Football Manager 2014

[Whisper]

After being unable to get back into my Hoffenheim save, I got the urge to start over with a Championship team. I normally steer clear of the Championship as, while I love taking teams into the Premier League, I find it such a pain in the arse league to get out of.

No such issues this time though as my Reading side cruised to the title, eventually finishing 12 points clear of second placed Notts Forest. It was an eventful season to say the least. The board wanted us to make the playoffs and on the way to winning the league we racked up 102 points, 103 goals and conceded 55. This despite a poor end to the season which saw us win just 5 of our last 10 games.

Adam Le Fondre finished top scorer with 25 goals, with back up striker Pogrebnyak bagging 15. In terms of signings, Jessie Lingard has been great, on loan from Man Utd. We've also had Rafal Wolski on loan from Fiorentina. My best signing was easily Harry Arter. £4 Million from Bournemouth. Highest average rating in the league. 16 assists and 15 goals after I converted him to AMC. I also brought in Boyata from City in January and he has started well, though had a few absolute stinkers.

I rested players in the cups, but a highlight was taking a strong Arsenal team to penalties at the Emirates in the COC.

Planning for the Premier League now and it will be interesting to see what sort of budgets I get. Already arranged the signing of a few youngsters, as well as 35 year old Claudio Pizzarro on a free. Looking to offload Wayne Bridge, Kaspars Gorks, Jobi Mcanuff and Chris Gunter at least, as I have younger players who play their positions better. Only downside is that Alex McCarthy, my first choice keeper, is unhappy and wants to go to a bigger club. Hopefully promotion will change his mind but, if not, I plan on demanding at least £10 million for him.

Other notable events included; surviving a board takeover, Blackburn missing out on the playoffs after a 10 point deduction for going into administration, and Charlton winning the FA Cup, beating Man City en route and then Liverpool in the final.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Whisper in the Wind

[brenchill]

So I ended up finishing 8th in my 3rd season with Villa, despite being predicted to finish 15th. My reward? £9m to spend.

I've had to do some wheeling and dealing, I haven't really improved the starting XI much but the squad is so much better now, here are my summer ins and outs:

INS

Eric Dier £1.8m

Craig Gerken £100k (sub goalkeeper)

Guido Pizarro £4m

Jordan Rhodes £4.5m

I was going to sign Knockaert but his wage demands were stupid. Also, Jason Steele chose Forest over me after I lined him up as Guzan's replacement.

OUTS

Pierre Michel-Lasoggo £4m

Nathan Dyer £4m

Scott Flinders £1m (My old reserve keeper, who Man City signed for no apparent reason)

My current squad is;

GK: Guzan, Gerken

DF: Balanta, Klose, Rojo, Dier, Lowton, Angulo, Celeban

MF: Josue, Westwood, Delph, Will Hughes, Mulumbu, Pizarro, Albrighton, Grealish

FW: Bony, Chicarito, Rhodes

[Gorka]

Always seemed to get a decent result against the top eight with Swansea, but Christ, this Villa side cannot seem to do anything positive when playing them.

[Cheeky Hughes]

Allione, my star player, wants a move to a big club after I rejected bids from Spurs, Dortmund and Wolfsburg.

Ipswich is a big club, right? Right?!

[JasonM]

Allione, my star player, wants a move to a big club after I rejected bids from Spurs, Dortmund and Wolfsburg.

Ipswich is a big club, right? Right?!

Fuck him and let him play whilst being miserable.

I got a kid at ABC (Bernardinho) A Brazilian with a German passport, who is getting hunted by all the big teams from PSG to Man Utd.

I tell those clubs to give me 10M + 50% next sale or to gtfo, they don't do it. Bernardinho gets pissy and I tell HIM to go fuck himself.

Like hell I'm gonna let him go, knowing that all the major European clubs want him. That's just the ultimate sign that he's a future god.

[brenchill]

But won't he just play shit and refuse to sign a contract extension? May as well take the cash if the big European sides want him. I usually take double what they are actually worth.

[Arjen Robben]

Went back to my Inter save from a few months ago this morning. Not sure why I stopped playing looking at the squad again, was such a fun squad.

Tempted to sell Canteros, and needlessly look to bring in Isco or Quintero, even though Calhanoglu has been great as an AMC. Might sell Praet too.

[JasonM]

But won't he just play shit and refuse to sign a contract extension? May as well take the cash if the big European sides want him. I usually take double what they are actually worth.

If he's on a 1 year deal, then you might get in contract trouble. He might play like shit, but he's still affected by general morale changes... So a few wins whilst coming off the bench still bumps his morale back up to good levels.

More often than not players ''get over it'' after enough time. As long as the teams aren't offering a contract you have to refuse every single week, they'll prolly stop moaning and open up once more after 3-6 months...

For Bernardinho, the player is on a deal till 2018, with me having 3 option years to add to that... So even if he wants to go on bosman, it's a long fucking wait.

[brenchill]

I've got Balanta locked in on a 4 year deal with a £45m release clause, muwahahahahahaha.

I had offers of £20m from PSG and Arsenal in the summer but there's no way I'm accepting that kind of offer. I would probably take £35m for him.

[TCO]

I've never had any real issues with players wanting out an refusing them. Generally they stop moaning after a few months and return to being happy again. Sometimes you can even tie them down to a new deal in that timeframe. Got used to that in the MLS, any good player I had wanted out after a good season. The only time I'd sell them was when they got down to a year left on their deal.

Short spell of dropped morale and performance is much better than constantly selling your best players.

[Cheeky Hughes]

Award for silliest name in my FM save goes to a Brazilian youngster who's currently being EYED by Diego Simeone's Man City. His name?

Mau-Mau.

[9 to 5]

Is he a naturalised Brazilian from Kenya then? >_>

[stokeriño]

I've never had any real issues with players wanting out an refusing them. Generally they stop moaning after a few months and return to being happy again. Sometimes you can even tie them down to a new deal in that timeframe. Got used to that in the MLS, any good player I had wanted out after a good season. The only time I'd sell them was when they got down to a year left on their deal.

Short spell of dropped morale and performance is much better than constantly selling your best players.

More commonly I accept a player's request to leave, no club has even the slightest interest in him and he comes crawling back within short order.

Although the number of times a player will put in a transfer request the day after the window shuts is thoroughly bemusing.

[Cheeky Hughes]

Is he a naturalised Brazilian from Kenya then? >_>

No, but he's eligible for Italy and is labelled as the next Zinho!

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I've never had any real issues with players wanting out an refusing them. Generally they stop moaning after a few months and return to being happy again. Sometimes you can even tie them down to a new deal in that timeframe. Got used to that in the MLS, any good player I had wanted out after a good season. The only time I'd sell them was when they got down to a year left on their deal.

Short spell of dropped morale and performance is much better than constantly selling your best players.

More commonly I accept a player's request to leave, no club has even the slightest interest in him and he comes crawling back within short order.

Although the number of times a player will put in a transfer request the day after the window shuts is thoroughly bemusing.

My problem is usually agreeing a circumstance in which they'll allow me more time, and then they throw it in my face.

Usually, this involves convincing a player I'll improve the club's stature by winning the league/random cup competition, they agree, and the very next day they hand in a transfer request.

Bastards.

[Gorka]

Finished the third season in tenth with my lowest points total yet. It's been a pretty unremarkable season.

Meanwhile, Manchester United won their fourth straight title and Moyes has entered the Hall of Fame. Norwich were knocked out of the Champions League in the Group Stages, managed to reach the semis in FA Cup and quarters in the Europa League. They also won the League Cup, taken over by a billionaire and finished seventeenth. They beat Everton, Europa League finalists, to relegate them. Brendan Rodgers also failed to keep up Reading.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Gonna give Hull a go now the new sortitoutsi transfer update got released. Squad looks pretty decent after their deadline day activity.

[Cheeky Hughes]

Pretty unspectacular season (aside from winning the League Cup again) and Ipswich finish 14th. Went out of the Europa in the group stage, but in all honesty my squad wasn't strong enough to handle the league and Europe.

Ins:

Rene Adler - GK - £5.5M from HSV - Big Costel needs someone to help pick up the slack.

Garry Bocaly - RB - £5M from Saint Etienne - Mears and Ferdinand both retired, leaving a big hole in my defence.

Michael Keane - CB - £1.2M from Man United - Another solid addition to the defence.

Anthony Knockaert - ST - £5.5M from Evian - Let's be honest, McGoldrick is a bit shit. And he's getting old.

Abdou Sissoko - DM - Free from Udinese - He's the pick of my defensive midfielders.

Outs:

Tyrone Mears, Rio Ferdinand - Retired

Frank Nouble - £5.5M to Wigan. All he ever did was score in the league cup final, but I'll happily sell the useless lump to Wigan if it helps them waste money and get relegated!

Ken Ilso - £1M to Copenhagen - He was integral to me getting in to the Prem, but he just wasn't good enough to stay in the first team. Getting money for him at 31 was good enough for me.

Aiming for a top half finish this year, if pre season is anything to go by.

[Arjen Robben]

Bloody Morata injured for 4-5 months Have got a 28 year old Daniel Sturridge on loan though.

[Hobo]

A 5-2 win over Shanghai Shenhua sealed the league title for my Guangzhou Evergrande side. My ex-Vancouver Whitecaps forward Taufic Guarch came in near the end of the season and grabbed a few goals. Which made me happy!

33 year old free transfer Robinho did rather well, though missed the end of the season with an injury - and I did briefly loan him to Qatar to try and make room for Arjen Robben but that deal collapsed so I brought him back a week later.

Derry City are in the process of being taken-over by a tycoon. This amuses me. I rarely have ever seen a tycoon take over an Irish side in the game.