Ipswich Town FC - George Burley, Unfinished Business!

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Just read from start to finish - very good.

Hope you keep it up.
 
August & September should be ready to read by the end of tonight. Just got back from work and got the urge to get back on this!

Hope you all remember the story and will continue to follow again :-)
 
xJamieWilliams said:
Nice one bud! My story should be coming back tonight! I hope!
Click to expand...

You not done yours for a while either? I havnt been on here for ages! Its hard getting back into it.

Really need to start bringing my youth through, so hopefully a couple of seasons of just top half finishes will keep me in a job :-/
 
Harris4Ips said:
You not done yours for a while either? I havnt been on here for ages! Its hard getting back into it.

Really need to start bringing my youth through, so hopefully a couple of seasons of just top half finishes will keep me in a job :-/
Click to expand...

I have, but very little updates, I'm off work today so I might try getting some done. Yeah once you stop it's hard to start again! You should though mate, one of my favourite stories on here!
 
Struggling to find time for this lately. Keep trying to get back into it but its hard. Im getting my head down to do 10 games tonight. Miss playing it. Finish work at 1600 tomorrow so hoping to get an update on here :-)

Hope everybody that followed this are okay!
 
Season 5 - Half Way Update

So its been a long time since i last posted an update for this save. I think i done way too much too soon and lost interest before. Ive come back to it a few times and not really got my motivation back for it.
As a result of that i have lost a lot of games needlessly. I got back on it last night and ended up playing for about 3 hours.
Ive found the motivation for this save again now so hopefully the updates should start flowing again.

So far, ive just hit January in Season 5.....


Main Squad View

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After a rapid rise to becoming Premier League Champions in my 4th season. Sustaining that feat was always going to be extremely difficult considering the lack of depth in my squad.
Another issue ive stumbled upon is the lack of real quality home grown players. Last night i made an XI which included the likes of, Fowler, Mings & Bishop all playing a lot more regularly. Hyam has been my number 1 DM throughout.
Ive also been including the likes of Crockett, Hinds, Collins & Cole among my subs bench to introduce them slowly. All of which have been products of my youth system. (Which hasn't brought me too many AMAZING stars as yet.)


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Ive had a lot of heavy defeats this season, the big signing of Knoche & the loan arrival of Hernandez i thought was going to really toughen my defence up. When actually, it seemed to have upset the balance i had with my previous back 3 cbs.
The more i kept coming back to the save to play the odd game or two, i then wondered if an updated version was ruining my tactic. I looked into it and found a new version of the tactic made. Since ive made the switch ive been getting my results back. Im still conceding far too many for my liking though!

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7th place after 21 games isn't ideal. But it is quite tight and hopefully we can soon turn it around. As long as i make the Champions League I'll be happy. Ive had Bonazzoli, Dybala & Hughes all request to speak to "bigger" clubs to play champions league football but fortunately ive managed to convince them all to stay. If we fail to make the top 4, all 3 players will be knocking on my door for a transfer. They have been massive massive players during my rapid rise. But we are really still proving ourselves, so if i have to move on, as long as i receive big payouts im sure the club can still mix it for the European places.

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Winning the Champions Shield was a fantastic start to the season, but since then my cup campaigns havnt gone so well. I was knocked out of Champions League but finishing 3rd in the group table meant i would still be competing for European honours this season. Villareal are sure to be tough opponents.


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I managed to get £18m sale for Nelson Oliveira which is amazing considering i signed him on a free transfer last season. Im trying to sell Marcos Llorente aswell for about £10m as he hasnt performed aswell as i wouldve hoped. Dropping Hyam is hard aswell as hes my main home grown player and been so consistent over the last 4 seasons.

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With the sale of Oliveira i still needed to sign a couple strikers for rotational purposes. Also, i decided a decent CM was needed as Tibbling is only a loan player & i prefer to use Hughes on the right.
I filtered through players who had decent attribute marks for 'work rate', 'teamwork' & 'determination'. Roberto come up and soon as i realised he was unhappy at Man City & transfer listed, i just knew i had to snap him up.
£6m i feel is such good value for this player. His attributes are awesome for a playmaking CM and i hope regular playing time will help him improve even more.

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Ross McLelland looked good as far as Mental & Physical go. These attributes are the hardest to forcefully improve and at such a young age i felt he would be really good buy. The Scottish link with Burley also felt relevant for the save.

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John Guidetti is a player who will be known to all FM players. For a few years now hes always been a decent young prospect. For whatever reason he hasnt really soared like he sometimes does. So when i found him playing in league 1 with half decent stats, i thought he would be a half decent acquisition to rotate with my strikers. He wanted alot for wages so i managed to get it down a little and only offering him a 1 year deal. If he impresses i hope to keep him on.


Im hoping to be back on the game for at least 1 or 2 hours each night now. So i should have this season finished within a few days. Then i can get back to updating this story the way i have been before.
​
 
SEASON 5 - End of season

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE 2018/19

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Cannot grumble with that finish whatsoever. It was always going to be hard to retain the Premiership after surprisingly winning it last season. We had knockbacks throughout the year, especially early on. Perhaps without those, we would have almost certainly won the league again. Ifs and buts though!
We are still out scoring any team in the league, but its the amount of goals we are conceding which is letting us down.
Its going to be slow progression from here now i think until i can really start a dynasty.


HOME LEAGUE GAMES

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I didnt actually know this until i done the screenshot but we have remained undefeated at Home this season which is incredible. Considering it was first season in the new Bobby Robson Stadium also, makes extra special.
Looking back on the past few seasons ive also noticed we havnt lost a home match since the first game of the 2016/17 season. That is pretty much 3 whole seasons unbeaten at home. AMAZING. COYB! FORTRESS!


AWAY LEAGUE GAMES

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FINAL SQUAD VIEW

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EURO CUP RESULTS

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We were unfortunate not to take the final match against Monaco to extra time in the end. Looking at their squad prior to the round, they actually have a really really strong squad. So we shouldnt be too disheartened by the defeat.
I look forward to finally doing some damage in Europe. But it will come. Just gotta keep plugging away.
​
 
THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY - FA CUP FINAL 2019

THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY - FA CUP FINAL 2019

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The greatest domestic club cup final has come around again. This season sees two of England's best teams battle out to be crowned FA CUP winners of 2019. Its sure to be a thrilling encounter as it is a repeat of the 2017 FA Cup Final!

Both sides have history in the competition. Ipswich will be looking to add to the one and only FA Cup they won back in 1978. Ipswich come close just 2 seasons ago but lost 3-2 to todays opponents Chelsea. Revenge is sure to be on the cards as the majority of this Ipswich side took part in that game.
However, their opponents Chelsea have won the competition a whopping 8 times. 4 of those wins coming in the last 10 years in 2009, 2010, 2012 & 2017.

(Ipswich FA CUP History)
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(Chelsea FA CUP History)
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Past Meetings

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Over the last 4 seasons there hasnt really been too much between the 2 sides. Chelsea have won 5 of the 11, whilst Ipswich have won 4.
The 2 meetings in the league this season has seen Chelsea take charge, so mental advantage definitely goes to Chelsea this afternoon.

As highlighted on the side, these two sides met eachother in the 2017 FA Cup final.


Ipswich Town's Route to Wembley

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2 replays along the way against Everton & Watford has tested the depth in quality this season for George Burleys Ipswich. Cardiff threatened to derail Ipswich's FA Cup hopes taking the lead twice at Wembley in the Semi Final. Burleys men kept battling back though and had to win on penalties to secure their place in the Final.

Chelsea's Route to Wembley

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Chelsea arguably had the more difficult route to wembley. Facing off against the Premier leagues top 2 Man Utd & Liverpool.

Chelsea are favourites at 1.80 while the bookies have put at Ipswich at 4.00 to win the FA Cup today.
Punters might fancy taking their chances on Ipswich this afternoon as Burleys boys are more than capable of pulling off an upset. On their day they are strong enough to beat anybody.....






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A great set of results... Also, 18m for Oliveira? Oh, yes! Great to see Sergi Roberto in your squad.
 
FA CUP 2019 Final - LIVE

FA CUP 2019 Final - LIVE

THE TEAMS

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George Burley has no injury worries this afternoon. Federico Bonazzoli has been out for the last 3 months and only returned last week so its only a place on the bench for him. Im sure Burley will feel confident of Bonazzoli making an impact as a sub if needed. Today could well be his final game for Ipswich as he has demanded to be sold after Burley had "failed to develop the younger players" to his satisfaction.

Bonazzoli was recruited by Burley back in 2014 for a small fee of £1m. Ipswich will be looking to make around £30m for him this summer as Arsenal are pursuing the big italian who has won the European Golden Boy for the last 4 years.
Bonazzoli has been a loyal and very succesfull player for Ipswich over the last 5 seasons. Scoring 99 goals in 164 appearances is quite a return for a player who cost peanuts. Ipswich im sure would have commanded a higher transfer fee than £30m, but with the player forcing a move they will have to accept whatever Arsenal offer. £30m would still be a tidy profit, but Burley will be disappointed to see the young starlet leave The Bobby Robson Stadium.

Frank De Boer will be feeling confident he knows how Ipswich will be lining up today. Ipswich have been known this season to switch to a 442 system when playing the "bigger" sides".


So here we are at Wembley for todays FA Cup final between Ipswich & Chelsea.

The players are now coming out of the tunnel to a rapturous crowd. This tie is sure to be feisty and full of goals.

Lets go over to Martin Tyler & Gareth Southgate for the commentary....


24th minute - Dybala takes a routine corner as he find Roberto on the edge of the box. Roberto plays back to Dybala who floats in a lovely cross to a filled box. Kalas has made a run from deep....KALAS GETS HIS HEAD TO THE BALL....GOALLLLLLLLLL, OHHHH MY GOD, WHAT A GOAL. Kalas wanted it the most and jumped well above Dragovic & Zouma to smash the ball into the net.
Kalas who signed on a free transfer from Chelsea two seasons ago has returned to haunt his old club. All the Ipswich players have ran to Ipswich fans to celebrate. Ipswich take the lead! Game on!

IPSWICH 1 - 0 CHELSEA (Kalas '25)

26th minute - Mings takes a throw deep on the left in Chelseas half. Picks out Roberto who turns and glides past the oncoming challenge from Amadi. Finds Dybala just inside the box, Dybala back heels for Hughes who has thumped the ball towards the Chelsea goal....GOALLLLLLLLLLLL. Will Hughes ferociously gives Ipswich a surprise early 2-0 lead. Ipswich are really looking up for it today. The players are again celebrating with the fans. It obviously means so much to them. Frank De Boer is going berserk on the sidelines and cannot believe his side have given two goals away early.

IPSWICH 2 - 0 CHELSEA (Kalas '25, Hughes '27)

29th minute - Chelsea play a long ball towards Costa, but its over hit and Batth plays a simple pass into Roberto. Roberto finds Woodrow on the edge of the box who plays a one-two with Dybala. WOODROW PLAYS A THROUGHBALL FOR HUGHES COMING IN FROM THE RIGHT. HUGHES SHOOTS......SAVEDDDDDD. Courtois keeps Chelsea in this tie with a clever save at his near post.
Corner to Ipswich.....Dybala takes the corner to Hyam. Hyam plays a ball to the back post to Grealish. Grealish turns back though to find Roberto and in the end Chelsea sniffed out any chance of a 3rd Ipswich goal.
Chelsea run out with the ball.

32nd minute - Ipswich are really putting a lot of pressure on Chelsea today and are looking relentless. A long ball forward from Hyam finds Grealish just on the left of Chelseas box. Grealish dances his way into the Chelsea box.....GREALISH SHIMMYS TO THE RIGHT OF BARNES....BARNES CHOPS THE YOUNG WINGER DOWN....PENALTY. The ref had no choice but to point to the spot. The Chelsea fans are going mad and they have every right. Their side are completely throwing this tie away. I think the Chelsea players are ready for their holidays.
Whats the ref going to do here then, he calls Barnes over.... YELLOW CARD. Barnes is lucky to not get a red card there. He knows it too.
Cauley Woodrow steps up to take the penalty.....WOODROW SMASHES THE BALL HIGH INTO THE RIGHT CORNER. Courtois had no chance there. Woodrow scores his 6th penalty this season and his 40th altogether. What a season he has had.

IPSWICH 3 - 0 CHELSEA (Kalas '25, Hughes '27, Woodrow pen '33)

40th minute - Chelsea are starting to string some passes together now finally. Costa has the ball on the edge of the Ipswich box. He gets past Hyam, COSTA IS IN ON GOAL.....IN COMES BATTH.....BATTH TAKES DOWN COSTA. PENALTY! CHELSEA MAY HAVE GOT THEMSELVES A LIFELINE HERE.
No card for Batth. Schurrle will be taking the penalty for Chelsea. Up he steps....GOALLLLLLLLL. Chelsea pull a goal back. The first half is coming to an end and i dont anybody in the ground wants it to stop yet. Its just been non stop.

IPSWICH 3 - 1 CHELSEA (Kalas '25, Hughes '27, Woodrow pen '33 - Schurrle pen '41)


HALF TIME

What a first half that was. If the second half is any near as good as that, we are going to be in for a treat. The players go in, the teamtalks should be interesting. How will both managers make their talks. The teamtalk could be crucial here, theres nothing to say Chelsea cant come out and ****** the win. Its sure to be an exciting 2nd half.

70th minute - its been a very quiet 2nd half by this games standards. Both teams have just been cancelling eachother out in the middle of the park. Burley is now making two substitutions though...Grealish is going off with a knock to be replaced by Carrasco. Woodrow will be brought off too, as Bonazzoli makes his long awaited return to action. The Ipswich fans are on their feet for a player they are expecting to see move on this summer. He has been a fan favourite ever since he joined 5 years ago. Can Bonazzoli finish his time at Ipswich with a goal here....

THE FINAL WHISTLE IS BLOWN...

IPSWICH WIN THE FA CUP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1978. GEORGE BURLEY HAS BEEN DESPERATE TO GETS HIS HANDS ON A TROPHY WHICH HASNT BEEN WON HERE SINCE THE DAYS OF THE FAMOUS SIR BOBBY ROBSON. A MAGICAL FIRST HALF PERFORMANCE BY IPSWICH HAS WON THIS GAME FOR THEM.

GEORGE BURLEY CONTINUES TO BRING SUCCESS BACK TO THE BLUE SIDE OF EAST ANGLIA.

IPSWICH ARE THE WINNERS OF THE FA CUP FINAL 2019 WITH A 3-1 VICTORY OVER CHELSEA.



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COYB
ITID
 
BONAZZOLI STAYS

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Decided to cancel the transfer. Hopefully i can keep the whole squad happy with this announcement. We are progressing and we wont continue to do so without him. He loves this club and we will be playing Champions League football. Why would he want to leave??
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Season 6

SEASON 6

Pre-season 2019/20

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Not too many friendlies this year. A 4 match tour of USA was reasonably successful. Got some fringe players and some young ones some good game time.
Pre season ended with the visit of 2 Argentinian sides to give us a decent test before the season starts.

Transfers

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With a few players returning to their clubs from loan spells with us, i had to dip into the market just for a few extra bodies to help with rotating. Picked up some decent looking players. Malele & James were signed based on their recent goalscoring histories. Llorente im hoping will bring some vital experience after signing on a free transfer. Rossiter looks like a really good player, so to sign on loan was brilliant. Got a £4m buy at anytime clause in that deal too.

Moved on a few players, Llorente has amazing attributes but he never really set the world alight while he was here. Slight worry selling to Chelsea, but im confident its my gain with a £15m sale after he was originally signed on a free last season.
Henriquez was signed very cheap a few seasons ago too, so to get £8m for him i was delighted. I did initially loan out Bishop but then changed my mind so he will stay with us this year.


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Cephas Malele has scored over 20 goals in each of his last 3 seasons in the Eridivisie which i thought was impressive. Got him for reasonable value too so im happy. His attributes are not the greatest but they are definitely good enough for a rotational player. His physical attributes are superb though.

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Luke James was another player ive signed as a rotational after his impressive goal haul in League 1. Im hoping these 2 signings are going to prove shrewd. Even if they just stay for a year or two and their value increases for profitable sale il be chuffed. I have a good feeling about James though for some reason. I hope he lives up to it!


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Rossiter looks amazing. At only 22 he has so much room to improve. Luke Hyam has been great for me the last 5 seasons. But im always looking to improve. Rossiter could be a replacement for Hyam looking at these attributes. Will see how his loan spell goes first. Great option to buy at £4m. Liverpool could be robbed....


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Hes getting old. But im hoping he can still make an impact as a sub or even to step in from game-to-game.

Squad 2019/20

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1st Team

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Knoche didnt exactly stand out last season. He was average and did a job. But i hope he really proves he was worth that high fee this season. A few more goals from would be good too. Kalas & Batth are still proving to be crucial players in my defence.
That front 3 of Woodrow - Dybala - Bonazzoli is just incredible. Possibly the best strike force ive ever had on FM. They all bag 20+ goals each every season, just amazing. Got to keep hold of these guys to keep progressing.

2nd Team

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Clarke played a lot for the reserves last season and looks a decent prospect. Hoping to play him a little more this season in the cup games. Fowler is coming on leaps and bounds. Getting better and better. Still not quite good enough for first team regular but ill definitely be playing a lot still this season. Hopefully next season or the following he will be my main CB. Crockett is a recent youth academy player. He has good attributes and ill be looking to play him often too. Mings played a lot last season to be fair. Whenever i played 442, he was always solid at LWB. Jordan Cole at LM for some reason just plays so well. He scores a lot in the reserves and although his attributes are not that good, his pace is clearly what gives him an edge when he does play.


Hopefully this season i can win back the Premier League and possibly complete a cheeky double too. Slowly getting that better depth in my squad whilst also introducing youth.

Opening games

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For the 2nd season on the trot we will be playing Man Utd in the Community Shield. Im confident of winning this one, with my full squad completely fit and raring to go. We should have enough about us to blow them away.

The first 5 league games are looking generous. Man City look like the only real team likely to beat us. We will have to qualify for the Champions League amongst those games over 2 legs aswell so its a busy first few months.



My next update will be after these games.

​

COYB
ITID




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NEW SIGNING

NEW SIGNING

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Massive signing! Kept scouting this guy last season. Decided to move for him. This season can be used as a settling in period. Next season he should really start pushing for first team.
Speaks English, has at least 15 in Work rate, Determination, Teamwork & Natural Fitness. Plus all of his defensive attributes are good. 6 foot 6 and superb physicals. This guy could become an absolute beast!
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