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iamauser

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Link for anyone who wants the level 24 database: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/tran...english-lower-league-expanded-level-24-a.html

Prologue

Game__Level24start_CustomiseGame_Add_RemoveLeagues_zpsf3825d6e.png


Today I have decided to start one of the biggest FM adventures I have ever embarked upon. Having found a database that goes down to level 24 in the English leagues, I decided to start at the very bottom and work my way up. My aim is to play as realistically as possible, not sticking with just one club, but moving my way up just as a real manager would. It is going to be a long, hard challenge. By the end of it though, I am hoping to be top of the hall of fame chart on the game. Once I have done that, my challenge is complete.

So we start our story at AFC Haywards in the Mid Sussex Division 11. Wish me luck!


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Management Career

2011/12 - AFC Haywards

Honours

2011/12 - Mid Sussex Division 11 Champions (AFC Haywards)
 
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1. From Humble Beginnings

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​Lets face it, who here has not had dreams of becoming a football manager? We would all love to emulate current managers such as Jose Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson, or perhaps even managers past such as Bill Shankley or Brian Clough. To be fair though, the chances of many of us fulfilling those dreams are very slim.

I though, have now been given an opportunity to replicate some of these greats. It may not be a glamorous place to start, but everyone has got to start somewhere, even if its right at the bottom. I take over at AFC Hayward with no qualifications other than the knowledge in my brain. I am here to show that you don't been to be an ex-professional to be a manager. Im here to prove that us everyday Joes have what it takes to succeed in the footballing world. Its going to be tough, its going to be a struggle, but I will overcome all the obstacles I face to become the worlds greatest manager.

Some of my career goals are:

Win the World Cup with England
Manage Liverpool FC, the team I support
Manage a team in Italy, my favorite country
Win the Champions league​ with 3 different teams

 
Thanks mate. Next update will be up this evening.

Anyone else who is follwing along, feel free to comment any constructive criticism about my layout etc, after all, your the ones that are reading this :)
 
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So, here it all begins. In the murky depths of level 24 with
AFC Haywards. No press conferences, no media, just training every Wednesday night, and a match at the weekend. Dealing with the media is a skill I will have to develop in the future though.

Despite being just an amateur side though, we do actually have some really good looking players. Watching them train the other day actually gives me some real hope. Perhaps our best looking player is Alex Watson. The centre attacking midfielder has good pace and determination. He is also one of the players I am looking to captain the team this year.

Another good looking player is Tony Grainger. The 6"0 tall centre back has superb tackling and heading ability. He is also another player I am looking at as potential captain of the side.

And finally we have Jason Moore. Another 6"0 tall centre back. Him and Grainger could be a rock solid combination at the back this season for us.

My biggest worry though, is being an amateur club, the chances they will be around very look are extremely slim. I am already searching out their replacements, but I will struggle to find anyone who is anywhere near their standards.
 
lol, players in div 10+ are better then players in division 5 XD
Anyway, I'll be reading this. So far, so good. I envy on your determination ;)
 
lol, players in div 10+ are better then players in division 5 XD
Anyway, I'll be reading this. So far, so good. I envy on your determination ;)

I know right, its stupid. I saw some guy for one of the teams, who had,

Finishing: 16
Pace: 15
Composure: 14
Passing: 14

And they were just his view-able stats. Couldnt see them all because I only scouted him once. He was going to join me, but ended up joining St. Mirren :(
 
Only problem I have, and will continue to have until I get higher and remove some of the lower leagues is the speed. Its taking like 5-10 minutes to process a day right now! I have only got to the 14th July so far!

Its making my overclocked i5 process look like a snail! :(
 
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Will follow, from Tier 24 to Premier League will be crazy! Good luck!
 
1.1: Talking tactics

Anyone who has followed any of my previous stories will probably know I am not really that good at creating my own tactics, so I like to use ones that have been made by the wonderful people here on FM-Base (although I do like to tweak them depending on my current team). For this save, I will most likely be using the mighty famous 3 Match Engine Exploiter by Hazza 22299. I know I will probably loose reader for that, but I need something to help me win and keep my interested!

My current batch of players does fit the system quite well though, I am just lacking and real talent in the striker position, and I am struggling to find anyone who would really improve the team on the transfer market too.

P.S: Im now on 21st July!
 
1.2: A Short Pre-Season

With only 8 days before our first league game, and no friendlies organised, there was little time for us to arrange and fixtures. We did manage to arrange 1 game though against Fairfield.

AFC Haywards 3 - 0 Fairfield

Lee ( 6 ), Holmes (10,52)

My first ever match in charge of the team went really well, with a simple 3-0 win against Fairfield. Good start, now to build on that in our first league game against Rotherfield 'A'

________________________________________________

My game is still running incredibly slow, hopefully it will speed up as we progress a few years!



 
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Again, sorry for the lack of pace to this story. Just look and I have played 8 hours so far, and only reached 21st August! I suppose it is improving my patience somewhat though....
 
1.3: The Start Of Something Beautiful

So this is where it all begins, my first ever competitive game as manager, albeit an amateur one. It was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life, 20th August 2011. The first game was a home game against Rotherfield 'A'. I was excited, and my team were ready to go.

AFC Haywards 1 - 2 Rotherfield 'A'

Holmes (90+1) - Read (10), Day (39)

Not the best game from the team, but it was always going to be a hard one. Looks like the team still need time to gel, but hopefully it will come together soon

Stones Res. 0 - 3 AFC Haywards

Sneath (23, 45+3), Peason (40)

A much better performance this time around, with Sneath on form with 2 goals for us. Pearson also got himself a goal. All 3 came before half time, and it was a little disappointing we didnt get any more after the restart. A win is a win though, the first one of my career!

Player of the month -
Shaun Sneath

Sneath is deffo the best player so far for us. His 2 goals against Stones Res.​ helped us to our first ever win.


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Another annoyance I have found. All the teams in the league play in blue! Even though the away kit is white, both have so far played in blue, so I have no idea what is going on watching the match engine tbh!

I also have a player who is capped for Trinidad and Tobago!

 
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Good luck it's going to be a long journey but you can do it!
 
We continued our good form over the last 2 months, winning all 3 of the games we played. We started with a tricky looking match against 1st placed Scaynes Hill 'A', who scored 11 goals in their first 2 games. We then had 2 away trips to Ashurst Wood 'A' and Pease Pottage Village 'A'

AFC Haywards
6 - 1
Scaynes Hill 'A'

Pearson (18,28,59), Holmes (39,53), Watson (77) - Corns (43)

Despite a few pre-match nerves, we managed to overcome them against first placed
Scaynes Hill 'A' and not only beat them, but destroy them 6-1! Pearson was in fine form this game and got himself a hat-trick, the first ever of his career. Holmes also came close to a hat-trick, and Watson also got himself a goal.

Ashurst Wood 'A' 1 - 4 AFC Haywards

Danby (67) - Pearson (21, 45+2, 80) O'Hanlon (62)

Another superb game for us and Martyn Pearson. Another hat-trick for him, and another big win for us. Two excellent results for our goal difference.

Pease Pottage Village 'B' 0 - 2 AFC Haywards

Pearson (34), McAuley O.G (37)

Another good game, and Peason once again got himself on the score sheet. We have now stormed up the league and are sitting nicely in first place.

Player of the update
- Martyn Pearson

View attachment 340398

7 goals in 3 game. Enough said.

League Position - 1st

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That's an amazing player for any non-league team. And you have more internationals than Q.P.R XD
Anyway, it's slow, it takes a **** lot of a time, but says you need to finish this before FM14? Keep going, I'll be stalking you for sure.
 
Still have our 100% winning streak in tact. The players are working very hard for each other and the team, and things are looking very positive. We are chasing that one and only promotion spot, and we are now probably favorites to win.

AFC Haywards 3 - 0 Ridgewood

Clarke (pen 3), Fowler O.G (45), Pearson (80)

Another comfortable win for us. Clarke got his first ever goal for the club, while Pearson once again added to his tally for the season.

Burgess Hill Wanderers 1 - 3 AFC Haywards

Awoyomi (68), Pearson (74,86)

Another good game, and we still have our record of scoring in ever game going. Pearson once again stole the show with 2 excellent goals.

Rotherfield 'A' 0 - 2 AFC Haywards

Pearson (61), Barnes (61)

The final game of the year went all accordingly to plan. The win put us 6 points clear at the top of the table.

Player of the Update - Martyn Pearson

View attachment 340955

Another superb month for the mighty Pearson. He got himself on the score sheet in every game this month, getting himself 4 goals in total.

League Position
- 1st

View attachment 340957

 
1.4: Moving Up In The World

All the hard work and great performances of my team have not gone unnoticed but other clubs, and I have had a few clubs after me. I had contact from several clubs, but most amazingly was Istimian League Premier Division side Aveley. The side are currently sitting in 17th in their league, just 2 places away from the drop zone.

View attachment 341096

I could not pass up an opportunity like this, but I also wanted to stay at AFC Haywards and finish our league campaign. Me and the chairman agreed a delay until the end of the season. I am seriously hoping they manage to stay in their league, as they are in the league below the Blue Square South. Potentially an opportunity to get my first semi-pro job too.

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Taking this job will hopefully speed up the game so so much! I can cut out almost all the lower league as of next season.


 
1.5 A Parting Gift

So that now wraps up the season. Its be a looong -- hour season, with only 14 games to play! But its been worth the perseverance, and we managed to come out on top. We managed to blow the league away and win by a massive 12 points.

AFC Haywards 7 - 0 Stones Res.

Awoyomi (14), Hackett (42), Pearson (63,69,79,88), Holmes (90)

It was a superb game for us against bottom side Stones Reserves. Awoyomi started of the scoring, and Hackett then up 2-0 before the break. In the second half, Pearson came out a different player, and got himself 4 goals! Holmes then put the icing on the cake on the 90th minute

Scaynes Hill 'A' 1 - 1 AFC Haywards

McLaren (87) - Barnes (69)

Our first draw of the season. It was a poor game in truth, but it was disappointing we were unable to keep hold of the lead Barnes gave us.

AFC Haywards 2 - 1 Ashurst Wood 'A'

Pearson (5, 49) - Woods (33)

Another game in which Pearson was the man of the match. His tally keeps on rising

AFC Haywards 3 - 2 Pease Pottage Village 'B'

Pearson (24,48), Watson (61) - Lamb (54), Daly (pen 72)

A good game for the neutrals, with end to end stuff all game. Pearson once again got himself two goals, and Watson scored what proved to be the winner for us.

Ridgewood 0 - 3 AFC Haywards

Pearson (17,51, pen 75)

Yet another hat-trick for the might Pearson! How many goals will this guy get?!

AFC Haywards 3 - 2 Burgess Hill Wanderers

Awoyomi (23,68,90+2) - Nelson (65), Emms (82)

Awoyomi stole Pearsons thunder this game, and it was now his turn to get himself a hat-trick. His last gasp goal ensured my final game as manager was a win.

Player of the season - Martyn Pearson

View attachment 341583

I couldnt pick anyone else really could I? Pearson got himself a spectacular 23 goals in just 14 games. I am really hoping he will join me when I make my way to Aveley

League Position
- 1st

View attachment 341584

Poor Stones Res.!

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View attachment 341585

I am also pleased that Aveley managed to easily secure promotion to ensure they would be playing in the
Istimian League Premier Division next season.


 
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