Football Manager 2020

[stokeriño]

Well, I can't do anything about that.  

Got given an ultimatum by the board: get 9 points from the subsequent 5 games, or get sacked.

The first 4 games left us in this position:

How did the Kettering game go, you ask?

TWO MINUTES. TWO GOALS IN TWO MINUTES AWAY FROM GETTING SACKED. 

Jesus fucking Christ.

[King Ellis]

Is that former Wolves CB Roger Johnson? If I'd known he was around I totally would have got him. As it is, I do have Jay McEveley playing back there.

I got Romario Viera in as well actually, if only caus I was able to whittle him down to like £100 a week. Only a fringe player mind.

[RazorsEdge]

2020/2021 Transfers Out:
Yoshinori Muto to Alaves for £8M
Karl Darlow to Huddersfield for £2.5M
Jacob Murphy to Almeria for £2.9M
Ciaran Clark to Nante for £1.7M
Florian Lejeune to Cagliari for £6.75M
Achraf Lazaar to Portsmouth for £550K
Paul Dummett to Fulham for £4M

Transfers In:
Jerome Onguene from RB Salzburg for £19.75M
Sander Berge from KRC Genk for £7.75M
Martin Terrier from Lyon for £9.5M
Ferro from Benfica for £33.5M
Marco Varnier from Atalanta for £3.6M
Ricardo Esgaio from Braga for £10M

So started off as planned by solidifying the defense by splashing cash on Onguene and Ferro. Tottenham also allowed me to extend Troy Parrott's loan so I didn't need to invest in a striker. Berge was brought in because there was nobody to fill Carles Alena's spot if he is injured (all my other central midfielders are BBMs). Terrier was brought in to replace the underperforming Muto (and also appease the board's under 23 players signed requirement). Marco Varnier was added when I realised I could let Paul Dummett go as Varnier is younger and hopefully will be better than Dummett. Ricardo Esgaio was an unexpected purchase as Allan Saint-Maximin broke his leg in a friendly and is out for 5 months (which was of course followed up by Matt Ritchie fracturing his leg and being out for 2 months). He's naturally a right-back/wing-back but is pretty good on the wing from the looks of things. Him being a wing-back will allow me to let DeAndre Yedlin go later in the season. He was my last ditch choice after Xherdan Shaqiri and Reiss Nelson both rejected coming here on loan and Inter weren't interesting in loaning be Gabriel Batista. So now we line up a bit like this:-

GK - Andre Onana / Freddie Woodman / Rob Elliot
DCR - Jorge Mere / Fabian Schar
DC - Jerome Onguene / Jamaal Lascelles
DCL - Ferro / Marco Varnier
WBR - Jayden Bogle / DeAndre Yedlin
WBL - Jetro Willems / Matt Ritchie +
MCR - Carles Alena / Sander Berge
MCL - Sean Longstaff / Isaac Hayden / Matty Longstaff
AMR - Allan Saint-Maximin + / Ricardo Esgaio
AML - Miguel Almiron / Martin Terrier
STC - Joelinton / Troy Parrott

Pretty happy with how I'm reshaping the team so far. I have £6.1M left in the transfer budget and £60K p/w left in the wage budget. I think my next major transfer move will be to find a permanent backup striker for Joelinton.

Funnily enough I did look at Uruguayan Diego Rolan who I could've got when his contract expired but I thought his wages were a bit too high. He ended up agreeing to go to Aston Villa (who ended up getting relegated shortly afterward) and now he is demanding to leave because they haven't brought in a friend for him to settle in better. He's played 3 friendlies.

[stokeriño]

Not been a good evening for me, football-wise.

[FestiveJack]

Did a test where I brought Fergie back to be United manager.

It went quite well: 

Chelsea collapsed massively in the second half of the season - they were 2nd in January:

Spoiler

Liverpool sacked Klopp after coming 5th, and having saved the world without signing a single player, Fergie retired again.

[RazorsEdge]

Cool thanks game.

[Malenko]

6 hours ago, stokeriño said:

Not been a good evening for me, football-wise.

You should have spenny moor.

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry.

[stokeriño]

2 hours ago, Malenko said:

You should have spenny moor.

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry.

The irony of this is that an inability to get rid of players to free up wage budget probably contributed to the above outcome.

Oh well. Did the ol' "You can't fire me! I quit!" routine and now I'm managing FC United of Manchester instead. Just come back up from the Northern Premier League and have the objective of "battle bravely against relegation". I like having no real expectations.  

[SquareRootOfSi]

Trudging my way to the January transfer window in my Coventry save. 3rd season in and barring a few confusing a sh*t games everything is going well. Still struggle with ANY team lower than me (league, nation or otherwise) but am able to go toe-to-toe with clubs i consider significantly better than me.

REALLY need an out-and-out goal scorer in January as Matt Godden and Philipp Hosiner have seen there goals dry up this season (granted Godden was injured for 2 months at the very start). My loan striker (Timo Regouin) is a beast in the Euro Cup II (6 goals in 5 group games) but can't find the net in the league. Problem is I have 0 transfer funds and i'm abour 2k-3k over my wage budget (I packed out the coaching staff this season and that nudged me over) and despite taking the club into circa 7m balance (from less than 1m) the board wont give me extra funds. I'm still on the bottom of the wage table for the Championship.

I have targets that I want to bring in but I'm not sure I can shift 2 over 30 strikers who have dropped in the goal scoring department. They've both signed new contracts so should I just stick out the next 2-3 years and bring players in when I can?

I'm also having players complain about the lack of depth in midfield... I play 3-2-1-2-2 or 3-3-1-2-1 (wingbacks and a dm) and I have 3 first team players for the CM position and at least 2-3 players for the wings...what am I lacking Is it the DM position (I only have 2 players for it but rarely run that formation). Sometimes I don't understand the complaints or what a player considers to be an ideal number of players?

Edited January 23, 2020 by SquareRootOfSi

[Gazz]

It's not the number of players when it comes to depth, but their ability. You could have 20 Championship standard midfielders, but if you're in the Premier League, you're going to be lacking depth.

[SquareRootOfSi]

20 hours ago, Gazz said:

It's not the number of players when it comes to depth, but their ability. You could have 20 Championship standard midfielders, but if you're in the Premier League, you're going to be lacking depth.

Thank you! Thank makes a load more sense. My DMs are both 2* atm which is probably the issue (everyone else is 3* and above...i hope that's enough for a 'should struggle for survival champ team').

One of my DM's is Jack Rodwell who likely wont be around next season (he'll have had 3 good years) and is a steady 2* now. However the best part is that for like the first time ever (in my memory) I've brought up a youth player as his replacement. Currently 2* Fredric Richard my 18 year old swiss/english dynamo with 5* potential. Excited to see where he goes but I have a VERY young squad atm with my GK being 20 and his backup 21.

[METALMAN]

so you're looking for someone to slide into your DMs?

[stokeriño]

Me: "If we work hard we could avoid relegation this season." [note: media prediction for us is 17th, survival is 20th and above]

Players: "DON'T SAY THESE THINGS, THAT'S FAR TOO AMBITIOUS. HOW COULD YOU."    

Me: [throws hands up] "Why the fuck do I even bother..."

 

 

[stokeriño]

I think my team selection may be unduly influenced by players' names.

For instance, I signed/played an AMC at Brackley called Jazz Wallace, naturally nicknaming him to simply 'Jazz'. He never did anything of value, but I didn't care.

Similarly, my new striker at FC United is a fellow called Lewis Archer, because 'Archer' is just what a striker's name should be, damn it.

I am, however, a little concerned about the left winger I've inherited.

[Kyle]

I assume you're worried about him cocking up/dicking about/making a pun about penises?

[stokeriño]

Just that he may be a bit of a wanker, I guess.

[Gorka]

Me watching my West Ham side lose 3-2 against Norwich after being 2-1 up on 83 minutes to get 1 point from the first 5 games.

West Ham Way, my arse.

[Meacon Keaton]

39 minutes ago, stokeriño said:

I think my team selection may be unduly influenced by players' names.

For instance, I signed/played an AMC at Brackley called Jazz Wallace, naturally nicknaming him to simply 'Jazz'. He never did anything of value, but I didn't care.

Similarly, my new striker at FC United is a fellow called Lewis Archer, because 'Archer' is just what a striker's name should be, damn it.

I am, however, a little concerned about the left winger I've inherited.

As someone who loves to play FM, but knows, at most, four footie players, I always select my teams based on how fun/memorable their names are.

[King Ellis]

Just had a message pop up about one of my left backs being unhappy at his playing time. To be fair he has been out of the side a little recently but it's not like I've completely exiled him like I have some players. Then the rest of the squad chime in to back him, mostly from some of those aformentioned people I exiled.

For context, the one person who supports me is the other left back.

[Arjen Robben]

41 minutes ago, Meacon say “Hi People!” said:

As someone who loves to play FM, but knows, at most, four footie players, I always select my teams based on how fun/memorable their names are.

I think I get like this when the game is populated with top regens. I could look at someone with basically 20 for everything but a name like Wilf Herbert and I’m like nah shite. Look at Boca Juniors or something and see an Alejandro González Rodriguez Santamaria Centurion and immediately think “he sounds fucking brilliant, take my money.“