There and back to see how far it is
A Football Manager Career by willz121
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willz121
April/May
So we started the month with a very disappoint result, losing 2-0 at Lampard Stadium... that's right, Lampard Stadium. We really didn't show up at all, and I was really disappointed that we didn't even try. Out matched and out fought, and that was our slim hopes of second dashed as they don't really look like losing to the other sides.
Better news was to follow though, as Matt Vickers' early double gave us a 2-1 win at Portman Road over Ipswich, before we beat Swansea City at Wembley in the FA Cup Semi Final, with goals from Henriquez and Donaghue (2). Liverpool were our next opponents at Old Trafford, and we played out a highly entertaining 2-2 draw. It's definitely a game I expected to win, and we threw away a 2 goal lead after Alon Einstein and Matt Vickers gave us a good start. However, we need to focus on holding a lead, and they managed to peg us back.
After that, it really was plain sailing until the end of the season, with routine 2-1 wins over Brighton and Watford. I started to give a few fringe players a game as the season wound down and Mommers certainly gave me some food for thought with his performance against Watford. El Shaarawy scored the only goal in our final home game of the season against Swansea, before we dispatched Championship side Derby County 4-0 in the FA Cup Final.
Our season ended where my tenure began, a game against Villa. Somehow, we had managed to get ourselves within two points of Chelsea in second, where we knew if we could better their result we would finish behind City. We won 4-1 with goals from Shaw, De Bruyne (2) and an own goal... unfortunately Chelsea also won convincingly, so we ended up in 3rd!
League Table
So we finish 9 points behind City, and 2 points behind Chelsea. We edge Arsenal out by 2 goals, and secured 3rd in the table. Tottenham and Liverpool take the Europa League places, along with Derby who finished mid table in the Championship, but reached the FA Cup Final.
Ipswich, Watford and Aston Villa are all relegated, with all three confirmed before the final round of fixtures were completed. Villa could be a future destination for me, as they are in tatters at the minute, but I am not thinking about anything other than United for a couple of seasons at least!
Awards
We picked up a few awards amongst the players:
Team of the Year
David De Gea and Kevin De Bruyne get their places in Team of the Year, and both are well deserved. De Gea is at the top of his game, and De Bruyne has been my best player during my time here. I've offered both new contracts to ensure they feel valued at the club.
Football Writers Footballer of the Year
De Bruyne picks up the FWA this season, he has been simply fantastic for me, and probably the most consistent player I've had for a long time. Incredible performances and well deserved!
Barclays Golden Glove
De Gea grabs this award, and again it is well deserved! I was delighted to see he was still at the club when I arrived, and I hope he remains here for a time to come! 14 clean sheets is a great show from De Gea seeing as the tactic we play is quite attacking!
Always nice to get the recognition, thanks David!
Player Overview
No shock to see De Bruyne at the top based on Average Rating over all competitions. Delighted with how Matt Vickers has adapted since his January move, with seven goals, six assists and two man of the match awards in 12 games. Shaw has been a bit part player this season, but will push for first team next season after we sold our previous left back in January. El Shaarawy has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but we will decide what to do about his future in the next few weeks.
Board Confidence
The board don't seem too moved by my arrival at the club, either positively or negatively, so I guess that we can start next season and see how we go. Obviously missing out on the title is the big bug bear, but hopefully the win in the FA Cup was enough to stabilise, whilst harmony are high which is good!
Glad to see this was approved, I asked the board to increase the Junior Coaching budget, and it has been approved and hopefully will see a future star developed in house. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but it's a great bit of news!
BREAKING NEWS
Ahhhh fiddle sticks... never ever seen this before, but it seems we will have a lot of spare time on our hands next season! Hopefully it will mean we can mount a serious title challenge, but I am not sure the board are going to be particularly happy about this!
Onto the next season, 2021/22 needs to be a much better performance in the league, and hopefully we don't suffer too much financially due to missing out on the Champions League! Thanks for reading...
George14brfc
Dan
gaz12321
willz121
Thank you all for reading so far! June's update...
June
I'll try and get all of the news posted for over the summer in a couple of threads...
Fan's Player of the Year
No massive shocks here, De Bruyne was simply superb last season, and now he has the fans recognition as well. Glad we tied him to a new contract, as not long after...
I had a feeling this might happen, and unfortunately he isn't the only player. He's the only player that I really wish to keep though out of those that moaned about no European football, but more on that later... as far as I am concerned he's staying until he starts tearing the walls down in anger.
Transfers In (June)
I've been looking to bolster the younger players in our squad, so that is my primary focus this summer. With a number of players asking to leave, it was only right that we replaced them properly, and with good value. The signings below should all have a big future at Old Trafford...
Jack Parker
From Southampton Free
Signed for free from Southampton, Parker is probably more of an opportunity to make a profit than a player who will make massive waves here at Old Trafford. He's got age on his side, and has some decent attributes, but whether that is enough in a big squad to keep your name in the first team squad remains to be seen. Will be looking to loan him out, so he has the chance to impress.
Alan Doyle
From Celtic £1.6m
Doyle should be headed out on loan this season, as he will be third choice behind Shaw and our new left back (scroll down). At only 16, he looks like a decent asset, and has great determination. His physical stats are still to improve but he's only 16, and could be a key player for years to come.
Philip Allum
From Celtic £1.7m
As with Doyle, I expect Allum to head out on loan this season, or to play for our U18/Reserve sides. He is not as strong as Doyle, but the scouts were very interested in signing him, and we are delighted to bring another British youngster to the club.
Danny Lesley
From Rangers £2.4m
Another player who will probably not feature right away, but hopefully Leslie will break into the first team in a couple of years. Loan spells will be key to getting the best of him, but I think he has stats in the right places. If he can develop, he could prove a bargain at just over £2m!
Bashiru Gambo
From Valarenga £2.2m
Due to work permit reasons - which I didn't spot at the time - Bashiru will go out on loan to try and pick up dual nationality. This transfer wasn't particularly thought out, as a loan back to Valarenga would've been a sensible clause for the deal to continue knocking the days off his work permit application. However, he is off to Freiburg and I hope he will feature heavily.
Craig Owen
From Sheffield United £2.7m
High work rate and determination were key to this signature, as at 15 years of age he has a lot of football to be played. We've got a couple of right backs in the squad already, but I couldn't pass this one up as he could become a first team player in a couple of years. His tackling isn't great, but I hope that will develop over time. The scouts couldn't speak highly enough of him, so it should be worth the risk.
Nick Evans
From Cardiff City £3m
I went back to Cardiff City to see how some of the players were developing, and Evans caught my eye again. Another 16 year old coming to the club means that we are building a strong base for the future. £3m was quite a bit more than I expected to pay, but hopefully he will come good.
Scott Grew
From Crewe £2.3m
It wouldn't be preseason without United raiding Crewe for a youngster, and Grew comes in for just over £2m. Another 16 year old who looks very talented, and can play in a number of positions. I hope this isn't a Phil Jones scenario where we struggle to find his best position, but I hope he can find a home here.
Dzemal Medjedovic
From Ajax £20m
A big money signing, but he will replace Luke Shaw as our first choice left back. At just 21 years of age, he has a massive future ahead of him - but he's a top player already. With really high physical stats and work rate, it was a no brainer to pursue him when the scouts returned a report. In fact, we nearly had 3 players from Ajax, but this was the main target.
Omar Chumpitaz
From Aston Villa £3.6m
Relegated with Aston Villa last season, I saw this as an opportunity to replace some of the bigger names at the club with a younger, cheaper model. Yes he's on £55k a week, but the players in front of him are on £80k, so hopefully he will really make an impression in the side. His physical and mental stats are brilliant, and I hope that he can really develop at Old Trafford. He didn't get so much of a chance at Villa last season as they finished bottom.
No players were sold during June, so I will end that update here, and bring you July's instalment shortly. Thanks for reading!
George14brfc
willz121
July
So not to spam one thread with too many images, here comes July's update!
Transfers Out
First out the door was Laureano Sagre, who moved to Cagliari for just short of £6m. The forward really didn't feature much for me last season, and only scored 6 goals in 11 (10) appearances. When we were offered his asking price, I snapped it up and he left, and released some more wages into the budget.
Next up, Stephan El Shaarawy decided that he wanted to leave the club as we hadn't qualified for the Champions League, and he left for Wolfsburg for £37m + £3m after 10 goals. Happy with the deal, as it's great cash and frees up a lot of wage budget for squad building. Disappointed to see him leave, as I had hoped he would step it up this season.
Fringe players Adam White and Billy Vincent left the club for minimal fees, but they were never going to get into the first team this season so it was time for them to move on.
Eder Alvarez Balanta's contract was up at the end of this season, and he wouldn't negotiate a new deal that would represent value for money for us. Instead, we transfer listed him and he moved on to Milan for £6.25m. Less than I wanted, but again money in the bank.
Finally, two more big departures in Lucas Silva and Rafael Guarderas. Both players moaned that we aren't in the Champions League, and they are players that I can do without this season so both were listed for value, and both will head to PSG. A total just shy of £98m has been recouped so far, which is not bad going!
Transfers In
Martin Labudovic
From Dinamo Free
Labudovic came highly recommended by our scouting team, and will be understudy to De Gea this season. I hope to play him in the cup games to give him game time, but at just 19 years of age, I hope he will overtake De Gea and give me a real choice of which goalkeeper to play in the future.
Lautaro Rodriguez
From Boca Free
I am really excited to add Rodriguez to our squad this season, he has a great set of attributes that should turn him into a very attacking outlet for us on the left side of midfield. He will replace El Shaarawy, so we've done some great business there by reducing the wages and getting him on a free.
Chris Owen
Free Transfer
Chris Owen looks like a decent player, and he gives me another option in both the left midfield area, or as a striker. He won't have many chances this season, so will head out on loan, but the scouts seemed to think he had good potential, and I hope he will develop as they expect.
Donald McKeever
Free Transfer
McKeever is one player who after signing I began to question. With his low determiation stat, I wonder if he will aspire to become the type of player we need here at Old Trafford. Will be loaned out this season if possible to see if he can do anything to make me take note, but could be allowed to leave if he doesn't impress.
Charly Musonda
Free Transfer
Musonda was a player I had at Sunderland, and he looked like he could become a useful player. I am interested to see if he can step up and perform at the top level, but will more than likely head out on loan this season. He looks like he could be a real midfield general, with good passing and creativity stats he should be able to keep us ticking over.
Abdelhak Nouri
Free Transfer
At just 24 years of age, I hope that there will be a big future for Nouri. I've read good things about him on other people's saves, so to bring him in on a free is exciting. He can play almost anywhere in midfield without issue, so if he can continue to develop, he could certainly do very well for us. He's on a long contract, so I hope he can become a fans favourite here.
Jordan Rossiter
From Sunderland £1.5m
Another former player, I signed Rossiter from Liverpool when manager of Sunderland and he became my captain. He was on the transfer list, and I really think that he can continue to develop here. I was surprised when Liverpool agreed to sell him to me at Sunderland, let alone that Sunderland let him go on the cheap. My only worry over him are his physical stats, but hopefully his technical and mental attributes will see him through.
Tom Vogler
From Sturm Graz £8k
Vogler was a late addition in July, when the scouts came back to recommend him. At 17 years of age, he will be sent out on loan to a feeder club for the season in the hope that he will develop quickly with game time. He's a very aggressive player, but I have high hopes that his determination and work rate will see him develop into a good holding midfielder for us, and generate a lot of competition in midfield when he returns.
Pre-season Odds
Manchester City and Chelsea at 5-4, and then ourselves, Tottenham and Liverpool at 5-2. I think I'd take that at this point, and it's not a bad bet to be honest. Surprised that Arsenal have slipped to 16-1. I agree with the bookmakers that we should be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
Friendlies
A bit hit and miss during pre-season, but it was a good run out for the lads. Some good results, including the 9-1 win over Burnley and 4-0 over Leicester. Draws with Wolves and Frankfurt weren't great, but it's what pre-season is all about.
Next instalment coming soon... thanks for reading!
willz121
Transfers In
Three signings were made in August on top of the previous July signatures...
Daniele Pergolizzi
From Juventus £2.5m
Another youngster comes in, this time from Juventus. At 23 years old, he should be able to make a move on a first team place this season, after being transfer listed by Juventus. They only asked for £2.5m, so it was an easy decision to make as it meant we could reduce the wages a bit more and the low transfer fee should see a profit made on or off the pitch.
Jan Jezdik
From Sparta Prague £4.4m
A 16 year old defender, who the scouts predict has a huge future in football... sounds ideal to me! It was an expensive deal, but a lot of the money is in clauses, so hopefully we won't get to that point anytime soon. He's on a youth contract at the minute, so he will be staying at Old Trafford until he can be loaned out, so might get some first team opportunities. Looks a quality acquisition!
Mario Balotelli
From Valencia £2.3m
I saw that Mario was transfer listed, and I couldn't resist going for him. He's only 31, and his physical stats are decent still. He'll be back up to Vickers, but bringing him to the club was very enjoyable - if not expensive on the wage front!
Results
The grand season opener against Manchester City at Wembley saw us take a first half lead through Vickers. We looked in good form, but City were far too strong for us, and pulled two goals late on to win the Community Shield. It's disappointing to lose, especially against City, but it gives me some idea where we are in the grand scheme of things.
Our first league game saw us host Arsenal, and we managed to get off to a flyer with two goals in the first half from recent signing Omar Chumpitaz. We really dominated the game, and I can now see why Arsenal were at such long odds to win the league. They really need an overhaul, so hopefully they can continue to struggle this season at least to give us a head start!
We next travelled to Wigan Athletic, where Rodriguez scored his first goal for the club, but we nearly threw it away until Matt Vickers won the game for us with just eight minutes to go. It wasn't a great performance, but a win none the less! Grimsby arrived at Old Trafford just a few days later for a Capital One Cup game, and they took an early lead after our goalkeeper punted the ball at the striker and it bounced into the net. Thankfully we were on form and rattled in three goals before half time from Kovacic and Vickers (2). Vickers completed his hat-trick in the second half, with Rodriguez and Donaghue adding to the total, finishing 6-2.
Finally, I returned to the Stadium of Light to face my old side, and it was a feisty affair! Chumpitaz gave us the lead, before Sunderland equalised. We didn't look like we were creating enough chances, so I rang the changes at half time, and introduced Donaghue for De Bruyne, and the forward hit a hat-trick to give us a comfortable 4-1 win. Since naming De Bruyne as captain, his form has really tailed off. I hope this isn't a permanent issue!
Table
So with three really good wins in the league, you'd expect us to be top... well we're not, as Chelsea show absolutely no regard for anyone else as they have been scoring goals for fun... and we face them next up!
Chelsea 8 - 0 Stoke
Swansea 0 - 5 Chelsea
Chelsea 4 - 0 Arsenal
They've been rampant, and they have been scoring goals for fun. Gnabry is their top goalscorer, as well as Lukaku and Martial who have both been amongst the goals.
Thanks for reading!
willz121
Results
A massive fixture to start the month off with, as we hosted Chelsea. As you can see from my previous update, they have been in amazing form, and destroying everyone in their path... except for us! Old Trafford stood firm, and we gave a great performance against Chelsea. Unfortunately we couldn't get a goal ourselves though, but I will take a clean sheet against them, as it's the first points they have dropped all season.
After our battle with Chelsea, we travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool, and came back with a very polished 1-0 victory. It could've been any scoreline under the sun though, as we had 10 shots on target, and Liverpool looked dangerous on the counter attack. Vickers' solitary strike was enough to get us three points, and the fans were delighted! Our first of two games against Reading this month saw us host the Royals in the 3rd Round of the Capital One Cup. We rested a few key players, and it really showed as we looked disjointed. De Bruyne finally broke his duck for the season, and we eventually got through on penalties.
Next up, we hosted recently promoted (and my former side) Cardiff City, now managed by David Moyes. Cardiff have brought in a number of foreign players since my departure, but the core of the team is still predominantly Welsh which is pleasing to see. Matt Vickers notched a double to secure three points, and on the back of his recent form he has been getting into the England squad, which is amazing news! The final game of this update - as I've just spotted it was played in October - was away to Reading, and thankfully we managed to take our chances with Chumpitaz and Rodriguez scoring a goal each to get another win.
Delighted with the month, although the performance in the Cup was a disaster. We managed to get through though, so fingers crossed we can go the distance in that tournament this season.
League Table
So at the end of September (well the start of October), we are top of the league. Chelsea look incredible in front of goal, but two draws this month (one against us) has seen them slip a little bit. Manchester City and Tottenham are both up there again, with Arsenal back in sixth.
My former sides Sunderland and Cardiff have had very different starts to the season, with Sunderland in 8th, and Cardiff 19th.
Addition to my CV
Bielsa was sacked as manager of Uruguay after their World Cup qualification came off the rails. I take over with games against Brazil and Argentina remaining, and we only have a slim chance of getting into the play off, so we will need to win at least one of those games! Thanks for reading.
George14brfc
willz121
October
With Chelsea looking indomitable at the start of the campaign, we knew that we had zero margin for error. A trip to Reading saw us two goals up with 17 minutes, and the inevitable late onslaught from a side who were not really playing that well, but have always been an annoyance on previous FM Careers. Thankfully we managed to see the game out, and got three points. A trip to Norwich presented us with a 1st minute goal, and that was it for that game. They were awful, and we couldn't manage to find the net more than once. The same applied to our following game at home to Huddersfield... they had 1 shot, and scored. We absolutely peppered them, and only managed to secure a draw. We had to wait until the 108th minute against Ipswich Town to finally break their resolve in the League Cup, and it was becoming a frustrating occurrence to see us dominating games and not being able to score.
Finally, we managed to capitalise on our chances against QPR, but we had to do it the long way round. 1-0 down at half time, we made three substitutes and they all managed to score to give us what looks like a comfortable win. In reality though, we were beyond average, and we've been lucky we haven't played any of the bigger teams during this slump.
November
Oh, here come the big teams... a trip to New White Hart Lane saw us lose for the first time this season. We were playing badly, and Spurs were unable to score. It felt worse being on this side of the coin, especially when they scored in the 83rd minute and close the gap to us in the table. Devastated to lose, and with Manchester City next up, it didn't look pretty. Thankfully, we managed to stand firm against our City rivals and picked up a good point. What mattered more was claiming those points back as quickly as possible, and back to back clean sheets was a great effort from the side. In fact, three clean sheets including the Manchester City result. Goals from Medjedovic and Henriquez saw us past Fulham in front of the cameras, before Chumpitaz and Donaghue (x2) won the day 3-0 at St James Park.
We're still behind Chelsea, and Tottenham have closed the gap after their win against us at the start of the month.
December
December is always a manic time of the year, and this was no different as we ramped up towards 2022... Our good defensive streak continued with another clean sheet at Everton. Matt Vickers finally broke his goal drought, and we picked up a very well worked 1-0 win. Vickers was again on the scoresheet along with Chumpitaz as we beat Hull City 2-1 at Old Trafford, before we again faced Everton in the League Cup. In true League Cup form, we saw the game into extra time before Mateo Kovacic finally put us through. We face Tottenham in the semi final, typically the most difficult draw we could've asked for!
Back to league action, and a trip down to the south coast at Brighton. We didn't play well again, but a 1-0 win was compensation for anyone who made the long trip south. We continued our disastrous form in front of goal against Stoke, but we luckily got an early strike from Wanyama to see us keep three points. We finally turned on the style against Swansea City, with goals from Henriquez, Rodriguez and Nouri completing an excellent 3-0 win.
Our final game of the month saw us travel to Arsenal, where we found ourselves 1-0 down for some time and looking like another loss in London. However, Henriquez bagged a vital goal for us, and saw us take a point. Cesare Prandelli - the Arsenal manager - picked up the Manager of the Month award, but I wonder if we'd won that game if it could've been me?
League Table
The defeat against Tottenham still hurts, and it's all that is keeping us from the top of the table at the moment - that and Chelsea's unbelievable goal difference! +57 after 20 games is just insatiable, but we have to hope we can pin them back at some point.
We go into the January window next update... thanks for reading!
willz121
After drawing our last game of 2021 with Arsenal, I knew we had to start strongly in the New Year. This month we faced Chelsea and Liverpool in the league and Tottenham twice in the League Cup... a massive month for us!
It started well at home to Sunderland, my former team coming to Old Trafford and essentially parking the bus. We struggled to break them down, but eventually Henriquez notched the only goal with 13 minutes to go. It was a cracking result, and one we needed after drawing with Arsenal. We left it fairly late again against Tottenham in the first leg of the Semi Final. After going 1-0 up through Matt Vickers, Spurs came back to take the lead. They are most certainly my bogey team, and I thought we'd lost again to them here. Fortunately, two goals in six minutes from Henriquez and Donaghue managed to put us 3-2 up!
Just a few days later, we were back on cup duty, this time visiting Middlesbrough in the FA Cup 3rd Round. I rotated the squad a little bit, and it paid off with Balotelli firing us ahead early on, whilst the returning Kovacic scored before half time to make the game a little more comfortable. Donaghue rounded things off with a late goal. We followed up that result with another 3-0 win, this time at home to Wigan, with Donaghue scoring twice and Tielemans scoring the third just after half time.
Then came two of the biggest games of the month, a trip to Lampard Stadium, before the return leg against Tottenham. Henriquez gave us the lead at Lampard Stadium, but we couldn't hold onto it. Despite Chelsea dominating against almost everyone else, we've drawn both league games with them, and only conceded one goal against them. Not too bad going in my opinion! This gave us some confidence going into the game against Tottenham, and we secured a 1-0 win at Old Trafford to put us into the League Cup Final against Queens Park Rangers - I expect to win this cup!
As before, one cup followed another, and we had another comfortable tie, this time against Bristol City. We managed to rotate the side again, and came away with a fantastic 4-0 win. Donaghue started and ended the scoring, with Pergolizzi and Einstein scoring in between.
The final two games of the month meant a lot to me, a trip to my old side Cardiff before entertaining Liverpool. We flew out of the blocks against Cardiff, finding ourselves 3-0 up after 24 minutes with two goals from Henriquez and a third from Nouri. Cardiff pulled two goals back before half time, but Henriquez completed his hat trick before Kovacic sealed the win. We had almost a week until the Liverpool game, moved to be on TV - Monday Night Football at Old Trafford! Goals from Chumpitaz and Nouri gave us a comfortable 2-1 win over our arch rivals, and it was an almost perfect month!
League Table
Top of the league by two points, although Chelsea are still scoring goals like they are going out of fashion! With 13 games to go, they are just 18 shy of 100 goals, and have scored almost double what we have. I hope this one doesn't come down to goal difference, else we're not even going to get a look in. Tottenham continue to try to have a look in, whilst Manc City, Arsenal and Liverpool are way ahead of the chasing pack, but far enough away not to worry about at the minute.
Manager of the Month
A very good month for us, and it was rewarded with the Manager of the Month award. Delighted to pick it up, and looking at the scores again, it was an enjoyable month!
News
Towards the end of the month, this flashed up on my news feed. Surprised that Woodward is considering selling to be honest, as we're massively making a profit despite not being in the Champions League. I think our latest FFP showed a profit of over £300m! Wage budget is well in check, with £425k per week available, so it will be really interesting to see how this all pans out. Hopefully he will stay, as the last time I was at a club who had a takeover, I was sacked!
Transfers to follow...
willz121
Nothing really to see here, other than two moaning players who were moved on and freed up some money in our budgets. Firstly, Victor Wanyama was sent off for a two footed challenge, and was fined. He complained about the fine - it was only 1 week! - but I told him he could leave. He ended up going to Zenit for £5m, so quite happy to recoup that money, which had already been spent on Middleton (below).
Mario Balotelli wasn't fitting into my plans, so he moaned that he wanted first team football. I cannot give it to him because when he plays, he doesn't score, and Henriquez and Donaghue are in good form at the minute. I listed him for £3m, just above his valuation, and Betis offered a season loan, 100% wages and £3m buy out clause. Easy money, and we won't face Betis so hopefully that sails through. If not, he will be out on the cheap in the summer clearout.
Finally, Jonny Evans departed the club. He simply didn't fit into my plans, and he was on some serious money. With his contract due to expire at the end of this season, it seemed right to move him on, and he has gone to QPR who we will face in the League Cup Final... where he will no doubt score
Other players departing were all on loan, as we look to get first team football for the masses.
Transfers In
More youngsters arriving to help us build for the future, and we sepnt a fair bit of money in January. Hopefully it will pay off, and a number of the players have already received first team football.
Isaiah Brown
From Reading £4.6m
Isaiah Brown has looked dangerous everytime we've faced him, so I was keen to add him to the squad. He moved to Reading from Chelsea, and we picked him up for under £5m. I am keen to see if anything will come of the deal, but when I was searching for a new striker, he seemed to fit the bill and also represented value for money. Will be given chances in the first team, so I hope he can impress!
Markus Koke
From Grasshoppers £4.4m
Grasshoppers seem to be producing some talented players on my current save, as we signed Trumpy from there too last season. Koke comes in and will either partner Trumpy in the future, but may even force his countryman out. He looks solid for a 21 year old, with high stats in composure, work rate and stamina.
Jesper Nielsen
From AaB £475k
Bit of a punt this one, but at just 16 years of age, he could have the potential to be a really good player. The scouts were very keen on him, and 4 stars for potential is always a draw. A very cheap purchase, so could prove to be useful one way or another going forward.
To
From Botafogo Free
19 year old Brazilian goalkeeper on a Free Transfer seemed like a good move, and the scouts seemed very keen on him. With our current number 2 not really pushing De Gea at all, To might have a chance once his work permit issues are put to one side. Trying to move him out on loan has proven difficult so far!
Baptiste Claes
From Anderlecht £3m
Really excited by this signing, because I think he has a lot of potential, and will eventually partner Middleton in our midfield. With Rossiter also competing for that role, we have a really good squad depth available now with good young players.
Ronnie Middleton
From Huddersfield £8.5m
The ideal replacement for Wanyama, Middleton was highly recommended by the scouts and I am pleased to have signed him. He cost a lot of money, so I hope it proves to be a good signing in the long run, but there have been comments in Press Conferences that I favour foreign players, so I hope this Englishman can help increase the numbers.
Maxim Pelevin
Free Transfer
Available on a Free Transfer, I thought it was worht a punt on Pelevin. He looks a decent player, naturally fit and pretty quick. His finishing is quite low, which is my only concern as my AMR normally has a few chances per game, but I think he will be a decent acquisition. If not, he can be sold on for a profit.
Thanks for reading!
George14brfc
willz121
Thanks George, I can't take much credit for the transfers though as they all landed in my inbox from the scouts. There will need to be a squad review end of season though as I think we could have too many players!
Thanks for continuing to follow, and glad you're enjoying it!
Johno
willz121
Thanks Johno, Huddersfield have built a fairly decent side, and he was one of three players there that my scouts were impressed by. I hope that he will become a key figure for the club, particularly now that we have a lot of foreign talent, we need to ensure the good English players come through. Thanks for following!
February
So February begins, and surprisingly for one of the shortest months of the year, we play six games! We started with a home game against Reading, and their former player Isaiah Brown scored after just 1 minute to down his old team. Was delighted to see him score, but we really should have scored a few more. With Chelsea still scoring for fun, we need bigger wins to try and reduce the goal difference gap. We followed the narrow win with another 1 goal win, this time at Huddersfield. Donaghue gave us an early lead, but they pegged us back and took the lead before half time. Chumpitaz and Donaghue again secured a win for us.
We next faced Millwall at home in the FA Cup 5th Round, which was a massive banana skin. I changed a number of players in the starting line up, and it shook us up a little too much. They scored early on, but goals from Donaghue and Kovacic gave us a 2-1 lead at half time. After half time we looked like we'd lose despite dominating every aspect of the play. When they equalised, I thought we were out of the cup, but an injury time penalty from De Bruyne secured us passage to the quarter finals. De Bruyne has finally realised the error of his ways and wants to stay, so that's a welcome return.
Back to back 1-0 wins in the league gave us a 100% record this month in Premier League games, although my laptop was nearly sent flying across the room when Henriquez scored against QPR. We had battered them, well and truly dominated them, and couldn't score. Henriquez in the fourth minute of injury time put us 1-0 up and I nearly jumped out of my seat! It was a huge goal for us, and yet another banana skin avoided. Our 1-0 win over Norwich at Old Trafford was a lot more comfortable, but we really are struggling to score goals despite creating many chances.
Finally, the month ended with the Carling Cup Final:
Again, we found ourselves behind, but De Bruyne, Vickers and Nouri made the result look a lot more comfortable than it was, but we had won another piece of silverware, and I was delighted with the result!
Table
Top of the league, with a five point gap is very nice at the moment. Still 9 games to play, so plenty to be decided. We don't have to play Chelsea again, but we face Tottenham and Manchester City during March, so the next update is an important one! Chelsea have scored 92 goals in 29 games, that's simply outstanding... Lukaku is a monster!
Manager of the Month
Three 1-0 wins, and the fourth game being won by 1 goal shows how tight we can be, but it's not ideal as most of those wins have been extremely close to being draws. We need to analyse who the chances are falling to, and maybe change personnel round slightly to ensure they fall to the right player. Delighted with the award though!
March update coming up... thanks for reading!
willz121
Only four games in March, but three of them are massive ones for the club. Firstly, we started with a home tie against Tottenham, who have been the bane of my existence so far at Old Trafford. They are still the only side who have beaten us in the league this year, and after the Carling Cup semi final games, I am fed up of seeing them... however, we neatly dispatched them 2-0 at Old Trafford, which should hopefully see them drop out of the title race. Our next game was also at home, as we entertained Mansfield in the FA Cup Sixth Round (quarter final). We made this a lot harder than it was, and once again we went 1-0 down early on. I made three substitutes at half time, and they made the difference with Vickers scoring twice and assisting Medjedovic's goal.
Annoyingly, after the game Alon Einstein came to me to request a transfer as he hasn't been playing regular football. He's been in my starting eleven for the last two months, since he last moaned, so maybe it is time for him to move on. Not sure what else I can do really, but hopefully he will change his mind when we secure Champions League football.
We next had two away games, starting at Manchester City. Despite City struggling this season, we've not had a good record against them. They've got a strong squad, and we both battled away for a 0-0 draw. We were very lucky to escape with a point, but hopefully that's us getting some luck after peppering sides in February without much reward. The game against Fulham was a disaster, and a complete write off. Mateo Kovacic smashed in a 93rd minute equaliser to secure a point. February was perfect, March was just enough!
Table
Dropping points against City and Fulham has allowed Chelsea to close the gap back to four points, so one loss will be catastrophic for us. They have also now scored 100 goals, with six games remaining of the season. We are eight points clear of Tottenham, and thirteen clear of City, so hopefully this is now down to a two horse race.
News
We played two friendlies in March, and lost both. This meant that out of my six games in charge, we'd drawn once and lost five. It wasn't interesting, and it wasn't adding anything to my game, so I decided to step down. I would like to return to International management though, but this wasn't the right time for me.
Nooooooooooooo!!! If I get sacked by another Italian consortium, I will be very sad. We're on the verge of a potential treble, finances are immaculate, but the (potentially) new board are still looking for a replacement. My contract runs until the end of next season, so hopefully that might give me some protection...
... or maybe I won't need it! I just hope the takeover either falls over, or they decide to stick with me. At this moment in time, I'd prefer the former, and that this new consortium leaves us alone.
So that's March, quick and to the point... roll on April! Thanks for reading.
George14brfc
Johno
Dan
willz121
April
Five big games in April, and we lost probably the most important one! De Bruyne is hitting form again, and proving he is the same player as last term, scoring five goals during the month. A 2-0 win to start the month against Newcastle was a tidy result, before we got past Everton with a 3-1 win. Both performances and gave us a boost going into the FA Cup Semi Final against Liverpool... unfortunately, this wasn't enough and we went down 1-0 against our north west neighbours. I was really gutted, but the performance wasn't what was required, and it hurts to say but Liverpool deserved it.
With the dreams of the treble over, we had to get back to basics and concentrate on winning the title. Two goals in added time made the 3-0 win over Hull City look better than it was, with De Bruyne single handedly won us the game against Brighton.
Table
Manchester United are Champions!
The win over Brighton took us over the line, and we had secured the title. It was fantastic to finally get the trophy won, and back at Old Trafford. Chelsea floundered a couple of times, and our near perfect form saw us home. Absolutely delighted!
Takeover Update
As per usual, it was a bit rocky, but:
The dreaded vote of confidence from the new Chairman, but with the double won, I hope he will give me a chance to remain at the club!
Awards
De Bruyne rightfully picked up the player of the month award, and he is finally back to form and has stopped moaning. If he can remain happy, he will hopefully return to first team regular next year.
100% win rate in the league, and only conceded 1 goal in the four games we played. Unfortunately we did lose to Liverpool in the cup, but I am sure returning to the Champions League will sooth some of the wounds! Thanks for reading...
willz121
With the league title in the bag, just two games remained in the season. With nothing to play for, I gave a couple of youngsters a game, and Wesley Griffiths became the youngest ever Premiership goalscorer as he scored the opener against Swansea City.
We totally dominated the game, and we deserved the win in front of our fans to say thank you and to celebrate the league title. Two clicks later...
Four trophies in 17 months at Old Trafford wasn't enough for me to survive the takeover, and I am yet again turfed out by an Italian led takeover. I won't lie, I am really disappointed that this came about after winning the league, and buying several players that will become big players for United going forward. But it's the way it goes, and I cannot say I was sacked due to poor performance.
Table
Just for times sake, I was relieved of my duties with one game remaining. Top of the league by seven points, and sixteen ahead of our City rivals.
Manager of the Year
Delighted to pick up this award, and it's another reason why I feel disappointed to be leaving Old Trafford. Glad to win the award though, and hopefully it will enhance my reputation further.
Where to next?
Four job offers so far, but I am unsure whether to jump straight back in, or have some time away from football.
Walter Mazzari replaced me at Old Trafford, and Cesar Prandelli retired from Arsenal. I have turned down the Brighton role as they are already a reasonably successful club performing above their expectations. They finished 9th this season in the Premiership, and it feels as though it would be a step backwards at this stage of my career.
Sevilla is an interesting offer, and certainly would see a new challenge dawn. I am unsure whether I want a stint in Spain unless it is with one of the two big clubs. They require a lot of work to make the competitive, but they are in the Europa League next season after finishing 5th in La Liga this season.
Roma provide an interesting challenge after finishing 8th in Serie A this season, they are well out of where the board expect them to be. They have amazing facilities, and this certainly interests me a lot. They are offering the lowest of the transfer funds, but with their facilities they may not be required as I would like to build a squad here.
Finally, we all know about Arsenal. They've been distinctly average over the years, but managed to finish 4th this season so would be in the Champions League (via the qualifiers). They've got Ross Barkley in midfield, with Szczesny, Ramsey, Wilshere and Oxlade Chamberlain still at the club. It's a very tempting mood to strike straight back at the Manchester United board for sacking me... but I am unsure if I want to stay in England at the moment.
Time to have a think about where we go from here... thanks for reading!
PT20
Dan
George14brfc
Johno
willz121
Thanks for all the comments guys, it's been a disappointing end to my Old Trafford career, but we went out on a high! It's been a few days since the last update, and with options of Brighton, Arsenal, Seville and Roma on the table it was make your mind up time. In the end, I decided to go with Roma as it will offer a completely new challenge in a league that I've not managed in on FM14.
I have also changed the skin to mark the new start in the career!
Roma are a club who are expected to finish in the top four this season, which was reflected in the early season odds:
We should be up there come the end of the season, and we are expected to qualify for the Champions League this year. One highlight of the summer is that England managed to finish third at the 2022 World Cup, losing to Italy in the semi final, but beating Spain to finish third.
Other than the World Cup and a handful of friendlies, the summer break disappeared, and we moved on a number of transfer targets I had outlined. Whilst I do want to favour bringing players through the ranks, there were a few players who I couldn't miss out on signing.
Firstly, I set about generating some cash for the club, and transfer listed half of the squad who were either on too much money, nearing the end of their contract, or just weren't good enough for this season.
Nedelev, Bruno and Brodic were the big departures, and whilst the board were disappointed with the sales of all three, the transfers in were much more pleasing!
Matt Vickers, Jordan Rossiter and Pietro Capobianco all followed me to Roma from Manchester United, and I was delighted to pick up all three relatively cheaply. I also managed to pick up Andrew Outlaw from Cardiff for a minimal fee, so those four are all players I have managed before in this career. A host of youngsters also arrived during the summer and were sent back out on loan, but then the big three were signed...
I am ecstatic to have brought all three into the club this summer, and I think they will be an asset for us going forward. James and Quintero have plenty of years left, and whilst Cristiano's physical stats have dropped, his mental stats are amazing. He is now our club captain, and will be mentoring our golden boy from the Academy:
Brambilla looks like a great talent, and at just 17 years of age he could be a star for the future. He'll be working closely with Cristiano, and I hope to give him plenty of game time this season.
Results
We started the season on fire, and it's been a great way to begin my time in Rome. We opened with an emphatic 5-0 win over Sassuolo, with goals from Taider, Ronaldo, Schurrle (x2) and Outlaw scored on his debut. James and Quintero hadn't signed by this point.
Our next game at Genoa would prove to be a milestone for me:
The players marked the occasion well, with two goals from Cristiano, and a goal a piece for Martinez and Alfred. It was really exciting to be able to rotate the team and still put out some excellent talent, so hopefully this will bode well for us going forward.
Table
Two wins from two, and an excellent goal difference sees us top:
With Inter next, this will be a real test of where we've got to. Our two opening wins have also seen us flood the Team of the Month:
Cristiano Ronaldo has been excellent since signing, and he tops our Average Ratings for the month:
I am looking forward to venturing into September in the next update, with our new look attacking trio in place, and hopefully get Brambilla some game time too.
Thanks for reading!
Dan