Andrew Haines

East Kilbride League One - Scotland – 2024/25 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview Another promotion as champions was secured comfortably. I made up most of my team with players released from English clubs, specifically youngsters released from the Premier League. With players drawn from Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U amongst others with the odd ex-Rangers and Celtic here and there we were too strong for our competition. As well as our performance in the league we had a good run in the Scottish Cup to the fifth round where Celtic put us out 5-2. Key Players Max Woltman – The ex-Liverpool attacker started the season on the wing and ended up playing as striker, doing well in both roles Ben Elliot – 22 year old contributed 7 goals and 10 assists from attacking midfield following his signing from Chelsea. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted

East Kilbride League Two - Scotland – 2023/24 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview A solid first season saw us finish as champions with a comfortable 15 point margin to second place Stirling. I relied on players released from English and Scottish clubs with an emphasis on ex-Premier League youngsters. I struggled to bring in the class of defender I was looking for but an excellent attacking line up saw us to promotion. Key Players Sonny Hilton – Playmaker signed on a free from Fulham and contributed 7 goals and 8 assists in only 25 games. Josh Eppiah – Belgian winger once of Leicester who added 11 goals from the wing. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted

Well, Iceland seemed really buggy doing this challenge. Teams weren't properly promoted (only one of the two promoted teams appeared in the second tier after the first season and then it gave me a transfer budget of -60k for my second season.. a bit weird. I decided to start again elsewhere so I'm having a go in Scotland. Decided to go as East Kilbride. profile

Starting a game as IR in Iceland. Played as them last year and it was very enjoyable. Hopefully the same again this year. profile

Guiseley AFC National League – 2025/26 – 5th Squad Transfers Overview Despite turning over most of the squad from the previous season and strengthening in most positions we struggled for at least the tail end of the season. Despite starting strongly, Crewe were stronger and surged ahead of us. They were head and shoulders in the league and ended wit hover 100 points. We kept on their coat tails for the first half of the season however and it didn’t feel unlikely that a slump on their part might let us into the race. The slump was ours however. March and April were awful including six defeats. We slipped to 5th and faced 3 playoff games. Things didn’t bode well considering our poor form. We needed extra time goals against both Solihull and Bromley to progress past the first round and semi final. The final placed us against Fylde at Wembley. The game was even but a 78th minute penalty from midfielder Callum Jones was enough to secure victory and promotion to League Two. Key Players Tom Cannon – The 23 year old ex-Everton striker hit an impressive 25 goals in his 33 games. Alex Robertson – Peruvian playmaker signed following his release from Man City was excellent contributing 6 goals and 9 assists. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 National League North 7th Play-Off 1st Round 2024/25 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2025/26 National League 5th Playoff Winner, Promoted

Guiseley AFC National League North – 2024/25 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview Promotion at the second time of asking with 102 points and 111 goals scored. I turned over pretty much the whole first team during the preceding summer using trials of released players to build a new squad. I was able to assemble a good squad although I would have liked more strength in the midfield. We started relatively poorly with 3 defeats in the first 8 games which is far from title form. The signings of centre-back’s Toto Nsiala and Ciaran Brennan in September/October were key though and gave us the base needed to push for the title. Encouragingly, all 4 of my attacking players AML/C/R and striker all hit double figures. We didn’t hit top spot until the New Year but once there we were always looking likely to run away with the league. Key Players Tyler Roberts – ex-Wolves striker scored an impressive 39 goals and was scoring a goal a game before a late season mini-drought. Alex Pattison – The journeyman midfielder signed in the summer and scored 15 goals playing in the hole behind the striker. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 National League North 7th Play-Off 1st Round 2024/25 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted

Guiseley AFC National League North – 2023/24 – 7th Squad Transfers Overview A strong first season ended with a play-off spot but promotion was not to be at the first attempt. Recruitment was difficult, with the first XI eating up almost the entire budget meaning that selling to allow further purchases was not possible. We played okay but lacked consistency. At the middle of the season we were pushing for top spot but form from there was patchy. Seventh place pushed us into a play-off away game against Chester who proved much too strong. They ran out 1-0 winners but the reality is we only had a single shot on target so their victory was deserved. Key Players Louis Whitham – Left winger who is the key player for real life Guiseley and did pretty well in game as well with 15 goals from the wing. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 National League North 7th Play-Off 1st Round

I had a go as Guiseley at release of FM23 and got them an immediate promotion. My heart wasn't in it as I can't settle until we get to the later patches and I know the match engine is pretty done. Having another go.. again as Guiseley. As a Guiseley season ticket holder it feels wrong to play as anyone else. Having watched them be pretty rubbish yesterday losing against Gainsborough, I'd be surprised if we see them in the conference north any time soon. Anyway.. here's my profile.

I remember massive excitement when the patch for CM3 was on the front of PC Gamer.. I rushed home with it.

For anyone complaining about lack of communication. Going back 10 years ago, SI used to give very open updates on what was happening and when they expect the patch to be out. If something arose (newly identified bug etc) and they didn't achieve what they said they said they expected this forum because incredibly toxic and full of vitriol, like they had signed that date in blood or something. So now they stick to a policy of no updates until it is ready. Can't blame them.

It's also really standard. Past few years .3 has been out tail end of February with .4 in mid-March. Go back to 3-4 years ago and it used to be the January transfer patch was mid-March. Isn't it better they get it right and put out the best possible game even if we have to wait another week?? Go back ten years ago, they used to be very honest about patch releases. But then any indication a patch was imminent and further delays would be treated like betrayal and these forums would be carnage... so since then they've stuck to a principal of no information. I don't blame them tbh. As a community we reap what we sow. Toxicity leads to less openness.

The last 3 years they've release the .3 patch in Feb including January transfers and a further .4 patch in March containing February transfers. The twitter post could be planning for inclusion in .4.

Guiseley AFC National League North – 2023/24 – 2nd Squad Transfers Overview Promotion secured at the first time of asking via the play-offs. I was able to pickup a good number of players released by Premier League clubs in pre-season with ex-Newcastle winger Isaac Westendorf a highlight. I had a surprise when I started as ex-Manager Russ O’Neill was Director of Football.. I had managed to miss this happening in real life. We started strongly and won ten of our first twelve games leaving us comfortably clear at the top of the table. A poor run during November and December including 5 defeats on the trot cost us top spot having sacrificed top place. Form improved and we ended up banking a respectable 95 points for the season. Unfortunately we were up against a dominant Blyth side who finished on 99 points taking top spot. During the season we strengthened with further excellent signings and were in a position to cruise through a playoff semi against Spennymoor 2-0 and then finally secured promotion by the same scoreline over Chester at Wembley, ironically in one of our worst performances of the season. Key Players Amadou Bakayoko – The ex-Bolton striker scored 35 goals having signed in mid-October. Zak Brunt – The young midfielder signed on a free from Sheff United and hit 22 goals from midfield. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 National League North 2nd Play-Off Winner, Promoted

Here we go! Playing as Guiseley.. which is great fun as I have a season ticket at Guiseley, and a point to prove as I watched them getting beaten at home twice this week so I have a lot of work to do. Funnily enough, the two best players in the FM squad Jorge Sikora and Lewis Hey barely get a game in real life.. although the rest of the squad are about right. profile

Looking forward to this. I'm a Guiseley season ticket holder and about the only bright point in relegation last season was that they would be available for Dafuge.

Whitby Town Premier League – 2040/41 – 6th Squad Transfers Overview Although we failed to secure Champions League football for a further season, this season was a success. We secured a second season of European Football in the Europa League with a top six finish. Most significantly though, we had a run in the Champions League that took us to the semi-finals. The season started spectacularly when Bayern Munich set their sights on our prodigious left winger Richie Bailey. After rejecting bids, he told me he wanted to go to Munich. I didn’t want to lose him but agreed that if we received a mammoth £175m we would sell him. I thought this would be enough to keep him but after rejecting many bids from Bayern, they agreed to stump up the £175m. Bailey joined five seasons ago and was the first of the British teenagers I bought to go straight into my first XI to develop when signed for £24m from Everton. He went on to star in England’s 2038 World Cup team and would top score in the Premier League in 2039. Prior to the Bailey sale I had brought in Arsenal’s young defender Stephen Uche for £50m to play the defensive midfield role and West Brom’s England internation Striker Aaron Butcher. The funds from Bailey’s sale gave me a significant budget which I invested in three of the best youth prospects in Britain. For a combined £112m I signed three 17 year olds, Striker Scott Boylan (Man City £32m), Winger Stephen Doherty (Everton £48m) and Brian Conlon (Arsenal £32m). Non of these would be first choice but with the wealth of games including European fixtures they both featured in a significant numbers of games. For the first team, Troy Hathaway took Bailey’s place on the left wing. Hathaway was a £42m signing from Villa two seasons ago and was worth a start. At 18 he was still raw with masses of potential but did score eight goals. I also brought in Man City’s English international left back Dean Brazier for £52m to replace Matthew Martin. Martin was the weak link in the team but I was fond of him as the only player thus far to come through my youth academy and break into the first team, he left for Sheff United for £24m. In Europe, we drew a tough group with PSG, Atletico Madrid and Dinamo Kiev. We won our first five games though comfortably finishing top. In the knockout round we dispatched AC Milan with 2-1 wins home and away and faced a semi-final against Barcelona. A 0-0 draw in the first leg at home didn’t bode well and it got worse when we went in at half time in the second leg a goal down. Second half goals from Tyrese Lawton and a Stephen Docherty penalty in the 85th minute after Grant Windsor was brought down gave us a 2-1 win and setup a semi-final against Real Madrid. A 4-1 defeat in the first leg at the Bernabeu all but ended our European adventure but it was very enjoyable. In the league the number of fixtures hit our form but we did still do enough to finish sixth securing European football for next season. Key Players · GK – Knut Karlsen – A bargain signing last season, the Norwegian international is a reliable keeper · RB – Peter Beckley – England’s first choice right back. In his six years at the club Beckley has been a massive success. · CB – Conner Hugo – Still only 19, Hugo has been first choice at centre-back for four seasons now. · CB – Bert Bussens – A big money signing from Chelsea for £52m in the summer. Bussens had a great season and is now a regular for England. · LB – Dean Brazier – England’s first choice left-back signed from Man City for £58m. · DM - Stephen Uche – A real prospect, Uche arrived from Arsenal for £50m and converted to the defensive midfield role. · AP – Dyfed Summers-Jones – A decent season for the ex-Man United playmaker. He is now a regular in the England side. · BBM – Ben Lynch – Club Captain Lynch is a first choice for England, now holding 23 caps. · IW – Tyrese Lawton – Lawton is always worth his place in the side. He moved from striker to the wing and contributed 19 assists · IF – Troy Hathaway – 18 year old Hathaway is a real prospect and got his chance two years on from a £42m move from Villa. · P – Aaron Butcher – Brought in to give me a natural finisher in attack, England international Butcher scored 16 goals. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 National League North 5th 2023/24 National League North 2nd Playoff Finalists 2024/25 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2025/26 National League 5th 2026/27 National League 4th 2027/28 National League 3rd Play-off Winners, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 4th 2029/30 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2030/31 League One 3rd 2031/32 League One 1st Champions, Promoted 2032/33 Championship 3rd Play-Off Winners, Promoted 2033/34 Premier League 15th 2034/35 Premier League 12th 2035/36 Premier League 13th 2036/37 Premier League 16th 2037/38 Premier League 10th 2038/39 Premier League 7th 2039/40 Premier League 4th 2040/41 Premier League 6th ECL Semi

Whitby Town Premier League – 2039/40 – 4th Squad Transfers Overview Our first European qualification with a top 4 finish securing Champions League football for next season. After falling short of European qualification last season in pre-season I decided it was time to sell off some deadwood and try and improve the squad with some immediate talent. Around £120m of players went out the door including England Midfielder Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi to Man United for £60m. With this gap in midfield and the realisation that playmaker Colby Gee is not likely to realise the potential he showed as a 16 year old, in came midfielders Dyfed Summers-Jones for £18.5m from Man Utd and Gary MacGregor from Arsenal for £36m. Also incoming was Chelsea’s England centre-back Bert Bussens for £55m. All these players were on the fringes of their club sides but by the end of the season were in and around the England squad. Along with this added experience, the first generation of players I brought through is now in it’s prime. At the start of the season, Richie Bailey was 22 and Tyrese Lawton, Adam Allen and Peter Beckley all 21. With them hitting their potential I had a full team of experienced players with only Connor Hugo in defence a teenager. We were much more consistent and Lawton, Bailey and Summers-Jones all hit double figures. Allen had started to look unlikely to fulfil his potential so when Chelsea came in with a £53m bid in January I was happy to take it. I had a young lad called Troy Hathaway waiting in the wings. He was a £42m signing last season from Villa who is now 17 and has great potential so I thought I would expedite his path to the first team. We were in tight battle for European football but we ensured European football heading into the run by opening up a good gap to seventh place. It was the six wins from the final seven games that gave us Champions League football however. Key Players Richie Bailey – Another good season for Bailey scoring 16 goals from the left wing and continued to earn England recognition. Tyrese Lawton – The English striker scored 18 goals while establishing himself on the fringes of the England squad. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022/23 National League North 5th 2023/24 National League North 2nd Playoff Finalists 2024/25 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2025/26 National League 5th 2026/27 National League 4th 2027/28 National League 3rd Play-off Winners, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 4th 2029/30 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2030/31 League One 3rd 2031/32 League One 1st Champions, Promoted 2032/33 Championship 3rd Play-Off Winners, Promoted 2033/34 Premier League 15th 2034/35 Premier League 12th 2035/36 Premier League 13th 2036/37 Premier League 16th 2037/38 Premier League 10th 2038/39 Premier League 7th 2039/40 Premier League 4th