Ebbsfleet Fight to the Top

[Keplar]

G'day, this is going to be my FM 17 Ebbsfleet save. I have an Ebbsfleet save in FM 15 where I took the club to the championship. This time round I want to take them to the Premier league and then onto European glory.

 

[Keplar]

Day 1

Ebbsfleet United:

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The club is currently in the Vanarama Conference South and have never been higher than 7th in the Vanarama Conference. The club has won several trophies as you can see in the photo. The club has a 4,098 capacity stadium that is in average condition (I don't expect to be there for long). The youth facilities are poor and will have to be upgraded while the training facilities are alright for the league we are in for now.

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The report from my assistant manager gives me hope for the team. The lack of youth is concerning and will need to be worked on. I don't want to spend much money until the Championship when the club is in a better financial condition and when the transfer budget is larger. However I won't shy away from free transfers even if it means getting rid of club favourites to make room. If you're **** then you're out of the team, simple as that.

The board expects me to win the league this season; along with reaching the Third Round of the FA Trophy, and reach the First Round of the FA Cup. I believe that these goals are attainable, but I will put winning the league before the FA Trophy and Cup.

The team is alright. The goalkeepers need a lot of work and I might let go of one of my current keepers to make room if I find a decent replacement. The replacement will probably be a keeper who is at or past his prime, don't want him for too long, only long enough to find a young keeper with potential.

The defence is weak. I only have average full backs who have no backup, I will bring in 1 or 2 players for each position and won't hesitate to let go of my current full backs if they are deemed surplus after my dive into the transfer market. My CB's aren't bad, but once again little depth. it's not a matter of lack of players, it's a matter of lack of skill. I will leave my CB's alone for now, but I won't hesitate to make some transfers after the first couple of games.

The midfield is **** weak. The starting Central Midfielders are some of the best players in the team. Yet once again we lack depth. I will jumping straight into the transfer market for some backup players, and Dean Rance, the backup midfielder is going to be shown the door straight away. My CAM is strong but has no backup whatsoever, I've already found a replacement and have offered him a contract. I have also brought in an additional player for the AML position as both AMR and AML share a lot of players and therefore will be lacking depth during games.

I currently have three strikers who will do the job for now. I will keep them for the majority of the first season and then find a younger player to grow and travel with me through the Vanarama Conference and League Two.

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Here is the squad depth

Next up is individual players.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Goalkeeper:Nathan Ashmore

Nathan is a 25-year-old keeper who spent most of his younger years at clubs in lower divisions. Overall he is probably the best that I can get right now, but he is less than ideal. He's worth 8k and is on a 500 pound contract for 1 year.

Goalkeeper:
He has quite poor physical stats. The only standouts are his reflexes (17) and his handling (14). He has a high tendency to punch (15), which I am not happy about.

Mental:
Utter ****.

Physical:
Not bad, but still crying on the inside

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Right Back: Marvin McCoy

27-year-old right back who was with Watford for two years before going on a journey through League One and Two before ending up on my doorstep. Stats are terrible, but he's probably the best Right Back in the Conference South.

Technical:
Only one stat over 10, Dribbling (11).

Mental:
Fairly good Determination (15), which I want to see from a player who isn't exactly technically gifted.

Physical:
With Strength (8) so low I don't trust that he will be able to push anyone off the ball. His Pace (13) is his highest physical stat and will help him to stay in the team while I search for a replacement.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Center Back: Dave Winfield

28-year-old who isn't quite bad for the Conference South. Player in the League One a couple of years ago, which is a good sign. At 191 cm he has the ability in the air.

Technical:
His technical stats aren't much but they are all quite low apart from Heading (14) and Tackling (12). His Marking (9) isn't too bad. Not bad for the League.

Mental:
The mental stats are near amazing for a player in the Conference South. Aggression (15), Bravery (15), Determination (17) are all amazing stats. All of them vital to the CB position.

Physical:
Jumping Reach (15) is obvious with his height and with Strength (15) to push people off the ball he will do well in the team.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Center Back: Mark Phillips

The 34-year-old spent most of his career at Millwall before moving around the Vanarama Conference and the Conference North/South. He is a good player with decent stats for his age, but I don't expect him to be at the club in 1 or 2 seasons. Mark will also be serving as my captain for the season.

Technical:
Heading (14), Marking (11), and Tackling (11) all strong fields suiting his position very well.

Mental:
Leadership (15) is strong and the reason he is serving as captain for the season. Determination (12) and Positioning (11) are stats that he will need to succeed in his position.

Physical:
Jumping Reach (14) is to be expected with a height of 188 cm. Strength (11) is also important for him as a Center Back. However his Natural Fitness (5) lets him down and I will probably have to sub him off in most games that he starts, something that might become problematic with injuries and strategy later on in the season.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Left Back: Jack Connors

The young 21-year-old is seen by the coaching staff as one of the players to keep for the future. However, if the club moves through the leagues quickly I can see myself offloading him quickly. He's valued at 12k but I doubt any club in the lower leagues will be willing to spend that much on any player.

Technical:
Marking (11) and Tackling (10) are likely to improve as the season progresses, we will see if they improve enough to keep him in the club for the coming seasons.

Mental:
Determination (11), Positioning (8) and Teamwork (11) are already quite high for his age and we will likely see them to improve but once again we will see if they improve enough.

Physical:
Natural Fitness (13) is nice for lasting several games without a rest. Stamina (13) and Strength (9) are both important and quite nice for his age.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Central Midfielder: Andy Drury

The 32-year-old is near the end of his career. He has spent most of his years moving around clubs in the lower leagues. He's worth 5k but don't expect any bids. He will have to make way by the end of the seasons or at the start of the next one. He isn't a bad player by any means, but he just won't last very long at his current age.

Technical:
Most of his stats are above 10, which is a good sign for players in the Conference South. His Passing (12), Technique (11) and First Touch (11) are what I'm looking for.

Mental:
Once again most of his stats are quite high. This is mostly from his age, but nonetheless his Vision (12) and Teamwork (12) will be important for his midfield position.

Physical:
Nothing outstanding, Natural Fitness (10) is a bit low, but he will be gone by the end of the season so there is not much point in training him very hard.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Central Midfielder: Jack Powell

Originally at West Ham, Jack then moved to Millwall for free after failing to get a game. After playing 6 games at Millwall over 3 seasons Jack was loaned out before being picked up for free by Ebbsfleet. He is quite possibly one of the best players at the club and quite the pickup. Worth roughly 19k; the coaches see him as a future 5 star player in the Conference South, but we're not going to be in the Conference South next season. I will most likely keep Jack for 2 seasons and see how he develops before seeing if he's good enough to follow the club into League Two.

Technical:
A lot of 11's and other stats are just below 10. Passing (11) and Technique (11) are likely to improve as the season goes on, which is a very good sign.

Mental:
Everything is quite low as Jack is still young. Determination (11) is lower than I would have liked and may impact how he progresses as a player.

Physical:
Jack's Natural Fitness (12) and Stamina (12) are both very good stats to have for his position and I will likely try and improve them both over the course of the next two seasons.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Attacking Midfielder Left: Anthony Cook

The 26-year-old has spent most of his career in the Conference South and is worth 19k. The coaches see that he has reached his full potential and it's only downhill from here. He is quite the inconsistent performer and therefore will likely be on the bench quite a bit and will probably be offloaded midseason if not at the start of this season if I can find a nice replacement.

Technical:
Absolutely **** Passing (5) stats, Dribbling (13) and Technique (13) almost make up for it, but if I can't get my wingers to pass the ball into the box to my striker or CAM then we can't score.

Mental:
Off the Ball (14) is quite nice to have but his Flair (14) is too high for a player that isn't technically gifted and I worry that he will lose the ball too often.

Physical:
Acceleration (14) and Pace (14) are very nice to see. It's a shame that his technical skills let him down otherwise he might have been a very good player for a couple of seasons.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Central Attacking Midfielder: Sam Deering

Not going to lie he is quite nice. At 25-years-old his stats are nice where he needs them. He's been around the lower leagues like most players. Worth a solid 18k; I will most likely keep him for several seasons. The coaches reckon that he is a good player in the Vanarama Conference and therefore should produce wonders in the Conference South.

Technical:
First Touch (13), Passing (11), and Technique (14) are all vital for his position I can rely on him to pull through when needed to make that crucial play.

Mental:
Decisions (8) could be better but will have to do. Teamwork (13) and Vision (11) are very nice to see and will be useful for his position. But the Work Rate (16) is amazing. I expect to see him chasing balls all game long and be a key player in the team for 2 maybe 3 seasons.

Physical:
Nothing stands out. Agility (12) is alright but not necessary.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Attacking Midfielder Right: Darren McQueen

The young 21-year-old has potential. Worth 10k; the coaching staff think he may be a 5-star player in the future. Hopefully that future is soon or I will have to offload him to keep up with the skill of the higher leagues. He was at Tottenham as a youngster that means he must of had some potential.

Technical:
Technique (13) is the only stat over 10, but the rest of the stats are scratching and will hopefully jump up with some game time.

Mental:
His Leadership (15) is quite high but will never be captain due to his age. Everything else is below 10 as is common with younger players. Determination (8) is way to low to make him be something big in the future.

Physical:
Acceleration (12) and Pace (12) are nice to see and will come in handy beating the defenders.

 

[Keplar]

The 1st XI

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Striker: Aaron McClean

McClean is 33-years-old and won't be with us for much longer. Only worth 3.2K the coaches reckon he his already losing some of his skill. Played for Hull a couple of years ago, didn't score much though. We will see how he goes this season and I will offload him at the end of the season regardless.

Technical:
Dribbling (11) and Finishing (11) could be way better. Heading (13) is better and Long Shots (10) could be better.

Mental:
Anticipation (10) should be much better for his age. Determination (17) is nice. Positioning (7) and Work Rate (11) also should be much better seeing as he his more experienced and been playing as a striker for most of his life.

Physical:
Acceleration (11) and Pace (8) are fine, not good, not that bad, just ****.