bennymc2007
Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
- Messages
- 216
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 18
I'm a Man Utd fan, and I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but when you choose to play as Man Utd on FM it's easy, way too easy. So much so, that if someone tells me they've won everything with Man Utd, it doesn't even surprise me, I don't care.
So for the latest version of FM, I decided to be bold and try a new team, I chose Spurs. They are however, a crock of sh*t and after 8 months with them I was unceremoniously sacked.
I was gutted, I even considered starting a new game with Man Utd to repair my tattered ego. But no, I ploughed on, I checked the job vacancies at every opportunity, I was prepared to take anything; Blue Square Premier League, MLS, I didn't care.
many months passed, but in January 2010 Northampton Town came knocking. I'd found my new home.
They were a rag-tag bunch of miscreants at the time, with very little money, terrible coaching staff and even worse facilities, not to mention the players. I knew I had a job on my hands to sort out this mess, but I wanted to repay the faith they'd shown in me.
Out with the old, I sacked 13 players to reduce the wage bill; mostly reserves on very little to start with, but every little helps. I signed better scouts and sent them around Britain to find some hidden treasures. One reported back on Zoltan Harsanyi, a Slovakian at Bolton Reserves looking for a new start, it was a risk, but I blew over half of my transfer budget on bringing him in; perhaps a Premier League player could turn this team around.
I also managed to broker a deal with Man Utd to become Northampton's parent club; HELLO FREE LOANS!
Securing a relatively comfortable 19th place in League One, I knew next season would be our year. It was a struggle, but by the end of 2011 Northampton had made the League One playoffs with a +30 goal difference thanks to Zoltan Harsanyi and Man Utd's Daniel Drinkwater, Corry Evans and Davide Petrucci; as well as Ben Amos in goal.
Easing through the semis against Cardiff, we faced Huddersfield in the final, a chance at a place in the Championship for the first time since 1966/67. An edgy 90 minutes followed, the only goal coming from substitute John Cunliffe (a liability all season), 1-0 will do.
Now it was all about staying up in the Championship, but a rag-tag squad of mid-table League One players wasn't going to be able to do that; the scouts were deployed again. A total of 29 players were brought in over the course of the season, including 14 free transfers, with 19 rejects going the opposite way. (£650k spent, £350k received)
A remarkably successful season followed, and 15th place was the reward.
Another season, another army of signings, the busiest transfer period in Northampton Town's history (probably). In total, 41 players joined over the year, and thanks to the sale of Harsanyi for £2.5m among others, and the Championship's TV money, Northampton Town's financial status was finally secured. Thanks to the new, talented blood in the mix, as well as the already built up core, Northampton rocketed to 11th place in the Championship; could the Premier League soon beckon?
Then the summer came, and sh*t hit the fan. Seemingly loyal players wanted out citing a desire to play for a "bigger club". "We want to match your ambition!" I cried in vain, but it was not to be. Rather than let the "bigger" clubs stomp all over our hard work however, I decided Northampton Town would not be taken for a ride. I demanded crazy money for players, and to my surprise, they were all accepted. the sale of only 6 key players brought in over £10m;
- Adam Osborn D R/L, signed for £6k, sold for £1.7m
- Eric Sanz M R, signed for £110k, sold for £1m
- Jesús M C, signed for free, sold for £2m (didn't want to sell him, but the board couldn't refuse a £1.2m bid, and so I offered him to everyone else for £2m; luckily he chose one of them and not the original accepted bid)
- Daniel Alcázar AM L, signed for £120k, sold for £2.5m
- Mushaga Bakenga S, signed for free, sold for £1m
- Paco Borrego D C, DM, M C, signed for free, sold for £2.5m
We were on cloud 9 financially, but what about the team? 6 players isn't a lot on paper, but it creates a huge dent in a side's ambitions to lose a dearth of players in one go. Taking a look at the squad however, I realised that the foundations of a strong Championship side were already there, despite the losses; all that was missing was a striker; in came 17 year old Paul Dawson for £4m. A risk, no doubt, but risks have paid off in the past for this team.
So now, with the 2011 January transfer window approaching, Northampton Town lie in 17th place in the Championship and things are looking up for the side. I hope to push for the Premier League within the next 5 years, by which time I'll have been in the hotseat for almost 10 years; good stuff.
One thing that really winds me up though is when players you've nurtured from when they were 17 and rotting in a Premier League reserve team want to move to a "bigger club". You're 20! Stay with us and help us win trophies!
But it could be worse, I could be at Man Utd, bored out of my mind at the ease of victory and the lack of challenges. COME ON YOU COBBLERS!
So for the latest version of FM, I decided to be bold and try a new team, I chose Spurs. They are however, a crock of sh*t and after 8 months with them I was unceremoniously sacked.
I was gutted, I even considered starting a new game with Man Utd to repair my tattered ego. But no, I ploughed on, I checked the job vacancies at every opportunity, I was prepared to take anything; Blue Square Premier League, MLS, I didn't care.
many months passed, but in January 2010 Northampton Town came knocking. I'd found my new home.
They were a rag-tag bunch of miscreants at the time, with very little money, terrible coaching staff and even worse facilities, not to mention the players. I knew I had a job on my hands to sort out this mess, but I wanted to repay the faith they'd shown in me.
Out with the old, I sacked 13 players to reduce the wage bill; mostly reserves on very little to start with, but every little helps. I signed better scouts and sent them around Britain to find some hidden treasures. One reported back on Zoltan Harsanyi, a Slovakian at Bolton Reserves looking for a new start, it was a risk, but I blew over half of my transfer budget on bringing him in; perhaps a Premier League player could turn this team around.
I also managed to broker a deal with Man Utd to become Northampton's parent club; HELLO FREE LOANS!
Securing a relatively comfortable 19th place in League One, I knew next season would be our year. It was a struggle, but by the end of 2011 Northampton had made the League One playoffs with a +30 goal difference thanks to Zoltan Harsanyi and Man Utd's Daniel Drinkwater, Corry Evans and Davide Petrucci; as well as Ben Amos in goal.
Easing through the semis against Cardiff, we faced Huddersfield in the final, a chance at a place in the Championship for the first time since 1966/67. An edgy 90 minutes followed, the only goal coming from substitute John Cunliffe (a liability all season), 1-0 will do.
Now it was all about staying up in the Championship, but a rag-tag squad of mid-table League One players wasn't going to be able to do that; the scouts were deployed again. A total of 29 players were brought in over the course of the season, including 14 free transfers, with 19 rejects going the opposite way. (£650k spent, £350k received)
A remarkably successful season followed, and 15th place was the reward.
Another season, another army of signings, the busiest transfer period in Northampton Town's history (probably). In total, 41 players joined over the year, and thanks to the sale of Harsanyi for £2.5m among others, and the Championship's TV money, Northampton Town's financial status was finally secured. Thanks to the new, talented blood in the mix, as well as the already built up core, Northampton rocketed to 11th place in the Championship; could the Premier League soon beckon?
Then the summer came, and sh*t hit the fan. Seemingly loyal players wanted out citing a desire to play for a "bigger club". "We want to match your ambition!" I cried in vain, but it was not to be. Rather than let the "bigger" clubs stomp all over our hard work however, I decided Northampton Town would not be taken for a ride. I demanded crazy money for players, and to my surprise, they were all accepted. the sale of only 6 key players brought in over £10m;
- Adam Osborn D R/L, signed for £6k, sold for £1.7m
- Eric Sanz M R, signed for £110k, sold for £1m
- Jesús M C, signed for free, sold for £2m (didn't want to sell him, but the board couldn't refuse a £1.2m bid, and so I offered him to everyone else for £2m; luckily he chose one of them and not the original accepted bid)
- Daniel Alcázar AM L, signed for £120k, sold for £2.5m
- Mushaga Bakenga S, signed for free, sold for £1m
- Paco Borrego D C, DM, M C, signed for free, sold for £2.5m
We were on cloud 9 financially, but what about the team? 6 players isn't a lot on paper, but it creates a huge dent in a side's ambitions to lose a dearth of players in one go. Taking a look at the squad however, I realised that the foundations of a strong Championship side were already there, despite the losses; all that was missing was a striker; in came 17 year old Paul Dawson for £4m. A risk, no doubt, but risks have paid off in the past for this team.
So now, with the 2011 January transfer window approaching, Northampton Town lie in 17th place in the Championship and things are looking up for the side. I hope to push for the Premier League within the next 5 years, by which time I'll have been in the hotseat for almost 10 years; good stuff.
One thing that really winds me up though is when players you've nurtured from when they were 17 and rotting in a Premier League reserve team want to move to a "bigger club". You're 20! Stay with us and help us win trophies!
But it could be worse, I could be at Man Utd, bored out of my mind at the ease of victory and the lack of challenges. COME ON YOU COBBLERS!