Tranmere Rovers 2014-15... Sky Bet League 2 Champions and FA Cup WINNERS

[liquefry]

"Right, let's discuss the centre halves, then have a bit of a break. I could use a cup of tea. Julian, keep going"

"OK guys, check out the report for DC players."
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Ake will be first pick this year, he is brilliant at centre back. I think now that Barbosa is a bit more solid we can use him as first choice on the left, and Ake in the middle. Haroyan and Sweeney are also capable - you saw how brilliant Sweeney was against Chelsea. Donacien and Daniels are in the mix as well. Basically we have a solid core here for this year and maybe the few following. None of our players will be international stars, but they will be sufficient for the first XI in this coming season. I know you said up front to think about the first XI and a few subs, but I think having four-five good options here is important. We could possibly drop Daniels if we need the salary space, Donacien will be needed as right back backup.

Our future options include the Belgian Bossaerts, and Knudsen as I mentioned earlier. Both might be ok. If a special youngster that will be a 5 star option in a few years is available, we should think about getting them."

Phil chimes in without being asked. "Yes I'm a little disappointed with Bossaerts, I thought he'd be a bit better but he's not meeting my expectations so far. He was a good pickup for free but actually we should either farm him out now to save on salary space or just sell him. Knudsen is borderline either way, his utility on the left should mean we keep him for now but I will keep an eye on his development."

Julian comes back in "I forgot to mention the other players - we should drop Oshilaja, he's not good enough at centre or out wide, and none of the youth players are looking worthwhile really so don't bother once their youth agreements run out."

I ponder this advice. "Steve, sell Oshilaja now, and put Dickinson on the loan list. He's already in Croatia, we can leave him there, if he wants to leave we'll let him. Put Bossaerts on the loan list, and mark Daniels down as a maybe - don't publish it, but if other clubs come sniffing we will definitely consider it. I think we will need the depth but he's quite expensive now that I signed that cursed new contract!"

"OK that does it for the defence. Just to summarise, we're looking at the following first choice across the back - Barbosa on the left, Ake and Sweeney / Haroyan in the middle, and <insert new player here> on the right - we basically don't have a right option. fon Williams is good for keeping at this level. Time for a quick break, I need some food and a cuppa, and then we'll get back into it."

The team disperses and I rush off to get some food. A pretty productive morning so far.

 

[liquefry]

Dave Watson the assistant manager pulls me aside. "What do you want from me in this meeting? I feel like you're always asking everyone else for advice but not me!". Dave looks worried, perhaps with some justification. He's the backroom joker, the one to keep morale high and offer tactical advice when needed. But he's not the greatest judge of player ability, and his tactical nous is frankly less than that of some other staff members. I've been thinking about getting someone new in this position for a little while, but am worried about the impact in the change rooms.

"Dave, your job is to keep the squad happy and motivated. You do it brilliantly. And we have a backroom staff that, as a team, provides excellent advice across the board. You know Phil is a much better judge of talent than anyone else in the room, that's why I'm going to him. Feel free to chip in if you think one of the players is causing problems for team morale though - that's an important consideration. I'd also appreciate your advice on captains and the real team builders."

That seems to have put him at ease to some extent... but I have to admit that having assistant reports that are not reliable on ability or potential is a problem. One more transfer to consider in the off season, although Dave has 2 years to run on his contract. He's good at what he does, perhaps that's enough...

 

[liquefry]

"Ok the last defensive position - our DM. We have had some good options here in the past. Julian, can you please keep going and let us know your thoughts on this position?"

"Sure. My report is attached."

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"If we don't need him at DC, Ake is a great DM. The best in our team for sure. Behind him we have Da Silva, and Billing at the moment, although I see you havent extended his loan. That's it. And enough for this year probably, although I'd like a third option for this important role."

Phil adds his bit "Billing has great potential - if you can sign him for the team, definitely do it. In fact, if you can keep him here on loan for the next season it'll be worth our while. He's too good for Huddersfield so they will be looking to sell but he loves this club, and we might be able to do a deal.

Our backup options without Billing are not too crash hot. Da Silva is, in my view, a good player for this level and since he's only 25 he would be ok for the next three years. He is not the great player that Ake is already, or that Billing might be, but he is adequate so we don't need a replacement desparately. None of the youth players are worth it. Your Ivorian signing Angban is a good AMC but we don't need that position, and his abilities in other spots are not great. Plus he doesnt have a work permit, and his contract expires soon - just let him go. Pity we won't make any money on him though. So again, if a great young DM is available for free, pick them up. But it can wait, we should be ok in this spot."

 

[liquefry]

"Moving on to our creative heart - the centre midfield. We have been very successful in this position in other years, Max Power was great for us but he is a real warning of what can happen to a great lower league player in the Premiership. We definitely sold him at the right time - we got more than 3m for him, and he's now valued at 1.8 after averaging just 6.3 in the last season. He rated at 7.9 for us the season before. Now partly that might be the way he was used by Bournemouth, but it is still a warning - will our guys fare the same treatment against the top quality opposition in the middle?"

I gesture to Watson. "Dave what's your view on the middle options?"

The Assistant Manager looks surprised after our discussion, but after the shock subsides he looks pleased. I need him motivated if not totally dedicated to the cause and this vote of confidence should help.

"Hmm. Well here's a report that summarises my view of their potential and current abilities."
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Galloway is the key in the team, and you've done well to extend his loan. He is good Premier League quality right now, and could be a star in the future. Towell is still a good option as the advanced playmaker, although I think he is unlikely to get any better and he may struggle against the quality midfields we'll face in the top half of the league. Teixeira is a good backup option here but he is weaker than these two. I think we are ok in this spot for the season but when Galloway leaves he will leave a big hole. Mezzetti is easily the best of the up and coming players, he's not good enough for a start yet but will be soon enough. Thomas Eisfeld was also a good signing, he will be a decent backup in the future. I think we could do without the rest. Chafer should go, he was always badgering me to let you know he is good enough for the first team last year, even when it was clear that others are better. He is not causing problems in the dressing room but overall I think he'd be happier in a lower league."

Phil Cannon looks across at me, unsure if he should say anything to contradict Dave. I give him a nod, and know that he will give sensible advice without treading on any toes. "I agree mostly with Dave. Mezzetti is a real talent, he will mature into a top quality player. Galloway is fantastic, and keeping him would be a real coup.

On the others, I'd say Teixeira has the potential to be a great centre midfield if we give him more time here, better than Towell. Richie has given us a good season, but he's perhaps peaked - while he may be a good enough prospect in the Premier League, he's not going to be a star. He has good vision and is a big match player, so I'd say keep him in the first XI for the first half of the season, but it may be worthwhile thinking about selling him soon as his value is not likely to improve much, and in three to five years he will be a backup rather than first choice.

We have a big unknown in the squad in Kieran Dowell. Dave doesnt think he has any real potential, but I see a glimmer of something in him. He would need to improve massively over the next 12 months to live up to this potential but right now, with the right nurturing, I'd give him a 3.5 star rating with an extra "unknown" at this stage. that's enough to place him at Galloway level.The real problem with him is a lack of patience, you know he pestered you for a first team spot last year even though he would struggle to get into conference sides, let alone Championship level. You all saw what might happen though - he was great against MK Dons, even scored a goal. Putting him out to loan was a good option. I think it's worth persisting with him for another year, maybe putting him in the U21s first choice to see if he comes on.

For mine, Eisfeld is a decent backup but not really good enough for Premier League yet, another reserves player with some potential. Nico Verhoeven is in the same category but a few years off even being reserves quality. He's only 17 so that's ok. Dump Chafer, and the rest are youths that we shouldnt extend. Overall, we are ok with Galloway and Towell at the moment, think about switching to Galloway/Teixeira when possible and train Teixeira in MC rather than wide player, and look to blood Mezzetti towards the end of the season. Teixeira / Towell would be a decent combo for the three season away scenario although I would prefer Galloway to Towell over that time."

Intriguing. I hadnt thought of Teixeira in MC, but now that Phil is pointing out his potential there I'm reconsidering. He is good in all the key stats for advanced playmaker, better than Towell in most truth be told.

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"Steve, let's note the centre as ok for the time being, and we'll chat with Phil some more during the season about Joao's ability to switch into the centre midfield. I'm happy enough with the squad in this spot for the time being unless something unexpected happens. I already asked you to sell Chafer, let's see if we can make that happen in the offseason, and see if we can secure another loan for Eisfeld to a good German team, he enjoyed that stint with Aue".

 

[liquefry]

"Right, we're getting to the pointy end now. Attackers. Wayne?"

Wayne Gray, our assistant attacking coach, points us to his report and starts up.

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"Let's start with the left. Out wide on the left we have Kent, on extended loan. And Teixeira but if you want him to move to the middle we have a big gap. I'm pretty happy with your mid season signing Maloku, he was a good pickup for free and might be great in the future. But he's a year older than Kent, and significantly behind in development - I dont think that Hajduk developed him very well. I can see why his agent was casting around, he needs someone to take an interest to get him up to scratch. Frankly his speed and crossing skills are not good enough yet. After that, we have Souaressam, another decent agent offer, but decent is all - there is no certainty that he'll be any good. His strength is crossing and dribbling, but he is moderate in most other stats. Noone stands out behind these guys.

On the other players, Bell Baggie was good in League 2 but we should now let him go back down there. Calero is more a striker than wide player, so we'll talk about him in a bit. Cotterill is fully right sided, I know we've been training his left side ability but I'm not sure he'll ever take fully to it, he is a natural on the other side. We should let the rest go when there is a chance to do so."

I look to Phil to add his piece. "I agree with Wayne - this is a bit of a gap position. If you take Kent out of the equation, and move Joao to the middle, we have a big hole. It's not urgent, but it would be a good idea to scout out a new generation in this position just in case Maloku or Sourassem don't end up making it."

"If you'll bear with me, I've had a look through the important stats of all our players capable of playing the current AML role. You can see that we are desparately lacking in pace.

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All the players we are talking about are ok, but not really fast. Remember the top sides we played last season, their best players were super quick out wide, giving them width in attack that we often lack. In the Premier League we might struggle to get behind defences. When looking for new players, if we do come across a fast and promising youngster for this position we should seriously think about investing."

Another interesting position - lucky we have secured Kent really, but we'll need a good backup if Teixeira moves to CM. Food for thought.

 

[liquefry]

"Keeping on with the wide players, things are a bit healthier on the right."

View attachment 325450

Kent is the best current option on this side, he's flexible. Torrano is our current backup, I rate him very highly for the future and he should be capable of holding his own at this level too. After that we have Cotterill as the most promising backup, discounting Benoist who will return to his club shortly.

The biggest problem here is that Torrano is quite slow. He'd be better suited as a central attacking midfielder really. He can still improve in this area though, and he's excellent in all other stats. Cotterill is the opposite - super fast, and decent in the other areas without being outstanding. His crossing is poor for a wing role, that needs to be addressed.

My recommendation in this position is to start with Torrano, and have Cotterill as backup. If an older player becomes available cheaply that has a couple of good seasons in them, say a 29-30 year old that still has pace, we should pick them up as the insurance clause while our youngsters develop."

Steve makes notes while we move on. We're all getting a bit bored and keen to get on with the job of finding these players!

"Wayne, can you cover the centre forward position for us?"

"Sure. Well, our striker.
View attachment 325449

Stockton has been brilliant for three seasons, top scoring last year in the league. He can still develop a bit, but I dont think he'll be the golden boot at this level. We have nothing of any kind under him really. This is a huge problem in my view. We should be looking for a now option striker, not a three year option - a rising star from a big club on loan, or a fringe player from those big clubs. In terms of those coming in behind Stockton for the future, I'm not convinced any of the signings we picked up for free will cut it at this level. We need a big talent here."

This is not surprising, but blunter than I'd expected. I thought Stockton could be good at this level. I ask Phil to chime in.

"Phil, what is your take on Stockton in particular? Do we need a centre forward right now?"

Phil sips his coffee to buy some time. This is a tough call - we're all invested in Stockton as our primary goal scoring option. If he can't cut it at this level, we need to get onto it fast.

"I tend to agree with Wayne. Here's my latest detailed report on Stockton.
View attachment 325448

****. Phil has Stockton as a Championship level player, and only a "good" one at that.

"We need someone that will score goals for us at this level, and while Cole might get there in six months, or even play above his level immediately, it's a risk. He's just come off an absolute belter of a season. It might be worth considering cashing in on him if other teams show interest, and using the money to invest in a higher calibre older player. I suggest thinking about it at least, and even if we don't transfer him out, we should definitely be looking to get someone in by whatever means we can. And neither will solve our longer term issue - we need that young superstar you were talking about last year as soon as we can find them. I've been working at the local level but they havent popped up yet, we probably need to keep bringing our youth facilities up to standard before we find that superstar locally. Look at Southhampton last intake - they got three world class strikers at one go. That might be us in a few years."

"Ok gents, that is great for a first meeting. We've got a few target positions for the first XI in this year - DR and striker, and maybe a good-for-one-year AMR. For the three year team we have the striker, and maybe a DM if one props up. Let's see if we get any offers on Stockton over the next month and make a call on the cash then - Steve, keep an eye on the market and let me know if a good striker shows up. Steve, Phil and Dave, let's catch up later to go through the transfer strategy. The triallists from the world cup are already coming in to the club, let's give them a run around to see. I should have arranged these trials for when the team is back from holiday, but we'll do an initial cull now and maybe invite the worthier players back for a second round then. Good work guys"

 

[liquefry]

Not being bias(im a ipswich fan) but you should have a look at ted bishop at ipswich (thats where he starts) huge talent for the future,

I should have responded to this already - he does look ok, but Bournemouth took him to the Premier League with them already. He made a few starts for them last season, and did so-so.

 

[liquefry]

Some more end of season news is flowing in to my inbox now.

View attachment 325445

Overachiever - that's another Steam achievement off the list!

The end of season points were allocated too - I was not exactly in the top 20 this season! Scraped into the top 1300 positions
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Fan's player of the year: Richie Towell
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Fan's best XI:
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Pretty much matches the lineup most weeks.

 

[liquefry]

Phil comes into my office with a smile, and dozens of reports on the youngsters on trial. It's been a remake of the youth world cup we've had so many of them here, and he's come up with few promising names. We did get rejected by quite a few last time round, but now we are listed as being in the Premier League we might get some more acceptances, I will send out some more trial offers shortly.

The best so far are:
Lennart Schatzschneider - a right back with tremendous pace and good all round skills already, and available for less than 4m... bargain.
View attachment 325441

Frank Lamboo - a "potential world class striker"... could solve our long term striker gap. No indication of cost though, I suspect he will be a bit pricier
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I'm putting in offers on both to see what we get. Schatzschneider is good enough to come straight in as first choice (in a fairly shallow pool!) and can only get better, so if I can get him for 3m I will take it.

 

[liquefry]

*Bang* Steve Coppell rushes in to my office, where I am still poring over notes.

"Remember a few months ago when we were looking into strikers, and you liked the look of that young Brazilian Gabriel?" Ah yes, the angelic Gabriel, who I imagine has wings and glows. "Yes. I remember we made an offer we couldnt afford which was accepted..." "Well, we can afford it now. I sent in a new offer for lower than last time, and after some haggling I've got an agreement for 4m, plus 1.5 after 30 games. His agent is asking for a huge cut... can you take over? I want to make sure you're happy with where we end up, this guy is a bit sleazy. Oh and by the way Lewis Macleod joined the squad today, you might want to say hello. Remember you picked him up as soon as our salary budget was up to it?" Oh, I had forgotten about him in all the excitement of the end of season. I check Phil's report again - oh wow he's actually pretty good.

View attachment 325439

He's a notch above Towell in most respects.
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Well we certainly don't need another MC right now, that should get us through this season.

 

[liquefry]

I haggled them down to a 12k wage, which is not the top earning in the club - I somehow let both Towell and Macleod talk me into a 16k wage, Da Silva is on 15k and Daniels 12.25k.

A few days later I get a call from Immigration. "Hello. It's me again." says the officious voice at the other end of the line. "Can't you find ANY English players? How about some nice Europeans? Seriously, I'm rejecting this work permit, you need to find some locals."

Oh dear. I get the lawyer to lodge an appeal immediately, and start to panic. Could they really reject this kid? He is an undeniable talent, I had to basically beg to get him to even think about joining. "Tranmere is not big enough for me" he said. He liked the sound of becoming a club legend though, enough to ask for a 12k pay rise (yes, Gremio was paying him practically zero).

I can't sleep that night, anxiously considering the callback from Immigration. This is pretty much the last piece of business I need to do, unless I can find a good aging DR for free, a big club reject.

The next day I am chewing my nails by the phone when it rings. I answer it half way through the first note of Beethoven's Fifth - I set the immigration office to a suitably dramatic ringtone. There is an audible sigh on the other end. "Ok, you win. Provisional work permit granted for this contract. Your lawyer deserves a pay rise, seriously. And that's it, Europeans next time, I don't want to hear from you again. Or I'll reject Glover again, remember the trouble you had signing his new contract last year, I can make life very difficult for you. OK?"

Well that's clear enough, and with a slight adjustment to the budget Gabriel is on the next plane.

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Sorry Cole. This signing dents your chances of setting any Premier League records...

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He needs some training in the mental stats - anticipation, concentration, composure - as you expect from a raw 18 year old. But he is excellent already on finishing and dribbling, a much greater threat in the air than Stockton, and is significantly quicker. A great deal all round, thank you U20s World Cup and the Brazilian selectors. At this stage, I'm willing to thank the entire Brazilian nation!

 

[liquefry]

I should probably have mentioned the end of the Lamboo saga. He sounds a bit Star Warsy, I like that, maybe I should have pushed harder. The lad signed an extension with Twente. He loves the club apparently. Oh well, water under the bridge now.

 

[liquefry]

Trial time - I've invited a few of this July's contract rejects to trial at the club and see if we can plug those short term gaps.

From our staff meeting we identified a gap at reserve GK, and we want a right fullback that is good for a couple of seasons.

The free transfer options include:
Per Mertesacker - he is not a DR, but he is a legend so I may as well give him a run in trials, maybe he can be a redundant DC
Fabio - Rafael's less successful twin brother has been released by Cardiff
Cristian Gamboa - released from WBA, he made 18 starts last season.
Andre Almeida - was in the Portuguese first division, worth a look.
Thomas Monconduit - released from Auxerre
Ramires - released from Chelsea. He's a wide player, I just wanted to get him on trial because of the FA Cup games last year!
Ilsinho - an older Brazilian player, always a bit of a gamble.

I asked Phil Cannon to put them all through their paces and give me a report on their current and future potential. Here's what he came up with:
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Gamboa is Phil's preferred right fullback, followed by Fabio. They are both still relatively young at 27. Gamboa has better stats as a fullback.

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Looks like I should offer a contract to Gamboa. I'm going to need to free up some salary space though, I've been a bit too prolific with the signings and now can't afford either. Donacien will have to go, he's valued at 4.5 million and has a 12k salary, I need the cash.

 

[liquefry]

I called Gamboa over from the training session. "Cristian, tell your agent to give me a call when he has a chance". He ran back in, looking keen.

I got the call later that day. "I hear you want me to call? I have to tell you, I was surprised that Cristian was willing to go on trial with your club. I told him I don't expect Tranmere to stay in the Premier League for long." Well, he is straight to the point. What cheek.

"Anyway, you can have Cristian for 13k. Not a penny less. And he will want a 300k sign on fee, 2k if you have a clean sheet, 2.4k to appear and 1.2 if he doesnt."

hmm. I offer 5k. Wichne comes down to 12.75... not promising. I beg another call coming in, and leave the discussion to a later time.

That did not go well, I dont want to pay 13k for a short term option. Fabio is looking more appealing now.

Fabio's agent is Jimmy Mitchell, who is a local. I give him a call. "Jimmy, we want to take Fabio as a backup. What will he cost?"

Jimmy must be consulting his books because he takes a moment to respond. "For Fabio, he will need 6k. And a three year contract."

That's more like it. We haggle a bit just for form, and Fabio is a Tranmere man for 4.9k a week. Pretty happy with that.

Now to consider the other triallists...

 

[liquefry]

Ramires looks pretty good, although at 30 he's not going to get any better. Phil says that he is as good as Kent at AMR, which would give us a solution for the next year or two. I call his agent to test the water, but as an ex-Chelsea I imagine he's going to be costly. Jarred Smith is his agent, with just him and Welbeck on the books. OK.

"So you are interested in Ramires. He's a star, could put Tranmere on the map. And he's a steal at 50k a week. He wants 3m to sign up too. Normal bonuses - 10k appearance fee, 5k goal bonus.

I gag a bit. He's clearly still thinking blue chip clubs, surely noone else would pay that for a 30 year old with 2 or 3 years left in them.

"How about 5k, none of those bonuses, and a 100k sign up fee" I counter.

Long silence. I mean long. So long I wonder if he has fainted, or just thrown down the phone in disgust. Or maybe put it on mute so he can celebrate? Unlikely.

"We're a long way apart here. Look, Ramires was a Chelsea star, he is used to London wages. Maybe you're just not in the big league yet. My final offer is 45k. Don't fool around now."

"We're going to have to pass, sorry for the bother."

Well, it was a long shot. I'm guessing Mertesacker will go much the same way.

 

[liquefry]

Outward bound, I've not had any luck with most of the fringe players but Donacien was a quick sale. I chat to him during the final training session. I know that the boys are going out for a farewell tonight but I wanted to have a word myself.

"Janoi, you've been with us all the way from League 2. You've grown with the club and are now are top class defender. I think you'll do brilliantly at Charlton and help them progress in the Premier League this year. They're a big club with a lot of other great players. We'll think of you fondly here at Tranmere and you're welcome back any time." I leave the obvious unsaid - we needed the cash, and he's got some competition at right back now with our young German signing, and now the more experienced Fabio.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." he keeps it short, and with that he's off with the lads. I do feel sentimental, and wondering if it was wise to sell him. I see Charlton values him at 6m already, suggests they would have paid more! I must have a chat with Steve about that. But I think we've done well to get what we did, and the new salary we were paying him was too high so he had to go. As I turn to leave I notice that he has a new sports car. He must have done a pretty good deal with Charlton. Good luck to him!

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[Tracz]

Leave it a little while and keep an eye on ramires he may lower his term if he hasnt got a club later in the season

 

[jem2701]

No I never used v5.1. 5.1 is for teams that play the long ball, of which you get plenty in the lower divisions, but I didnt seem vulnerable to it anyway. I trained in it just in case anyway

Wicked man, what did you set up for pre season? I have match tactics on and balanced on very high. Also did you train the players?

thanks.

 

[liquefry]

I asked a couple of goalkeepers here on trial too:

Raffaele di Gennaro - a 23 year old recently released by Inter
Jose Manuel Reina - long time Liverpool keeper, he's now 34, just released by Bayern.

Phil Cannon's assessment is:
View attachment 325402

Both rated better than fon Williams, so the calculation might be slightly different than expected - it might be fon Williams that is looking at bench time. The 23 year old di Gennaro looks a good prospect. Time to check salaries...

di Gennaro asks for 13k. Reina wants 27. I drive di Gennaro down to 11k, and it looks like we have a new first choice keeper.

View attachment 325396

 

[liquefry]

Wicked man, what did you set up for pre season? I have match tactics on and balanced on very high. Also did you train the players?

thanks.

Yep, I always train match tactics in pre-match training during the pre season, and team cohesion or tactics for the general training. I aim to get the team to fluid in the formations by the regular season but in the first season it takes a while since you're starting from scratch - say a month into the season the team should be familiar with the tactics. On individuals, I train them in the position they play in and "all roles", and if the trainers suggest individual training in a particular skill I will often use that too.