Matt's beginner guide to BSS and BSN

[Mattswe86]

Matt's beginner guide to BSS and BSN

Introduction

I have been playing football manager since championship manager series. I would usually pick a top flight club and enjoy success with them, but after playing with Rushden and Diamonds back in CM 03/04 I instantly got hooked on the lower divisions of English football. Since then I have spent hours reading about clubs on wikipedia, history, city locations, the few English clubs that has won welsh cups, MK Dons debated relocation, the birth of AFC Wimbledon, Wrexham's decline in football and the upcoming of new clubs such as Haydes &Yeading. In short, I have become a fan of grass root level football, and during my years of forum lurking I rarely wrote a line, so this is my contribution to these wonderful boards. It is intended as a beginners guide to the lowest tiers of English football in the game based on my thoughts and ideas, it is in no way a complete or perfect way of doing things.

I hope you enjoy this and that it can be helpful,

/Matt

Early thoughts

How do I want to play the game

The first question you got to ask yourself is this, ”how do I want to play the game”.Now, coming up with an answer might not be that easy, but it is important. Will you strive to build and maintain a side with mainly British players, European players, south American players, or players of any nationality. Regenerated players usually come up more frequent in nations that you have loaded leagues or players from when you create a new game, so make sure thinking long term. Furthermore, will you be putting huge money into transfer deals, or are you a bargain digger, looking for pieces of gold on the back of the scrapyard.

Your chairman and you

Different clubs have different chairmans, easy as that. Some chairmans are willing to back you with money and patience, while some want to give their opinion on matters, just as in reality. Picking a club with a good chairman is in my opinion more important than the current stadium size, squad, or in some cases even finances. A good chairman will be valuable and provide you what you need. What I personally look for is a chairman that is willing to pour resources into the club, skilled in business, and with a relatively low level of interferences. But just don't pick your club based on the chairman, eventually the clubs fortunes will be a consequence of your management.

Picking your club

When picking your club consider three things, stadium size, current finances, and chairman. The current stadium size matters because it will save you money, money hard to come by in the lower divisions and saving an expansion or new stadium construction until you find yourself in the championship or premier league is usually beneficial. Finance wise you should look for a club without loans or debts, as this can make things harder for you. Having a positive cash flow will please the board and give you a larger wage bill.

Approaches to a new club

There are different ways to approach a new club once you have taken charge. From my experience players usually choose one of two possible approaches. The traditional approach or the nickoblaggo approach.

The traditional approach would focus on maintaining the best parts of the original squad, and try to bring in some decent British talent, quite realistic and moderate. When adapting the traditional approach it is recommended to load all players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, and anything else that you personally like. This will give you options to sign during the first season as well as plenty of regens to pick from in the future.

The nickoblaggo approach would focus on clearing the club of current players by selling, terminating contracts, and loaning out,reducing the wage bill to a minimum, even if it means the club will have a negative bank balance. Next step is signing plenty of south American talent that will dominate the Blue Square divisions and bring the club through the tiers of English football . When adapting the nickoblaggo approach it is recommended to load all players from Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina and more. The drawback is work permits, they tend to get harder to obtain as the save progresses, between CCL1 and Premiership you may have problems finding quality players free or cheap, I recommend that you load up England as a complement.

What leagues you load up or what countries you choose to load players from is your choice, the examples above are just examples and pick wisely when you start your game, remember that the amount of future regens will be higher in countries with players loaded.

So what club then

I will quickly list a few clubs in Blue Square South / North, and make a short comment to them, these are my recommendations and should therefore only be considered as such, in the end of the day you can be successful with any club.

Gateshead United FC- Nicknamed The Tynesiders and founded in 1889, Gateshead United FC is located in Gateshead, a town geographically close to Newcastle. With a population of 78,000, there is a huge potential of a large fanbase. Gateshead United FC is in many ways, the perfect starting place for a ambitious manager. The chairman Graham Wood is patient, decent at making business, and will back the club when it is needed. The stadium Gateshead International Stadium has a capacity of 11,795, great during a promotion streak and will do the club good until premiership level. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. Can you realize the potential?!

Braintree Town FC – Founded in 1898, and nicknamed The Iron the club has potential. Located in Braintree, a town in eastern England with a population of 42,000 and many surrounding villages, it can easily host a decent top flight club. The stadium Cressing Road Stadium has a capacity of 4,000 and will support the club well throughout the climb in divisions. Chairman Lee Harding is a good chairman for his club, skilled in making money, ready to inject cash, interferes sometimes but is patient with his manager. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. Can you give Lee Harding and Braintree Town what they sought for so long.

AFC Wimbledon – AFC Wimbledon is a young club founded in 2002 by the fans when MK Dons relocated north, and it remains in London where the club belongs. The real Dons have a good stadium which will be large enough until coca cola league one, The Fans Stadium Kingsmeadow has a capacity of 4,500. The club has a solid fan base, and will reach good attendances through the divisions. Chairman Erik Samuelson is willing to pour a huge amount of resources into the club and never interferes, making him ideal if you know your job. As a parent club you can possibly have West Ham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, and more. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance but has a small loan covering the purchase of Kingsmeadow. The question is, do you have what it takes to lead The Real Dons back to the Vinnie days.

Dorchester Town FC – The Magpies is a small town club founded in year 1880. Dorchester town in the southwest of England has a population of 16,000, and the surrounding area will bring it up approximately 40,000, making it realistic to host a decent championship or premiership club. Quality chairman is Kevin Mitchell, patient, extremely good at making money, only interferes occasionally but usually it is sensible, and willing to pour resources into the club whenever necessary. The Jewson stadium has a capacity of 5,009, and will serve Dorchester well through the divisions. The club is clean financially and and all in all it provides a young manager with a superb platform for climbing the divisions. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. Can you put Dorchester on the map and give the countryside something to be truly proud of, buckle up, it will be a great journey.

Maidenhead United – Maidenhead United established 1870 and nicknamed The Magpies. The club is located in Maidenhead, England, a city with a population of 58,000, situated 41 kilometers west of central London There is potential for a large fanbase and Maidenhead United could easily become a top flight club. The chairman Una Loughrey is willing injecting cash resources, good at making money, and patient with the manager. The club's stadium York Road has a capacity of 4,500, which is decent and will quickly be filled if you gain promotions. Parenting clubs can be any of the numerous located in and around London. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. Do you dare upset the London establishment, take charge over Maidenhead.

Solihull Moors FC – Solihull Moors FC is a club founded in 2007 when Moor Green and Solihull Borough merged. It is located in Solihull, a town in close proximity to Birmingham with a population of 94,000. The Moors play their home matches on Damson Park, a stadium with a capacity of 3,040. The chairman Nigel Collins is balanced, his positives are his ability to make money and the patience towards the manager. Any young manager can easily see the potential, a huge fanbase and a good start with Birmingham as parent club. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. So, what more can you ask for, a new club with the world at it's feet, go for it.

Hayes & Yeading United – United was formed in 2007 when the clubs Hayes and Yeading merged together. Located in the town Hayes, a suburban development to London, with no limits for a potential fanbase. The club play their matches on Church Road with a capacity of 6,500, the stadium will be good up until Championship level. The chairman Robert Walker is strong financially, but is likely to have an opinion on most of the things you do, impatient and not willing to pour resources into the club. Potential parent clubs may be any London club, quality players can be sent on loan to strengthen the squad heavily. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. I find this young club a hefty challenge with a demanding chairman, but a potentially great future, it all depends on the manager.

Worcester City FC – Worcester City FC was established in 1902, and is located in Worcester a city located Southwest of Birmingham with a population of 94,000. The club's stadium has a capacity of 4,004 and is named St George's Lane. Chairman Dave Boddy is enthusiastic about his club, he is likely to have an opinion or two about your decisions and skilled in business, but he will also back you with a lot of resources and patience. The club is financially sound with a positive bank balance and no loans. A small club with big potential, Dave Boddy believes in The Loyals, do you?

Clubs above the BSS and BSN that I recommend,

Barnet, Torquay, Oxford United,Wrexham

Silly season

Obtaining players

Obtaining players for a club that is small with a low reputation and poor facilities is not always easy. My philosophy is built on economics. I always look for the bargains, I rarely buy players. The economy of your club is most important during the climb.

Buying players while climbing the divisions is rarely a good idea because most players you will be able to buy will only have the quality for the current division or one tier more. There are of course opportunities to buy talent while playing in Blue Square Premier, but it is unlikely to happen. You will end up paying for a player that one or two seasons later will warm up the bench.

Quick note

Do not be afraid to replace your players as you progress, it feels harsh selling your favorites but you are likely to find new quality players quick and the club needs the resources. Every season I replaced 8-9 players in my squad.

Finding your players

It is simple, scouting. Hire scouts, as many as you can, with the highest ability of judging player potential and determination you can get. Instruct them to scout for players with a age of most 18-29, and a value of most 0. This way you will find gems throughout the divisions, players that can usually be sold with a profit after one or two seasons.

Picking from your findings

When you are picking your players, choose them that are close to their peak age depending on position, strikers around 28, for midfielders 28-30, and so on. This is because while you climb the divisions youngsters on low levels rarely reach enough potential at the pace needed to last in the higher leagues. Constantly signing matured players ensures that they will perform and be in the prime of their career. However, you should always be on the lookout for talent, I managed to find a midfielder in my current AFC Wimbledon while in Blue Square Premier that remains a first team regular in the premiership.

Advice on contracts

Avoid signing on fees if possible, usually a player demands them but they often accept contracts with little or no fee.

While gaining promotions and progressing through your save, be sure to sign staff and players on one year contracts only, exceptions can be made, but in general this guarantees that you have your options open in end of the season.

Stadium Expansion

Stadium expansion is a thing that excites any manager of a lower league team. SI have said that stadiums will be expanded if needed, and boards may decide to build a completely new stadium as well. My experience with this is good, during my AFC Wimbledon save the board first expanded it when I reached the championship, and after my promotion to the premiership they announced the construction of a 17,000 all-seater with under soil heating. I believe that if you want an expansion or a new stadium you must fill the current one a few seasons first and gain enough reputation to make sure the attendance will be higher after construction is completed.

Final words

I hope that there is someone who finds this useful, the path towards the premiership is long but the struggles are worth it in the end when you get there.

Thanks for reading,

/Matt

[Purefun]

Very well done mate. Big thumbs up.

I'll add this to the links thread.

[soli]

Great Post