Neo_Geo

Those are the type of title wins that you’ll always remember, congrats @libbyshuss

Season 5 kits for Macclesfield- Probably last time with Umbro as there aren't too many others that look that great

Loving the trophy cabinet @CJ'43

SILKMEN PUNCHING WAY ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT A crazy season where I had genuinely been fearing the step-up in quality and expecting a hard fight against relegation but in the end we finished just shy of the automatic promotion spots after a collapse at the end of the season and then were just outplayed in the play-off semi final against Salford. I think my squad rotation had a large part to play in our success when the games came thick and fast but as we got to about 42 games the fixtures started to spread out and it gave other teams around me the chance to get their first choice players fit once more. I had promised Michael Meredith Y2-A we'd be promoted if he stayed another year (here was me thinking it was next season) but we got a bid that I was comfortable enough with letting him go and it's just as well as he'd have been kicking up a stink. Though perhaps on another hand his quality might have just helped us get over the line. I always want to get promoted but the silver lining here is that our squad just isn't ready for the step-up to the next level for a 46 game season. Another year at this level allows me to get some of the 2 star current ability youngsters to improve just as Laluz Y2-A did this year (now 4.5 star). There is now doubting that my defence is too leaky once more with no real quality in goal, at centre back or left back, only really Laluz Y2-A is what I consider good enough at this moment in time. In the cups we progressed 1 round in the Carabao Cup, I fielded a weakened side in the Bristol Street Motors cup and we got 3rd place in the group but it was the FA Cup that stood out. We made the FIFTH Round beating Stoke at their ground along the way. We were very lucky in the Fourth Round getting drawn at home to Vanarama National side Southend and then we got the glamour tie at the Etihad and the much needed financial boost that came with it. The team had it in them to pull performances right out of the top drawer but as I said earlier it just isn't possible to sustain this level currently. Balance has dropped as we are spending around £200k a month on the youth setup but it looks like we could get more income with a stadium expansion as the average attendance is just shy of a sell out for every game. League Results Domestic Cup Results Youth Intake The Intake Preview was promising with another 6 positions with an A and once again we had a huge intake of Elites with 11 of them this year. Sam Hill Y4-A Kim Plechaty Y4-A Josh Bateman Y4-A Kelvin Mayman Y4-A Ken Thomas Y4-A Osian Stanton Y4-A Ian Marsh Y4-A Nicolas Thevenin Y4-A Sean Burns Y4-A Mark Morrison Y4-A Gareth Bolger Y4-A Pick of the bunch for me is Kim Plechaty Y4-A who has all the makings of a really solid ball winning midfielder for me, just need to work on strength and defensive positioning. With Brice Kalala-Kabangu Y1-A still looking to leave getting Sam Hill Y4-A in was much needed as D'Arcy Bakkor Y3-A from last year isn't quite ready for this level yet. No DC or LB in the intake are ready to take the starting berth in the first team but certainly some options for rotation to get match experience up. Club News Robbie Savage continued to be a decent chairperson this year with a further two coaching courses approved: Continental C Continental B In addition to this our first training facilities upgrade was approved but is still in progress hence no change to the training facilities level. Admin (transfers) Squad News The main talking point this year was the sale of Michael Meredith Y4-A here is Meredith Y4-A's profile at the time of leaving. I stood my ground with the £500k up front and 50% of next transfer and it scared off Stoke and Derby but Sheff Wed kept coming back but I kept telling them what it would take and they finally offered it. The sale largely paid for the training facility upgrade but as ever the key is the 50% of next sale because depending on how much potential he has and how well he does it could be a lot more than the £500k. In other news Adel Y1-A is now happy and as soon as this news came in I went to offer him a contract as he is still on a part-time deal until 2030. To my astonishment he would talk but his agent locked in a minimum transfer fee of £210k and given he has now broken into the full Egypt squad (still to get a cap) this is way too low for me, so I abandoned the talks then tried the resolve contract talks with agent the next day.......he refused to talk So as it stands I have Adel Y4-A for another 2 years under contract but foreign clubs have been putting in bids of around the £200k mark and I promised him I would let him go for £750k just 1 day after we lost to Salford in the play-offs. Adel Y1-A is huge for me and he even won the top goalscorer this year. Lalauz Y2-A also wants to play with better players but I managed to get him on a full time contract to 2031 with an optional 3 years so the only worry is keeping him happy enough that his performances in training and on the park don't nosedive. He has been involved in the Israeli U121s so he might not be too far from a full international call up soon. I really have to try to focus on getting the squad as a whole improving in a more balanced fashion even if it means sacrificing results next year, having 1 or 2 head and shoulders above the rest always ends up with them wanting to leave. Squad Overview Bingo Card Going into this season I wasn't expecting a great deal of progress with the card but here we are with another 5 marked off: I would expect IF I can keep a hold of Adel Y1-A and IF he stays fit the 100 goals for a youth player and potentially 1st non-English cap will be marked off.

Getting closer @naterr, keep it up

Never seen anyone do it but to be honest I think the youth only challenge is a build a nation of sorts just minus the transfers in and it obviously stops if/when the champions league has been won. You don’t build a nation by only using players of one nation at the start of the save, generally you build the strength of the league by bringing in foreign players. After many, many years if European trophies can be won then the reputation of the league grows and the clubs of that nation improve as well. Here we can’t sign players but I see no benefit in restricting yourself to only play youths from your current nation first of all because the majority will be of that nation anyway and secondly getting players from a better nation possible due to affiliation or nationalities of HoYD etc. is a key strategy for getting success in this challenge for nations with poor youth ratings. If you really enjoy a save and you complete the challenge the rules then go out the window as you can take over the national team as well and sign players if you want or stay true to the youth only rules.

@libbyshuss I assume you saw the same 4 players with their training taking a nosedive? As a Rangers fan I know only too well of players “downing tools” IRL and in game I have seen similar in the past and now in my current save I’ve seen it with Adel Y1-A and me turning Bolton away. Its definitely the hardest part of having players that stand out from the rest of the squad. Fid others in the squad then demand you sell them as that usually cause the manager support to drop significantly.

Season 4 kits for Macclesfield:

No-ecj;lay,you,have better luck than some other posters who had issues with this sort of agreement. Despite player youth players a lot the board didn’t think they had done enough and failed. ???? That was meant to read "hopefully you"

LEAGUE 2 BECKONS AFTER PLAY-OFF WIN This was meant to be the year of transitioning from the old guard to the new (particularly up front) so expectations were not that high but this squad just kept surprising me. Not only did we achieve promotion via the play-offs after just missing out on the title by 3 points but they also made the FA Cup Third Round where we had the esteemed pleasure of travelling to St Mary's to face Championship outfit Southampton and only lose 2-1. In addition the quarter final was the exiting stage of the FA Trophy where we lost to Yeovil who were also fighting for promotion in our league. Overall our defence tightened up quite a bit but we also weren't quite as prolific infront of goal. Our formation stayed the same but with tweaks to individual instructions and the inclusion of youngsters like Bayleigh Codling Y2-A and Daniel Griffiths Y2-A meant that we started to play wingers in some games rather than inside forwards as I had been doing for the first two season. Average filled dropped due to the stadium expansion, our reputation is now 1.5 and now ranked as 113th most reputable club in England. Confirmation of the junior coaching and youth recruitment being maxed out. League Results Domestic Cup Results Youth Intake In our third intake it looks like some of the early improvements are starting to take effect with a very healthy intake preview with 4 As and 2 Bs which then turned into another Elite fest with 9 Elites and and 6 Top talents on youth intake day. As with the last update here are those Elite talents: Kelvin Sorvel Y3-A D'Arcy Bakkor Y3-A Calen Cottam Y3-A Sam Jones Y3-A Rory Cartwright Y3-A Rhain Fitzhenry Y3-A Daryl Shields Y3-A Andrea Berrini Y3-A Cardo Essende Y3-A Out of the list Sam Jones Y3-A is a really useful player as he is an either footed right and left back who is also fairly professional. Having said that he hasn't made the first team yet but I have promoted and played Sorvel Y3-A, Cottam Y3-A (as I was short of players in DMC given Murphy and Rooney are retiring), Cartwright Y3-A and Fitzhenry Y3-A (who had a goal scoring debut which is always nice). I don't think there is a stand out as there was last year with Meredith Y2-A but a nicely balanced and rounded intake to boost squad depth. Here are the updated player records: Club News A busy year as far as the club is concerned. Robbie Savage seems to have finally buckled and caved in to my demands for the coaching course as he allowed me to go on TWO this year! Coaching Course 1 Coaching Course 2 The area I never had any complaints about was the improvements to junior coaching and youth recruitment as this season saw both now maxed out. To have this position and now in League 2 is precisely where I want to be as this is where I hope we can start to build up a squad capable of working up the leagues over the next few decades Junior Coaching Increase Youth Recruitment Improvement 1 Youth Recruitment Improvement 2 In addition to the requests I had been making there were some that the board applied on their own as we turned professional following the promotion and news of installing a grass pitch at Moss Rose. I'm glad that the decisions made so far have not been ahead of when makes sense i.e. no crazy new stadium when we don't need it, the steps being taken are laying the foundation for a sustained effort to move up the leagues safely and steadily. On the topic of the stadium we had multiple sell outs last year with gate receipts hitting £120k in the play-off Semi Final against Scunthorpe and its very reassuring to see. Admin (transfers) No new trophies still Squad News This was the season where Brice Kalala-Kabangu Y1-A really shone as our main creative force with a 7.65 average rating, 17 goals and 13 assists from 34 starts. The only disappointing thing was that I couldn't play him more as his natural fitness is only 9 and without sports scientists rotation is absolutely crucial with so many games to play. The feeling of relief when the game progresses and you see a week where there is no midweek game is something I cannot overstate the heart lifting effect it has on me John Rooney and Luke Murphy (both are DMCs) retire this year and serial game time moaners Alex Hurst and Lee Duffy (both are AMRLs) are likely to be moved on as well as we start trimming away at the old guard with possibly only the likes of Conor O'Keefe (GK), Tre Pemberton (RB), Drew Baker (CB), Lewis Fensome (CB), Brandon Lee (LB), Sam Perry (DMC) and Neil Kengni (AMR) likely to get game time this season. Here is the squad as it currently stands at the end of season 3. Bingo Card 3 more added to the Bingo Card as Promotion to League 2, Professional Status and Youth Player reaching 50 club appearances are chalked off. I would imagine I might get 2 more this season with 50 goals for a youth player and 100 club appearances but I think that may be it for a few years other than maybe youth players sold for certain fees.

OK so this is just going to come across as a middle aged man moaning about Bolton trying to steal away one of my best talents however once again my immersion is just ruined by this scenario. To set the scene, here is the player in question. Mostafa Adel Y1-A He is a Vanarama National standard player according to my coaches and whilst his goal return for appearances this season have been very good he's not exactly scoring 50 goals in 20 games. He is 17 years old with perhaps another 18-20 years left in his career. He isn't allowed to legally drink yet he has played 55 first team games and scored 31 goals. Not bad for someone who can't vote either. He is now subject of a transfer bid from Bolton who offered £10k up front and various small add-ons with 20% of the next sale. His value (before I negotiated at 500k and 50% of next sale) and to be honest I didn't even give it the time of day. He's contracted for another 3 years (after triggering his extension which he wasn't happy about either) and he's my top player at the moment and I have over £2m in the bank so why would I sanction such a deal? This brings me to my main point. As you'd expect Bolton withdraw their bid and Adel complains about being price out of the move. His reason for wanting to leave? "At this stage in my career I need to be playing in the Skybet Championship" What stage of your career is that? Where you should really just be playing youth football but instead you are playing competitive first team football and winning player of the month awards, fighting for promotion to the football league.....that stage? Secondly he needs to be playing in the Championship......well that isn't going to happen at Bolton is it? You are going to be kept in the youth team or at best reserves and will most likely be put out on loan where guess what? You'll probably end up bac in the Vanarama National because at this stage in your career that is your level. OK, rant over. I get that a youngster would have their head turned in this scenario (unless of course its the buying team thats controlled by the human in which case you get told £40m and the player is fine with that) however the reasons given and the responses I can give are very dated now and also very limited. I should be able to say would you rather be playing first team football or would you rather be playing for Bolton's youth team? I haven't sold anyone yet in this save but I mentioned during my Crewe United save that when players left and were left to rot in the youths and ranks that I should be able to cite these as examples as to what might happen. As it turns out I said I'd let him go for a reasonable fee then set it to something I knew he wouldn't accept and just ended it there. I doubt the developers would look at this but if they want these interactions to be realistic and believable then having a 17 year old give me that line is definitely contradicting that realism.

There is an FM God after all.... Only took 11 failed requests! On another note, my Macclesfield kits for season 3: Probably my last season with Adidas kits, fancy something different next season

I’d most likely gave done the same. It’s one thing losing 1 or 2 players but 4 is nearly half your first team and to then see performances and results drop off to the extent you might be relegated…….i can definitely understand not sticking with it in these circumstances. There are events you can laugh off (Robbie savage turning down my coaching course request 11 times for instance) but others break the save by just sucking all of the fun and joy out of it. Good luck finding the new save.

Also looks like Maidstone had one heck of a journey getting up to the EPL as well

Even in lower leagues (when I did an attempt in malta) I just don’t recall seeing 5 CA players nevermind 5 of them. All relative at the end of the day but the thrill of intake day giving you that screen

SOLID AND SAFE FIRST SESAON IN VANARAMA NATIONAL Survival was the goal this season and we did that and only missed out on a promotion play-off place by a solitary point. Our position in the league I would say was fair as the general trend had us roughly in 7th or 8th (apart from a blip where we dropped as low as 14th). The step up in quality was evident and although we finished joint top scorers in the division it was the 66 goals conceded that meant 15 losses on the board. Given the prediction was rock bottom I am delighted to not only survive but put in the foundation for this coming season where the goal will be to get more points on the board. I stuck with the same formation but I have dropped Alex Curran in favour of Brice Kalala-Kabangu Y1-A who did not let me down with a great return of 10 goals and 8 assists in the Number 10 role. In the cups we were poor and only progressed one round out of both trophies but the goal was to survive this season without being relegated so no complaints from me. Our balance has improved again and Mr Savage has backed the improvements to the facilities which I must say 2 seasons in looks very healthy indeed. Average attendances are now up and nearly at capacity. League Results Domestic Cup Results Youth Intake A much better looking intake preview this year and the actual intake was better than I hoped with 10 elite prospects: Michael Meredith Y2-A Bayleigh Codling Y2-A Lewis McCabe Y2-A David Laluz Y2-A Hu Xueliang Y2-A Daniel Griffiths Y2-A Keighran Bailey-Jones Y2-A Roan Hewson Y2-A Livio Navet Y2-A Jordan Navarro Y2-A I've already promoted and played Meredith, McCabe, Codling, Laluz, Navarro and Xueliang. It's an interesting intake given I have the likes of Laluz and Xueliang who could be considered as midfielders but I am going to train as wingbacks. The intake was dominated by players on either wing and no striker which means I am once again reliant on Mostafa Adel Y1-A to provide the goals up top (who incidentally got called up to the Egypt U20s this summer) Club News In club news its a love/hate affair with club owner Robbie Savage. He's happy enough to improve our junior coaching (once and twice) as well as youth recruitment (once and twice) and whilst he is happy enough to allow all of my coaches to go on numerous coaching courses I am still stuck on my National C license after 8 failed requests. As mentioned earlier the attendances have gone up and the board, mainly funded by a grant, have decided to expand the stadium. Admin (transfers) No new trophies Squad News Sam Perry and Drew Baker had been promised to be sold if a suitable bid came in, it didn't and they were happy to remain at the club. As soon as this news item came in I got in with the contract offers and I am delighted to say they have opted to stay on with Sam Perry signing a 2+1 year deal and Drew Baker signing a 3+1 year deal As for the squad as a whole I am looking to start the process of replacing the original players who clearly have reached their peak with the youngsters who could potentially be much better. This is more in the final third with players like Alex Hurst, Luke Duffy and even Neil Kengni going to start being rotated with Griffiths Y2-A and Codling Y2-A to see what they are able to offer. This is always the part of the save that I find a little tricky with regards to player management as these players went from important players to being squad to then being back up followed by surplus to requirements but I need to keep them here until some further intakes are through. Bingo Card So I've marked the avoid relegation to Vanarama North as complete as I did avoid it, if I do get relegated I'll take it off. The only other change was the winning a competitive game by 5 clear goals (which happened twice this season first with a 6-0 home win over Woking at the beginning of the season then Hartlepool 6-1 at home in December) All in all a pleasing second season with the focus being on maintaining our place in this division and starting to see some more youngsters make the first team on a regular basis.

I'm no tactician either but I'd echo @Perre8's comments on it being very attacking. Do you find you concede a lot of counter attacking goals? With wingbacks on attack you are reliant on your two centre backs (which at 2 star and 3 star CA might be too much for them on their own) for any counter attack as box to box and mezzala on attack is committing even more bodies forward. Obviously the formation is working for you in terms of goal scoring you just need to have a think about holes you are leaving at the back when so many are going forward in the attack. In addition you have a high press, press more often, you counter-press so again its aggressive and may leave you more exposed at the back. Don't be afraid of asymmetry either, for instance if you have a really good DMC drop the BBM back and just have them as a Defensive Midfielder or Ball Winning Midfielder if the opposition have a good number 10 and you want to be on top of them and see if that can give you more stability at the back. Similarly if your Mezzala offers width on the right you might want to have your WB on the right actually be a supporting fullback instead. Just pause your match engine at certain transitions/phases (winning possession in each third, losing possession in each third, general play in each third ) and look to see the positions of your players and think about where you want them to be if you suddenly won the ball or lost the ball. Without knowing where the goals you concede are coming from its hard to say where to target improvements in your defensive approach.

@SkiIIs just need to get your defence tightened up a little and you'll storm the league, 109 goals for (a full 35 goals more than the next top scoring club). I really like players like Ishii 32E either foot full back, pretty quick, great endurance. You have another similar looking one in the intake as well in Nakamura 36B. What formation are you playing in particular with your full backs/wing backs? I've found its a delicate balancing act when playing a back 4 to get support on the wing in attack as well as being solid in defence......I've still not got it quite right (or got the right players yet).

Nice to know its actually just Robbie Savage then, thanks for sharing Still had to discuss the junior coaching and youth recruitment but I always expect that, I'm now at 8 attempts at requesting to go for my National B license!

A five 5 star current ability intake don’t think I’ve ever seen such a thing, what are you adding to the Cardiff water supply @XaW?

@libbyshuss that’s a good deal I think given he was in his last year iirc I love the amount of money trading hands and he gets an outstanding loyalty payment of £1,200 so bizarre seeing RB Salzburg that far down the table

Can I just say of my dislike for Robbie Savage as the owner of Macclesfield (though it probably just extends to chairpersons/owners in general in the game and more specifically the coding/logic around the reasons and discussions when making requests) SIX times he has now refused to sanction my coaching course with just the one time the other way. The initial rejection comes is as "Whilst we appreciate that it's a very valid thing to want to do, we fear that bettering yourself could lead to a bigger club coming in for your services. We're therefore inclined to say no" So I discuss it and I'd love at this point to have options like: Give ultimatum of approving it or I resign I'll sign a new contract with full percentage compensation I want to be hear for the long term, ask you to trust me However I get one option: "I'd like to further my development by going on a coaching course please" That is really weak, I want to be more forceful on this matter especially when the other coaches are getting their courses approved. So I choose the only option and the response contradicts the initial rejection: "We don't believe that it would be beneficial for you to undertake a course right now. That concludes this meeting. In future, please do not waste our time with things like this." Makes zero sense: its a valid thing to do & we fear of losing you -> no benefit to you & stop wasting our time. But you better believe I'll be wasting their time when it next becomes available

My Macclesfield kits for 25/26 (I love playing around with KitBasher )

SILKY STUFF FROM THE SILKMEN AS THEY BAG PROMOTION AS CHAMPIONS One word.....incredible! Macclesfield really are a dream club for a first season of the Youth Academy Challenge. A good sized ground that gets filled pretty well for league matches, make a profit, strong squad and decent starting facilities. The league was a tight call in the end with a draw away to Hereford clinching it by a single point ahead of AFC Fylde one week after we thrashed Chester 4-0 as Blyth Spartans (second at the time) lost to Hereford meaning I was 6 clear of them and I thought I had done it but there was no trophy presentation. It required one last push and those last 15 mins where we hit the post and conceded a few corners were very nervy indeed. 46 games and it came down to that last match, it really gives these big games an edge. We did better than expected in the FA Cup managing to make the First Round proper and took League One Barnsley to a replay whilst in the FA Trophy it was the Fourth Round where we lost to Vanarama National Dagenham & Redbridge. Tactically I set up with a 4-2-3-1 DM AM Wide and opted for inside forwards given my best striker had left the club as he was out of contract straight away and would not talk. That formation proved to be a wise choice with the most goals scored in the league and second best goal difference (once again defence seems to be my big issue in this version of the game). I went for a high line, high press approach and just managed the games accordingly once in the lead by looking to play even shorter, reduce the tempo, regroup after losing possession, drop the high line to standard and don't press as often. I managed to keep the players fit and happy for the majority of the season with a few complaints from back-up players who had previously been involved a lot more. I often went to a 4-2-4 DM Wide formation when I went behind and needed to get more of the ball inside the box and the resilience of the squad was really pleasing with many comebacks recorded. Since week 3 we hadn't dropped below 4th and whilst we had a run of poor form with around a dozen games to go we rallied as the Blyth really faltered. Here is a reworked competitions and club details screen: Training facilities were downgraded this year but as you can see the club looks pretty healthy with the stadium 71% filled on average, getting a sell out in the FA Cup against Barnsley and the balance is on an upward trajectory with the projection being £1.91m at the end of season 4. League Results Domestic Cup Results Youth Intake The first season - and with some very capable players at the club already - always meant that the Youth Intake Preview was not going to be the greatest and although the HoYD said that this looked like an excellent intake, whenever I don't see As or even Bs I don't expect a lot. On intake day I was greeted by 3 elites with each going straight into the first team squad to provide some much needed back-up. The pick of the bunch appeared to be Mostafa Adel Y1-A who appeared to have the makings of a good (if a little short) target forward. In his debut he scored 2 headed goals to back-up this theory. Next up was Brice Kalala-Kabangu Y1-A who for now I am unsure of his best position, He has the pace to play as a winger however with 3 crossing I feel an inside forward role on the left or as a number 10 might be a better bet. Finally I got my second keeper at the club (luckily I never had to play a grey keeper during the season) with Bob Swailes Y1-A joining the Silkmen. He looks like a very capable understudy to my number 1 and I will look to perhaps give him some game time in this coming season if the opportunity arises. None of the other players scream out to be promoted to the senior squad though I have taken a couple of central defenders as I was short there and Laurent Mendy is going to leave this summer as his contract is ending and won't get a work permit. I've decided to summarise the intake nationalities and caps together in the following chart and already I love the variety of nationalities whilst still predominantly an English intake there are some interesting nations included: In addition to this I have reworked my player records page to capture all time records as well as the current season: Fans Player of the Year - Neil Kengni Fans Young Player of the Year - Sam Perry Club News As far as the running of the club was concerned the Junior Coaching increases were approved both times whilst the Youth Recruitment Improvements required some persuasion but in the end both were approved. Junior Coaching 1 and Junior Coaching 2 Youth Recruitment 1 and Youth Recruitment 2 However it wasn't quite as straightforward for my own coaching badges. Out of the 3 times I asked only 1 was approved, the first was perhaps too early in the season and the latter was straight after the badge was obtained so in hindsight I perhaps should have waited a little more. As a result of the promotion the stadium required some work Admin (Transfers) Bingo Card As the original creator of the 100 tile bingo card I think it's about time I take part in it again Two off the list in season 1 is pretty good going but the crucial one this coming season is C1 - Avoid Relegation to Vanarama North, everything else is of secondary importance this coming season. I am so glad to have bit the bullet and started in England with a club I feel is a good fit, I'm looking at the 46 games a season until the Premier League as a positive because that means I don't have to repeat the same fixtures over and over and over again as you do in smaller leagues. Maybe I'll return to Northern Ireland once more but having seen my previous attempt there reach 12 seasons and my latest attempt reach 13 full seasons it seems thats about my limit there before I get tired on the same matches. Onwards to season 2 and the battle to stay up in the Vanarama National!

Totally agree. Making the most of what you have at the club, rotating to keep players fresh, tweaking tactics before and during the game to deal with rotation/injuries/suspensions etc. There is always something you can be doing to try and succeed rather than stick with your favoured formation, sign players that fit the formation, scout for wonderkids, sign them win everything then get bored and quit your save. Challenges are where it’s at in FM for me and this one is the hardest and most enjoyable.