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Club
Season 2 Summary 2021-22
Season Review | Table | Manager ProfileSeason Notes
Nuneaton Town’s board challenged the team to make the playoffs, but the team exceeded expectations in every way. New signings blended well with returning players, and victories came in bunches. In the second month, Nuneaton reached first place, which it held for the remainder of the campaign. By the end, the team set league records for wins and points, and topped the campaign off with a surprising FA Trophy Cup win to earn the double.Now new challenges await, as the club must navigate the tricky waters of promotion, and will go from big fish in a little pond to little fish in a big pond. Onward to Season 3!
Year-by-Year Results
Season Club Division Position Champions League Notes 2020-21 Nuneaton Town National North 7th - Lost in 1st Round of Playoffs 2021-22 Nuneaton Town National North 1st - Promoted, Won FA Trophy CupFor More Details:
Season Wrap Up Episode0 -
Club
Season 2: April 2022
Championes!
Manager Notes
Chester rudely delays our championship celebration by crushing us 3-0 at home to start the month. I’m starting to get nervous that we’ll bottle this by losing our last four matches, but we rebound for a convincing 2-0 win against Bradford PA to clinch the Vanarama National North title. Champions! Woot!We ride that high to two more wins to end the month, and end the season in first place by 12 points. We’re going up!
We still have a bit of work left to do this season, as we’ll prepare for the FA Trophy Cup Final next month against Halifax Town. Then it’ll be all hands on deck as we prepare this ship to sail up a league. Really excited for the next season!
For more...
Championship Clincher Episode
FA Trophy Cup Final Episode0 -
Tough finish, sorry to hear you didn't make it! Still, your offense led the league this season, looks like if you make a couple of improvements in defense you'll be set to go up for sure next year!
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Club
Season 2: March 2022
On the Cusp of a Championship
Manager Notes
We slip off our pace, as we draw two league matches in the first half of the month that we should have won. Lucky us, though, as South Shields has a worse month. They even lose a match, only their second loss in 2022. Our two wins and two losses coupled with South Shields’ mortality stretches our lead to 10 points. It’d take an epic fail to blow this now, as all we have to do is win one of our last 4 matches. We stand on the doorstep of the title!In other unexpected and good news, we beat Braintree in both legs of the FA Trophy Cup Semi-Final as well, so we’re heading to Wembley in mid-May to play in the final against Halifax Town!
All in all, March is simply a fantastic month! Now to April to try to wrap this up…
First April Match is up on YouTube
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3 minutes ago, Nobby_McDonald said:
Nailing it Zilla.
Thanks! This might be the best season I've ever had in any version of FM ... so far. Just have to see it through. Not done yet...
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Club
Season 2: February 2022
Still a Two-Horse Race
Manager Notes
We continue our strong play, picking up 4 wins against just 1 draw during the month. Despite our success, South Shields wins all their matches and actually close on us. With 8 matches left for each of us, we hold a 7-point edge. The pressure is starting to mount, and we can feel South Shields right on our heels, just waiting for us to slip up.We also have good success in the FA Trophy Cup, picking up a strong 3-0 win over National League opponent Yeovil Town, then pulling away from 4th-place Alfreton town with 3 goals in extra time to win 5-2 in a wild match. The wins see us through to the semi-final, against Braintree (National South) next month. A win in the two-legged playoff would get us a trip to Wembley for the final.
Looking ahead, it looks as if we can’t afford to drop points if we’re going to keep South Shields away from us. The only loss they have since January is against us last month, and they are blowing opponents off the pitch. Onward!
March's Double-Header Episode is up on YouTube
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Club
Season 2: January 2022
A Two-Horse Race
Manager Notes
We start the month out with a tight 1-0 win over Darlington, then follow that with an awful performance against a weak Telford United. We rebound strongly, however, as we beat National League leader Ebbsfleet 2-1 in the FA Trophy Cup to send us on to the 3rd round. We win again after that against Stourbridge.You’d think with all the winning we’d be pulling away from South Shields, but they just refuse to lose. By the end of the month they trail us by only 3 points, although we have a game in hand. We square off against them to end the month in what turns out to be an epic battle. Down 1-0, we storm back to tie then win on a 95th-minute daisy cutter from our right winger, Shionobare. The huge win puts our lead back to 6 points with a match in hand and 13 matches to go.
I’d like to feel more comfortable with this lead, but it seems as if South Shields is going to keep this interesting. I have a sense they aren’t done yet. We’ll need to keep winning to see this out.
For more info and an early look at February: Season 2 Episode 7
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Club
Season 2: December 2021
Steady as She Goes
Manager Notes
We roll through December, as we win our four league matches and knock Telford United out of the FA Trophy Cup as a bonus. The month opens up a 9-point edge over second-place South Shields, who play well but not at our pace. The perfect month gets me a second Manager of the Month award. Yippee!There are concerns, however. Yassine En-Nayeh, our star striker, can’t find the net after coming back from injury. Not only that, but he looks awful, missing sitters and easy shots and just generally playing like a shell of his former self. I’d feel a lot more comfortable about things if he were scoring.
Also, Chairman Jimmy keeps bouncing back and forth between “loving the club” and “selling the club.” I think we’ve had three such cycles, and then it ends with him saying that there is no way he’s selling. We’ll see.
Looking ahead, we’ve got a big month next month, with a 2nd-Round FA Trophy Cup away match against Ebbsfleet, who sit in 1st Place in the National League. It is simply the worst possible draw to get. We’ll also end the month with a huge match against South Shields. Big times coming!
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Club
Season 2: November 2021
Perhaps Back on Track
Manager Notes
In a surprisingly quiet month, we appear to have righted the ship…perhaps. We start out with another disastrous loss, a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Harrogate. The loss cuts our 1st-place margin to 2 points, with both South Shields and Chester right on our necks. But we win our last two matches of the month in strong fashion. At month’s end, we’re 4 points up on South Shields and 5 points up on Chester.Our injured players are back and getting into match shape, which appears to be helping. We’re also developing and starting to use a second formation, a 4-3-3 with a bit more of a defensive emphasis. It seems that a lot of teams have figured out our 4-2-4, and I’m hoping that we can mix things up a bit to keep teams off guard. Initial results are good. We score less but concede less, and teams struggle to get shots on us.
Lastly, we’re getting rumors again of an impending sale of the club. Last time it turned out to be nothing, but who knows? That would certainly make things interesting!
Looking ahead, we’ve got a pretty manageable string of easier opponents lined up for December. I’m hopeful we can go on a nice run here and open up some distance between us and second-place South Shields. Somehow, though, I feel our chances of leaving them behind is slim, and we’re going to need every point we can possibly get to pull this off.
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Exciting finish to come! AFC Totton could prove tough for Kettering Town, not over by any means. Good luck!
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8 hours ago, Nobby_McDonald said:
Excellent first half to the season.
Thanks! Now if only South Shield would implode and fade away.
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Club
Season 2: October 2021
A Turn of Form
Manager Notes
We start the month well, but the three months of two matches per week finally takes its toll on us in the back half of the month. We stumble and drop out of the FA Cup against National League relegation candidate Chorley, then sandwich losses around a great match against second-place South Shields. All in all we pick up 4 league wins against 2 losses, but we end the month on a concerning turn of form.One of the reasons that we’re struggling is injury. We’ve lost our league-leading striker, Ne-Nayeh, to a groin injury, and our best right winger to an ankle injury. With two of our best three offensive players out, we just can’t find the net.
On a positive note, we still end the month in first place, as both South Shields and Chester struggle to keep up their torrid first half pace as well.
Looking ahead, we’re through the brutal part of our schedule and have a light November match schedule on the horizon. Both of our injured players should be back in the lineup by the end of next month. If we can hold on to first place during the next month, maybe we can find our good form again with a healthy lineup.
Season 2 Episode 4 FA Trophy Cup Match vs. Guiseley is up on YouTube.
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Club
Season 2: September 2021
Still Rumbling AlongRecord: 14W-1D-2L, 43 points (1st place in Vanarama National North)
Our good form continues through September, as we hit on all cylinders. We roll to 6 league wins and only a 1-0 loss to 3rd place Chester tarnishes the month. Even better, South Shields comes back to earth and slips up frequently enough that we slip by them in the standings by the slimmest of margins. With Chester right on their heels, this is shaping up to be a three-way race for the title.
On a personal note, the results get me my first Manager of the Month award. After coming close a number of times in the past couple of years, it’s nice to pick one of these up.
The month hasn’t been without challenges, however. The packed schedule has us juggling lineups to try to prevent wear and tear on our players, and we’re starting to pick up a number of injuries due to the large number of matches.
Heading into next month, things will stay busy, with 2-3 matches all the way through the month. I’m hopeful we can hold together, as there definitely isn’t room to slip up, with Chester and South Shields right on our heels.
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16 hours ago, tse1231 said:
He's got 14 pace and acceleration in my save. Albeit with 8 finishing. He was frustrating as he missed 60% of chances but he created so many he made up for it! Pace is king in the VNS!
I looked him up in my save, and it was the previous season where I had him on a non-contract. He played seven matches and didn't score. I dropped him at the end of the season. I had better performing strikers, and didn't play a formation with attacking outside wings at the time.
He's got 16 acceleration, 14 pace, 8 finishing, and 4 technique in my world. I think it was the combination of low finishing and technique that led me to drop him. He's now with Alfreton Town, starts, and has 6 goals in 21 appearances. (We're halfway through the season.)
Now that I'm playing a 4-2-4, I could actually use him on the outside right wing. But I don't have any money left in the wage budget to attempt to nudge him from Alfreton Town at the moment.
3 hours ago, kingjericho said:Well this wasn't the Christmas present I was looking for
Ouch, that's harsh. Sorry for your loss!
What will you do next? Are you going to try again?
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57 minutes ago, tse1231 said:
Christian Saydee - ST - Free Transfer from AFC Bournemouth (side note this guy is very under-rated by FM, he's close to a premier league start). 22 goals and 4 assists in the league and a rating of 7.04. All for £225pw.
Damn it. I'm pretty sure I had a chance to sign him or had him on a non-contract for a bit. The name is familiar. I thought, "Nah, ain't got it," and passed/let him go.
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Every match so critical! That Tiverton Town match would have been nice to pick up points in. Good luck in the home stretch!
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Club
Season 2: August 2021
RollingRecord: 8W-1D-1L, 25 points (2nd place in Vanarama National North)
The season starts with a shocker of an off-field announcement: The team is up for sale and board takeover is underway. I respond by spending the rest of my wage budget in case an embargo is imposed while the sale goes through.
On the field, things start out marvelously well. Our new signings look to be the real deal, and they blend well with the better players we kept from last year. We are thundering over opponents. By the end of the month we’ve piled up 8 wins against 1 loss and 1 draw.
You’d think that this sort of performance would see us sitting well atop the National North, but we have a problem. South Shields, a professional club with tons of resources, got promoted to our league for this season, and they look invincible. They have yet to lose, and have a single draw to their record so far. I’m not sure how we can compete with them, but we’ll give it our best.
It’s very early to be drawing conclusions as to how the season will end, but at the moment I feel like we can’t afford to drop any points if we’re going to have a chance, and it certainly puts a lot of weight on each match. Fun times, hoping we can keep up our winning run!
Season 2 Episode 2 is up on YouTube.
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1 hour ago, Nobby_McDonald said:
Decent enough first season.
Yeah, I'm still learning the game. I was super happy with how that went. I tried the same thing in FM19 three different times and only stayed up once, and barely. So to get 7th felt pretty good.
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9 hours ago, Mediocre_Jake said:
I have been playing this game for so many years, but I am still useless at it, so I avoided this challenge. Time for a shot at it. I start with Merthyr.
Good luck! You got this!
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Club
Season 2: Summer Preseason 2021
Leveling Up?Onward to Season 2!
We have a busy three months spanning from early May until the end of July. Our hopes are to accomplish two main goals: retaining the half dozen or so players we want to bring back, and replacing our expensive unproductive players with better ones. For the most part, I feel like we accomplish both of our goals.
Most of the players we wanted to bring back were demanding exorbitant wages early in May. We held out until Mid-June and as the new season dawned their demands lessened. We end up bringing back everyone we hoped to get back.
That still leaves us with a lot of holes, and we spend a lot of time bringing in outside backs, center backs, and wings. We get notice that our team has risen in reputation, which I think is helping us attract some better players than we were able to get last year. Over the course of a couple of months our team comes together with some promising signings. As we head to the start of the season, the media predicts a second-place finish. I do feel like we have the ingredients to make something good, but getting results out of this will be our next challenge…
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5 hours ago, xilere said:
Just started with South Shields, they have a huge wage budget. I think it was like 70k US dollars. 55k was used. I let some players go so I have more money to spend now. However, it's hard to find good players to sign with a trash scout. So I asked the management for the second scout and they said ok. But I still think they're very slow! And I have a hard time believing in scouts having seen how stupid they were.
Edit: Also the start of the league is brutal, at least 2 matches every week. Duh...
Yeah, it's nuts how much more money they have than anyone else in our league. And they train daily. I'd be surprised if they don't roll over everyone in our league this season. Media prediction at the start of the season is 6th for them, so we'll see.
Regarding the scouting thing... are you using trial contracts to bring in players with expired contracts (or non-contracts)? You can bring in a lot of trialists for free for a look see. That's more effective than scouting at the lower leagues if you're hunting for players to fill holes in your team quickly.
The first 2-3 months of the National North & South leagues are nuts the way they have them set up in FM. I can't imagine that's how they'll do it in real life when the league expands. I think the scheduling script just goes back to the beginning of the season if there are matches left over to schedule and drops them in at the earliest possible open mid-week option. I think I'll bring this up in the bugs forum. Not a bug, per se, but it's not realistic to have to play half your matches in the first 2-3 months of the season.
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Season 1 Summary: 2020-21
Season Review | Table | Manager Profile | Transfers: 1, 2Season Notes
Nuneaton Town were slated for relegation as a newly promoted team, but had a handful of decent players on the team and over £4k in wage room. Nevertheless, we started out the season horribly and sat in 21st place after 18 matches. But our reinforcements started clicking and led us on a long charge through the middle of the season that saw us rise to 7th place. We hung on to that playoff spot for the back third of the season, but got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. We’ll be back next year!Year-by-Year Results
Season Club Division Position Champions League Notes 2020-21 Nuneaton Town National North 7th - Lost in 1st Round of Playoffs
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8 hours ago, Tivvy18 said:
What would people consider to be the easiest and hardest teams to manage for this challenge? I'm struggling through my second season as Truro, due to my ability to play the game more than likely, and I'm getting the impression that improving the squad is going to be very difficult given few players are willing to relocate to Cornwall. I would guess London based teams would be significantly easier.
Nuneaton was on the easier side for me. It has a fairly high reputation compared to other promoted teams. I had a £9k wage budget, with only £4.5k already allotted on July 11, when I took over. (If you just assign yourself to the team instead of interviewing like I did, you might even have more.)
So yeah, decent rep, high wage budget, and a good amount of wages free to work with.
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3 hours ago, xilere said:
Hi Scab, thanks for letting me know. I've just found and read this whole thread and found your posts and progress to be the most entertaining/funny. So I'm happy to see you replying. Wish you luck mate, keep writing.
I think I'll go with South Shields for full contracts because I hate part time contracts. Not because it makes the game more difficult, I'm ok with the amateur difficulty but I can't connect with players with part time contracts. I want to OWN them as a manager, if you know what I mean... Kind of a god complex.
South Shields just got promoted to the Vanarama North in my current save (starting second season now) and they are ready to hunt bear. They look very strong.
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dafuge's FM20 challenge
in Challenges, Sign-Ups & Experiments
Posted · Edited by Zilla Blitz
Year 2: 2021-22 Summary
Season Notes
Nuneaton Town’s board challenged the team to make the playoffs, but the team exceeded expectations in every way. New signings blended well with returning players, and victories came in bunches. In the second month, Nuneaton reached first place, which it held for the remainder of the campaign. By the end, the team set league records for wins and points, and topped the campaign off with a surprising FA Trophy Cup win to earn the double.
Now new challenges await, as the club must navigate the tricky waters of promotion, and will go from big fish in a little pond to little fish in a big pond. Onward to Season 3!
Screen Shots
Season Review
Table
Manager Profile
Transfers
Year-By-Year
Season 2 Wrap Up Video