Hi everyone,
After many, many years of playing FM and experiencing the joys of promotion and the near relegation misses, i thought it's time that i share my story - the start of a career in management with the mighty Bristol Rovers.
In real life, watching the demise of my team at the hand of Paul Buckle (check it out - how this guy hasnt been sacked is untrue!!) has been crippling, so i thought i'd have a go at managing my team on FM - something i've never previously done in the previous 6 years of playing the game. I thought it would be bad luck, however after being relegated last year things couldn't get worse!!!
Background
Season expectation, promotion to L1.
First off, i wanted to increase my wage budget which my chairman Nick Higgs kindly agreed to. He wouldnt extend my transfer budget though - I guess this was down to relegation from L1 last year, but i was happy to form a partnership with Chelsea. The £77k fee will certainly help and maybe, just maybe i'll unearth a future England international for Chelsea....or even for Bristol Rovers
The Squad
Goalkeeper
I have to choose from Scott Bevan or Lance Cronin.... Not a great choice is it! Lance i released on a free as he simply isnt going to play and i bought in a young australian previously on liverpool books - Dean Bouzanis.
Defence
The first thing i wanted to do was shore up my defence. It lacked that experienced head every back four needs, so i bought in Tyrone Loran on a 3 year deal. His wages are expensive for a L2 club, however if I'm going to get them out of the division, you need to pay top whack for good quality. I also added Ignasi Miquel on a season long loan from Arsenal and I'm trying to get Jack Mills for £16k from Reading - one for the future but also someone who i feel can add real value to my defence, especially in a tough division like L2. Byron Anthony is always a liability, so he's been sold to Burton.
Midfield
My midfield was seriously lacking the quality needed out wide so i bought it Frank Songo'o on a free and loaned Thomas Butler (Swansea) & Matteo Alberti (QPR) on season long loans who i hope to sign at the end of the season if i can lead my side to glory. With the experienced heads of Matt Gill, Stuart Campbell plus the finesse of Wayne Brown I'm certain i have enough strength in the middle. With the pace and crossing ability of my wide men i'm sure i'll create chances. Craig Stanley and Ben Swallow do not have enough quality for a promotion chasing side so they were released and sold respectively.
Striker
Over the years the Pirates have produced some top quality strikers, namely; Barry Hayles, Jason Roberts, Marcus Stewart, The Duke Nathan Ellington and Jamie Cureton - not forgetting Scott Sinclair and Bobby Zamora - impressive list isnt it!
The strikeforce is an important part of any promotion chasing side, and i was happy with the options i had...
Joe Anyinsah - can play outwide or up top
Matt harrold - a bit of a battering ram but proven at L2 level
Scott McGleish - a journeyman striker, but great finishing and composure. Im confident he can still do a job for me in this season at least.
I felt i needed to add some fresh blood ready for a new season and what better than a 17 year old striker from Man Utd - Will Keane. Lets hope he can emulate some of the great strikers Bristol Rovers have produced over the years.
Jo Kuffour was moved on swiftly on a free transfer to Luton - he doesnt feature in my plans and his wages at 1.4k per week needed to be freed up. A few of my youngsters i sent out on loan to give them some first team experience in the BS Premier - Kayne McLaggon, Elliot Richards and Lemar Powell who i'm hoping can be teh next Scott Sinclair who conincidentally Rivers sold to Chelsea before. The Chelsea - Rovers partnership could strike again!
Staff
I needed a couple of coaches so I've bought in Steve Jones a fitness coach and i'm on the look out for another coach to improve the defence.There's a job advert runnning so maybe i'll have some interest.
Pre season
An indifferrent pre season and tinkering of tactics led to some dodgy results, hower i'm confident that i have the right blend of youth and experience to drive my up the league....
View attachment 213363
Season
First game of the season is against Bradford at the Memorial Stadium - i'll refer to this as 'The Mem' througout my story. They are prediced to finish 7th so thsi is going to be a tough game.
I like 4-4-2 as it's balanced. I want to play with 2 strikers as I'm a gaffer who likes attacking football and to score goals...think Kevin Keegan at Newcastle but with a more solid defence....Well that's the aim.
First game is over and i won 6-0. 6 goals, none conceded...what a start! 8081 fans were in attendance to witness this great performance. 5 different goal scorers and an OG. I'm delighted. A MOM performance from new signing Songo'o and a goal for 17 year old loanee Will Keane - his first league start and goal in professional football has made me a happy chappy. Let's hope for more.
Screen Shots from Bradford game
View attachment 213368 View attachment 213370
Next up cardiff in the cup, plus some games at hereford and burton and a home tie against accrington. I'll report again after a few more games, hopefully i'll be in the top 3 as this year i've promised promotion! I've just signed Jack Mills after lengthly negtiotions - hopefully he's worth the wait! He had 7 games on loan at Telstar from Holland before, so maybe he can bring a bit of a Frank De Boer touch to my defence after spending some time in Holland.
If you want any more screen shots or info on this story, let me know - this is the first time i've ever posted on a site like this so feel free to give any feedback.
After many, many years of playing FM and experiencing the joys of promotion and the near relegation misses, i thought it's time that i share my story - the start of a career in management with the mighty Bristol Rovers.
In real life, watching the demise of my team at the hand of Paul Buckle (check it out - how this guy hasnt been sacked is untrue!!) has been crippling, so i thought i'd have a go at managing my team on FM - something i've never previously done in the previous 6 years of playing the game. I thought it would be bad luck, however after being relegated last year things couldn't get worse!!!
Background
Season expectation, promotion to L1.
First off, i wanted to increase my wage budget which my chairman Nick Higgs kindly agreed to. He wouldnt extend my transfer budget though - I guess this was down to relegation from L1 last year, but i was happy to form a partnership with Chelsea. The £77k fee will certainly help and maybe, just maybe i'll unearth a future England international for Chelsea....or even for Bristol Rovers
The Squad
Goalkeeper
I have to choose from Scott Bevan or Lance Cronin.... Not a great choice is it! Lance i released on a free as he simply isnt going to play and i bought in a young australian previously on liverpool books - Dean Bouzanis.
Defence
The first thing i wanted to do was shore up my defence. It lacked that experienced head every back four needs, so i bought in Tyrone Loran on a 3 year deal. His wages are expensive for a L2 club, however if I'm going to get them out of the division, you need to pay top whack for good quality. I also added Ignasi Miquel on a season long loan from Arsenal and I'm trying to get Jack Mills for £16k from Reading - one for the future but also someone who i feel can add real value to my defence, especially in a tough division like L2. Byron Anthony is always a liability, so he's been sold to Burton.
Midfield
My midfield was seriously lacking the quality needed out wide so i bought it Frank Songo'o on a free and loaned Thomas Butler (Swansea) & Matteo Alberti (QPR) on season long loans who i hope to sign at the end of the season if i can lead my side to glory. With the experienced heads of Matt Gill, Stuart Campbell plus the finesse of Wayne Brown I'm certain i have enough strength in the middle. With the pace and crossing ability of my wide men i'm sure i'll create chances. Craig Stanley and Ben Swallow do not have enough quality for a promotion chasing side so they were released and sold respectively.
Striker
Over the years the Pirates have produced some top quality strikers, namely; Barry Hayles, Jason Roberts, Marcus Stewart, The Duke Nathan Ellington and Jamie Cureton - not forgetting Scott Sinclair and Bobby Zamora - impressive list isnt it!
The strikeforce is an important part of any promotion chasing side, and i was happy with the options i had...
Joe Anyinsah - can play outwide or up top
Matt harrold - a bit of a battering ram but proven at L2 level
Scott McGleish - a journeyman striker, but great finishing and composure. Im confident he can still do a job for me in this season at least.
I felt i needed to add some fresh blood ready for a new season and what better than a 17 year old striker from Man Utd - Will Keane. Lets hope he can emulate some of the great strikers Bristol Rovers have produced over the years.
Jo Kuffour was moved on swiftly on a free transfer to Luton - he doesnt feature in my plans and his wages at 1.4k per week needed to be freed up. A few of my youngsters i sent out on loan to give them some first team experience in the BS Premier - Kayne McLaggon, Elliot Richards and Lemar Powell who i'm hoping can be teh next Scott Sinclair who conincidentally Rivers sold to Chelsea before. The Chelsea - Rovers partnership could strike again!
Staff
I needed a couple of coaches so I've bought in Steve Jones a fitness coach and i'm on the look out for another coach to improve the defence.There's a job advert runnning so maybe i'll have some interest.
Pre season
An indifferrent pre season and tinkering of tactics led to some dodgy results, hower i'm confident that i have the right blend of youth and experience to drive my up the league....
View attachment 213363
Season
First game of the season is against Bradford at the Memorial Stadium - i'll refer to this as 'The Mem' througout my story. They are prediced to finish 7th so thsi is going to be a tough game.
I like 4-4-2 as it's balanced. I want to play with 2 strikers as I'm a gaffer who likes attacking football and to score goals...think Kevin Keegan at Newcastle but with a more solid defence....Well that's the aim.
First game is over and i won 6-0. 6 goals, none conceded...what a start! 8081 fans were in attendance to witness this great performance. 5 different goal scorers and an OG. I'm delighted. A MOM performance from new signing Songo'o and a goal for 17 year old loanee Will Keane - his first league start and goal in professional football has made me a happy chappy. Let's hope for more.
Screen Shots from Bradford game
View attachment 213368 View attachment 213370
Next up cardiff in the cup, plus some games at hereford and burton and a home tie against accrington. I'll report again after a few more games, hopefully i'll be in the top 3 as this year i've promised promotion! I've just signed Jack Mills after lengthly negtiotions - hopefully he's worth the wait! He had 7 games on loan at Telstar from Holland before, so maybe he can bring a bit of a Frank De Boer touch to my defence after spending some time in Holland.
If you want any more screen shots or info on this story, let me know - this is the first time i've ever posted on a site like this so feel free to give any feedback.
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