UK Journeyman

[sek729]

I'm not much of a story teller but I enjoy sharing the results of my saves with others. I recently just upgraded to FM17 after wearing out my FM14 for over 3 years.

I loaded all the UK Leagues and started at Northern Ireland second-tier club Loughgall. For whatever reason, I got drawn to this club in the past and decided my first save in FM17 will be with them.

I am already one season into my save but here is a quick recap from Season 1.

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Despite a strong season, I was left chewing for more on multiple occasions.

- Drew at home to Premiership side Ballymena Utd 1-1 in the Sixth round of the Irish Cup. Huge missed opportunity here. Had lots of chances to grab the win, and ended up getting stomped 0-3 in the replay.

- Lost the Mid Ulster Cup final on penalties to Glenavon, another Premier side. We deserved to lose as we were dominated, but we had a chance in the end and came up short. Would have loved to grabbed a trophy in my first full FM17 season.

- Held a 1 pt lead in the league with two matches to play. Surrendered the advantage in an away loss to Larne. In the season finale, Warrenpoint were actually losing in the 80th minute. I was in the lead for the title with 10 minutes to go but Warrenpoint struck twice late to steal it away from us.

- Second leg of playoff final was morally crushing. Larne scored in the 83rd to send it to extra time. We actually scored in the 110th minute but my defense was exhausted. They scored a pair in quick succession that crushed our soul. This match was played last night and I went to bed sick to my stomach.

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I'm preparing for the next season. I have not made any crazy changes to the squad, just one upgrade at right-back and replacing our aging goalkeeper with a similar, but younger option.

 

[sek729]

Welp, I was looking forward to a very optimistic season, but towards the end of the pre-season my team got gutted by larger clubs.

Three teams in the Danske Bank Premiership (Top tier in Norther Ireland) stripped three of my best players from me by offering part-time deals. They were all on non-contracts with me. Three starters. Starting left full back and my top two central midfielders, gone.

Kind of caught me by surprise so late in the preseason. I am scrambling to find replacements but they won't be as good as what I had.

Key loss: DL Ross Black to Portadown, 28 apps last season, 2 goals, 4 assists, 3 pom, 7.06 average. Was key as an attacking full back in my 4-1-2-1-2 narrow. Will not be easy to replace. Was my best free kick taker.

Could be a long season.

 

[sek729]

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The season started off promising enough with a 2-0 home win over Larne who snuffed us in the promotion playoff semi-final a few months earlier. I scheduled a friendly in between a 16-day off schedule and came back to win a League Cup match with a few promising regens from my u18 squad getting the start.

Looking good... then boom.

Lost 0-1 away to Donegal Celtic, we had more shots and probably deserved at least a draw.
Lost 0-2 away to Bangor, who hadn't secured a point until this point. This really stiffed our team morale and things started looking shaky.
Got stomped 1-4 away to Dergview, who are a very good side. We were bashed 3-0 right 23 minutes in and it wasn't pretty.

A team meeting lifted some spirits and we were able to knock off P.S.N.I. at home. Our away form is **** right now and I need to start coming up with some solutions.

I didn't spend a ton of time re-assessing my lineup after I got three starters stolen from me in late July. I may evaluate that and tweak tactics before my next series of matches.

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Table is still tight, but Dergview is starting to run away with it. We gotta turn this thing around now.

 

[sek729]

Shambles.

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I have no words for what is happening to me right now. I don't even know what to say. This is the first rough patch I've hit with FM17 and I'm having trouble rescuing morale right now. We cannot catch a break.

We are getting dangerously close to my first sacking of this edition. I hope not, but I'm running out of ideas with this group and there's little I can do to save the day.

We have a string of away fixtures coming up. We need points. Desperately!!

 

[sek729]

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Showed some improved form in that tough string of away fixtures. A couple of draws and a massive 4-0 road victory over Larne, who are actually tops the table. Pretty amazing that we got 6 points from those guys this season.

But the form has not kept up. We had a series of very disappointing results wedged around a close Irish Cup win over a lower division team.


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We are still bottom, 4 points back of a relegation playoff. This upcoming stretch of home fixtures are going to be crucial.

I've been tactically tinkering but I just don't have the players I did last season. I wonder if one of my main problems was at goalkeeper. The GK I replaced last year's GK with was not as good aerially or communicating as my previous veteran keeper. This may have been the problem with my defense early in the season. I added another GK who is a bit stronger in this areas and I think I've improved defensively since that change. I just need to start finding some goals now.

I may revert back to the 4-1-2-1-2 I used last year. I've been experimenting with a 3-5-2 and a 4-2-4 type to try to fit my better players but I haven't had much success offensively.

 

[dani3w]

Good luck with this, don't see too many journeyman saves just in the UK so will be worth a follow. Cant believe how drastic your form is compared to last seasons success

 

[sek729]

It's March 20th, 2018 and I've been sacked! .


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I was in a board meeting a few weeks before the end and I managed to get a draw and a win, but followed that with a pair of losses including a 2-0 home defeat to H&W Welders and it was too much.

Here are my reflection of my job done here:

- I was caught off-guard losing my key players and I didn't really work hard enough to replace them.
- The scouting difference from this and FM14 (the previous version I purchased) is night and day. You really have to hustle to find talent.
- I probably should have leaned a little more on my assistants for their tactical advice before I find my legs there in this ME.

This is super disappointing because I was a nose hair away from being promoted last season.

Disappointing but I'll try to learn from it. Time to dust off the CV.

 

[sek729]

I'm very surprised but also very happy as Chemlsford in the Vanarama National have decided to give me a shot. In FM14, I had to work much harder to get any chances outside of Northern Ireland in this type of journeyman save. It's nice to see that low-level English clubs will give you a shot if you've had a little bit of a CV build up. FM14 always felt kind of broken in this regard. I beat out Darren Bent for the job, who just retired from playing.

It's a relegation rescue job, 1 point clear with 4 to play.

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Fixtures remaining: Aldershot H, Woking A, York H, Cheltenham A

All four are in the top-half, two battling for a playoff spot. Surviving will not be a walk in the park. I'm going to need to channel some energy and focus on the detail in these last four matches.

 

[Teddybear30]

Mixed results in Ireland but good luck on trying to save Chelmsford

 

[sek729]

Thanks for following, Teddybear30!


So did we rescue Chelmsford? Yes Sir!


After scoping over the squad, it actually didn't look too shabby. Lots of balance. Unlike at Loughgall, I actually had some decent wingers to work with. Also the defenders on this team had some decent technical skills, allowing more play from the back and giving me a better chance at some possession.

I usually like having a DMC in either a 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow or 4-1-2-2-1 Wide, but decided against it since my defenders were strong enough on the ball. I chose to utilize my stronger attacking players by opting for a 4-2-4.


FB--CD---BPD--FB
------------------
---BWMd--CMs---
Ws------------Ws
----AFa--DLFs----


I never used anything like this at Loughgall but the players here fit this perfectly and I went with it here.


Home v Aldershot - 0-0 draw. Shots and possession were even and there were no clear cut chances for anyone. Pleased to get the point in my debut against a team in a promotion playoff push.

Away v Woking - 2-1 win. Phenomenal result that sent us 5 points clear of relegation. Went with the same 4-2-4 except with a direct counter attacking style and we got chances. Earned a penalty in the 21st and followed that up quickly in the 23rd. We surrendered a goal before half but played good defense to hold on for the points. Was able to do a defensive possession game in the second half with the slew of technical defenders this team has. Pleased.

Home v York - 2-3 loss. Disappointing defeat as we led 2-0 at half, but it didn't make much difference as we cemented survival on this day.

Away v Cheltenham - 0-0 draw. Didn't matter much, but pleased with the defensive effort.

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Time to see if I can improve this squad. Unlike at Loughgall it's super relaxing to know that most of my players are under contract and are not going to get stolen. Based on the new scouting system, this offseason could take a while.

 

[NathanITFC]

Well done on staying up! Any chance of screenshots of the squad?

 

[Teddybear30]

Ask the board for a senior affiliation as the players coming in are likely to be better than what you have or will improve over the season but good luck for the new season

 

[sek729]

Chelmsford 2018-19 Preseason

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Let's start with the outs:

David Norris - Retired after a long professional career, he did not contribute much to last year's squad. 22 apps, 0 gls, 1 asts, 0 pom, 6.35.
DMC/MC Charlie Cooper (3*/4*)- 21-year old was a regular last year and started for me all 4 matches. Finished the season with 37 apps, 0 gls, 4 asts, 1 pom, 6.59. Was disappointed that Grimsby snatched him away. Very well rounded player, every one of his attributes were between 8 and 12.
DCR/MCR Niall Cowperthwaite (2*/2*) - Another well-rounded player, but a level below Cooper. I used him at right fullback in a support role and he did okay, but we could do better. Just a 6.31 rating in 35 apps last year. He'll fit in better in the Vanarama north.
ML/MC Harry Morgan (2*/2.5*) - Previous manager gave this guy a long run last year (6.22 in 32) in a plain 4-4-2 but there isn't much here. Just 21 but not much potential according to my assistants. I'll go for some higher upside kids.

There was an important player not captured in the transfer report above as his contract expired at the end of May, and he didn't want to re-sign.

GK Ross Fitzsimons (4.5*/5*) - Disappointed that he wouldn't re-sign with us, but it wasn't like the 24-year old Irish goalie was amazing last year. Just 6.57 rating in 42 matches, he got the inconsistent flag from my assistant so he may not be as good as his rating.

-

Here's who we brought in:

MC/DMC Rugare Musendo (2.5/3.5/4.5) - 19-year old Zimbabwean looks to immediately compete for a central midfield spot. Musendo was a product of the Southampton academy and possesses excellent first touch and passing skills, along with good speed for this level.

GK Hugo Keto (3.5/4/5) - A Finnish youth international, Keto, 20, was just let go by Arsenal after failing to break through. Looks like a perfect replacement for Fitzsimons.

DC Chad Field (2/3/4) - 21, he got some starts for Bromley and Whitehawk in the Vanarama National last season. He looks like good cover with a chance to be decent. Our youth squads were pretty bare when I took over, so I definetely looked to restock it.

DCRL Tom Bonner (2.5/2.5/2.5) - 30-year old Scottish journeyman, played in the V-Sorth last year with Dartford (42 apps, 7 poms, 7.19). Not a first teamer but should be able to provide decent cover at three different positions.

MC Harrison Davis (3/4/5) - Very fast (14 pc/13 acc) with a good first touch (13). Just 18 years old, he's another one spit out of the Southampton youth factory. Looking forward to seeing how he develops, but he should be in line for some first team action some point this season.

DLC Jaydn Mundle-Smith (2/3/4) - Fulham academy prospect, very pacy (14/13), but needs work on his technicals. Just 18, he helps restock a barren Chelmsford farm.

ST Danny Mills (3/3/3) - Scored 14 goals in 42 games for Whitehawk last year, the 27 yo poacher fits in as nice backup for the first team strikers here.

DL Calvin Ughelumba (3/4/5) - Leicester product, he's a lightning quick (14/15) full back of Nigerian descent that was capped by the Italians at the u-21 level. My scout really likes his intangibles and he should feature for us at some point this year.

ST Ashley Pope (2.5/4/5) - Released by Bournemouth, very phsyically impressive striker with well-rounded mentals who could be a superb defensive or deep-lying forward in a couple seasons if he develops.

DLC Brian Van Den Bogaert (2.5/2.5/2.5) - 26-year old Belgium played in the V-South last season. I was drawn to him by his mentals (16 agg, 14 brav, 12 conc, 14 det). He has well-rounded technicals too. Not the most physically impressive defender in the league, but he could be a nice late sub to help protect leads.

DRL Tariq Hines (3/4/5) - Out of Tottenham's academy, very physically impressive but needs more work on the rest of his game.

GK Bobbie Biddie (2.5/3.5/4.5) - Didn't have any decent GK prospects in my system so this 18-year old from West Brom should be something worth developing.

DC Timi Odusina (2.5/3/4) - Yet another young defender, this one by the way of Norwich. No stand out skill, just a well rounded 18-year old who hopefully improves.

ST Chris Assombalonga (3/3/3) - A bit older player at 27, played with Dag & Red in the Sky Bet 2 last season and bagged a few goals on loan in the V-National. Should be decent cover.




CURRENT STARTING SQUAD

GK Hugo Keto (3.5/4/5) - Young Finn goes right into the lineup as our top keeper.
DL Matthew George (3/4/5) - Bright youngster started 40 matches last year for Chelm.
DC Zac Fagan (2.5/4.5) - Just a 6.49 last year, if he doesn't get off to a fast start, he's going to be dropped.
DC Mark Roberts (2.5) - No pace anymore but the 34 year is an important leader. 6.96 in 25 matches last year.
DR Quade Taylor (3.5/5) - 6.65 in 43 matches last year for us, he's back to dominate the air again.
MC Justyn McKay (3) - 31 year old captain is back one more, he'll have to play well with the kids on his heels.
MC Josh Rees (3/4.5) - Well rounded CM has been a staple in this team. Hurt last year, just 6.84 in 15 matches.
AML David Martin (2) - Veteran journeyman played well last year, but decline could be around the corner.
AMR Robbie Willmott (3) - Well rounded and consistent 27yo. 89 matches in last two seasons for Chelm.
ST Michael Cregan (3/4/5) - 19yo Irishman, brought back for a 2nd loan tour from Stevenage.
ST Harry Pratt (2.5/4/5) - Pacy 20yo bagged a couple goals for me in my four starts last year.

--

- Created a Senior affiliation with Fulham worth over $30k/year to us. No interesting players to grab on loan as of yet.
- Brought back all of the previous staff.
- Friendlies went well enough and we are ready for the season!
- Media pegged us for 19th this season with 250-1 odds to win the league.

 

[NathanITFC]

I had Hugo Keto at Bishops Stortford and was a 7/10 every week! Also Tom Bonner is a very decent back up centre half!

 

[sek729]

We're now in the middle of October and this is how things are looking.

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- Got off to a slow start with just 1 point in our first three matches. Kept tweaking the roles and lineups and got it figured out for the nice 4-1 win over Wrexham. Our home form since that match was really solid, outside of a disappointing loss to Bromley

- I really struggled a while to figure it out in away matches, so I ended up signing a defensive midfielder, Godfrey Poku. Away from home, starting with the Macclesfield match, I dumped my counter-attacking 4-2-4 by moving one of the strikers to DMC and giving Poku a defending, ball-winning midfielder role and it really did the trick. Poku came from Oxford City but looks very solid for this level. 14 str, 14 stam, 15 agg, 13 brav, 15 det, 14 work rate, and most of his technicals are decent. The downside is he is racking up yellow cards and even got sent off late in my last match, but he looks like a positive difference maker.

Here are some of my better performers so far:

GK Hugo Keto - 6.85 in 12 matches
DC Quade Taylor - 6.89 in 14 matches, 2 Poms.
DC Zac Fagan - 6.95 in 13 matches. Very pleased here, I thought this kid was going to be on his way out but he's been key. His attributes have been proving along the way as well.
MC Rugare Musendo - 7.01 in 14 matches, 2 gls, 1 ast, 1 pom. Excellent June signing! Very happy with what we have here. Mostly in a central midfielder support role. Just turned 20 years old!
MC Justyn McKay - 6.99 in 10 matches, 1 ast. Deep-lying playmaker role, might not be a perfect fit for it but doing decent work as a veteran.
ST Michael Cregan - 7.29 in 14 matches. 10 goals, 2 asts, 4 Poms! Stevenage loanee has been huge for us in our Advanced Forward role. It's tough to let anyone else get any work in with the way he's playing.
ST Chris Assombalonga - 7.16 in 8 apps (1 sub). 3 goals, 2 assists. This guy has surprised me and moved ahead of a couple other players on my depth chart.


Other players of interest:

DRL Tariq Hinds - Didn't give this prospect a ton of thought when I added him in the offseason, but I'm surprised that he's become one of the first guys I promoted from the u23s and he's started the last 4 games for us at right back. Playing okay so far, just a 6.58, but with some improved technicals I could see him being an important player next year.

DL Calvin Ughelumba, DC Timi Odusina, MC Harrison Davis, AMR Tom Proctor, and ST Ashley Pope have all shown improvement in attributes at the u23 level and could have roles to play later this year. Maybe I'll work a few of them into these cup matches that I really do not care about.

I haven't been totally pleased with my wing play, so just now I added AML/ST James Thorne on a free. He spent a few years in the Nottingham Forest youth teams. Well rounded winger, I'm hoping he gives us some consistency out there.

I'm actually feeling quite confident about survival at this point. I have developed a good feel for what works and what doesn't work with these guys. The table is still very tight in the middle, I could see a hot streak sending us up the board quickly.

 

[sek729]

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- League form has improved as we have climbed to 13th in the table. Playoffs don't seem to be in the cards, but we have a nice little cushion from safety. It's actually a shame too because we only got 1 point from three relegation battlers in Torquay, Braintree, and Dover. Seems like we are fighting hard as underdogs but having a tougher time getting up for matches we should win.

- I kind of regret throwing the kids in our FA Cup match. I wish I would have made a more concerted effort there. I have played most of the starters in the FA Trophy and we have a little bit of run going on.

- Still bouncing between 4-2-4 at home and 4-1-2-2-1 Wide away from home. Constantly tweaking roles to try to try to give my guys the best chance to succeed. I'm proud of one particular match in this sequence, we were down to Wrexham and weren't even in it and after some adjustments, we really took over. Scored in the 67th and the 90+2 to stun them.

- ST Michael Cregan is on another level for me. He's been blowing the doors off the opposition. In 30 appearances, he now has 23 goals, 5 assists, 7 poms. A 7.30 average rating, he's been a machine in my Attacking Forward role. He's a second-year loanee from Sky Bet 2's Stevenage. I enquired about bringing him in permanently but they wanted $250k. Not happening. My best bet is hoping that they think he could use another year on loan.

- I got my first offer from another club as Morton in the Scottish Championship came at me with $20k for my 20-year old Finnish GK Hugo Keto (27 apps, 6.81 rat). They later came with $25k. Not looking to replace my goalkeeper mid-season and he's one that looks like he'll get better.

- Made three acquisitions over the past 3 months. My scouts turned up 18yo ST/AMC Joe Richards in the Woking youth setup and they rated his potential very highly. I had to cough up $500 and 30% of future sales for him, but he seems like a nice high-end prospect. I had to adjust the wage budget to bring him on, but we've been frugile there so it was no problem. Also signed DMC/MC/DR Jordan Wynter from Woking on a free. Needed some cover at DMC and he filled in nicely for me at DR when Tariq Hinds went down with a hamstring injury for 4 weeks. He's given me 6.85 rating in 7 starts, 4 sub appearances. Third acquisition was Romanian-American DC Danny Barbir, whom West Brom just gave the release. Barbir is slow as molasses (4/6), but extraordinary Jumping Reach (15) and Strength (15) for this level, makes him an excellent set piece weapon. He hasn't cracked my lineup yet, but hopefully I can squeeze him in before the end of the season.

- Haven't worked many of my other youngsters in yet. A couple starts for DC Chad Field and DL Calvin Ughelumba here and there, but they haven't taken over full-time roles.

- ST Chris Assombalonga cooled off and kind of faded away a little as Danny Mills has recently taken over as the primary strike partner for Cregan.

- My squad has become a little over bloated. There were plenty of first teamers from last year that have had trouble getting starts. Thankfully not many of them have given me much trouble over playing. I'll have work to do in paring down the squad in the preseason.

 

[sek729]

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Expectations were survival and they were met without much drama as we finished in 16th position, 9 points clear of relegation.

- As you can see, we hit a wicked rough patch from February through mid-March where we only won one match. I was tinkering in this period and as you can see, unsuccessfully. We got back to basics (4-1-2-2-1 Wide) and we chalked a few results up on the board, including a nice 1-0 home win over league champions Lincoln!

- My regens were garbage. Only one was even mildly interesting enough to keep around, a 1-star AMR with a 3-black star potential. Basic youth training facilities, Basic junior coaching, and Limited youth recruitment. Regen day is going to be pretty boring for this team for some time.

- On loan ST Michael Cregan finished with 27 goals, 6 assists, and 7 poms in 44 league appearances. We may have relied on him too much early on as he faded quite a bit down the stretch, or opposing teams just concentrated on taking him out. Maybe a combination of both.. In the last 13 games he had just 3 goals, 1 assist. I'll definitely knock on Stevenage's door to see if I can get another tour with him.

- Young MC Harrison Davis worked his way into the first team in the last 8 matches of the season and really showed me something. He's just 19 but he showed some real promise averaging 7.34 rating mostly from either a DLP or AP role in the central midfield. He's one of the Southampton products I snapped up in the last preseason. Take a look. I just inked him up for a 2-year deal.

View attachment 107753

- DC Zac Fagan was my best defender with an even 7.00, 4 gls, 1 ast, 3 pom in 44 appearances.

- GK Hugo Keto was decent with 6.77 rating in 44 matches but there were times when he'd drive me nuts by allowing some awful looking goals, and none of his attributes progressed throughout the year. It's an area I'm not looking to upgrade but if someone better comes along I think I'd be silly to pass them up.

- AML Robbie Willmott did a real nice job for me out on the wing. He actually got off to a pretty slow start but finished with 9 goals, 11 assists, 3 pom, 6.98 rating in 44 apps, and he did most of that damage in the last 15 games of the season. He was really key in turning my form around in late-March

- As I mentioned before, my squad is SUPER bloated. I have 7 defenders who got at least 10 appearances. A whole slew of defensive midfielders and support central midfielders. I really need to open the door and push a few of these rotation guys out. Take a look

View attachment 107752

That is something I'll have to sort through in the offseason.

- My main areas of upgrade will be Left Fullback. Matthew George got most of the starts but he was uninspiring. Van Den Bogaert and Bonner did okay, but nothing spectacular. Bringing in an impact 4* DL would be the highlight of my offseason.

- Second target would be an AML winger or inside forward type. James Thorne and Josh Walker turned in okay ratings there, but they combined for 5 goals and 4 assists in league matches. Ideally I'd like to find an AML who can give me the same production Willmott gave me on the right. ~10 goals, ~10 assists, ~7.00 rating.

- My third goal would be to find a superstar at ANY position. DC, DR, DMC, MC, or even Striker if I can't bring Cregan back. I need real Vanarama National star to just completely dominate the opposition.

If I can add a good DL, AML, and find that impact player, I think I can make a promotion push next season! I currently have about $3k/week payroll to work with. That should be getting spent here soon.

 

[sek729]

Just getting into my preseason and got a bit of good news.

I managed to talk my board into improving both, the junior coaching budget AND the youth recruitment network budget. We aren't in great shape financially, not bad either, just a small deficit throughout the year. This would have never happened on FM14 without a significant surplus in the budget, so I'm very pleased these changes have been made to the game and that the board rooms aren't so short sighted like they were.

They've set the budget to $10.5k/week for the season. We're only currently spending $6,032/week. This will change as we have some contracts to work on but we should have plenty of budget left to add some upgrades.

 

[sek729]

Getting ready to get into the friendlies. Here's the new players we added (Note: I adjusted my colors layout to show attributes 6-10 as yellow, 10-12 and green, and 13+ as blue)

DL Ilias Chatzitheodoridis - 21 year old Greek youth international will slide right into the starting role in my weak left fullback role. "Chatz" spend last year with Staines in the Vanarama South, averaging 7.33 with 8 poms in 39 matches.

View attachment 107626



AMC/ST Levi Rowley - I like the balance of this 22-year old attacker. Results weren't quite there him at Dulwich Hamelt last season in the V-South (40 apps, 6 gls, 7 asts, 6.74). Looks like a nice cover piece at a couple of spots for me.
View attachment 107625



ST/AM(RL) Joshua Stockwell - Very pleased to bring this 23-year old in. He has a very good shot at the starting AML role and fits perfectly in an DLF position up top. 46 matches in the Vanarama National last year for Whitehawk. Tallied 12 goals, 15 assists, 4 poms and 7.02 avg rating. Could be the ideal left-sided compliment to my AMR Robbie Willmott!
View attachment 107624



MC Lewis Hornby - Midfield cover, nothing more. I see him coming off the bench from time to time in a playmaker role. Solid mentals.
View attachment 107623



DR/DC Owen Moore - I could see him becoming a bit more than just defensive cover. He's a little better defensively than my current starting DR Tariq Hinds. I could envision him pushing Hinds for playing time at some point this year.
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MC Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain - Physically imposing midfielder. He's the only one I paid a transfer fee for ($500) as my scouts see future growth. If he can make gains in his technicals, I might have something very nice here. But for this year? He's probably in line for just 5-10 appearances.
View attachment 107621



DL James Hancocks - Was torn between this guy and "Chatz", so I decided to grab them both. Both are young with upside, one or the other could really take off and give me the key DL I've been looking for.
View attachment 107620



DR Lee Connor - Lightning fast full back that will spend the season in my youth setup. Like his blue numbers and his professional personality. Just needs to develop!
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AMC/ST Andrew Williamson - The affiliation with Fulham will make it's first impact to our club as we bring in this very interested attacking midfielder. Mentals are off the charts for my level. I'll probably have to carve a new formation as I haven't utilizied an AMC much at all. We'll figure something out.
View attachment 107618




Other News

- Leading scorer ST Michael Cregan is back on loan once again. Stevanage would only agree to an 8-month deal, so we'll have to re-up later if he's still banging them in.

- I set expectation for a mid-table finish. The media agrees, they have us pegged for 12th with 45-1 odds to win the league. Last year they had us 19th at 250-1 and we finished 16th. Trending in the right direction I think.

 

[sek729]

One late addition to the squad before the season begins. My non-contract backup GK Bobbie Biddle got taken from me, so I needed a replacement, and I found a guy who might actually push Hugo Keto for playing time.

View attachment 107479

Keto felt kind of flat at certain points last season. I think he could use some good healthy competition.

Preseason went okay. We started off with a couple tough friendlies against Fulham and Celtic, and finished with a pair of wins over non-leaguers to get our morale up. We did have one bad injury to a first teamer, starting DC Quade Taylor will miss the first couple weeks of the season, but we have some similar looking depth there to play with.

After an exhausting pre-season, it's time to play some REAL games!!