Addickted To Winning (A Charlton story) IIIIIIIII

I've now lost three games in a row, just went 1-0 down against Mafra too.

What even is this?

Edit: 2-0 down vs Mafra.

Turned the Mafra game round and drew 2-2, enough to seal our third title in a row.

Quite looking forward to just getting to the end of the season and tearing the squad up. Gonna go through each player individually, mark their merits and then see what youngsters I have out on loan.

Want to avoid signing first team players, will only turn to doing that if I really do lay into the squad.

Really disappointed, we should have won by five or six, but yet again our away form in the CL knockouts costs us. Last season we got done 5-1 by PSG and the season before 5-0 by Chelsea. We just crumble.

And long may that crumbling continue, gives me half an excuse to promote a load of clueless youngsters.

Two league games and the domestic cup final left, so we should still wrap up a domestic treble.

Heading into the cup final I only have 12 first team players available to me. Luckily the final is against an already relegated team.

A very easy game, the usual suspects sprinkled with some acne suffering teenagers. Handed out three starting debuts and three debuts off the bench, so the period of transition is underway.

Can't complain about the season, won the title, won both domestic cups and got to the CL semis. Now the real fun begins, right about now these players are on the sell list;

- Alvarado
- Ladic
- Mutombo
- Asrat
- Cerda
- Henriquez
- Chokito
- Miguel
- Eliel

Obviously all of this depends on what youngsters we have and if I'm willing to go out and sign first teamers. But I just think its time for a refresh, we are dominating Portuguese football, we've won three titles in a row, 4 Portuguese cups in a row and we've been in the League Cup final in six of the last seven years.

Now is the time to give some of the younger players a chance and newer players, its not like we have an old squad right now, average bloody squad age is 21. But for me things are a little stale.

Got in my head the seven players who will definitely leaving, and I have six replacements on my books. The one remaining slot is for a CB, I have a few candidates so I'm gonna use pre-season to test a back three formation and test out a few CBs.

Upfront I think only Pedro Miguel will be leaving, don't know if I have enough faith in our young hopeful attackers to replace Chokito and Eliel just yet.

Players being offered out and the bids are rolling in, there hasn't been this much talent on the market since Calciopoli.

Andorra, a nation on the rise.

Some real legends of Mirandela departing, shame to see homegrown boys Pedro Miguel and Silva leave, but its all in the name of progress. Think this save probably only has two or three seasons left in her, FM14 beckons once more.

Huge sponsorship deal from Terry's chocolate orange comes through.



Ah, how young Skacel would have burnt through that.

All that remains from last year.

Big from Borges, all kinds of big.

On the home front the squad is finalised, the 23 men to lead us to glory have been selected. All who don't make the cut and are over 18 shall be loaned.

Let us look at the new breed, all of these guys are either returning from loan or getting promoted from the U18s.



The understudy to Kristo at RB, he offers a lot more going forward than any RB I've had in a while. Signed three years ago for £3m from Chile and he's spent the last three year on loan at various Portuguese clubs.



Second best player to be promoted, he comes straight in as my starting CB. Signed him four years ago for £2m and he's spent the last two years on loan at Benfica.



He'll be my third choice CB, cost me £3.5m a few year back and I'm hoping he'll develop quickly. Only has two star CA but that should be enough to pull him through nearly all our domestic games.



Signed on a whim last season for free. I've promoted him ahead of a young Dutch LB I have for two reasons; firstly Tatchell can play a lot of positions, and secondly I think my young LB could be a starter for me in two or three seasons if I get him loaned out and playing on the regular.



Brought in six years ago for £3.3m, just a stop-gap really. Enough quality to be a backup this season and probably sold next.



The youngest promoted player by far, got him last year from PSG in an £8m deal that was riddled with clauses. Giving him the patented 'van Pijkeren' treatment. You get your best youngster, you put him in the first team from 16, you watch him become world class, you sell him for a huge fee.



Had a deal lined up for him for years but you can't sign players who are U18 from Argentina, so he finally joined last year in a £5.5m deal. I like his stats a lot, expecting big things from him this season.



The leading star. Signed from Arsenal two year back, a £17m clause ridden transfer, got 22 league goals last season while with Liverpool. He really kick started my attempts to sign every great young prospect going no matter the price. I really have learnt the value of adding clauses to transfers, 70% of the time you will never have to pay up because players won't progress as you wanted. And 30% of the time you pay up and get a world beater.



Picked him ahead of a few other great young strikers, including a lad who got 21 in 20 for Benfica last year while on loan from me. Cespedes joined me six years ago and he's spent every season out on loan. A backup.

Wow those sales, that transfer money! unbelievable! like the way your bleeding the youth into the asquad constantly!

I could spend £500m on a player from a third division club, quit Mirandela and go manage the club the player came from.

Go on then...I dare ya

Unlucky against Man Utd /o\

What are your tips on selling players for ridiculous prices? is it based on their form?

They are my best players, so its only natural I'll get good prices for them. Its more key to take lots of chances in the transfer market, at this stage I sign as many youngsters as possible and soon as they hit 18 I begin to loan them out.

Before I had money I was a lot more selective with which youngsters I signed, I targeted youngsters with high PA and solid mental stats and I always kept in mind that I'd sell them if a fair price came in.

Lost my first game of the season 1-0 to Benfica, bounced back with a 3-1 league win and victory in the Portuguese Super Cup. Heading into the last days of the summer transfer window, just trying to shift a few stragglers in the reserves.

Whatever happened to the days of easy CL groups?

Before the Shakhtar and Barca away games I have away games against Porto and Sporting as well, horrible fixture congestion, especially since we've already been beaten by Benfica in the league.

Early days yet but a very slow start by our standards, just drawn 0-0 with Tirsense. Have I went overboard with the club changes? Hopefully this is just a settling period, we have suffered from injuries but we should have still had enough quality to see off the likes of Tirsense.

Tough group there. Are you confident of getting something out of Barcelona?

Six points, nothing but perfection.

The ages of players in vary from 15 years to 19 years, most of them won't even play a game for us, but its worth the risk. My U19 team just lost their first game in 86 matches, so we blitz the youth leagues.

The game is getting slower and slower because of all the shite retained, would bloody love to play this for another fifty seasons but it just isn't possible. Things are winding down.

I've decided to venture back on to FM13 as
a) I'm shit at FM14, and if I'm going to be shit, it may as well be on the better game
and
b) you've reignited my love for the old tactics

What you've done is absolutely amazing; quick question though- is the Portuguese third division already playable or did you get some add-on for the lower leagues?

Yeah, the third division is playable on the game.

The transfer turnover is amazing!

Only one way to get better on FM14, and that's through trying, failing and learning. But aye, I prefer the simplicity of the FM13 tactical system, FM14s is too extreme.