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mully99
So, for those of you who followed my last Eastleigh story - sorry that I cut it short. My financial management wasn't as good as I would have liked, and although I was doing very well, I knew I could do even better. In the second season my team got absolutely plagued with injuries and I had no money to bring in replacements - a real shame as there were some very decent players available.
Anyway, In the last story I did match-by-match updates, as this took forever (and got relatively little feedback) I've decided I'm going to make this version more condensed - month-by-month. Any input is very welcome - it's never easy making decisions at this level and help is always appreciated.
My home form was excellent last time round so, despite what some may have thought, the Gegenpressing system was brilliant! My away form however, well, that's another story entirely. The only reason I didn't absolutely blitz the league was because of poor away days. I went the entire season unbeaten at home; away I was probably 3rd/4th best in the league.
As you will know if you read my last story, I'm not a fan of the route-one football usually seen in LLM. For this reason I've developed a nice collection of tactics to help me throughout the season. As community member Sheriff Skacel pointed out, tactics like these are not the "norm" at this level; nevertheless, I maintain if you have the right players it will work.
Klopp's Gegenpressing
The first tactic under the microscope is the Gegenpressing system. This is my take on Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund. Playing an asymmetrical 4-2-3-1 system, this tactic combines high pressing and fast, direct attacking football. This tactic was solid at home, however it's cavalier approach was probably the reason we didn't perform away.
Conte's Vecchia Signora (Old Lady)
Personally, I've dropped the Diego Simeone tactic. It was a good tactic - very solid - I just didn't have the players to suit the system. This time I've gone for Antonio Conte's Juventus tactic - 5-3-2. I've really like the look of Juve in the Europa League this season so I've tried my best to replicate their style. I always prefer to play with wing-backs anyway, so this tactic played right into my hands.
Mourinho's Bus
And finally, the last tactic in my armory is "The Bus". Or more to the point, my version of Jose Mourinho's defensive 4-5-1 formation. Based on Chelsea's formation in the first leg of the 2013/14 Champions League semi-final against Simeone's Atletico, this tactic is designed to frustrate. The primary aim of this tactic is to "park the team bus" in front of the goal and try to nick something on a counter attack. This tactic was vital in difficult cup ties last time round, so I'm definitely using it again.
Stick with me guys, I promise I will stick with this game to the very end. It was my first ever time completing an FM14 season last time so I've learnt a lot! This is going to be EPIC!
mully99
A really good warm-up; the boys performed admirably and adjusted to my formations really well. Whilst many would see this as an opportunity to make some cash - playing big sides - I feel that winning games is more important; you can't turn it on and off like a tap, and for that reason I always like to arrange some "easy" friendlies to get the team use to winning. Hopefully we can carry our fine form into the new campaign.
I've worked my transfers very differently this time round. Whilst I've stuck with many of the same faces - Horvath, Larsson, etc,. - I've also added some new ones. The way I go about my business has changed dramatically; before, I would offer high wages with yearly rises, this time however, I've lessened wages and offered 50% of next sale to pretty much everyone. I'm sure I can get them to sign new deals (on less money) next year, at which point I will remove sell-on clauses. This has really helped me secure some BIG signings and add some much-needed depth.
There were A LOT of changes - a whole new team pretty much - but I'm confident once the team gels we will be a real force. I've built a very young team (current avg. age 20.20) but I'm confident the kids will be successful! On a side note, I really can't recommend enough looking through the leagues in Sweden, Norway and Austria. You can get some real bargains there - Norway in particular have some great players you can sign for free in Jan. Anyway, here's a look at the squad and transfers as of 8th August:
mully99
An unbeaten first month for Eastleigh. We were actually very unlucky this month - both games we drew were because of very late equalisers. Despite a slow start to the month, Jordan Larsson was my stand-out performer, netting 3 goals in 4 starts. We currently sit 7th, 4 points off leaders Ebbsfleet; it's early days though and with a lot of football to be played I'm confident we can topple them.
In other news, this month also saw the arrival of a few new faces. Early season injuries have forced me to add a bit of depth; I've brought in Hugo Fernandez (season loan), Liam Smith (5-month loan) and Adam Nkusu Landu. The addition of right-back Smith and holding midfielder Fernandez has allowed us to release Will Evans and Jai Reason. They're decent players but the wage bill couldn't carry them.
mully99
Another good month - unbeaten still, and going strong. We're up to third, 2 points off leaders Havant. Larsson has been instrumental to our success - the young striker has bagged a phenomenal 8 goals in 8 games! So far, so good!
FA Cup 2nd Qual. Rnd
September also saw a second-string Eastleigh side beat minnows Hythe 2-0 in the FA Cup. Goals from Ingebrigtsen and Nkusu Landu were enough to see off a very average Hythe side. Playing at home allowed me to rest a whole host of first team stars; we've got a strong squad and I was always confident in the boys coming in.
In other news, I've also added a few more names to the squad. I released Damian Batt and Stuart Fleetwood which allowed me to sign four new players. The new arrivals include: Chris Forrester, Sean McDermott, Jake Kirby (season loan) and Joao Teixeira. I'm yet to secure Acapandie at right-back and I'm starting to feel like it's not going to happen.