This is my first game on fm13 and i am still going strong.
Started at Rotherham and hit the ground running, top of the league after 10 games by 5 points until inconsistency set in. I struggled along in the play-off spots until January where i brought some players and managed to settle the ship a bit until the end of the season where i finished in the play-offs. I got rivals Chesterfield in my play-off semi-finals and i got battered 4-0 in the 1st leg before a 2-1 win in the 2nd leg at home. A massive 6-1 defeat on aggregate to your arch rivals was a disappointing end after a hopeful season.
I then brought really well on paper for a title challenge in the 2nd season. 4 wonderkid gems from German clubs releasing them and some more good signings to boot but i totally changed the team i had from the season before and i flopped. Bobbing along in mid-table after a few months in the season i was sacked!
I applied for all the jobs going as i had 15 leagues playable from the big 5 countries in Europe. Many clubs laughed of interest such as Blackpool and Hoffenheim as did Swindon Town of League 1. Swindon were looking for a manager after a below-average start under Paulo Di Canio, The Italian then moved to Blackpool leaving Swindon in the lurch i think they wanted the cheap option because after a few weeks of them laughing at me they eventually approached me to take over. I accepted the offer and rejected Forest Green from the Blue Square.
Swindon had a small squad and the 1st task was to get to January respectably and learn about the team before i could buy players. January was a let down, i couldnt find any quality and instead of buying quantity i opted to take the 19 man squad to the end of the season as i had some good players anyway and the squad was just enough to scrape a 19th place finish.
I started my 3rd season of the game by getting rid of the players that either i didnt like or didnt want to pay their contract demands leaving the squad size at 12 at the registration window before the start of the season. I quickly brought in 3 players that added some quality so the numbers went up to 15 as i played West Ham in the Capital One Cup. I beat them on penalties and started League 1 with 2 wins before signing some more players and grabbing a few loans before the window shut.
Im currently in January boosting the squad again and the story so far is that ive been promising in the cups and top half in League 1. Capital One Cup (2nd Round loss to Wolves), JPT (lost to League 2 side Pompey in the Qtr-finals disappointingly after being good in previous rounds) , FA Cup (lost to MK Dons in a 2nd round replay, also disappointing as they are in League 2) but after them set backs ive managed to get myself up to 4th in the League as January arrives.
My current squad is:
GK - Wes Foderingham, Conor Ripley, Leigh Bedwell (out on loan)
DR - Grant Hall, Robbie Tinkler
DC - Troy Archibald-Henville
DC - Ben Gibson (Loan) also Joel Lynch (loan)
DL - Jay McEverely (just sealed Adam Blakeman on loan from Bolton)
MR - Robert Snodgrass (5 month loan just renewed to end of season), Matt Ritchie
MC - Sebastien Lleget (West Ham guy), Stephen McGinn, Chris Baker or Barker (not sure hes regen though)
MC - Lee ***, Alan Navarro (couple more CMs but ive forgotten them :O)
ML - Louis Thompson (regen) (Etheringham just signed from not having a club, contract til end of season)
ST - MILES STOREY (1 star current ability smashed in 10+ goals last season and already got over 10 this season)
ST - Andrew Williams (Goal machine), Andrew Halliday (fantastic buy, can play AML aswel, GOALS), Chris O'Grady (average so far), Ryland Turner (regen)
Im love FM13, i love the football league and its throwing a lot at me with injuries, inconsistency, sackings and even the board didnt allow me to have a parent club until my form/squad improved (now got Man Utd parenting) but i just keep going
(like this post) and eventually i gain a little bit more and its sensational.
Record so far ... played over 120 games, won 39%
2 clubs, 3 manager of the month awards and the biography a little longer.