Yeovil Town - Started from the bottom

[Arazar]

Background​

I wanted a classic challenge so I wentfor Yeovil; by far the smallest club in the English Championship and currently managed by Gary Johnson who did tremendously to get one of the smaller clubs in League 1 promoted to the second tier.

2013/14 - Season 1

Aims​

• Initially the team needed to be made competitive for the Championship, with players who are going to fight for the club in our battle to avoid relegation. The annual TV revenue of ?5m in this division is massive to a club the size of Yeovil, who operate with a league 1/2 wage bill of far less.
• By hopefully staying up, we can secure this TV money for successive seasons, establishing ourselves and growing as a club.
• Cup competitions not a priority!

Tactics​

• Given we have the squad with by far the least quality in the whole league, and are predicted to finish bottom by the media, playing an open attacking game will most likely see us outclassed and beaten comprehensively most weeks.
• Therefore I chose an industrial, direct 4-4-2 formation for every occasion; Standard/Counter for at home and Defensive for away games. All of these iterations of the 4-4-2 were rigid/very rigid in philosophy and had instructions such as "Drop Deeper", "Hassle Opponents", "More Disciplined", "More Direct" etc. Little creativity was involved and the main aim was to be hard to beat.

Players/Transfers
​

• I did have a few good players such as the GK Stech, RB Ayling and ST Madden who gave me some hope that we could stay up. Madden in particular was a good goalscorer and very determined/hard working.
• I was afforded a 6 figure transfer budget which was spent on mainly midfielders which suited the rugged 4-4-2 formation. Here are some of the key buys:

1. ?8.5k (big spender!) was paid for Scot James Fowler from Kilmarnock, a determined rugged central/defensive midfielder who was named captain
2. ?65k on another gem from north of the border this time Nicky Low from Aberdeen. Both players excelled in the key areas of workrate and mental strength, as well as defensively (although like alot of my signings, lacking technically as you can't have it all for such a cheap price).
3. Conor Thomas a record signing at ?425k (mainly installments) as a quality young CM prospect although his lack of bravery and determination limited his impact
4. Kenny Pavey, a 37 year old English RM strangely playing in Sweden but fitted right in the mould with good determination, work rate (need I keep repeating myself!)

View attachment 417421

Results​

Pre-season was all about fitness and morale, and while we had some excellent results which continued into the first few league games, our form quickly tailed off as the morale fell and we settled into a pattern of win 1, draw 1, lose 1 or 2 which continued for the first half of the season:

View attachment 417420
View attachment 417419​

After this good first half to the season and with us mid-table, I had scouted Scotland and decided to buy 3 more young battlers in Dunn, Durnan and Gillespie from the Scottish leagues, costing a total of ?150k and a few grand a week in wages. We then sold Ed Upson for ?450k, which was a decent fee at the time, to Millwall while constantly streamlining the squad and getting surplus wages off the wage bill, as shown above in the transfer screenshot! The replacement for Upson was Ross Jenkins on loan from Watford, a decent player by all accounts.

We managed a home draw against Everton in the FA Cup and went out narrowly in the replay, two spirited performances to draw heart from. The rest of our league season went out with a whimper, having arguably done enough in the first half to lose some games back to back and still stay up in a fairly respectable 19th place!

View attachment 417416
View attachment 417415


Best 11:

View attachment 417414​

So this concludes the first season of possibly my favourite save. If you got this far thanks for reading and I promise there is much more to come! Also any criticism/praise is appreciated and let me know if there is anything else you want to see. Second Season coming shortly!

 

[Arazar]

I'm new to the forum, how to I make the pictures I've attached visible and also pound signs not appear as (?) Marks. Cheers in advance

--

Update - Fixed the attachment problem, although they still need to be opened in a new tab as I don't know how to do "spoilers"

 

[EfcJoe]

I'm following this just to let you know mate, I have not a clue how to fix the attachment thing as I've never had a problem with it before but good luck

 

[Arazar]

I'm following this just to let you know mate, I have not a clue how to fix the attachment thing as I've never had a problem with it before but good luck

Appreciated, season 2 coming soon!

 

[GBLCFC]

Good luck with this, looks interesting.

 

[Arazar]

2014/15 - Season 2

Aims​

• Following on from the success of avoiding relegation, we decided on a mid-table target for the upcoming season. Having made a massive profit in 2013/14 due to the championship TV money, small spend and ?60,000/week wage bill, a large transfer budget of 2,000,000 pounds was made available, and the training facilities upgraded.
• We needed to add more quality throughout and strength in depth to the squad while removing mediocrity from the wage bill.
• To modify the style of play in order to win more games while still suiting our players.
• - Cup competitions important for building momentum, reputation and keeping fans happy.

Transfers

​

• We let 6 players leave on free transfers and recouped 300k from Joe Edwrards and Danny Seaborne, leaving our first team squad incredibly thin with only the players capable of performing in this league regularly present.
• The first signing was Tom Taiwo, a combative, 24 year old CM/DM with 18 determination, 16 leadership, 16 work rate, 16 tackling, 16 strength and 13-14 in most of the key mental attributes for a ball winning midfielder. He was the perfect addition at only 53k and 1.5k a week and made captain with the departure of Fowler.
• Ross Jenkins, the DLP/BWM was signed on a free following his successful loan spell after his Watford contract expired.
• With only Durnan at CD, I signed 3 experienced players on free transfers in Michael Duff, Martin Taylor and Ricardo Rocha to give us a solid, mentally strong while inexpensive backline.
• David Buchanan was signed from Preston on a free to fill the left FB position, another experienced player with a determination about him.
• Two strikers were signed, firstly Jamie Proctor was bought for 160k from Crawley town. A big, strong target man who could bully defences and score goals was just what we needed with a direct style of play. Marcus Pedersen, a 24 year old Danish striker suited to the poacher role, was signed on free transfer to complement the smaller hardworking duo of Sam Hoskins and the quality Paddy Madden as well as the big Proctor. This selection of strikers gave me great options without the big wages!
• Finally, with no back-up options for the left sided duo Nicky Low and David Buchanan, I spent a club record ?575k to bring in left sided prospect Joe Bryan from Bristol City. He could play in any position on the left side and at 20 years old was tutored immediately by Low to get 18 determination.

View attachment 417424


The Squad for 2013/14 (Brackets indicate not main position):​

GK: Marek Stech, Jay Lynch
RB: Luke Ayling FB D, (Ricardo Rocha) LFD D
CB: Michael Duff LD D, Ricardo Rocha LD D, Martin Taylor LD D, Mark Durnan LD D
LB: David Buchanan FB D, Joe Bryan FB D
DM: (Tom Taiwo) A, (Connor Thomas) DM S
RM: Kenny Pavey DW S, (Connor Thomas) DW D
CM: Tom Taiwo BWM D, Ross Jenkins DLP D, Connor Thomas BWM D, Grant Gillespie BWM D
LM: Nicky Low DW S, (Joe Bryan DW S)
ST: Paddy Madden DF S, Sam Hoskins DF S, Jamie Proctor TM A, Marcus Pedersen P A

Tactics
​

This season with the improved squad and new types of player like TM and DM, we evolved the 3 tactics;

• 4-4-2 Defence became 4-5-1 Defence to make us even harder to beat in certain games
• 4-4-2 Counter stayed the same
• 4-4-2 Standard became 4-4-2 Attack for more of a threat vs. teams we should target 3 points against.

The overall philosophy was the same; Direct football, hassling opponents, very disciplined and good positioning (through tactics and match training) as well as very little creativity throughout the team. Even the attacking formation involved using the same brand of football, just with higher urgency to score; Effective football as its single minded best! (6)

Next time...
​

See how Yeovil town got on in their second season in the Championship; will the tweaking of the squad bear fruits?

Stay tuned...​

 

[Arazar]

2014/15 - Part 1/3

Pre-season and the first part of 2014/15 season

View attachment 417408​​

Pre-season was as ever all about fitness early on and then building confidence (for me, morale boosting games toward the end are far better than money spinners). Fitness was my excuse to the players after we struggled to a 2-1 win against our u21 team (of grey players XD) and an uninspiring 1-0 defeat to Worcester! We finished strongly like a good racehorse tonking dutch top flight side Heracles 5-2 and then non-league Bashley 6-1 to give us confidence going into the competitive games.

League football started with us away to Birmingham.

We set up 4-4-2 Counter and then I witnessed one of the most incredible games I have seen on football manager. In an even game where Birmingham edged possession, we scored with nearly every counter attack winning 7-1!!! Madness as Madden and Proctor scored a brace each, and Taiwo also got one on his debut.

This win gave us the momentum to get 4 points from the next 3 games and glide past Newport county in the League Cup before knocking out Premier League Aston Villa in the next round! Confidence was high and everything clicked with every player exhibiting Superb morale. We turned this form in more wins by steamrolling Bolton 4-1, Brighton 2-1 and then newly promoted duo Doncaster and Bournemouth faced us at the worst time as we dispatched them 1-0 and 2-0 respectively.

What came next was the mark of a confident team which also had great mental strength as well as that little bit of quality; late goals from Marcus Pedersen and Nicky Low saw off Blackburn away from home. Pedersen's first minute goal against Burnley gave us something to defend and we held out for a cheeky 1-0 away win.

This great run of form was a result of the new signings clicking and some great team spirit. It just goes to show that this style of play is underrated in the world of Barcelona impersonations!

How did we do next? Stay tuned...

 

[minergy]

Awesome start to the season, I'll definitely be following. Can you show
us an SS of your tactics. Thanks.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[Arazar]

2014/15 - Part 2/3

Will it be a happy new year? 2014/15 Part 2/3

View attachment 417341​

After 6 straight league wins, we went into the QPR home match full of confidence and came from behind twice to grab a draw; testament to the character in the dressing room. However we then shipped 10 goals in our next 3 matches, losing them somewhat uncharacteristically. We bounced back with a 6-1 win against Huddersfield where Paddy Madden scored a hat-trick which started a brilliant run of league form. He found the net again against Tottenham in the League Cup although we went on to lose the game. The boys were told how unlucky they were, and what happened next was extraordinary...

We went on an undefeated run for almost 2 months with 9 wins and 2 draws from 11 games, and at the end of November made an incredible free transfer; Marcos Senna! The 38 year-old Euro 2008 winner with Spain signed a contract until the end of the season worth ?5k/week and brought quality, experience and even more character to the squad, plus that crucial bit of invention the squad lacked.

We were beaten at home by Watford to end that unbeaten run in the last game of 2014 but, against all odds, we topped the table on 1/1/2015! The defence was bolstered by Sotiris Kyrgiakos joining on a free and we went away to Premier League Cardiff in the FA Cup with a gameplan and came away with a 0-0. We rotated the squad for the Bolton fixture and came back with a 2-2 courtesy of a brace from youngster Sam Hoskins. We made the 4th round of the FA Cup by winning 4-1 in the replay thanks to 2 each from the prolific Paddy Madden and Ross Jenkins.

With form exceeding all expectations, the side with the 3rd lowest wage spend in the Championship topped the table and had beat Premier League sides, but could we keep it going for the second of the season? Find out...

 

[Arazar]

Formations

Awesome start to the season, I'll definitely be following. Can you show
us an SS of your tactics. Thanks.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Here's my Counter/Rigid 4-4-2 for about 75% of games home and away:

View attachment 417312

Here's my Attacking/Rigid 4-4-2 for the odd must-win home game:

View attachment 417311

and here's my Defensive/Very Rigid 4-5-1 for the must-not-lose games:

View attachment 417310​

All 3 tactics are simply aimed at being hard to beat, with the Attacking 4-4-2 simply removing some of the shackles from the Counter version!

Thanks for following (6)

 

[minergy]

Here's my Counter/Rigid 4-4-2 for about 75% of games home and away:

View attachment 506041

Here's my Attacking/Rigid 4-4-2 for the odd must win home game:

View attachment 506043

and here's my Defensive/Very Rigid 4-5-1 for the must-not-lose games:

View attachment 506046

All 3 tactics are simply aimed at being hard to beat, with the Attacking 4-4-2 simply removing some of the shackles from the Counter version!

Thanks for following (6)

Thanks! Really interesting how defensive your tactics are.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[Arazar]

Thanks! Really interesting how defensive your tactics.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

I liked expansive football in old saves but got frustrated when I'd dominate games with 70% possession and get beat by 1 "lucky" goal. Now almost every game I'm having 45% possession or much less and getting "lucky" goals and winning whilst my team makes very very few mistakes, so the shoe is on the other foot! I recommend trying this defensive style in at least one save to anyone!

 

[Arazar]

2014/15 - Part 3/3

Season Finale! 2014/15 Part 3/3

View attachment 417239​

I'm a strong believer in "If its not broken, don't fix it" and so despite a 7 figure transfer budget available too me, I didn't want to do business. However, with my scouts always mobile, I was recommended a 21 year old Birmingham player called Callum Reilly, a tall, brave and hardworking box to box midfielder who ticked all the boxes with 5 star potential to boot. The only negative with him was 10 determination but with the likes of Senna and Taiwo at the club and at 21 years old, this can be improved through tutoring.

After a dull 0-0 draw with Reading at home, we finalised the ?475k Reilly signing and he scored the fifth and final goal on his debut as we smashed Doncaster 5-0. We were drawn against Stoke in the 4th round of the FA Cup and they denied us with a late equaliser, with the full time score of 1-1 forcing a replay at the Britannia. Away wins in the league followed on the south coast against Brighton and Bournemouth; 3-2 and 3-0 respectively with 6 different scorers including a first for Kyrgiakos!

Next up, the replay with Stoke managed by former Fulham boss Mark Hughes. Now as a Fulham fan, I dislike Mark Hughes for the way he criticised our ambition and then joined rivals QPR only to relegate them last season. This "dislike", to put it mildly, naturally transfers over to Football Manager so I laid into the p**** through the media about how I couldn't wait to beat him and shut him up! This backfired though, as we were beaten 4-1 and knocked out of the FA Cup. The tie created a rivalry between the clubs which is always nice (6)

The end to the FA Cup run had a silver lining, as it allowed us to focus solely on securing promotion to the promised land, the Premier League. 4 straight wins followed; two 1-0's at home, a nice 4-1 away to a surprisingly relegation threatened QPR and finally a valuable 2-1 win against West Ham at Upton Park.

Going into March, we were well clear at the top and I wanted the record points tally with 11 games to go. Our form tailed off and we won 2, lost 3 in that month quite disappointingly. Craig Bellamy was brought in during this time on a free but did barely anything, clearly past it he was. From our final 6 games, we only managed 1 win and 3 draws but the teams below us simply caused their own problems, leaving us to be crowned CHAMPIONS!!!

Here is the final league table and best 11:
View attachment 417225
View attachment 417224​

It is very easy to single out Paddy Madden for his 37 goals in all competitions as the main man, but special mentions go to Kenny Pavey and Nicky Low, the two defensive wingers. These guys not only provided crosses/scored/made goals, but also shielded the full backs and did so well defensively, something which is very underrated in wide players IMHO.

Keep watching to see how we get on in the Premier League in 2015/16!

 

[Arazar]

2015/16 - Season 3

Aims

​

• To stay in the Premier League.
• Vastly improve the squad.
• Improve the reputation of the club.

Transfers - Incoming

​

• Firstly, we had to strengthen the spine of the team due to the step up in opposition. There was no way we could stay up with the side that got promoted mainly due to the age of most of that team. Central defence, left back, defensive midfield, central midfieldand right midfield were the main areas in need of attention. A transfer budget of ?15m was surprisingly small given the TV revenue in the Premier League so I had to look at using monthly installments for a couple of deals.

1. Paul McShane, a 29 year old central defensive stopper, was brought in from Hull for ?1.3m He is a reliable defender who instantly took over as captain from Tom Taiwo, who graciously handed it over.
2. Mark O'Brien was to be the first of several raids on recently relegated Derby County who lasted just 1 season in the top flight. At 22, he was a good central defensive prospect and potential partner for McShane.
3. Tom Eastman, another central defender aged 23, came in from Colchester United for ?525k and will provide cover for the two above.
4. Russell Martin joined on a season-long loan from Norwich as cover for Ayling at right back.
5. Jack Robinson completed our defensive recruitment, the 21 year old left back joined on a free transfer from Liverpool having been released. Potentially a "good Premier League left back" in the future, he will compete with Buchanan and Bryan.
6. Will Hughes joined for ?9.25m from Derby after putting in a transfer request following their relegation. The 20 year old playmaker gives some creativity in midfield which we were lacking. I didn't expect to get a player of Hughes' ability in this season but I had to sign him given the chance!
7. Jason Lowe is a BWM (D) upgrade on Taiwo, he really does have all the right attributes as well as 18 determination and a Professional/Evasive/Unflappable personality. The 23 year old cost ?3.3m and was our second biggest signing of the window afterWill Hughes.
8. Alfred N'Diaye, 25, is the perfect Anchorman for the holding role, or BWM if needed, and joined for ?750k from relegated Sunderland.
9. Lee Chung-Yong signed on a season-long loan from Bolton to slot into the right midfield slot and replace the brilliant Kenny Pavey.
10. Conor Swailes, an extremely highly rated 15 year old striker at Berwick in Scotland was available as an approach to sign for just ?13k, and we fought off competition from Tottenham to sign the "leading Premier League" prospect!

Transfers - Outgoing

​

• Bellamy, Kyrgiakos, Pavey and Senna all left the club and retired, while Ross Jenkins was sold to Rangers for ?800k to make way for new signings.
• Marcus Pedersen was sold to promoted Burnley for a nominal fee of ?3.5k.
  

View attachment 417145
​

Full squad listing and tactics coming soon! Stay tuned...

 

[chrisstanley1987]

Good story so far mate, doing well! Could I see a screen shot of the players from Derby, Will Hughes please, lot to spend for your club!

 

[Arazar]

The Squad for 2015/16 (Brackets indicate not main position):

GK: Marek Stech, Jay Lynch
RB: Luke Ayling FB D, Russell Martin LFD D
CB: Paul McShane LD X, Mark O'Brien LD D, Tom Eastman LD D, Mark Durnan LD D
LB: Jack Robinson FB D, Joe Bryan FB D, David Buchanan FB D
DM: Alfred "Wardrobe" N'Diaye A D, (Jason Lowe) DM D, (Tom Taiwo) A, (Connor Thomas) DM S
RM: Lee Cheung Yong WM A, (Connor Thomas) DW D
CM: Jason Lowe BWM D, Will Hughes DLP S, Tom Taiwo BWM D, Connor Thomas BWM D
LM: Nicky Low DW S, (Joe Bryan DW S)
ST: Paddy Madden DF S, Sam Hoskins DF S, Jamie Proctor TM A, Connor Swailes F9 S/AF A

Tactics

• 
  [*=left]This situation with tactics is very similar to the first season 2013/14;
  [*=left]Given we have the squad with by far the least quality in the whole league, and are predicted to finish bottom by the media, playing an open attacking game will most likely see us outclassed and beaten comprehensively most weeks.

- 4-5-1 Defensive/Very Rigid, the same as last season, for all the games home and away against Man United, Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Liverpool.
- 4-4-2 Counter/Rigid stayed the same and was used for home and away against most other teams.
- 4-4-2 Attack went back to the 4-4-2 Standard/Rigid from 2013/14 for more of a threat vs. teams we should target 3 points against such as other promoted teams and the smaller clubs.

​

Results


View attachment 416874

Pre-season went OK and importantly we settled the squad and finished with a win. We took that form into the first few competitive games, earning draws against Chelsea, United and Arsenal (by defending for our lives!). However goals were hard to come by and I regretted not signing any strikers although Madden performed admirably as a defensive forward. 5 straight defeats with 1 goal was a low point, including when rivals Stoke knocked us out of the League Cup at home, despite us swapping divisions since our last cup match in the FA Cup last season!

​

View attachment 416873

We then went on our best run of the season, the solid defensive unit key as we actually managed to score a couple, winning 4 games in succession against teams around us!

​

January Transfers

In-
​

• 
  [*=left]
  The transfer window opened and we signed Ben Mee, a tall, strong and defensively solid 26 year old left back/centre back. He cost ?2.6m and is also useful at defensive set pieces since we put the wingers, not full backs, on the posts.​
  
  [*=left]Dennis, a 16 year old Spanish target man came in with "leading Premier League" potential after we activated his ?1.8m release fee to prize him from Bilbao.
  [*=left]Jason Pearce, the 28 year old centre back came in for ?2.8m to bolster the defence further as we continued our raid on Derby.

​​

Out-​

• 
  [*=left]Buchanan was released after not playing at all.
  [*=left]Taiwo and Proctor were both sold to Celtic, for ?1m and ?1.5m respectively, after failing to make many appearances.

​

2016 fixtures


​

We bowed out of the FA Cup in the 3rd round at home to Fulham, and that was part of a worrying run which saw us not win a game in January or February at all!

View attachment 416872

​

However we managed 3 more wins before the end of the season to achieve survival with a respectable 14th place finish! Something to build on and with our biggest earner on just ?25k-a-week and a total wage bill of ?350k-a-week with no yearly wage rises, the balance stood at ?20m! Below are the league table and best XI:

View attachment 416864
View attachment 416863​

Jason Lowe acquired an amazing 25 yellow cards which collected him enough bans to limit him to 29 appearances without injury! Good to see a player getting stuck in (6)

See how we build on our first season in the Premier League in 2016/17 next, stay tuned...

 

[Arazar]

Good story so far mate, doing well! Could I see a screen shot of the players from Derby, Will Hughes please, lot to spend for your club!

Cheers mate, I had a decent budget to spend but it mainly went on transfer fees since I'm paying max ?25k-a-week this season. I would show screenshots but they would be in a few seasons, and I don't want to spoil it

. Cheers for reading by the way, and I'll keep posting, you'll see player screens soon I promise!

 

[minergy]

Well done on winning the Championship, and getting 14th is tekkas!


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[Arazar]

Well done on winning the Championship, and getting 14th is tekkas!


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Cheers my friend, I suffered a few bad runs in our first Premier League season but we saw the job through. Onwards and upwards, 2016/17 transfer/squad update coming shortly!

Keep watching!

 

[Arazar]

2016/17 - Season 4

Aims

​

• To finish as high as possible in the Premier League
• Add more quality to the squad, especially in the goals department.
• Keep improving the reputation of the club, this season through putting together a run in the League Cup and FA Cup.
• Bring young players to the squad.
• Keep upgrading facilities every summer, and stadium capacity.

The Board again sanctioned an upgrade to the Training and Youth facilities, and the improvement of our Academy status. Junior coaching and Youth recruitment expenditure were increased once more, and the stadium had further improvements made in order to enhance matchday revenues.

Transfers - In
​

• Of the first team transfers the first was of Danny Ings, the prolific 24-year-old Burnley striker, at ?2.4m pounds. We needed goals and a finisher like him to play the poacher role in the 4-4-2 was perfect, at an affordable price too!
• Jon Williams of Crystal Palace joined for ?4.6m and at 22 gave us another player with the quality of Will Hughes and potential too. A smaller dribbler, he is more suited to a box to box role in games we need his drive from midfield.
• Gaizka Toquero is a hardworking defensive forward I had tried to buy last season before he decided to go to Levante. Levante went down though, and I snapped up my 32-year-old man for a bargain ?600k. With 20 work rate, lots of stamina, a resolute personality and many other great attributes for the job I want him to do up front, he can be an important player for us this year.
• James Perch comes in as cover for RB and DM from Wigan for 135k on a 2 year contract.
• Lee Cheung Yong joins on a free transfer following a successful loan spell from Bolton last season. A sensible choice for right midfield, especially given his reputation in Asia!
• Alan Judge joins from Blackburn Rovers for a ?4.5m fee. The diminutive Irishman, 27, gives options on either side of midfield and is a decent set-piece taker. With 19 determination, he brings even more drive to the table which I love.
• Craig Dawson signed from relegated Cardiff for ?4.9m, and will slot right into the centre of defence as a limited defender (cover) given his quality. At 26, his prime years are ahead of him.

Of these first team signings, Williams is on ?45k-a-week and Dawson ?35k-a-week to push the wage ceiling up ?20k. This is fine as we are still in the bottom 3 for annual salary!

The Spanish scouting network worked very well with the recruitment of Dennis and so more young Spaniards were brought in to supplement the first team squad. These were the other signings made (all spanish):

• Juani Garcia, a highly rated right-back from Athletico Malagueno aged 17 signed for ?325k.
• Sergio Hernandez, another highly rated full back this time left sided. Also 17 and this time from Villareal B for ?625k.
• Pedro Jose Diez, 17, is a goalkeeper bought from Las Palmas for ?775k. He has good potential and will also replace Jay Lynch on the bench as second choice behind Marek Stech.
• Pedro Heras, a tall defensive midfielder and also accomplished centre half, was bought for ?750k from Athletico Madrid Bs. Also 17.

These guys will play in the Under-21s and step up if an when required as we cast one eye to the future.

Transfers - Out

​

• It saddened me to see Nicky Low depart after I let him contract expire. Such a great, hardworking left midfielder for all 3 seasons signed for just ?60k and still young but I decided it was best to move on. Joe Bryan and Alan Judge are my LM options now, as well as Will Hughes if needed.
• Jason Pearce, was sent packing on loan back to re-promoted Derby County after failing to impress me since his January move. They will pay his wages, a good loan fee and have an option to buy him back for ?1.5m as well. Oh and he can't play against us
• Sam Hoskins left for ?475k to Inverness, Jay Lynch on a free, Grant Gillespie also on a free and Liam Dunn for ?60k as they were all surplus to requirements.

View attachment 416754


Squad (brackets indicate not main position)
​

GK:​

Marek Stech, Diez
RB: Luke Ayling FB D, James Perch LFB D, Juani FB D
CB: Craig Dawson LD C, Paul McShane LD X, Mark O'Brien LD D, Tom Eastman LD D, Mark Durnan LD D
LB: Ben Mee LFB D, Sergio Hernandez FB D, (Joe Bryan) FB D, Jack Robinson LFB D
DM: Alfred "Wardrobe" N'Diaye A D, (Jason Lowe) DM D, Heras A, (Connor Thomas) DM S
RM: Lee Cheung Yong WM A, Alan Judge WM A, (Connor Thomas) DW D
CM: Jason Lowe BWM D, Will Hughes DLP S, Jon Williams B2B S, Callum Reilly B2B S, Connor Thomas BWM D
LM: Joe Bryan DW S, (Alan Judge) WM A, (Will Hughes) WM A
ST: Danny Ings P A, Gaizka Toquero DF D, Paddy Madden DF S, Connor Swailes F9 S/AF A, Dennis TM A

Tactics
​

We went with the same as last season with one alteration:

- 4-5-1 Defensive/Very Rigid, the same as last season, for tough away games mainly and switched to when defending a lead to see the game out. Very reliable
- 4-4-2 Counter/Rigid stayed the same and was used against most teams.
- 4-4-2 Attacking/Balanced was the most attacking formation yet, and used occasionally to dig us out of holes or against weak opposition but the Counter formation was by far the most used.



Stay tuned to see how we get on, and don't forget to leave a comment, I will reply!