twoleftfeet

September Results Osusuna (A) 0-1 Win This was a ‘job-done’ type of game. A match we were favourites for, on ability and form, and we played like it. Despite an early burst from Osusuna, and two injuries to Brengeur and Vilalibre, the former of which breaking his foot potentially ending his career here as he is 33, we controlled the game, Inaki finally nabbing a lovely one-twoesque goal after overloading their back line, and performing very well up front in the PF(A) role. Judging by our shot locations, we really should have scored more, 12 coming within the box and in a very dangerous areas. We often had their back line one-on-one like this occasion but scuffed some our chances (Inaki was offside in this chance), with Sancet (our AP(A)) dropping in to the slots, dragging a defender or a defensive midfielder up, leaving our front three to go to work. I was happy with this result, Arregi playing well again and Inaki finally giving us a good performance. A good start to the month. Atletico (H) 2-0 Win I stuck with my initial plan for this game, matching Atletico man for man and the results were fantastic. The scoreline did not totally reflect the game, although we were deserved winners, it was a punchy affair. Vencedor fired in a free kick from 30 yards out and then provided an assist for the second goal late into the second half to secure the game. The result was made more extraordinary by the fact that we lost our starting left back Munoz for two weeks with an ankle sprain, needing to be replaced by youngster Eduardo Garmendia. I was extremely happy with the tactic as well, Monreal dropping deep and overlapping with Sancet up front, I may look to tweak this and start them offset from each other to give them more freedom. Our left back advanced further up and provided the width we needed. Garmendia came straight in and performed admirably backing up the injured Munoz, our entire back 4 performed very well and worked effectively with the defensive midfield forming a solid block. The victory was marred by yet another injury, this time to youngster Arregi with a gashed , we really are at barebones now, with four key players out with injuries. Real Betis (A) 1-0 Loss Our first defeat of the season and I would be lying if I said it was unexpected. We were well beaten in this game, Betis controlled the game from the start and never appeared to relent, the 1-0 scoreline made us look better then we were. Roles were very much reversed, as we were the side struggling for possession, our makeshift backline of Vivian and Alves (replacing injured Arregi) could not deal with the continued offensive onslaught, made worse by Nolaskoain having a poor game at the base of midfield with Vincedor getting a well deserved rest. I identified early in the game that their wing-backs were tearing us apart, something I should have identified pre-game, they accounted for 40% of their key passes and 70% of them came from out wide; right-back Vitinho ended up man of the match evidently. I tried to funnel them inside, but with our midfield and defense playing poorly, they offered little resistance. To be fair to us, we did have two big chances late in the game where youngster Garmendia found found his opposite Sola for a clear shot on goal, but sadly he could not convert, it would have been very undeserved. I've had the idea of creating notes for each loss, like this one to help me with the return legs, I might start to do it for victories as well to remember what I implemented to achieve success. I never really use the notebook feature and building up a almanac of sorts on teams might be useful. No other individual performances of late, Orbegozo was serviceable in midfield, and was the only member of the trio providing impact. We move on from this one, no injuries at least! Espanyol (A) 1-2 Win This was a testing game if I am being honest, a drab first half and a spectacularly busy second half. Not much action until right on the stroke of half-time when they managed a goal from a poorly defended corner, youngster Mikel Lasa was unfortunately to blame, as a lapse in concentration meant we were down 1-0 going into half time (although how they managed to score from this scenario is beyond me). We started to gain control early in the second, prompting me to switch to our more attacking 4-2-3-1 with Monreal offset from the attacking midfielder and it worked a treat, we responded on the 70th minute mark and continued to pile the pressure on before a lucky Espanyol own goal gave us the lead. Benito went down in the box on the 90th minute and earned us a penalty, Monreal regrettably not taking advantage, which left us with a nervy 5-minutes of extra time, where we eventually held on. Tactically I learnt from the Betis game, halting Espanyol's wing-backs completely, you can see the comparison between Espanyol's key passes below and Betis' key passes above, in fact, 6 of the shown key passes were free kicks, I was very happy with that result. I was also happy with the change to the 4-2-3-1, with the space created in behind our striker, allowing Nico Williams freedom to run rabid (of which he did when we changed formation), and with the defensive three that formed when we had the ball (ignore the 12th man on the pitch) giving us a sort of 3-3-3-1 shape in attack. I'm very happy with the result of this game and how we really wrestled our way to a win. Game Notes Girona (A) 0 - 3 Win Our final match of a busy September month, rounding it out with an emphatic victory over newly promoted Girona. I employed our 4-2-3-1 for this game and boy was it effective. Creating an xG of 2.04 from 18 attempts, not world changing numbers, but away from home, after a busy month, I was very happy. The shot map below shows how many good opportunities we created and this pass map was beautiful to look at. Having Monreal drop deep, we were able to draw their defense up which allowed Sancet and Vincedor to feed balls in to space for Martin (who netted twice) and Nico Williams, more on him later. This game also saw the return of Arregi and Munoz essentially making up our full strength side. Arregi now being labelled a wonderkid! A strong result for us again performing to expectation. Game Notes September Review A very successful month for us, we were able to get some really strong results, despite the early injury issues, winning 4 out of the 5 games we played. Defensively we were superb, only conceding twice in the whole month giving us an excellent defensive record in the league. We sit only Behind Real Madrid on goal difference, and 4 points clear of third. Our attacker numbers have cooled somewhat from August, likely due to the stretch of away games and our injuries, and our attacking numbers continue to bewilder me, looking at our numbers we barely do anything on the defensive end, instead we seem to pass teams to death. We complete a staggering 600 passes per game, even more bewildering is the fact that we don't even lead that figure. Sociedad complete, on average, 800 passes per game! Nonetheless, it is good to see our general performance continuing despite the challenging run yet, there is a hint of over performance, grabbing 4 more points then what is expected of us. Still it is good to start well. Player Performances Unai Vencedor, this month belonged to our star man, putting up solid performances in every game, providing both defensive solidity and offensive thrust, several of our victories are a direct result of his impact. He's also scored and assisted twice each, which is remarkable from our midfield Anchor. I hope more is to come. Malcolm Ares has popped up to be somewhat of a super-sub this month, not once has he started a game but, once he is on the pitch, he really changes the game, grabbing the crucial settler against Atletico. Having a p;ayer like this off the bench is always useful. Nico Williams has been quite underwhelming so far, granted he has just returned from injury, so I can afford him some leeway even so, in 5 games he is yet to provide a goal or an assist, in a role where I want him to be one of our main threats. I may look to change his role, as perhaps the IF(A) is two one-dimensional for such a solid player. His form issues have been made worse by his request for a new contract, of which I'm happy to give him, as he is such a good talent, however we simply cannot afford his $22million pa salary request, which means we are likely going to have an unhappy player. Not good for morale!

September Preview September brings our first international break and the end of the transfer window, we have three players on international duty. Martin Iturrino with the French u21s, Vencedor with Spain, and Inaki Williams with Ghana, I am hoping we can build on these numbers but, it is nice to have most of the squad for training. We had a barrage of late transfer offers for Vencedor from both Liverpool and Real Madrid, rejecting both as, one, i don't want to let him go as we have no replacement, and two, he doesn't want to leave, what a bonus. We also received some surprise offers for youngster Martin Iturrino from Manchester City, an offer which could rise to $22million and a nice sell on percentage however, I don't want to sell youngsters until I have given them a fair chance in the first team. Our schedule this month is busy and a lot more challenging then our first month, with only one home game and four away games! Atletico and Betis are going to prove the hardest test, both having solid starts to the season. I will look to focus on the Atletico game, and as they play a 4-3-3, I may look to match them positionally and play a 4-2-3-1 and mark their key players, we should have Nico Williams back for this match which will be a welcome boost. The other three matches against Osasuna, Espanyol and Girona should be less of a test, however we will be traveling for these matches, so that adds some difficulties. We are also faced with 5 matches in 20 days, so squad depth will be tested, a chance to give some of our youngsters a run. Tactical Finagling I want to get Kepa Monreal some game time, and I see him as a DLF or a F9, I like these positions as they can create some overloads that the opposition can't deal with, pairing him with an AM(A) and an IF(A) on the right might provide a strong offensive threat. Committing several players forward may leave us exposed, so I will trial running two DMs to protect our back line whilst encouraging my left back to bomb on. My right back will tuck in, but will still provide support if necessary. It may look something like a 3-2-5 in attack, giving our midfield a lot of work to do. Another reason behind this trial, is to get Sancet involved as a DLP which he has good attributes for, pairing him with the do-it-all Vincedor should allow him more freedom. I will also press up a bit more then we would in our 4-3-3 as we have the numbers forward to do so and the pace at the back to sweep up any long balls.

August Results Almeria (H) 2-2 Draw My first game in charge and we were up against a plucky Almeria side, who finished just 4 points shy of Champions League football last season, resulting in them being favorites going into this match. They started like it. Nabbing two quick goals, one from an Arregi missed header and the other a super free kick, after those two efforts they offered very little. We rallied in the second half, scoring two in quick succession. Some solid interplay resulted in new boy Nolaskoain scoring at the near post and then an absolute world beater from Berenguer to tie it up. After that excitement, the match dried up and both sides offered very little. A draw is okay when we were not expected to win. Tactically we were solid, the two goals I would argue were unlucky and not a result of a defensive system break down however, going forward we offered very little. 58% possession for 5 shots is not ideal, especially when those 5 shots created an xG of 0.4. Looking at our pass map, we appeared to be hemmed into our back half, our front three getting very little touches and not having much impact on the game. My wingbacks were also kept much deeper then I would like, when really, I want them moving up and getting more involved. Almeria’s 4231 pressed us well, so we this could be a result of this. I will change some things for our next match. Racing (A) 0-2 Win My first win as manager and a convincing one at that, we performed to expectation, achieving a 0-2 victory away from home. I was much happier with this performance, we were on top from the start and controlled the entire game. It took until the 51st minute to score however where Iriarte provided the assist for Martin’s opener after winning the ball back high up the pitch and feeding it into the box. Iker Arregi doubled the lead ten minutes later with a lofted header into the back corner and we were sitting comfortable. I gave some game time to some of our youngsters towards the end of the game and this resulted in some defensive slip ups, but we maintained our clean sheet. Our pass map looked more to my liking, our wing-backs pushing up and getting more involved, this freed up our midfielders to operate in more space. A much better performance alround. Ibon Iriarte played well cutting in on the right wing and is taking advantage of Nico’s absence. Alex Sola bounced back with a impressive game at right back, after a poor performance which required a word. Our midfield trio operated extremely well together, Martin operating well in the Advanced Playmaker role. Another poor performance from Vilalibre upfront is frustrating, but not worrisome just yet. Elche (H) 3-0 Win I had a match plan going into this tie, with Elche having two key contributors. Lautaro Blanco their left back was their main offensive threat, providing the most offensive thrust and looking at their previous pass maps, a lot of possession went through him. Their advanced play-maker Arie Boye was also key to their attacking threat. I set youngster Iriarte a task to mark Blanco and Vencedor to mark Boye and I was rewarded brilliantly. A 3-0 thrashing and complete control of the game, we threatened all game and should have been 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes if not for some wayward shooting by Iriarte. We kept Blanco to a 6.3 and Boye to a 6.7, both had no impact at all on the game, and were substituted off. Elche managed just 3 shots and were well and truly shut out. Vilalibre netted twice to get his season tally off an running, although missed out on a hat-trick after scuffing his second penalty chance. Nolaskoain continued his scoring run with another well worked goal from midfield and is proving to be a great signing. Ibon Iriarte continues to reward me for giving him a chance on the right wing with another solid performance and is benefitting from the playing time. Our midfield trio again performed very well together, it is only early days, but we seem to have a good balance of defense and attack. August Review We end August sitting atop the table with a league best goal difference, tied with Barcelona, and one of 4 remaining teams unbeaten. Our attacking numbers are exceptional, outperforming in just about every facet of the game, I am encouraged by our passing data as we are dominating possession and not allowing the opposition much time on the ball. Defensively we have some interesting data, again we look quite passive in defense yet we are the 3rd best defensive side xG wise. I’d say without an out and out ball winner, we likely cede possession and encourage the opposition to make a risky pass. I may look to introduce a BWM against the bigger sides. It is only early days, so I can’t look to much into the numbers just yet, but still positive start. Player Performances Alex Berengeur, despite my best efforts to offload him in the summer, has shown that he still has a role to play in this side. Providing two goals and an assist in opening three games, with a crucial performance against Almeria. He was quiet against Elche but was still involved. Iker Arregi has stepped in like a veteran, using his height to his advantage, winning 63 headers in three games, one being a goal against racing, interestingly he has only made one tackle and is averaging just over 2 interceptions a game. Another key to his performance is his passing numbers, completing almost 300 passes at 94%, granted these are basic passes, but its nice to know he isn’t giving the ball away. Inaki Williams has been a bit underwhelming, only managing a best rating of 7.1 in a dominant win against racing. I am still deciding where his best role is, whether he is better up front of on the wing, and with Berengeur having a good start to the season and Vilalibre getting on the score sheet, it might be starts of the bench until I see an improvement. Youth Teams The season has not started yet for our u19 team or B/C-teams, so I will wait until the end of September to update how they are going. However, our B-team and C-team have been impressive in preseason, so I am looking forward to a good start.

Preseason I forgot to mention preseason results. We started with a goal-fest against our u19s, Vilalibre bagging 5! This wasn’t really a test for us, just a good opportunity to see the players run out. However our defensive frailties would be evident through the preseason, largely due to us only having one centre-back. Three wins, two draws, and one shock loss to Espanyol, where I essentially fielded our youth team. Our matches were very dull, we did not create enough, statistically speaking in the first 3 games, despite the results. I encouraged wing-backs to get further forward and asked our midfielders to look for them, this appeared to improve performances, again statistically, however we leaked 8 goals from an xG of 2.1. So I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Our possession numbers are impressive however, this doesn’t really mean anything if we aren’t doing anything with the ball though, I may look to encourage more direct play if we can’t get results from our high possession. I will stick with this tactic for the first month or so, and then make changes where necessary.

August, 2028 We start our first run of league games for the season, with a favourable start. Almeria look to be the most challenging game as they made it into Europe last season and have several strong attackers. Relegation favoruites Racing, and Elche should be less of a challenge and will hopefully get us off to a nice start. Unfortunately, Nico Williams has pulled his calf and will miss 4 weeks, frustrating as he is our best attacking outlet, so youngster Ibon Iriarte will be seeing some early game-time. If we can make it out of this run with 7 points, we will be off to a great start.

Thank you! Hoping I can actually see some results from it, I've always struggled promoting youth prospects, so this will be a good challenge. Really keen to get stuck into this team, thanks for the support.

August, 2028 We start our first run of league games for the season, with a favorable start. Almeria look to be the most challenging game as they made it into Europe last season and have players like Luka Sucic and 200cm giant Sasa Kalajdzic up front who could prove troublesome. Racing and Elche should be less of a challenge and will hopefully get us off to a nice start, we will look to attack more against these sides and start to grow some confidence. Unfortunately, Nico Williams has pulled his calf and will miss 4 weeks, so youngster Ibon Iriarte will be seeing some early game time. If we can make it out of this run with 7 points, we will be off to a great start.

Transfers In Only two player signings this window, we did not have a lot of money to work with and our options were quite limited. Our business was wrapped up quite quickly, which meant we could prepare well for the upcoming season. Iker Arregi, 20yo D(C) – My scouting team were struggling to find suitable defensive options, but managed to find Arregi in the Sociedad B-team, for a fee of $22 million. I’d say it was a touch on the high side, however Iker has fantastic mental attributes for someone his age and I is rated at La Liga standard. Comparing very well with Vivian, our other (only) center back option, he has a great combination of height and speed as well, his only weakness is the technical side of his game. This is something we can work on however, and considering he was the only defender available at his age, I had to pull the trigger. And he is left footed!! Peru Nolaskoain, 29yo D(C), DM(C),M(C) – I wanted to avoid signing players over the age of 27, however there really was very little options on the market. Peru came from recently relegated Real Sporting and can play anywhere up the middle of the field, he’s not a world beater by any stretch, but he affords me tremendous flexibility and can be employed it any of the more defensive roles. Transfers Out No outgoings as of yet, although bids have been coming in for Vencedor, some at $125million, an offer I would usually accept, however there are no plausible replacements for him. I am trying to bin off some of my older B-team players however no one seems to be interested in them. Future Targets Three players have appeared through scout reports that I would be very keen on signing in the future, the pick of the bunch being Raul Alcalde. A midfielder that has capabilities in just about every aspect of the game, I have identified him as the heir to Vencedor although $120million is way out of our price range. Aimar is a creative winger that would serve as a capable replacemet for the ageing Inaki Williams and Berengeur, the latter of which I tried to sell. If I could get this guy in before he gets closer to 30 I would be quite happy. Interestingly the last target, Jamie Garmendia, is rated best as a ball winning midfielder, however I think he would be perfect up front in, a big tall forward who can run all day and harass defenders. He could be a very strong option going forward again, we are just out-priced and I think he is bit overvalued at $63million. On another side note, we have finally announced our new kits for the season! We have signed a deal with Kelme until 2030 worth $17million and they have produced two beautiful kits.

Tactical Setup I am really fond of using a 433, as I believe its the perfect blend between attack and defense, it also provides plenty of flexibility. In terms of squad balance, our attackers are our best asset so I want to allow them to have the most freedom to work, I also want my wing-backs to provide the width and overlap, this is the reasoning behind an Anchor at the base of our midfield providing cover. Vencedor is our best player and could arguably play in any of the three midfield spots however, he is our only 'defensive' midfielder and the 6 spot is the most important for this tactic. The two roles I am not set on are the Striker and advanced midfielder, Vilalibre is best suited to a PF(A) and had 17 goals last season, which is a decent tally for a mid table side, yet the PF can sometimes get lost in possession. Other options are an AF or F9, the latter of which I'd be keen to implement to get Kepa Monreal in the side however it would require some tactical finagling. The more advanced midfield role is another one up in the air, as I would like to have a playmaker sitting in between the lines to play in Williams (Nico) and Villalibre, Sancet is our best playmaker but just lacks the dribbling to be put further forward. I may trial a CM(A) to see if that provides better options. Our Second tactic, one that we will likely implement when we are strong favourites, is a very fluid 4231, this is the formation I'll use to get Kepa Monreal in the side. Our wingbacks will maraud forward again, with the two DMs forming a box with the defenders for cover, our front 4 will then be left to pick apart the opposition defense. I want the F9 to drop in and free up space for the SS and the RW, with the LW providing a bit more support. I may change the SS to a AM(A) if I am not getting any performances out of that position. This formation will likely feature less often.

The Eleven Villagers – Athletic Club 1889, Sunderland Daily Echo reports of a football match between English sailors docked in Bilbao, a city in the midst of rapid industrial development. Little did they know, that this game would provide the area enough inspiration to give birth to Atheltic Club, one of the Spains most historic football sides. Athletic are well known for their Basque only rule and they have produced some prestigious talent over the years. However, as football transfers have become more frequent, Bilbao have struggled to keep up in recent years, still without a league title since 1984. This is something I am hoping to change. Preface I have been playing football manager for over a decade now and have been lurking around this forum, as well as sortitoutsi, and I have loved following along with peoples saves. FM is hands down my favourite game and I thoroughly enjoy creating stories in my head to go along with my saves, so I thought I might start writing some of it down. This save starts six seasons into a journeyman that I had already up and running, so the football world (my database I suppose) is well fleshed out now. I will continue this save on with the same manager, as I like the depth and realism (kind of) that it adds. Manager Background My manager career started at Winkel Sport, a little-known club, in a little-known part of Belgium. Managing to scrape survival with a last day victory finishing 16th. The very next season, our form turned dramatically, and we rebounded to win the league convincingly, my first trophy as a manager. We had greatly over-achieved and were facing serious financial troubles, knowing our inevitable failure I departed to recently relegated Sint-Truiden, where I inherited several Belgian prospects. Starting the season well (our side was far too good for this league), we kicked on and stormed the league, winning by 24 points, a second trophy to my name. I would continue two more seasons with Sint-Truiden blooding youngsters at every opportunity, whilst maintaining a strong challenge in the league. We recorded a 3rd and 4th placed finish in the following two seasons, which was enough to catch the eye of Athletic Club who came knocking to replace sacked Vincenzo Montella. This was a side I had dreamed of managing, so I jumped at the offer. I hope it was not a mistake… Career Summary Manager Profile Athletic Club Athletic Club commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as Los Leones (The Lions) and plays its home matches at the San Mamés Stadium. Its home colours are red and white-striped shirts with black shorts. Athletic are the fourth most successful club in La Liga with eight titles to their name. In the competition of Copa del Rey titles, Athletic is second only to Barcelona, having won it 23 times. It is also the most successful Basque football club in both league and cup titles won. (Wikipedia) State of the Club Bilbao find themselves in a transition period, with several key players well north of 30, along with others retiring, the club is in need of a rebuild and a steady hand to guide them through this likely prickly period. A club that currently finds itself $45million in debt, with little room to move in players sales, it will be a challenge to maintain the squad dynamics and league competitiveness, whilst balancing the books at the same time. 5 players are set to retire, which will save on wages but, will leave us in a precarious with squad depth. Squad Overview We have quite a small squad, that is very top heavy. Of our top 10 players, only three are 27 or under, and four of them a 30+. It is not a horrible place to be in squad wise, however, we only have one centre back at first team level and the drop off after our top 10 is quite violent. Nico Williams and Unai Vincedor are the standouts, and I will be building the team around these two, our midfield trio is rounded out by Oihan Sancet and Ivan Martin, who are good players for the league, so we will have no issue there. 33yo Inaki Williams is still kicking on the left wing and can still play a role for us. Our issues are clear, we need to find a partner for Dan Vivian in defence as our first transfer goal. We unfortunately do not have any players coming through in this position either, so this will be the main focus of my first transfer window. Squad Experience u19 Squad and Key Prospects Our u19 squad has several promising prospects coming through, Mikel Prieto at just 15yo looks to be very exciting, he is still a very raw prospect but has plenty of time to grow into a serviceable player. Jon Beita is also showing great potential, another 15yo that already has strong technicals, once is physical and mental side improves, he will be a solid player. Marcos Iriondo has bags of potential also, but is 2 years old than the other two, so will need to start improving soon. It is unlikely that this trio will see any first team game time this season. U19 Squad The B-team needs some work, there are several payers aged 23 or over who I will need to move on to give more oppurtunity to our youngsters. However, I want to avoid completely gutting the side, as I would like them to be playing in a good division, so all our youngsters face some quality opposition. Mikel Lasa (We have two of the same name, so the midfield one ) is the strongest prospect in the squad and I am hoping to see some development from him. Other then him and maybe Aitor Llopis, our B-team is quite average. Bilbao Athletic Squad Key Prospects Martin Iturrino - 17yo Frenchmen who has solid technicals and mentals, his physicals are not good enough to start out on the wing currently, so a move into midfield might be in his future. Still plenty of room to grow, one to look out for. Oscar Orbegozo - 18yo Spaniard, who is already capped at u18 level, he has the foundations to become a top level playmaker, he needs a lot of work in other aspects of his game, but if he improves upon his weaknesses, he could become a top player for us. Ibon Iriarte - Another youngster who is capped at youth level for spain, Ibon has both the techincals and the physicals to be a winger, and a potential back up for Nico Williams. He lacks heavily in the mental side so he will need some mentoring. Player Development When you think of Spanish football, you envisage quick passing, possession, and triangles, Iniesta, Xavi, this brand of football is the true beautiful game and a style that had dominated not only the Spain but the whole of Europe. This article https://playerdevelopmentproject.com/the-spanish-effect/ provided a great insight into why many players coming out of Spain are so technically sound and comfortable on the ball. It has inspired me to implement these methods at Athletic Club and will form the framework for a tactical identity that I hope to establish at the club. There are several attributes that I have identified as key areas of individual player development, three technical attributes and three mental attributes. Cruyff put it perfectly “football is played with the head and executed by the feet” therefore, decisions, anticipation, and teamwork I felt best fit the mental side of the game and, Technique, Passing, and First Touch covered the technical side. These attributes would be the key focus of all player development and each player will be assessed in their progress, whilst also not ignoring other key attributes that may need further development. Academy Pathway Managing Athletic Club has the benefit of its B-team playing in an established league, as well as Basconia, our C-team who also play in a league at a lower level. I have fleshed out a development pathway for all players coming from our youth intakes to eliminate the need for loans, as I have never had much success with players heading out on loan and I want to try a new approach. The idea behind keeping all players at the club, is so I can have full control over their development and continue to produce ‘Athletic Club’ players. This is an ideal structure for player development, but there will likely be cases that skew from this. Signing of academy prospects will be left solely up to my HOYD. Recruitment and Team Development As many of you may now, Bilbao have the added challenge of a Basque only signing policy, which is why this team has such a strong focus on youth development. However, this is not a youth only challenge and I will be bringing players in that suit the requirements of the team. I do not want to throw a 17yo player who is nowhere near 1st team level into the fire as this will only hurt their development. I will recruit with the several key focuses in mind,strengthening areas of weakness first and foremost, building the team from back to front (Attack wins games, Defense wins championships, I think Ferguson said that?), ensuring that all player signings meet the tactical identity laid out above, and lastly, sign players of low value that can be developed and sold on for a profit. I will try to avoid signing players under the age of 18, as I want to give my academy players the best opportunity, I also will try to avoid signing players that are not first team ready for the same reason. Recruitment will be shared between myself, my chief scout, and my director of football. I will allow my Chief scout to set up some assignments, however I will also add some of my own that I think will be of use (we can only really scout one nation, but its good to know the rest of the world), also I want to allow my DOF to make moves in the market, as they can often come up with some real bargains and he might be able to spot players that have not come up in scout reports. All signings with have final confirmation from me prior to completion. Staff Responsibility As there are several squads to worry about at Bilbao, I will have sole focus on players that make up the 1st XI. Therefore, I will oversee all tactics, training, and individual development for these players. As the manager this is my job, I also want to try to dip into training a bit more then I usually would for this team, as I have often resorted to downloading presets before. I might delve into some real life training examples to get some ideas. When it comes to signing staff members, I will sign the 1st squad staff members, including medical and scouting team, the u19s team will be left to the HOYD, except for the manager, who I will choose. The B-team and Basconia will be left to my DOF, again except for the manager. All staff signings will be vetted by myself as to avoid any weird contracts or poor personalities. Training - U19s team – Week to week training will be lead by the u19s manager and his staff, I will also leave individual training largely to him, although I will jump in in necessary cases and for the more promising prospects that I have 1st team plans for - B-team – the same will apply for the B-team, however I will leave individual training for this case, as I do not want to interfere too much with team as they are playing in a proper league. - Basconia – all training, including individual will be left to the Basconia manager. U19s Manager B-team Manager Basconia Manager- Still yet to be signed Last Season Performance Looking at the data from last season, we really were an average side. Our attack and defense tactics are basically identical to league averages, our only outliers were our cross completion percentages and our defensive actions. Our numbers suggest that we weren't particularly assertive defensively, which may have been the cause of our lower half finish. A 13th place finish is under performing for the quality of players available, but understandable considering the unbalanced squad. Board Expectations The club is aiming for a solid mid-table finish, essentially for the foreseeable future which is very achievable despite the shortcomings of this squad. This affords me the time to bed in some youngsters and maybe make some moves in the transfer market. Growing the reputation will be easy if we can sneak into European places, or maybe edge a cup, otherwise we won't be making nay blockbuster signings. High-tempo pressing football is favoured, I may look to play this way in games we expect to win or at home, but i may go for solidity when we are underdogs. Everything else is quite straightforward, and of course no non-Basques.