sortitoutsi
Football Manager Graphics
- FM24 Graphics
- FM24 Player Faces
- FM24 Logos
- FM24 Kits
- FM24 Backgrounds
- FM24 Installation Instructions
Football Manager Guides Database
Football Manager Data Update
Football Manager Shortlists
- FM24/25 Update Guides
- FM24/25 Update Shortlists
- Best FM24/25 Update Wonderkids
- Cheap FM24/25 Update Wonderkids
- FM24/25 Update Young Players aged 21-25
- FM24/25 Update Best Free Players
- FM24/25 Update Expiring Contracts
- FM24/25 Update Bargain Players
- FM24/25 Update Injury Prone Players
- FM24/25 Update Richest Clubs
- Best FM24/25 Update Facilities
- FM24 Guides
- FM24 Shortlists
- Best FM24 Wonderkids
- Cheap FM24 Wonderkids
- FM24 Young Players aged 21-25
- FM24 Best Free Players
- FM24 Expiring Contracts
- FM24 Bargain Players
- FM24 Injury Prone Players
- FM24 Richest Clubs
- Best FM24 Facilities
This site is not endorsed by Sports Interactive or SEGA and is intended for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed on this site are the views of the individual contributors and not those of Sports Interactive or SEGA.
Nady
Rookie mistake!
Nady
George14brfc
Dan
I don't think we've beaten you guys in about four years.
Nady
Thanks for the encouragement lads, all transfers have been completed, will be updating tomorrow.
Nady
Dan
Nady
Cheers!
Says it all when Nikki Bull has been released by a League Two club and he's better than all four of the ones I started with!
I'm three games in, including the Capital One Cup game with Sheff Utd. Some interesting results to say the least! Will probably be able to update tonight.
Nady
I consider myself to be a pragmatic and critical player of the game. Fingers crossed that I can apply these traits (that I perceive) into this career.
I've decided to take the (what appears to be) daunting task of managing Oldham Athletic. Paul Dickov hasn't had much luck there in real life, so, let's see how my fortunes fair. As indicated below, the squad isn't bursting with quality and the finances (or lack of) provided by the board will be quite the stumbling block to navigate! There seems to be quite a lot of youth in this setup, and, early impressions suggest that I'm going to have to shift a good two or three players before I can even consider bringing any of my own in.
Points of interest:
- Jose Baxter - Massive potential, for this standard. His contract expires in January, will be doing all I can to renew.
- Lack of central creativity - I'm hardly blessed in this area, needs to be addresses or navigated.
- Matt Derbyshire - Loan expires in December, will be left incredibly short from then on.
- Man City - Reece Wabara's loan from City is part of their club link. Will be looking to exploit this further!
On the whole, generally a poor squad with absolutely no funding from the board. The squad looks heavily reliant on central defensive-minded players, so, it's a catch twenty-two in that department. Do I shore up the midfield and focus my creativity out wide, or, look to bring in some flair into the middle of the park? We'll see how pre-season pans out and go from there!Nady
So, with a very limited budget and an even smaller pool of potential targets to my disposal, my dealings in the transfer window concluded, sharply. Four players departed, and four were welcomed to the club.
Statistically, Alex Cisak is quite a poor goalkeeper on the game. Quite poor physical stats and nothing special in the goalkeeping department. Peterborough came in with (what I considered) a generous offer for him, to sit on their bench. Another goalkeeper (Dean Bouzanis) departed. Once again, quite poor overall, and, whilst on a decent wage, nobody showed interest. For the players I brought in, it was probably best for both parties, he left. Jean-Yves M'voto was happy enough to drop two divisions to play his trade. Not a huge transfer free, but, more dead wood off the wage bill. And finally Youssouf M'Changama left Boundary Park for Mansfield.
Alex Henshall has joined via the link with Man City. No fee involved and importantly, I'm paying none of his wages. He's a good pacey winger and will provide decent competition for Cristian Montano and Lee Croft. Andre Wisdom is a another nice acquisition, on loan from Liverpool. Again, I'm covering none of the wages and he'll be fighting for a starting berth, I'm sure. Now, the veteran Ian Ashbee was actually quite the struggle. Had to fend off interest from Colchester United for his services. Despite his age, his mental qualities will provide a good boost for the younger players. He's also been appointed my vice captain. And with two departing goalkeepers, Nikki Bull who my scout rated better than either of my previous Australian stoppers, came in on another free transfer after his release by Wycombe in League Two.
I'm content with my dealings. Unless something major happens, there'll be no further activity.
Tactically, I'm going to favour a defensive 4-5-1. There's absolutely no central creativity in the team and with very little in the market, my hand is forced to attack from the wider areas. At 35, I'll be instructing Ian Ashbee to pretty much sit in front of that back four and stay there! With three decent wide midfielders, I'll be expecting them to contribute, but, ultimately create chances from the wings.
I'm hardly blessed with squad depth, so, I'll be trying to avoid the use of a 4-4-2, where possible. Also, fingers crossed I won't incur any long term injuries. The finances are looking healthier and I'm below the wage bill, which, for me, is important.
Let's hope for a solid start!
Nady
And then came MK Dons. With a threadbare squad and only three days between the Preston and MK Dons match, the fatigue started to show. Completely outmatched all over the park. We didn't deserve anything from the game and Karl Robinson deserved all three points. Away to West Brom was always going to be tough and when their XI included the likes of Foster, Lukaku and Morrison, I knew I'd be in trouble. In the end, 4-0 actually flattered me.
August Key Moments:
- Matt Derbyshire - on the whole, showing how important extending his loan deal will be. Clinical, thus far.
- The clean sheet against Preston - demonstrated the solid defensive potential of the team. Even at 35, Ashbee swept up everything before it even reached my centre halves.
- Injury to Jose Baxter - huge blow. Ruled out for six weeks with a sprained ankle. Missed badly against MK Dons.
- Capital One Cup exit, gives the squad less to focus on and can fine tune my league form.
On the whole, there's positive signs. Looked a little tired against MK Dons, but, hopefully the schedule will be a little kinder to me from here on. Just important now that morale can be lifted after the drubbing I got at the Hawthorns. The transfer window will be closing shortly, but, there's absolutely nothing on the market.Interesting footnote - tried to lure 'the forgotten man' known as Michael Johnson, yes, that same Michael Johnson once touted as the saviour of England's midfield. Man City accepted my loan bid, but, he's not interested in dropping to League One. Instead, he'd rather rot on the bench of City's reserves and wrap cars around pillars.
George14brfc
Nady
Some fantastic results in there. Despite being gifted two own goals by Coventry, winning at the Ricoh against one of the favourites (in my opinion) is a big feat. However, the Accrington game, I take all the blame for. With a busy September, I fielded an inexperienced side. We almost nicked it late on, but, Reece Wabara's skied penalty sealed the loss.
Captain Dean Furman's thunderbolt against Crewe was the catalyst to inspire Matt Derbyshire to hit real goal-scoring form. In total the Englishman on loan from Nottm Forest bagged 5 in September. Including an impressive brace against Crawley, but, wasn't enough for all three points as they clawed back from 2-0 down. A bore draw at Orient and scrappy wins over Yeovil and Hartlepool was erased from memory as Sheff Utd completely blitzed me at Bramall Lane.
Despite the heavy loss at the end of the month, I was the recipient of:
Very pleased to have picked this up! Fingers crossed it doesn't curse me for the next game. Quite pleased with the performance on the whole. Few defensive frailties, but, hopefully those can be ironed out sooner, rather than later. At the moment, I'm sitting pretty atop the npower League One:
In other news, a cluttered fixture list and an injury to Ian Ashbee (twisted knee) forced me to once again consider a foray into the transfer market. With literally no budget, I was forced to search the unemployed market. I ended up turning to fellow countryman:
He'll certainly offer me something different in midfield. He operates best as a deep lying playmaker which works well with my deep midfield. He's only on a one year contract which works well for both parties as I can't see him being used other than a bit-part role. He's featured sporadically so far and was instrumental in Matt Derbyshire's goal against Yeovil. Other bits of importance include Jose Baxter's return from injury is a welcome bit of news. He'll be vying for a starting berth with Robbie Simpson.
On the whole a very impressive month.
Nady
As you can see in by the table (below) it was almost a perfect month. With no domestic cup distractions, the squad was given a good enough rest between matches which proved to be the difference maker in quite a few of the games. I adopted a 4-4-2 for most of the month and the combination of Derbyshire and Simpson proved lethal, scoring a combined seven goals.
I was unfortunate not to take all three points in the 1-1 draws with Walsall and Carlisle. The Bury game had everything, Cristian Montano was sent off and Bury rallied to score three goals, but, the deadly duo of Derbyshire and Simpson had already sealed the win. After finishing the month unbeaten, the league position looks pretty encouraging at the moment. Performing far above early expectations.
There was further good fortune over the course of the month. Coupled with some fantastic performances some positive notes included:
Very pleased with both of these. Baxter signing a contract extension is key and the important part being, he's happy to resume the current contract clauses and wage he's on. Had he requested more, it probably would've been the end of his career at Oldham. Andre Wisdom has put in some solid performances throughout the month. Completely deserves the award.
However, not everything about the month was so great. Midway during the 1-1 draw with Walsall my captain Dean Furman took a pretty rough challenge in the middle of the park. He was subsequently stretchered off. And the prognosis wasn't something I was looking forward to. Furman has been a rock in midfield up until this point. He's primarily defensive, but, has cropped up with some important goals and assits.
And so, the report came back:
Disaster! He's irreplaceable! I'll be looking to Ian Ashbee now to perform at a much higher level as he'll be assuming the role of captain for the remainder of the season. This could well and truly be the spanner in the works!
George14brfc
Nady
Thanks, mate.
Yeah decent form in that month, but, as you'll see in the update (shortly) that injury has cost me, massively!
Nady
With Furman missing long term, I made one last attempt (before the loan window closed) to sign Richard Chaplow and Michael Johnson from Southampton and Man City respectively. Sadly, neither were interested and I'm going to have to trudge on without.
The table is as follows:
Unfortunately, the teams around me have all capitalised on my poor run of form. I'm sure it won't be long until Bournemouth have taken full advantage of their games in hand. I've got some tough fixtures coming up in December, such as MK Dons and Preston, both away. Hopefully the squad can put an end to the rotten string of results.
In other news, Reece Wabara's loan from Man City will be ending shortly. I was unable to negotiate an extension and will be a defender short, as a result. Encouragingly, Matt Derbyshire has continued to be lethal in front of goal and is currently joint-third with 11 goals in the league.
That concludes November. Generally a poor month. Looking indecisive in front of goal and wobbly at the back. If I'm to push on with a respectable league finish, this form will need to end soon!
Dan
Nady
I've been awful since losing Dean Furman to that injury. He pretty much pulls the strings (or used to) in midfield.
I'm going to have to beg for cash in January because the midfield needs some serious recovery.
Nady
As you can see, quite a few poor performances towards the end of the month, that (in some part) could be down to Matt Derbyshire's loan from Nottm Forest coming to an end midway through the month. At the moment, the squad is down to the bare bones having lost both Reece Wabara and my top scoring striker. Jose Baxter will have some serious shoes to fill alongside Robbie Simpson. I will hopefully be able to use the loan market in January.
The table, at the end of December:
Still a reasonable position. It's a lot higher than I had anticipated at the start of the season and the body blows I've encountered throughout my first few months in charge, I personally, think I've done well to still be there or thereabouts the play-offs. There's a lot of teams around me with decent financial backing and a much stronger squad, so, on the whole, I'm happy.
Off the pitch, however, there was a lot going on. Coventry, languishing in the middle of the table sacked Mark Robins. With a decent squad and (likely) much better finances, obviously I was interested! The response to my declaration of interest wasn't positive, put it that way, however, the Oldham board responded with:
The Coventry board were interested in my services and, it would've been so much easier to walk away from Oldham. It's unlikely that I'll be given much funding in January to strengthen my squad. However, I was overlooked in favour of Jimmy Calderwood. I was slightly disappointed, but, I'm happy to play my trade at Oldham and make the best of what I can.
Dan
Nady
National, I think!
PeterGriffin
Nady
Sidibe will provide decent cover up front and at this level his physicality will hopefully be a welcome addition. He's shown some decent touches and even bagged a goal (as you'll see) against Sheff Utd. His debut came at home to Leyton Orient and he was instrumental in everything we did. Johnson, albeit he has poor physical ratings, I'm hoping he can do a job. He won't start, but, will be called upon from the bench. And Jody Craddock brings bags of experience and will challenge Cliff Byrne to start with Andre Wisdom. As it stands, I'm happy with the squad. I've not been given any budget throughout my career at Oldham, so, I'm delighted by at the position I am, so far. I've overseen some decent performances and I'm confident we're performing above our expectations.
The league results were:
Unbeaten in the league for January! Perfect Birthday month! I wasn't expecting much against Fulham in the cup, but, we gave it a solid effort and I was happy with the team. We were very unfortunate not to grab al three points against Yeovil, but, the standout has to be classic at Boundary Park against Sheff Utd. End to end stuff. They've been poor in the league, but, really stepped it up against me. Fortunately my loan signings shone through and will continue to do so. As a result of our solid January, we're back in the mix and very much looking forward to February. Currently, the League One standing is:
Clearly Bournemouth are in red hot form at the moment. Providing there are no further setbacks, I can't see why my current crop can finish in the play-offs. Onwards and upwards!
Nady
A generally poor performance all around, and would've been perfect to start the month off with a win especially with Bournemouth, who captured Chris Martin (on loan from Norwich) who I'd attempted to add to my squad, firing on all cylinders, since joining. The remaining fixtures were:
Chris Martin bagged a brace in the 2-1 loss to Bournemouth and really showed me what I missed out on. To make matters worse, Jose Baxter was ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury. There was something to shout about, though, with the 3-1 away win at Walsall. This game provided a comedy moment, when the home goalkeeper punted it down field, my keeper (Nikki Bull) held the ball, and, somehow, threw it into the net. Don't ask.
The table still looks reasonably okay, just need to pull our socks up! I'm still very much in contention for something decent this season, but, I've got some very tough fixtures left in March and April.
Nady
Another huge body blow. Byrne, who's been solid at the heart of defence has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. Fortunately, I loaned Jody Craddock (Wolves) prior to his injury. Other than another big injury, there was nothing else to report on for the month. The 1-0 victory over Bury came courtesy of my right back Connor Brown ended up at the right place at the right time to slam the ball home in the opposition box. The remainder of the results were as follows:
One of my more unsung heroes Cristian Montano here cropping up with a brace and a handful of assists for the month. If we are to even finish in the play-offs this season, he'll need to continue this good form in the following month. Robbie Simpson seems to be grafting hard, and even finishing outside of the play-offs (in my opinion) is still a success, when you consider the teams around us.
The league looks like this at the end of March:
Clearly the bad fortune I've been on the end of the last few months are starting to take it's toll. The teams around me are in red hot form and I could easily slip further down the table. With any five games left of the season, can I cling on to a play-off place?
Dan
Nady
After a fantastic campaign, I missed out on a play-off position by one point. ONE POINT! I lost my opening game to April 4-1 to Brentford and that was a sign of things to come. The press were already on our case:
Results elsewhere didn't go my way and unfortunately, the early luck I received at the start of the season ran out. I ended up a very admirable seventh position. Finishing above the likes of Preston and Doncaster. Which, in the grand scheme of things is a brilliant position. Having not spent a penny and made a decent profit most months, I consider this a huge step in the right direction for getting out of League One. When you consider losing key players like Derbyshire, Furman, Baxter and Byrne for large portions of the season, there's no wonder we couldn't retain a position in the play-offs. Losing our main goal threat in Derbyshire was always going to be problematic, but, on the whole, I'm happy with the performances. Despite winning my final two games of the season, results didn't go my way in the other matches.
And so, my final position in the table:
It's frustrating to be in the mix for most of the season and then to miss out by one measly point. I'm hoping my solid control of the finances will help me for the upcoming season and I get some degree of support from the board having been given very little this season. In other news, Portsmouth, Leyton Orient, Yeovil and Doncaster were relegated to League Two, whilst Barnsley, Crystal Palace and Charlton were relegated from the Championship to League One.
At this moment in time, I've delayed contract talks with Oldham, pending their support in the market.
Nady
After what I considered a successful season on and off the pitch, I have decided to end my reign as Oldham Athletic manager. I revamped almost all of the finances and made a solid profit, however, the projections for the upcoming months were very poor and we indicated the finances at the club would deteriorate. With key players refusing to sign contract extensions without adding extortionate wage increases, I'm finding the job a little too demanding.
The board gave me a budget of £40,000 for the upcoming season, despite finishing above my projected target for the year and without spending a penny on any of the new faces brought in and made a profit on all of those who left the club.