Football Manager 2021

[Hamingja]

How much does the brexit work permit thing suck. I can't sign a decent keeper for the life of me, even the old transfer listed ones won't have a bar of me. Finally I land some Finnish guy that was released by an english club on a free who would be borderline championship level and the work permit is denied arrrgggh.

 

[Hamingja]

The other thing I despise is the Papa John's Trophy. Why do they need another cup competition. I won and drew the first two group games and then the last group game was against Man City U23s who flogged me 5-0. In a relegation battle I don't need the morale of my team taking a battering. The worst thing was I still qualified for the next round and ran into the Leicester U23s. I just sent the worst XI players in my squad out and let them take the morale hit. The fans aren't even interested in it with a gate of 400 people so you don't even make money from it.

 

[cats2rise]

Ok so I love it despite the love hearts and not the numerical fitness.

After setting the world on fire with Sunderland (watching Sunderland Till I Die on Netflix) we were 2nd after about 15 games but then things turned to absolute sh*t and was 18th in March with the media saying the next game will be my last.... and now I have won 5 in a row and am back up to 10th, now just 6 pts off a promotion play-off spot with 10 games or so to go.

I decided to buy the “golden generation” from the store to spice the game up a bit so I stick around with Sunderland for years to come. I have a young GK, CM, DR and AMR coming to the club next season who could be wonderkids although unfortunately their mentalities are piss-poor... they are either lazy or mean spirited so it’s a bit of a buzzkill for a golden generation.

I finished my first season with Sunderland - I managed to claw my way back to 8th but was never in the hunt for a playoff spot after a dismal run between November and Feb.

During my last 15 or so games I went something like 10-4-1 so hopefully take that form into next season.

The club has £peanuts to spend and have some big wage earners with contracts about to run out. A shame I won’t get any transfer money for them but at least I get them off the wage bill. A 35 year old McGeady is on 12k a week which is killing me.

Just need to sign a LB and I reckon I have a squad capable of promotion. Want to wait till I am in the Championship before I do a big squad overhaul.

 

[cats2rise]

I finished my first season with Sunderland - I managed to claw my way back to 8th but was never in the hunt for a playoff spot after a dismal run between November and Feb.

During my last 15 or so games I went something like 10-4-1 so hopefully take that form into next season.

The club has £peanuts to spend and have some big wage earners with contracts about to run out. A shame I won’t get any transfer money for them but at least I get them off the wage bill. A 35 year old McGeady is on 12k a week which is killing me.

Just need to sign a LB and I reckon I have a squad capable of promotion. Want to wait till I am in the Championship before I do a big squad overhaul.

Managed to finish 2nd in my second season and was promoted to the Championship.

I am 20 games in and am 17th or so. After an ok start I went on an 11 game streak without a win and just couldnt quite find a tactic that worked, so went back to a 4-3-2-1 (which is what I started with) and found some form and have now gone 3-3-0 in my last 6 games.

With a transfer kitty of $2m I have gone hard on loans but made some wise choices which should be enough to keep me up, but also won’t help me progress in the long run. Having trouble getting anyone to want to sign permanently who has more than Championship level potential.

The aim is to secure safety this season and then hopefully push for a promotion spot next season if I can snaffle some aged stars who won’t mind dropping down a level to assist my pretty good core of youth.

 

[Hamingja]

I got Chester to League One and I thought I had a decent squad but was getting smashed so decided to restart at the bottom with a club with a bigger stadium and more growth potential so took on York.

York are a professional club and it seems a fair bit easier than Chester tbh who start as semi pro as you can actually get frees to join you / players in on loan from League Two at the start of the game. The downside is they want bigger wages and I'm about $3k over budget.

Only about a dozen games in but managed to pull off a nice heist in the second round of the FA cup. York in Conference North v. Ipswich in League One.



Pretty lucky on the shots on target v. goals right there but what a classic. I didn't believe that they could hang on right up to injury time in the second half. Then of course when you think they might actually do it Ipswich scored in the last minute of injury time to level. When they scored in extra time my whole team is just lit up red with the Conference North physical stats pushed way beyond their limit. I have no idea how they won.

 

[cats2rise]

Managed to finish 2nd in my second season and was promoted to the Championship.

I am 20 games in and am 17th or so. After an ok start I went on an 11 game streak without a win and just couldnt quite find a tactic that worked, so went back to a 4-3-2-1 (which is what I started with) and found some form and have now gone 3-3-0 in my last 6 games.

With a transfer kitty of $2m I have gone hard on loans but made some wise choices which should be enough to keep me up, but also won’t help me progress in the long run. Having trouble getting anyone to want to sign permanently who has more than Championship level potential.

The aim is to secure safety this season and then hopefully push for a promotion spot next season if I can snaffle some aged stars who won’t mind dropping down a level to assist my pretty good core of youth.

The second half of my first season in the championship was better than the first half. I was generally safe floating around 15th to 18th but I then clicked playing a 4-3-1-2 towards the end of March after loaning Parrott from Spurs at the end of January and ditching my attacking wingers.

I ended up 11th! Was very very happy with that.

My s**t* owner then sold my star, 18 year old Keeper for 25m as soon as the transfer window opened.

Ive pillaged Tottenham again with some bargains for future stars, and with a shrewd loan signing or two I am hoping I can push towards promotion.

Managed to loan Parrott again for the season - he’s good quality premier league player so expect him to absolutely dominate.

 

[Hamingja]

Always found the Championship the hardest to get out of. I got Worcester City to Europe on one of the earlier FMs and I reckon it took 3-4 years to get out of the Championship.

 

[cats2rise]

Always found the Championship the hardest to get out of. I got Worcester City to Europe on one of the earlier FMs and I reckon it took 3-4 years to get out of the Championship.

Tend to agree. Sometimes I get in a cycle of loaning good young players but having to say goodbye and never really progressing, or I can’t attract good players. Sometimes it’s been my fault where I’ve refused to spend in fear of not getting promoted.

In saying that, to start my second season in the Championship I am 4th and 8-1-2 after 11 games.

 

[BobbyMorri]

The other thing I despise is the Papa John's Trophy. Why do they need another cup competition. I won and drew the first two group games and then the last group game was against Man City U23s who flogged me 5-0. In a relegation battle I don't need the morale of my team taking a battering. The worst thing was I still qualified for the next round and ran into the Leicester U23s. I just sent the worst XI players in my squad out and let them take the morale hit. The fans aren't even interested in it with a gate of 400 people so you don't even make money from it.

welcome to real life. They ruined the tournament when they made it longer via the group stages and adding the under teams from the top leagues. And in that group, it is always the teams closest to you(etc your rivals). Prefer not to face them for hygiene reasons.

No one cares for it now. They haven't even played last years final yet. It has been postponed but no date has been scheduled.

 

[iluvparis]

Always found the Championship the hardest to get out of. I got Worcester City to Europe on one of the earlier FMs and I reckon it took 3-4 years to get out of the Championship.

Yeah for some reason the auto promotion points totals always seem absolutely mammoth and don't allow you to even have a single bad run of form over the year. 3rd-8th normally pretty close and even too so the playoffs are never a gimmie.

I had one season with Wimbledon where I was 3-0 up at half time in the playoff final against Norwhich and lost 4-3 after they scored an injury time winner from a direct free kick.

Thankfully the next year I played 3rd in the final game of the season and came from 2-0 down to beat them 3-2 and go straight up.

 

[cats2rise]

Yeah for some reason the auto promotion points totals always seem absolutely mammoth and don't allow you to even have a single bad run of form over the year. 3rd-8th normally pretty close and even too so the playoffs are never a gimmie.

100%
I am now 12-3-3 but 4th on GD only and could be 6th.

 

[Hamingja]

Good old fashioned bollocking



All the way down to league two but Bolton still play like they are managed by Allardyce with the 7 yellows and conceeding a penalty.



That's how my next opponent lined up, would it be a surprise if I said it ended 0-0. The AI can make it tough for you sometimes. Pacy strikers don't work so well when they have a back 7 blocking all the space. How the hell do you break that down.

 

[cats2rise]

Finished 4th in the Championship, and have made it through to the play off final which I will play if I get a chance tonight.

Ive been in a good mood all day.

Sunderland are on their way back to the Premier League - I can feel it.

 

[Hamingja]

Broke a record for the most number of points to make the playoffs. It's not one you want to have really. I went through the other 3 seasons and I would have won the league every year. Not even close to the auto promotion slots and then choked the playoff semi against Bristol....

 

[cats2rise]

View attachment 1058449

Broke a record for the most number of points to make the playoffs. It's not one you want to have really. I went through the other 3 seasons and I would have won the league every year. Not even close to the auto promotion slots and then choked the playoff semi against Bristol....

Great defence and only 5 losses too. Quality season!

 

[Hamingja]

Great defence and only 5 losses too. Quality season!

My back 4 is just boss. It's a struggle to attract top shelf attacking talent now I have hit league one. I ended up raiding the conference for newgens for this upcoming season so see how it goes.

 

[Cruyff14]

Speaking of regens.... here are some of mine. Bear in mind I bought these over 5+ seasons and I am now in 28/29

75m to replace Leno.



The only decent regen I that has come through my youth intake worth bragging about



Bought him at 17 from Hertha, 45m. Play him as CM predominantly, future captain.



An absolute steal at 1.2m from Atletico



Who doesn't like Monday's?



Beat United to this fella, check out those mental stats!



70m from Vigo, had to do it cos he was English, good, and versatile!



Backup to Haaland, just turned down a 150m bid from Bayern.



Another Ateltico youth prospect. They churn them out.



Got this guy for 55m from Atalanta. Another team who smash the regens.



Another midfield beast.



Very good backup RB.



Can play FB either side and a steal at 27m

 

[cats2rise]

My back 4 is just boss. It's a struggle to attract top shelf attacking talent now I have hit league one. I ended up raiding the conference for newgens for this upcoming season so see how it goes.

I was about to post about my recent success, but feel now is not the time after your promotion heartbreak.

 

[Hamingja]

I was about to post about my recent success, but feel now is not the time after your promotion heartbreak.

Go ahead. I have had successive promotions from Conference North so a consolidation year is not the worst thing anyway. It will leave me in better shape for the Championship when I get there.

 

[Hamingja]

Not quite as good as the newgens above but should do ok at League One level. Popped my premiership cherry beating Wolves on penalties in the second round of the league cup.

 

[Cruyff14]

View attachment 1059331
View attachment 1059332

Not quite as good as the newgens above but should do ok at League One level. Popped my premiership cherry beating Wolves on penalties in the second round of the league cup.

He probably didn't cost you 10s of millions of pounds either lol

 

[Hamingja]

He probably didn't cost you 10s of millions of pounds either lol

I think he was like $300k with 30% profit on sale or something like that.

 

[Dav]

been struggling to find a solid save but think I have one now, managing Leyton Orient who have been a team I've won Premier League titles with in FM15 and FM19. Never got all the way to a Champions League win though so that's my goal. Got promoted in my first season via the playoffs, now trying to keep that going in League One which in my experience is the toughest division in England.

 

[Dav]

* I love a good senior affiliate

linked up with Tottenham, so managed to sign this guy on a completely free loan and he's scored 18 goals in my first 13 games including 8 in the last 2. what's possibly more impressive is that he only has 8 expected goals so he's been incredibly clinical

 

[cats2rise]

Go ahead. I have had successive promotions from Conference North so a consolidation year is not the worst thing anyway. It will leave me in better shape for the Championship when I get there.

That’s true - I always think a consolidation year helps.

I am closing in on half way through my first season in the Premier League.

The squad isn’t great. I have 5 players who are decent Premier League standard or above, with the bulk of the squad being very good or leading Championship players.

My wingers had not really set the world on fire in either League 1 or the Championship regardless of tactics, so I looked at my squad and decided to cull all wide attacking players and focus on playing a 4-3-3 (3 CM, 3 STR) in games where I think I would be able to get a bit of the ball, and a 4-1-3-2 with a DM, 3CMs and 2 strikers and try and play attacking football (albeit with a defensive or counter-attacking squad set up). The strength in my squad is the strikers (4 all up - 2 good PL standard, 1 wonderkid of a decent standard and a backup) so I thought why not play with 3 strikers but have a 4 man central midfield to hide the defence and play no wide players.

My squad is only 19 players, with a few League 1 standard players in my reserves.

If/when I get injuries I am screwed, but I thought I would roll the dice.

I considered it likely that I would be relegated in all honestly - I have resigned myself to that - so I may as well go down swinging. The rise was quick with just two seasons in League 1 and then the Championship and with minimal money I wasn’t able to build the squad up properly.

Well, I am 17 games in and am 3rd.

Yep. 3rd.

10-4-3. Won 6 on the trot including a 2-1 over Chelsea, a huuuuuuuge 4-1 win over Man Utd at OT (honesty gotta be my favourite single game in any FM - I was going ballistic as we kept scoring and my wife was frowning at me for potentially waking the baby) and a 1-0 win over Tottenham who were on top of the league going into that match week.

It will fall in a heap. I will lose form or get injuries and the bare bones squad will be undone, but I have all but guaranteed my safety

This is honesty the most mad thing I have been part of in all my hours/tears in FM going back to FM08.

If - and it’s a huge if - I somehow sneak a Europe spot I think this will be up there with one of my proudest FM achievements. The odds still heavily favour a mid table finish if I am lucky. I can’t keep getting away with this.