying some stuff from videos and the tips other players give in this forum.

 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

1 minute ago, leobiazzi said:

With all due respect, you should be getting better results even without coaching badges. I think Jim got a top 8 and won the FA Cup with Chelsea (also no badges) and I rate Chelsea considerably worse than Manchester United. Losing to teams like Fulham, Nottingham Forest, and Bournemouth are worrying signs.

I don't want to be rude or bash you, but you might be approaching FM entirely wrong both in terms of tactics and handling the dressing room. I had Rashford and Mason Mount turning into some of the best players in the world when I played with Manchester United in this FM (which isn't hard by any means lol, they have great stats). After following your posts, I feel that you're stuck in a hole and that you blame your players/team for the lack of success.

How long have you been playing FM? Have you set up the individual and general training? Are you talking to your players in between matches like Ben suggested in the other thread to build morale?

If I were you, I'd watch a bunch of educational content to learn/re-learn some fundamentals-- BusttheNet is an excellent channel and I'm sure people in this sub can recommend others.

You can also pick an easier club with all the badges to learn some stuff before moving on to more challenging saves. I had a hard time when I stopped playing FM in 2014~ and came back post-2020. The game had changed a bit and taking easier saves made me learn some stuff.

All that said, don't give up! I think you'll win more matches if you start applying some stuff from videos and the tips other players give in this forum.

 

I have approached FM differently in this save. My goal is to stay at each club for as long as I can and just do my best. To be fair despite the situation in the league I am still in the FA Cup and in the Champions League. I hope things turn around here at Manchester United.

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Here is what has happened in the January transfer window for Manchester United this season on the save. We have added some experienced players to the squad.

Major incomings.

1. Nacho from Real Madrid- 11.5 million pounds.

2. Raul Albiol from Villarreal- 3.2 million pounds.

Major outgoings.

1. Victor Lindelof to Real Madrid- 22.5 million pounds.

2. Scott McTominay to FC Porto- Loan.

3. Hannibal Mejbri to Leicester City- Loan.

4. Alex Telles to Shanghai Port- 4.9 million pounds.

5. Amad Diallo to Middlesbrough- Loan.

6. Anthony Elanga to Rayo Vallecano- Loan.

 

[leobiazzi]

 Well, all I can wish is good luck then. And I don't understand why you signed two old center-backs to an already struggling squad 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Just now, leobiazzi said:

 Well, all I can wish is good luck then. And I don't understand why you signed two old center-backs to an already struggling squad 

The players I wanted to sign were too expensive. The players at Manchester United wanted me to strengthen the team's depth at centre back so I brought in two experienced centre backs to fill that role.

[Sahaj Oberoi]

I got sacked by Manchester United after just over 8 months in charge. Yes the league form was bad, but we were doing alright in the cups. Either way I am curious to see what is next for me. Also here are the stats of the squad.

 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

I hit rock bottom after being fired by Manchester United which means I have to rebuild my career from the bottom. So my new team is Darlington and this is what the squad looks like.

 

[Muttley84]

I would respectfully suggest you stay away from the transfers in and out and instead focus more (and share with us):

- assesing the best role for each of the player at the club.

- deciding on a tactic (i would go for an out of the box couple of ones which fit your team profile).

- what team training you put in place and (if the case) specifics for individuals.

- what your interactions with the players are.

I would also advocate for watching some guides for getting out of this negative pattern from your last 10-15 clubs.

But hey, if you like this type of careers dont mind us and just do what makes you have fun with the game. Good luck!

[Sahaj Oberoi]

8 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

I would respectfully suggest you stay away from the transfers in and out and instead focus more (and share with us):

- assesing the best role for each of the player at the club.

- deciding on a tactic (i would go for an out of the box couple of ones which fit your team profile).

- what team training you put in place and (if the case) specifics for individuals.

- what your interactions with the players are.

I would also advocate for watching some guides for getting out of this negative pattern from your last 10-15 clubs.

But hey, if you like this type of careers dont mind us and just do what makes you have fun with the game. Good luck!

I will do that.

[Sahaj Oberoi]

End of season review with Darlington. We got 10 points from our last 5 games. And we finished 18th in the league with 56 points from 46 games. Really pleased with the start at Darlington and I hope we kick on next season.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

On 04/08/2024 at 14:29, _Ben_ said:

I know that FM does allow this option but I think it’s wholly unrealistic and expect you to be sacked within 3 months. @Jimbokav1971 did something like this with Chelsea and struggled from day 1 with player power. 

Yeah, it's really tough to take over a big club with minimum reputation/badges. I wouldn't say it's impossible, because we all know what momentum is like and once you get on a roll then who knows where it can take you. 

What I did find though was that as soon as you start to struggle, (or not even struggle actually, just get a run of results that is slightly below-par), then you lose the dressing room so much quicker than you would do in other circumstances. I can't remember if I got through to the end of the season with Chelsea. I think I might have done, but I know i was in serious danger of losing my job early on. It was a really tough ask. 

I had actually decided that if ETH was sacked by Man Utd in the Summer then I was going to do a season with Man Utd, and i had done quite a bit of prep with that 1 season save in mind. I must admit to not being too confident at all that I would last the season with no badges. At Chelsea I had players who would fit well into a system i wanted to play, (involving exploiting overloads at our top-end), but at Man Utd they didn't seem suited to that at all and I think I was going to have to go for something more measured and less gung-ho. (Thank God ETH kept his job is all I can say because I think it would have been a pretty short and pretty messy save). 

For those who want to manage a big club, (like Chelsea or Man Utd then I would really advise going for at the very least some basic coaching badges and a little but of reputation. It's completely different taking over a non-league club with no badges/experience and I don't think it adds much, (other than unrealistic challenge levels), to what is already obviously a tough gig. 

Anyway, well done for sticking with it and good luck at Darlo @Sahaj Oberoi 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

20 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Yeah, it's really tough to take over a big club with minimum reputation/badges. I wouldn't say it's impossible, because we all know what momentum is like and once you get on a roll then who knows where it can take you. 

What I did find though was that as soon as you start to struggle, (or not even struggle actually, just get a run of results that is slightly below-par), then you lose the dressing room so much quicker than you would do in other circumstances. I can't remember if I got through to the end of the season with Chelsea. I think I might have done, but I know i was in serious danger of losing my job early on. It was a really tough ask. 

I had actually decided that if ETH was sacked by Man Utd in the Summer then I was going to do a season with Man Utd, and i had done quite a bit of prep with that 1 season save in mind. I must admit to not being too confident at all that I would last the season with no badges. At Chelsea I had players who would fit well into a system i wanted to play, (involving exploiting overloads at our top-end), but at Man Utd they didn't seem suited to that at all and I think I was going to have to go for something more measured and less gung-ho. (Thank God ETH kept his job is all I can say because I think it would have been a pretty short and pretty messy save). 

For those who want to manage a big club, (like Chelsea or Man Utd then I would really advise going for at the very least some basic coaching badges and a little but of reputation. It's completely different taking over a non-league club with no badges/experience and I don't think it adds much, (other than unrealistic challenge levels), to what is already obviously a tough gig. 

Anyway, well done for sticking with it and good luck at Darlo @Sahaj Oberoi 

 

Thank you very much. I hope it goes well.

 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

What happened in Europe (2023-24 season)

 

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Not feeling like doing this save. Will start a new one.

[sherwinriga]

I haven't caught up into this, but it looks like it was ended. It's tough that you have to manage a Premier League team like Manchester United, but unfortunately, it seems that you didn't live up with your expectations though. What happened to them after you got fired like who they replaced you even you have ended your save?

I hope that you'll get something better in your new save that I just followed. Good luck!