Preston Story - Recreating the Invincibles

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saranw71

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Hello everyone, this is my first ever attempt to write a story, so bear with me!

View attachment 258428


Background

View attachment 258427
'The Invincibles'​

I've always had a soft spot for Preston ever since I read about their glorious days in my childhood. The alias 'The Invincibles' came after their successful undefeated campaign in the 1888/89 season both in the league and cup competitions. However, they have been on the decline ever since. The FA Cup in 1938 was the last major silverware they got their hands on. Currently, they are in the League 1.

I intend to bring back 'The Invincibles'. Will I succeed?

Rules​

There isn't any proper rules in this story, however, having been an avid user of editors in the past and got somehow bored (I loving browsing FMRTE to find the best players looking at their PA, hidden attributes, etc) I won't use any kind of editor. All the scouting will be done in-game with my guts, plus some names I have already known. Tactics will be made from ground-up (no downloading). Disclaimer: the story won't be reload-free as there will be some rage-quitting along the way. I however think that it won't affect the outcome much as there are 1-2 maximum in each season.

I'll also try to focus on home-grown players.

Right now I'm at the start of 2017/18 season, so we need some catching up in the first few posts. I lost the save file so it won't be very detailed.

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First Season (2014/15)

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Media Prediction: 4
Goal: Gain promotion
Transfer Budget: £300,000
Wage Budget: £67,775/71,555

The Team

This is the team I'm greeted with:
Key Payers

 - Joe Garner: Star of the team, can easily play in the CH.

- Bailey Wright: Solid, young defender, possibly the next captain?

- Alan Brown and Josh Brownhill: Very prospective midfielders who can be used right now. (I personally call them 'the Brown Brothers')

The next post will be transfers and tactics.
 
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First Season (2014/15) cont.


Transfers

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There were some notable transfers in: (pic said Man Utd as I lost the original save file and using Man Utd to deal with these guys is waaaaaay easier)

- John Hou Sæter (80k): Very cheap, goes right into the first team despite the age.

- Will Keane (loan): Will be paired up with Garner.

- Andrew Davies (475k): Trying to improve the defense. (not really necessary....this deal will hurt me later on, stay tuned)

I decided not to use wingers but I failed to sell them.

Tactics
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I started with a 4-4-2 diamond narrow with short passing and low tempo.


Failing to sell wingers means they needed game time, so I devised a 4-1-2-3 Asymmetric which turned out to be very successful.
Hayhurst on the left and Humphery on the right.
View attachment 258397

It's almost midnight now, so stay tuned!​
 
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End of First Season (2014/15)
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Preston won the League 1 by large margin with a record 102 points!

Joe Garner - He scored 32 in the league, won the golden boot. Total goal scored: 42. He also won the PFA League 1 Player of the year!

John Hou Saeter and Will Hayhurst were also honorable mentions. Ben Davies also broke into the first team with remarkable ratings.

Both Garner and Hou Saeter were featured in the PFA League 1 Team of the year.

Of course I won the manager of the year award :)
 
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Second Season (2015/16)

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Media Prediction: 13
Goal: Playoffs
It seemed that my team was quite good even for the Championship. Aston Villa, Stoke, and Crystal Palace were relegated from the BPL.




Some really good free transfers in: (pictures from the end of the season)

- Will Keane - former loanee, high hopes on his potential
- Rory Donnelly from Swansea - very determined striker with 19 flair
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- Paul Corry from Sheff Wed - model professional and strong ball winning midfielder
View attachment 256815

- Nicola Leali from Juventus - young, determined, high potential goalkeeper with good area commanding
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We also loaned Will's brother, Micheal from Man Utd, and Ryan Ledson from Everton.

Good piece of bussiness, don't you think? There were also some bad moves..

Remember the problem mentioned earlier? Andrew Davies' transfer deprived all money from our budget and we cannot extend a lot of contracts including two championship-level left backs - David Buchanan and Scott Laird, ouch!

Tactics

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I opted for a structured 5-2-1-2 WB with control mentality.


 
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End of Second Season (2015/16)​

We had a surprisingly good run of form and got ourselves into the top position for most of the second half. However, we hit a bad run of form in the last month...


We dropped into the second place, but that was enough to secure a promotion!

Stoke and Crystal Palace didn't do well enough to bounce back into the BPL. I feel bad for them.

We'll be replacing Watford, Burnley and Ipswich.




Preston young talents also got a huge increase in their value. 7.25M for Brownhill, Hou Saeter's jumped from 80k to a whopping 6.5M. The free transfers also did really well.



I would have liked to give it to the twin Keane brothers. Will netted 24 goals total (23 in the league) and achieved an impressive 10 assists. However, if I really have to choose one it would be Michael. The center-back was a solid backbone to our defense provided the cover to our 3-men defense (the wing backs operated very high, almost in the same line as CM). I also got himself 6 goals and 2 assists.

Both of them were in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, with Will as a substitute.

Rory Donelly had a fine debut season with Preston. He operated in the false 9 position, provided 17 goals and 8 assists. Hou Saeter and Brownhill also provided solid display in midfield.

There was also an disappointment as the fan-favorite Joey Garner failed to produce. He wasn't clinical at all missing one after another clear-cut chances. He had average rating and produced 10 goals and 6 assists. Not bad but a far cry from what he achieved in the last season.

All in all, it was a good solid season. I'd like a good striker in order for us to survive the BPL in the upcoming season.
 
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