Cambridge United: Starting from the Bottom

[WeArePalace]

View attachment 12698BRINGING SUCCESS TO THE U'S
Cambridge United are a side which have been around for quite a long time. While they've never reached the glories of the Premier League, they've settled for a consistent spot in the Football League. Their best ever finish was 8th in the Sky Bet Championship and they've been as low as the National League. After my Sassuolo story came to an abrupt end, I've gone for something more long term, where I've ruled out the possibility of doing too well pretty much, as there is promotion to deal with. I want a long term story and attempting to take Cambridge to the heights of the Premier League certainly falls under that category.

The team definitley falls under the mid-table status for a League Two side, however two Aston Villa loanees, Jake Doyle-Hayes and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy are standout League Two players and will be key in our fight to push further up the league table. The board want a mid-table finish, with the media predicting 12th. Ultimately, play-offs/promotion is the aim for any club, but spending another season in this division won't be a problem. This side isn't too consistent, so I do need to be wary that a relegation fight isn't impossible.

Thanks for reading

Next Update: Squad Overview

 

[WeArePalace]

View attachment 12653CAMBRIDGE UTD SQUAD OVERVIEW
GOALKEEPERS + DEFENDERS
Goalkeepers
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Finley Iron - Young 18 GK who will never really play a part in the team. I will look to loan him out first few seasons as no one will probably buy him. His current ability is 1 1/2 star and his potential is 3 stars.

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David Forde - Our current starting GK is now 38 years old, and already isn't too good. Someone I could get off the wage budget but I'll keep him as he plays an important part in our dressing room.

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Dimitar Mitov - The 21 year old Bulgarian is our best GK in my opinion. Should I not be able to afford a new GK, I'll play him from the start so he grows quicker. His current ability is 2 1/2 stars and he can grow to 4 1/2 stars.

Kevin Pilkington- And then there's Kevin Pilkington. A 44 year old GK whose current ability is 1 1/2 stars. He has no particular role in the dressing room either, but his £600 value means I don't really have any use for him in terms of keeping or selling.

Targets: The GK department is certainly one which needs improvement. Probably our weakest area in the team, as aside from Mitov I don't really favour as they're either quite old or have no particular potential. I'll look to sign a new GK, with Tottenham's Alfie Whiteman or Oldham's Zeus De La Paz on my shortlist at the moment.

Defenders
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Bradley Halliday - Our starting RB is a key player at just 23 and is injured for the first few matches but will come straight into the team when available. The guy has 4 star potential and the ability to be a good League One defender.
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George Taft - Will be my starting CB for at least the first season and we don't have the best CB's but they should be good enough. Taft is my best one at 3 star current ability with the potential to get to 4.
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Harry Darling - 19 years old and already in my starting line-up. Definitely a prospect at my team with the only major negative being his high injury risk. Currently 2 1/2 current ability and can grow to 4 1/2 star potential.
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Jake Carroll - Starting LB and I don't mind the look of Jake Carroll. Crossing and pace is decent as is dribbling. His defensive stats aren't amazing but not abysmal and they'll be good enough.Currently 3 star ability and at 26 won't grow any further.
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Leon Davies - Young RB who is likely my best prospect at the club. RB is sorted for the first few seasons with Halliday and Davies able to do it until we reach the Championship should I still be here. 2 1/2 star current ability with the potential to get to 5 stars.
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Louis John - A player who I'm not sure what to do with. Will keep as a back-up for now but will probably sell him after 1 or 2 seasons. Current ability of 2 1/2 star with the potential to grow to 3 1/2 stars.
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Greg Taylor - 28 year old who despite being better than Darling won't really work himself into my team too much as I don't fancy him a lot. 3 star ability and won't grow.

Hayden Coulson - This guy is pretty decent but only on loan from Middlesbrough, he will be back-up though as I'd prefer to start Carroll as he's here permanently. Current 3 star ability with 5 star potential.
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Jordan Norville-Williams - Loan listed LB who won't really feature at 2 star ability. Can get to 4 star ability at 18 years old but he might grow at the wrong times for the side and never really play a part in the team.

Next Update: Squad Overview Part 2 (Midfielders and Attackers)

 

[WeArePalace]

View attachment 12560CAMBRIDGE UTD SQUAD OVERVIEW
MIDFIELDERS AND ATTACKERS

Midfielders
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David Amoo - Starting RM and has some really nice stats on him. Definite starter for the first season and looking forward to using this guy. Current 3 star ability with the ability to grow to 3 1/2 stars.

Jake Doyle-Hayes - The on-loan Villa midfielder is already a star player with 4 star ability and the potential to get to 4 1/2. A permanent deal would be amazing if we could do it later on in this save as he is listed with the potential to make it in the Premier League at just 19 years old.

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George Maris - Arguably my star midfielder being only 22 and his workrate on and off the ball will be very helpful to the team. Currently 3 1/2 ability with the potential to grow to 4 1/2 star potential

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Harrison Dunk - Dunk is an interesting one. While he's likely my starting LM, he doesn't look that great and will not grow from his current 3 star ability. However with a minimal transfer budget, he'll likely stay there for the season.

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Gary Deegan - The 30 year old DM is someone who I'm looking to replace. With 3 star ability and no room to really grow, Deegan doesn't present someone who is going to remain at the club. While he is the captain, he won't be in my plans.

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Emmanuel Osadebe - The 21 year old can become decent but I'll probably just let him depart when the first offer comes in as he is currently 2 1/2 star and his maximum potential is 4 star, which when he reaches that the rest of the team will likely be improved.

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Reggie Lambe - One of the lesser players in my team. 2 1/2 star ability at 27 and he's likely Number 1 on my 'To Sell' list. In the meantime, he'll be the back-up to Harrison Dunk, neither of who are necessarily great.

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Liam O'Neil - Another player similar to Lambe which I will look to sell, as he only is 2 1/2 star which grows to 3. Deegan is a back-up for the DM position so O'Neil serves no real purpose.

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Sam Squire - The midfielder is actually a decent prospect in the team who I would rather use over O'Neil despite only having 2 star ability. He can grow to 4 1/2 stars and I'd much favour youth than slightly better players.

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Lee Watkins - Not much to say about this guy. Decent prospect from 2 stars to 4 stars but again will likely grow at the wrong times. Will certainly look to loan him out first season.

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Thomas Knowles - Just like Watkins, Knowles has the same current and potential ability but I might keep him as we don't have as many wide midfielders and he could be a back-up RM.

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Paul Lewis - Decent back-up at 23 years old. Very decent bench player and can grow and maintain his position for a few seasons. Currently 2 1/2 stars with the potential to get to 3 1/2 stars.

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Jevani Brown - A key player but has major injury problems and begins the save with a small injury. He'll play a key role with his current 3 1/1 ability which can get to 4 1/2 star.

Targets: Nothing much, a new DM to replace Deegan would be perfect. That's the main target across the whole team barring the GK position. Aside from that, the transfer market isn't something I need to invest too much into.

Attackers
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Rushian Hepburn-Murphy - The other Villa loanee at the team - a wonderful striker and still a teenager. He can get to Premier League level as well, and if I can permanently nab this Villa duo, then I'll be set for a few seasons with them. Currently 4 star ability, can grow to 5 stars.

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Jabo Ibehre - The oldest player in the team at 35 years old and nothing too special to be honest with 3 star ability and no growth. I'll likely keep him though as I won't generate any funds off his sale.

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Alex Jones - Another on-loan striker who looks very decent as well. Also 4 star ability and can grow to 4 1/2 stars so he'll be solid as a back-up and deserves to start but is injured for 2 months and I'm only starting one up top.

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Matt Foy - Another 2 star to 4 star player - nothing special. When an offer comes in for you mate, bye!

Next Update: Pre-Season and Transfer Window

 

[WeArePalace]

View attachment 12541PRE-SEASON AND TRANSFER UPDATE
We don't have much budget at all so loans will be key and likely all I can push for in the window. A young prospect might be an option and I'll see what I can find. Ultimately my three targets were a GK, CB and CDM.

And we only did sign 3 players being the positions I wanted, and I was very satisfied with who we've nabbed. We signed two players on loan and one permanent deal being for the CB position.
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Our first signing was young Tottenham GK Alfie Whiteman and he is most certainly a big step up from what we had prior had in the club. The young lad is a top prospect for our club and reach Premier League heights. Stoked with loaning this guy in ahead of other League Two clubs!
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Our permanent signing of the window was Saul Shotton, a 17 year old CB with interest from Stoke. I was delighted when I nabbed this guy and I may put him in the starting line-up ahead of Harry Darling as they are quite similar. Stoked with this and a great piece of business for just 112k.
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The final deal was the one I was most pleased with, young CDM Claudio Gomes coming in from Manchester City on loan. He already presents a star quality and another great piece of business.
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And to top it all off pre-season was perfect! The stunning win over Championship side Ipswich topped it off as we won every game!!! Hepburn-Murphy was the star man, and his penalty taking is very solid. He got 6 goals in the 5 matches. Maris got a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Bromley which was great as well.

 

[WeArePalace]

View attachment 1204117EFL LEAGUE TWO GETS UNDERWAY
We start the season against Port Vale and I think our start will be key with games against the lower sides like Cheltenham. It's not the most difficult beginning to be fair and we'll need to use it to our advantage if we are to go for a play-off push. Really hoping for a solid start and our key players like Doyle-Hayes and Hepburn-Murphy will be key to our team.
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We got off to a great start here with a comfortable win over Port Vale. Amoo was outstanding and Gomes scored on debut. An away clean sheet as well so no negatives here, except for Doyle-Hayes missing a penalty in the 89th minute. Hepburn-Murphy would've taken it but he'd been substituted.
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In other news on Matchday One, Exeter and Carlisle played out an instant classic as drew 4-4 with late drama heavily involved!
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Another clean sheet as we draw to Notts County. Decent stuff and it wasn't the most entertaining game but I'll take it.
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We're out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle but I don't really mind as it doesn't mean anything to me. Bit disappointed with conceding so late and seeing Hepburn-Murphy missing the penalty but it takes fixtures off and means my players will be in more fitness for the games of much more importance.
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Another draw as Osadebe saves us from defeat minutes from time. Still unbeaten but maybe could have a few more points.
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Another 2-2 draw and late drama as they take the lead in stoppage time before Hepburn-Murphy scores in the 94th minute with a penalty!
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Another penalty from Hepburn-Murphy to get another win on the board. Great start from the lads to get us the victory!

SUMMARY
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A very solid start as we remain unbeaten. David Amoo was top quality as he showed his true quality with some top draw assists and a goal as well. This update had less writing as I didn't have to much time but wanted to get one out so apologies for that.

 

[WeArePalace]

View attachment 11932UNBEATEN STREAK CONTINUES
September brings some more teams which sit around the mid-table, like Carlisle, Stevenage and Newport. Hopefully the side can continue a decent run and the Checkatrade Trophy also begins - but isn't something I don't really care about too much, however it might be nice. It will be months like these which will determine whether we can reach the play-offs or not.
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We open the month up with a draw to Stevenage as we concede a goal in the 81st minute to level things up. We were the better side, dominating with 11 shots to their 3. but none were major chances. It was good to see Jake Doyle-Hayes scoring his first goal for the club. He was our best player but no one was great, with their goalscorer Ilias Chair winning MOTM.
Checkatrade Trophy
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We get a win here in our first Checkatrade Trophy match as Maris' double had us flying at 2-0 before there were 2 goals in the 87th minute where Doyle-Hayes scored again and the final score was 3-1. Hepburn-Murphy was quite poor though and missed a penalty in the 55th minute before we scored, thankfully it didn't come to haunt us.
League Two
View attachment 11916
It's another draw here as we concede a stoppage time goal from Frankie Kent. Maris is in top form and Taft was also excellent at the back but couldn't keep out a spectacular finish from outside the box from Kent to draw them level. While we aren't losing the draws are seeing us drop down the table a bit from the play-off positions.
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We do get another win here in interesting fashion where loanee Claudio Gomes scored an own goal to make it 1-1 before scoring a goal at the right end just minutes later. George Maris is electric right now and scored yet another goal for the team. He is single handedly ensuring that we aren't losing games.
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Another win here and Hepburn-Murphy gets an overdue goal albeit from the penalty spot. Who else would get the other goal but George Maris yet again! He is doing amazingly well and the midfield is doing really well. David Amoo has been a little disappointing considering last month's form but it's nothing too major.
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A really poor result here with another draw. Everything of importance happened within 10 minutes and we couldn't capitalise after relentless pressing and some huge chances. While we did get a point, we should've had all three as Hepburn-Murphy and Harrison Dunk had some huge chances to score. The positive was that Jake Doyle-Hayes scored and he and Maris are proving a wonderful midfield combination.

SUMMARY
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A decent month but a few disappointing draws however we remain unbeaten.
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The POTM was most certainly George Maris. Doyle-Hayes may have won it in any other month but Maris was scintillating and scored so many goals which were vital to the team.
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We sit 4th but the table is quite tight with 3 points separating 13th and 7th and two losses and we could drop to 17th so nothing is certain yet. Cheltenham are without a win but like us have a number of draws at the bottom of the table. We're the only unbeaten side but at the top of the table Northampton are looking like real contenders as they're 4 points clear of 2nd.

 

[WeArePalace]

Hello everyone, I just thought I would let you know that I’ve been having a very busy past few days and have a couple of weeks where I’m busy as well, so I won’t be able to upload very much. I will try to do so as much as possible, but apologies if I don’t do it very often. Thanks.

 

[jackstringer19]

I'll have to follow this thread, my most successful ever save on an FM game was with Cambridge on FM17. No trophies but I managed two promotions.

Halliday and Carroll as my fullbacks were very solid, but unfortunately Will Norris isn't there anymore. Even when I got to the Championship he was still my #1 keeper, and he was still very good for that level.

Best of luck, i'm sure you'll have even more success than I did.

 

[WeArePalace]

I'll have to follow this thread, my most successful ever save on an FM game was with Cambridge on FM17. No trophies but I managed two promotions.

Halliday and Carroll as my fullbacks were very solid, but unfortunately Will Norris isn't there anymore. Even when I got to the Championship he was still my #1 keeper, and he was still very good for that level.

Best of luck, i'm sure you'll have even more success than I did.

Thanks mate for the kind response. It is a shame that Norris isn’t here anymore but I’m hoping that Whiteman can be just as good over the course of a few seasons in the save. It seems that Carroll isn’t as good as he used to be on the game however Halliday is class. We seem to be on course for play-offs so far but it’s still early days so who knows.

 

[WeArePalace]

Halo everyone, again apologies for the lack of updates. I tried to get one out earlier but the images wouldn’t work despite trying multiple options. I hope you are ok with links, I will attach better descriptions so that viewing the links won’t be as necessary should you not want to. Thanks.

 

[WeArePalace]

Hello everyone, I have some disappointing news regarding this story. It will not load at all, but all of my others still load so I don’t know what’s wrong. It starts loading then says ‘Save not found’ and brings me back to the start screen. It’s quite a shame as I was really enjoying this save and will be changing stories yet AGAIN - I cannot stress how sorry I am and annoyed about this. I’m sure it’s annoying you all as well - my apologies. I can only hope this doesn’t happen again. I’ll try to fix it a few more times but likely a new story coming soon.