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#488733 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
The press has little faith in us ahead of our debut season in the Premier League, putting our title odds at 1000-1. Considering we've overachieved every single season since the beginning of this save, it's not so farfetched to think we can do it again (though not to the same extent). Surviving the first season in the Prem is vital to long-term success in these saves, so I'll be doing everything I can to ensure we don't go down.
Board Expectations
The board has again set pretty low expectations, requiring us to just "fight bravely against relegation," so my job appears safe for the foreseeable future, despite the fact that my contract is due to expire at the end of the season. The cup expectations are relatively attainable as usual, and I'll be focusing all of my energy on the league this season.
Transfers
With considerable investment from the club owner, it has been a busy transfer window. I made a total of 10 first team signings, as well as making 6 youth signings while selling/loaning 6 players out. Our net spend was £23.75m, and I'm very happy with the results.
In
Oliver Skipp
Everyone who plays FM religiously knows that Oliver Skipp is one of the brightest young English talents in the Premier League right now, and I was very surprised that I was actually able to sign him for just £10m from Wolves. He will operate as my primary defensive midfielder, and hopefully he can fulfill that potential that he has shown in real life!
Davide Bettella
Another £10m signing, Bettella will partner Sepp van den Berg in the center of my defense, with both showing great current and potential ability at relatively young ages. Hopefully they can provide a solid platform of distribution as ball-playing defenders in my system.
Alex Centelles
Centelles was an absolute bargain-buy, signing for just £6m despite his immense potential and impressive current ability. At 23, he still has a couple years to reach his full potential, and hopefully that can be with us in the Premier League. He has a £67m release clause, so this could be my best piece of business so far.
Bukayo Saka
Saka was another bargain, joining for only £4.3m from Arsenal even though he is still showing great potential at the age of 22. Saka hasn't been training well and his attitude may be the reason why he came so cheap, but my skill set revolves around motivating and man management so I thing I'll be able to get the most out of him.
Lee Dong-Hyun
Having spent the entire summer from the moment we were promoted from the Championship looking for a new right back, I finally discovered Lee Dong-Hyun playing for Okayama FC in Japan on deadline day (not even sure if they play in the J-League, or any league for that matter). Despite the obscurity of his origins, he actually came to us already at a Premier League level, with the potential to improve more in the future. Dong-Hyun will hopefully help us commercially in Japan, as big signings from lower-ranked nations often open up revenue streams in those countries (think Mo Salah for Liverpool/Egypt). Soon everyone in Japan will be wearing a Nine Elms jersey with Dong-Hyun's #33 on the back and I'm gonna be raking in the cash!
Josh Dasilva
While I normally only include the basic info in these screenshots, I just wanted to demonstrate the extent of Josh Dasilva's versatility by including his playable positions in the image. He can quite literally play anywhere on the field lol. Signed for just under £1m, Dasilva still possesses the potential to be a "good Premier League center midfielder" and his versatility will no doubt come in handy.
Rob Williams
Williams adds to the growing list of players I have that are part of the U.S.A. National Team setup, with Timothy Weah and Luke Clark also featuring more recently in the Gold Cup. The purpose of this save is to improve the U.S.A. National Team, so now that we're in the Premier League I can begin to make some progress on that goal. As such, I will continue looking for relatively young players like Rob Williams in the hopes that I can take them to the next level. Williams replaces Brad Rodriguez, the U20 U.S.A. goalkeeper who operated as my starting keeper throughout League One and the Championship.
Out
Josh Bowler
In an unexpected turn of events, Josh Bowler and I had a bit of a falling out over contract negotiations and he subsequently requested to leave, resulting in his sale to Brighton for £10.5m. Bowler made a total of 139 league appearances throughout his Nine Elms career, scoring 39 goals and getting 34 assists while becoming a fan-favorite as a versatile winger. Though Bowler was an important part of our squad, I don't believe he would've ever been able to take us to the "next level" so to speak, and the fee I received was reasonable so I decided to let him go.
Darnell Fisher
Due to Fisher's age, I decided to sell him while I could and replace him with a younger option. He attracted interest from several clubs including Huddersfield, who bought him for £625k, nearly double what I signed him for a year ago. Great business in my opinion!
Other News
Nine Elms Class of '23 Graduates
The first generation of original Nine Elms academy products have just turned 18, and subsequently been released by the club due to their lack of substantial potential. Nevertheless, they have nearly all found clubs in the NCAA D1 Championship in the U.S., though I don't believe they will ever make an impact at the national level as I had hoped. Good luck boys!
U.S.A. National Team Progress
The U.S. has failed to make any real progress since the beginning of the save, actually dropping 2 places in the world rankings from 22 to 24 despite winning the Gold Cup in 2021 and finishing runners-up in the Nations League and the Confederations Cup Playoffs. Hopefully now that we're in the Premier League this will begin to change. In the last year I've signed 16 young American players with Championship potential or higher (according to the scouts, not definite), with 4 more joining in January. If just a handful of these players can grow to become Premier League-quality, then the U.S. National Team will automatically be improved by depth alone. Our youth facilities are still "state of the art" while our training facilities are "great" so I will continue to focus on recruiting young American talent in the hopes that tangible progress will be made over the next few years. If the U.S.A. manager is sacked at any point, I may consider applying for the job and managing both, but we'll talk about that if/when it actually happens.
#488663 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
We did it boys, 4 promotions in 5 seasons, all without playing a single playoff game. I've never had such a successful run through the lower leagues in any of my past saves but that's likely because of the club infrastructure and financial backing at Nine Elms. Still, a great achievement! We are now heading into our debut season in the English Premier League with a hugely inexperienced squad so we're probably going to struggle for once, but I'm excited!
Table
It was an intense title race, and I thought we were going to clinch it before Leeds came flying in at the very end of the season and stole the title away from us with a ruthless run of form. Despite the disappointment on missing out on the title, we managed to avoid the playoffs yet again by finishing 2nd and securing automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Results
Just as I had feared, the winter World Cup had a negative impact on our momentum, and we struggled to find our form throughout January. However, once we finally got that first win we absolutely dominated for 2 whole months, winning 9 matches in a row before losing our form a bit in the last stretch of fixtures. Considering we were in 2nd exactly halfway through the season, I think it's a fair finish.
Standout Performers
Luke Clark
The young American striker who lit up League One for us before this season struggled to find that same level early on in the year, but during the second half of the season he absolutely wrecked it. He catapulted himself onto the top scoring charts, narrowly missing the Golden Boot by just 1 goal after he scored 22 times in 40 league appearances. He also contributed 5 assists, and at just 19 he's been capped for the U.S. 5 times now. He will be my starting striker next season as I believe he will be able to take the next step up already!
Max Sanders
Sanders is the box-to-box midfielder I've been looking for since the beginning of this save. He contributed an impressive 11 goals and 12 assists in 36(1) league appearances as a center midfielder, keeping an average rating of 7.42. I think he's more than ready for the Premier League if he can perform at the same level again next season, or even further his development and taking it to the next level.
Josh Bowler
Bowler was one of my most consistent performers, contributing 12 goals and 11 assists from both wings in 29(7) league appearances. He's currently operating on a leading Championship level, but my coaches seem to think he's reached his ceiling. I still believe he can make an impact for us and he'll likely be playing a backup/rotation role for now.
Timothy Weah
Weah had a worrying start to the season, getting injured a total of 6 times between July and January, but just as I had begun to lose faith in him he managed to pick himself up and score 7 goals while getting 5 assists in the tail end of the season. If he can stay fit next season he could fulfill the potential he has shown in real life and hopefully he can become a Nine Elms legend in the future.
Notable Departures
Kyle Howkins
Nine Elms legend Kyle Howkins will spend the next season on loan at Sunderland in the Championship until he leaves on a free next summer, as I don't think he's good enough to step up to the Premier League. Perhaps if we get relegated I'll extend his contract another year so he can help us bounce back, but past that I don't think he's worth keeping on. Howkins has made a total of 130 league appearances over the past 4 seasons, securing a spot in the all-time "Best Eleven" of the club. Good luck Kyle!
Adam McDonnell
McDonnell joined the same year as Howkins, and went on to make 120 league appearances over 4 years as my preferred defensive midfielder. He's not at the level required for the Premier League, though, so he will be released at the end of June.
Brad Rodriguez
The young American keeper was supposed to be my long-term goalkeeper from our first season in League One all the way up to the Premier League. I even chose him as my vice captain this season but when Jurgen Klopp's RB Leipzig came in with a £1.7m offer, Rodriguez had his heart set. I had noticed his development was slowing and he wasn't very motivated like the other players in the squad throughout much of his time here, so I figured I would let him go and find a better option, and I believe I did. Rodriguez made a total of 90 league appearances over the last 2 and a half years, conceding 87 goals while keeping 34 clean sheets. Like Howkins, Rodriguez holds a spot in the "Best Eleven" (for now).
Lee Garza
I was advised to renew Garza's contract, but I decided not to as I don't believe he will develop past a Championship level and he's not the type of winger I generally go for. Despite this, he was able to fight his way into my team throughout much of our title-winning League One season, and made a total of 66 league appearances over the last 3 years, scoring 19 goals and getting 11 assists. His agent demanded nearly £500,000 for the "Agent Fee" in addition to other relatively inflated demands so I decided to just walk away from negotiations and set him for release.
Carlton Morris
Morris played the backup role to Luke Clark very well, scoring 20 goals in 66 appearances, many of which were substitute appearances when he didn't receive much time to make an impact. Despite these impressive numbers, I don't believe he would be very effective in the Premier League so I've decided to let Luton take him on loan to pay his wages while his contract runs out.
Cameron Cole
Cole has spent the last 2 seasons on loan with us from Chelsea, and he's made a total of 48 league appearances in that time. He has a relatively high ability in relation to the other center midfielders in the squad, but he's just never performed very well or very consistently so I've decided not to make an offer for another year and instead search for some better options in the middle of hte park.
Other News
I GOT A REAL TRANSFER BUDGET
After years of fluctuating budgets between £1-3m, I have finally been given a reasonably substantial transfer budget of nearly £35m.
I USED THE TRANSFER BUDGET
I wasted no time using the money to continue the heavy youth recruitment I had done throughout much of the season, as well as securing several very, very, good signings. I'll go into more detail about the transfers in the Season Preview, so I'll leave at this for now.
#488406 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Results
A very strong start to our Championship campaign catapulted us into the promotion battle, and we maintained the strong form throughout the entire first half of the season. This season is unique due to the 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar, which caused the schedule to be started early with a massive 2 month gap between the first 23 and second 23 matches of the season. This could have a huge effect on our form, as our momentum was carrying us throughout most of the season as we have continued to overachieve. Hopefully we can get some early wins in January and find our form early to secure another unexpected promotion.
Table
Our impressive debut season in the Championship has seen us rise to 2nd place, an automatic promotion spot, despite being predicted to finish in the bottom half. I think our team cohesion has helped significantly as well as maintaining momentum from a strong early run of form. Hopefully we can keep this up and get in the Prem next season!
Standout Performers
Harry Chapman
Due to repeated injuries with my key signing, Timothy Weah, Chapman has held his starting spot as my left winger this season and has excelled as a result. He has scored 11 goals and contributed 7 assists in 17(2) league appearances, with the highest average rating in the league (7.62) and his goal tally putting him in 1st for the golden boot. If he can keep this up he may be able to take yet another step up if we get promoted to the Premier League!
Ted Moulden
Despite my signing of Darnell Fisher to be the starting right back, Moulden has fought to stay relevant and has reclaimed the spot for his own, making this his 5th season as my preferred right back since making his professional debut with us in the Vanarama National League at the age of 17. At this rate he could keep his spot in our first season in the Premier League, though I doubt his actual potential ability (programmed into the game) is high enough to compete at that level. But with an average rating of 7.36 from 10(1) league appearances, he could theoretically just continue to overachieve as we have done, we'll see!
Max Sanders
Sanders has displaced Basuljevic as my box-to-box midfielder, to devastating effect. He has the joint-most assists in the league with our very own Harry Chapman (7), and has also pitched in with 5 goals and an average rating of 7.41 in 17(1) league appearances. At 23, he still has the potential to become a Premier League center midfielder so he has proven to be a remarkable investment, considering he was signed on a free.
Josh Bowler
Fan-favorite Josh Bowler has fought to stay relevant, as Timothy Weah's absence allowed more game time to the other wingers in the squad. Bowler is now a leading player for most Championship sides, with the potential to be a Premier League winger in the future. He's scored 4 goals and contributed 3 assists in 12(5) league appearances, setting his total league appearance tally for the club at 112. Already a club legend, Bowler could spend the rest of his career with us at this rate!
Joe Walsh
Somehow, at the age of 30, Walsh has continued his development and actually increased some of his attributes to make the step up to the Championship with us. He's started 16 of the possible 23 league matches this season, maintaining a 7.35 average rating which has helped us fight for the automatic promotion spot we currently sit in. Walsh is also the only Nine Elms player to be called up for the World Cup this year, so I'm rooting for Wales in Qatar!
Other News
Academy Recruitment
I noticed as I was retraining some of my young players in different positions that the U18s and U23s were struggling in their respective groups, with a lack of quality and depth at both levels. I decided to scour the NCAA D1 universities in America and scout every promising prospect. The results were actually pretty successful, as I found a right back, 2 center midfielders, and a striker that all signed for frees and will join once they turn 18. I also signed a few American free agents that were given trials, setting the total youth recruitment haul at 7 players, all with Championship potential or higher. Not bad considering we haven't even had our annual youth intake yet!
They Brought it Home!
Place your bets now, Football Manager has predicted England to win the 2022 Qatar World Cup in a 1-0 win over Italy, with Harry Kane scoring the all-important goal. Hopefully the U.S. can win the next one!
#487885 The Adventures of Cristionel Messnaldo (Unfinished)
HeadCoachFM
Messnaldo's value has fallen by £1m, likely because he now has 3 years left on his contract rather than 4. He's now 20 years old, and has remarkably already made 24 caps for Spain, scoring 19 goals! That's a very impressive scoring record, and helped Spain get pretty far in the Euro 2020.
Messnaldo helped Spain to the Semi Final of the Euro 2020 competition, but they lost to the dominant France side who went on to win it. Messnaldo has still failed to win a trophy after his first 2 seasons, as Tottenham suffered during the 2019/20 season.
Spurs failed to secure a Champions League spot, finishing 6th, 14 whole points behind 4th-place Manchester City. Messnaldo doesn't seem affected by this disappointment, but if a Champions League club comes in with an offer he may be tempted to leave.
Spurs also had a disappointing Champions League campaign, being knocked out in the Round of 16 by Inter Milan on 1-2 aggregate. Messnaldo seems to have failed at contributing the same game-changing numbers that Ronaldo and Messi consistently put up for years, but this could change next year.
Messnaldo didn't score as many goals this season, as he started only 29 Premier League matches instead of the 37 from last season, which left his goal tally in the league at 15. He finished with 21 goals and 9 assists in 43(2) appearances in all competitions, so he certainly had another solid season, but has failed to bring Spurs to the next level as I would have expected.
Messnaldo's impressive performances won him the U21 Footballer of the Year and the European Golden Boy awards, as well as being featured in the World Team of the Year as you can see below.
He appears alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the Team of the Year, and Cristiano Ronaldo actually secured the Ballon d'Or with Suarez and Neymar the runner-up and third-best respectively.
Due to Tottenham's poor results throughout the first half of the season, Pochettino was sacked in mid-December. This shake-up could be good for Messnaldo's development, as they failed to achieve anything significant in the first season as well.
Spurs hired Nuno Espirito Santo to replace Pochettino, which is very interesting to me. Pochettino's Argentinian background may have enticed Messnaldo to join Spurs in the first place, because he is part Argentinian due to his connection to Messi. Now Pochettino has been replaced by a Portuguese manager, and Messnaldo can relate to him in the same way because of his connection to Ronaldo and his resulting Portuguese nationality. I'm interested to see if they can create a successful bond and finally start winning some trophies!
#487881 The Adventures of Cristionel Messnaldo (Unfinished)
HeadCoachFM
Well he inherited Messi's loyalty attribute which I believe is 18 or 19, so he could potentially stay with Spurs for his entire career, though it seems like they are struggling at the moment so if they fail to secure a Champions League spot at any point I could see him moving on. I've seen players like Dybala go to other clubs for nearly 200m in this game so even though he's the most expensive player in the world right now I think one of the European giants could afford him at some point in the future!
#487772 The Adventures of Cristionel Messnaldo (Unfinished)
HeadCoachFM
Surprisingly, Messnaldo decided to sign for Tottenham Hotspur over one of his favorite clubs, Real Madrid. Maybe it was the lucrative 5-year £275k per week contract he was offered, though I would expect Real Madrid to be able to bid a similar amount. Regardless, Messnaldo had a decent first season with Spurs as you can see below:
Messnaldo appeared in all 38 matches in the Premier League season, scoring 17 goals and getting 5 assists while maintaining a 7.61 overall rating. These aren't groundbreaking stats but overall I'd say it's a pretty good start to his career!
His performances earned him a spot in the Players' Team of the Year, which was mostly dominated by the title-winning Liverpool squad. The only other non-Liverpool players to break into the XI were Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva, so he's in good company.
Spurs still only managed to finish 4th despite having the highest rated player in the world operating in his preferred right wing role. They also signed Wissam Ben Yedder to help with offensive depth and sold Eric Dier to Real Madrid but this transfer activity did little to improve their fortunes.
Spurs were rather disappointingly eliminated from the Champions League in the Quarter Final by Atletico Madrid, who were then beaten by the subsequent champions, Real Madrid. Annoyingly, Real beat Liverpool in the final once again (I'm a Liverpool fan). Messnaldo is currently valued at £93,000,000 and with 4 years left on his contract, he doesn't appear to be leaving anytime soon. See you in a year!
#487742 The Adventures of Cristionel Messnaldo (Unfinished)
HeadCoachFM
Born in Zaragoza (roughly between Barcelona and Madrid) on April 16, 2000, Cristionel Messnaldo has since become the best football player in the world at just 18 years old, despite never having played before. His attributes have set his current ability to 200/200, and his potential ability is the same, so it's unlikely he will improve much more. He is Spanish, Portuguese, and Argentinian, so he still has the chance to declare for whichever he chooses. Having just started his professional career, he is currently unemployed with suitors lining up for his signature.
Real Madrid are currently leading the race for his signature, and though Messnaldo has a higher affinity for Barcelona, he is also a massive Real Madrid fan and will likely sign for them despite interest from Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, and even Shanggang.
It's no surprise that multiple clubs are interested in the player, as his attributes are ridiculously high. I will simulate 1 year in the future and post an update with the results of his debut season! Stay tuned, I'm excited!
#487567 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
The Season Preview has us in the relegation discussion, but I think we'll be able to continue our tendency to overachieve and we could secure a mid-table finish in our first Championship season. The board is expecting a minimum mid-table finish, and didn't give me the option to lower the expectations at all so I'll have to make sure I get the most out of the team this season. Our title odds have us positioned closer to the lower-mid-table clubs rather than the actual bottom-of-the-table clubs like Millwall and Bristol Rovers, so that's promising especially considering the relatively young average age among my squad.
Board Expectations
As I mentioned above, the board has set relatively high expectations for our first season in the Championship. They also expect me to reach the 4th round of the FA Cup, which could prove difficult depending on who we draw. This looks to be a difficult season in terms of managing expectations, and there's a very real possibility the board could become impatient despite my years of service if results begin to suffer. I'm pretty happy with the balance of my squad and the potential of some of my young American players so hopefully we can achieve the minimum expectations of finishing mid-table.
Transfers
It was a productive albeit short summer (I'll explain later), and I managed to bring in some high-profile players with loads of potential, particularly in Sepp van den Berg and Timothy Weah who had both failed to impress at the bigger clubs they previously played for. I spent a total of £2.1 million on 8 signings which improved our standing in the Season Preview.
Timothy Weah
Timothy Weah is one of the brightest young American prospects in the world at the moment, and he currently plays for LOSC Lille in real life following his departure from PSG. I've had my eye on him since the beginning of the save and I've finally secured his signing for only £700,000 (plus add-ons). This is a big fee for us at the moment, but Weah has the potential to be a good Premier League winger in the future so he could prove to be worth much more than that in just a few years.
Sepp van den Berg
I was quite surprised when van den Berg was placed on the transfer list by Liverpool, and I was even more surprised when his price tag was set at just £525,000, and I was even MORE surprised when he actually decided to join us. There were several significantly bigger clubs offering him contracts but I bumped up the wage offer and he signed the next day. He's currently operating at a good Championship level with the potential to be a Premier League defender in the future. Welcome to Nine Elms Sepp!
Max Sanders
Another great piece of business, Sanders joined from Brighton on a free transfer at the beginning of July. He's currently operating at a good Championship level with the potential to be a decent Premier League center midfielder in the future. He will likely play as my starting box-to-box midfielder role, with Basuljevic playing backup to him.
Josh Bowler
Bowler has finally officially signed for the club, after spending 3 whole seasons with us on loan from Everton. He made a total of 97 appearances during that time, scoring 27 goals and playing an important role in our rise from League Two to where we are now. He's got the potential to be a leading Championship winger in the near future, and he will likely compete with Garza for the starting role on the right wing.
Darnell Fisher
I signed Fisher from Preston for £350,000 despite his age, as I needed someone to compete with Ted Moulden in the right back role, which I believe he will do well. He's operating at a good Championship level, and his experience will surely help us in our debut season in the Championship, having made 133 Championship appearances for Preston between 2017-2022.
Other News
What the hell's going on with the schedule??
The Championship is beginning midway through July this year, likely due to the ridiculous winter World Cup in Qatar (seriously the dumbest thing I've ever heard, FIFA needs to sort out this corruption ASAP). This could have a positive or negative effect on us once we get to December, as some of the better clubs in the league will likely have players representing their countries while I will probably have less as my squad is quite young and doesn't have the same level of quality as some of the bigger sides in the league. There's really no way to know how it'll go because nobody has ever been stupid enough to suggest hosting the World Cup halfway through the fucking season until now. Anyways, I'll let you guys know how that goes, lol.
#487532 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Table
Just as I had hoped, we secured the title following a strong run of form throughout the second half of the season. Though we struggled between November and December, we managed to get back on track once some of our players returned from injury and never looked like slowing down at any point between January and May. Let the real challenge begin!
Results
As I said above, we struggled throughout December but once we got our form back we continued to dominate the league for the remainder of the season. The title race was close for quite a while after we dropped down into the playoff spots, but once we reached the top spot we didn't fall off once. I'm afraid next season we won't enjoy the same amount of wins, but hopefully we can avoid the drop and make a promotion push within a couple of years to finally secure promotion to the Premier League!
Standout Performers
Luke Clark
Clark has continued to flourish in my fluid attacking system, and hopefully he can maintain his goalscoring form despite some necessary tactical changes ahead of the Championship season. In his debut season, at just 18 years old, Clark scored 26 goals and grabbed 5 assists in 38(5) league appearances. He's now operating at a good Championship level, and has the potential to be a Premier League striker in the future. He could become a star striker for the U.S. national team if he continues his development at this astonishing rate!
Harry Chapman
Chapman wasn't quite as lethal after his injury halfway through the season, but he still managed to finish with some of the best stats of any Nine Elms winger in history, amassing 19 goals and 14 assists in 39(6) appearances in all competitions. He also finished with a 7.34 average rating which was the highest in the squad, and he will likely play a big role next season in the Championship, though I've brought in another left winger who will push him even further (more on that later).
Lee Garza
Garza was very effective on the right wing this season despite my preference to play left-footed players on the right wing (he's right-footed). He managed to score 13 goals and get 6 assists in 25(9) league appearances, playing a vital role in our title-winning season. He will likely play a rotation role next season in the Championship.
Kyle Howkins
Howkins looks set to take the next step up in his career as he maintained a 7.23 average rating from 39 league appearances as my starting right center back. He will likely maintain his solid partnership with Walsh, and then I will decide whether one of them needs replacing next season.
Arun Basuljevic
Basuljevic has continued to exceed expectations, only being reported as a "decent player for most League One sides" at best by my coaches, and yet performing as my best center midfielder in the history of the club. He managed to score 6 goals and gain 13 assists from 41(4) appearances in all competitions, with an average rating of 7.1 as my starting box-to-box midfielder. I've extended his contract with the squad role stated as "backup" so he can continue to contribute to our success for the foreseeable future.
Ted Moulden
Moulden continued to perform throughout the season, and he has now amassed 135 total league appearances for Nine Elms since signing for us in 2018 before our debut season in the Vanarama National League. He finished the season with an average rating of 7.27 from 31(1) league appearances, in which he contributed 1 goal and 6 assists as well as being named player of the match in 7 of those matches (23% of the matches he started!). These are very impressive stats and I've extended his contract as a result, though I fear he may not develop much further according to my coaches and as such I've brought in a more experienced player to compete for the starting right back spot.
Notable Departures
Gideon Adu-Peprah
Sadly, Nine Elms legend Adu-Peprah will be released at the end of June. He's made a total of 129 league appearances across 4 seasons in our rise up the divisions, and has grown along with Moulden as my preferred full-back in this system, until this year when Billy Benally pushed him out of the starting lineup. I'm afraid he's reached his ceiling, and won't be very reliable in the Championship despite his years of service. I'm sad to let him go but I think he'll have a more successful career if I let him go now while he's still relatively young. Good luck Gideon!
Other News
First Premier League Interview Offer
Southampton narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship and sacked long-serving manager Ralph Hasenhuttl as a result. They offered me an interview which I then declined as I'm going to stay at Nine Elms for the remainder of this save, and then hired former Rangers and Wolves manager Steven Gerrard to steer them to safety during the upcoming campaign. Obviously I wouldn't have gotten the job if I had attended the interview anyway!
#486910 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Results
We maintained a strong run of form throughout the majority of the first half of the season, but we've struggled in the last few League One fixtures which has seen us drop several places down the table.
Table
We were wrestling with Oxford United for 1st place throughout most of August-November, but following our last 6 league games in which we only won once, we've dropped down to 4th in the table. We're now 5 points off the top, which is now occupied by Coventry as they've been a dominant side of late. Hopefully we can put this disappointing form behind us and make a title push or at least achieve automatic promotion as runners-up in the second half of the season. It'll be tough, but I think if we can avoid more injuries going forward we can do it.
Standout Performers
Harry Chapman
Chapman has turned out to be the bargain of the save for me. After joining on a free during the summer from Blackburn he's contributed 11 goals and 9 assists in 21(1) appearances in all competitions on the left wing. He's maintained an average rating of 7.55, and is by far my best player at the moment. However, he suffered a relatively serious hamstring strain which has sidelined him for over a month. This contributed to our poor form of late, but he's likely to return within the next few fixtures.
Lee Garza
Despite only playing a sporadic role last season, making 10 appearances in the league, Garza has become my first-choice right winger with 6 goals and 5 assists in 15(3) league appearances. At 22 years old, he still has room for improvement and could potentially play a role next season if we get promoted. He's also the first American winger to make a real impact for the club, which gives him bonus points in my book.
Ted Moulden
Moulden has remained my starting right back for the 4th season in a row, and has continued to do an exceptional job. He's maintained an average rating of 7.3 in 16(1) league appearances despite only being 20 years old. He could still "improve significantly" in the future according to my coaches, so he could honestly go the distance with us.
Joe Walsh
After joining for £425,000 from MK Dons despite being 29 years old (I normally don't like to spend so much on older players), Walsh has proven to be worth every penny. He's shored up my defense significantly, forming a solid partnership with Howkins and maintaining an average rating of 7.25 from 18(1) league appearances.
Kyle Howkins
Howkins has continued to be a stalwart in my defense. He's played 21 of a possible 23 games in League One, with an average rating of 7.25, the same as Joe Walsh. While our offense was what carried us last season, we lacked in defense. Now that we have one of the strongest center-back partnerships in the league I think we've got a real chance of making a title push in the second half of the season.
Luke Clark
Young American striker Luke Clark has become my first prolific striker of the save (FINALLY), scoring 11 goals in 19(2) appearances in the league, the highest in League One. This ratio was better before our poor run of form, and Clark hasn't played well in the last few fixtures, but at just 18 years old his future is very bright. He's improving rapidly in terms of attributes, and once he gets his form back hopefully we can put together another string of wins and rise back into the automatic promotion spots.
Other News
Interview Offers
Fulham and Wigan have both offered me job interviews, which I quickly declined. This is flattering and hopefully it spurs the Nine Elms board to extend my contract soon!
Abbott's Leaving
Abbott joined in 2019 for a relatively inflated £400,000, as I thought he would develop more than he has. In three and a half seasons, Abbott has only made 17(28) league appearances as a striker, scoring 12 goals. After I deemed him surplus to requirements, I offered him to clubs and eventually received an offer from the Richmond Kickers in the USL League One (the third division of US soccer) for £62,000. While that's quite a step down, it might be perfect for him. Good luck James!
#486440 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Our squad has significantly improved in terms of quality and depth from last season, so we're now promotion candidates with 7-1 odds to win the title. This is a promising start!
Board Expectations
The board have set relatively attainable goals, expecting a top half finish (which we achieved last season despite being relegation candidates). Hopefully we can achieve more than that and secure promotion to the Championship for the 2022/23 season.
Transfers
In our highest spending transfer window yet, I brought in 10 new players for a total of £2.3m while selling 4 players for a total of £400,000. The core of my squad will remain largely the same as last season, with the signings providing a mix of rotation options, young prospects for the future, and potential starters depending on their performances.
Owen Culbertson
I signed Culbertson, a young American center back, for £650,000 from the new MLS franchise FC Cincinnati. According to my coaches, he's operating at a Vanarama National level with the potential to be a Championship player in the future. Personally, I think he has the abilities to be a solid rotation option and I think he could push beyond the Championship as he's just 19 years old and has very impressive defensive attributes and well-rounded physical and mental attributes. He's also left-footed, so he can comfortably slot in the LCB position when needed.
Joe Walsh
Walsh was a massive signing for me as he'll provide an experienced, reliable starting option to partner Howkins in the center of my defense this season. Like Culbertson, he's left-footed so he will be my starting LCB, with Howkins to his right.
Luke Clark
Following the departures of Kyle Connell, Kane Hemmings, and Jack McInerney, I decided to sign Luke Clark from Notre Dame on a free transfer. This is a great deal financially, as Clark is already operating at a League One level at just 18, with the potential to be a Premier League striker in the future. He could be with us for the long haul!
Billy Benally
Billy Benally (love the name) joined for a record £1,000,000 from LA Galaxy II. He's currently operating at a League Two level and will rival Adu-Peprah for a starting spot this season. He's got the potential to be a Championship player in the future, but I think he'll be able to reach a Premier League level in the future due to his frankly insane mental attributes. He's got 19 determination, 18 aggression, 14 bravery, 13 decisions, the list goes on. Like Clark and Rodriguez (the young American goalkeeper I signed mid-last season), Benally could be with us for many years!
Cameron Cole
I brought Cole in on loan from Chelsea to provide depth for my midfield following the release of several backup players over the summer. Cole's attributes are very impressive, and he's currently operating at a League One level with the potential to be a Premier League player in the future. I think he's actually operating at a Championship level judging by his attributes in all categories, so he could become an important player for us this season despite his young age.
Other News
TRAITOR
USA legend Jermaine Jones was offered a contract by Swansea to become their U18s assman, so I offered him a new contract with a considerable pay rise. Unfortunately, Swansea offered him £50 per week more and apparently that was enough for him to want to relocate. Snake!
Bye Billy!
Nine Elms legend Billy King has left the club following his transfer listing. It was a difficult decision, but having brought in a higher calibre of wingers into the squad added to the fact that King is more of a winger than an inside forward, it just made sense to move him on while I could still gain a significant profit. King joined on a free from Dundee Utd before our debut season, and went on to make a total of 85 league appearances in the Vanarama National, League Two, and League One. He's now joined Walsall (who are also in League One) for £180,000. Good luck Billy!
#485683 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Table
We finished in a very respectable 10th place in League One, despite the media predicting us to be in the relegation fight. We never really looked like relegation candidates throughout the season, and remained mid-table for the majority of the year. We only finished 5 points off the playoff so I'm hoping for a promotion push next year, as are several of my players who I made promises to prior to this season.
Results
We kept a reasonably consistent run of form throughout the second half of the season, though we struggled to win for 7 matches between February and late March despite drawing 5 of them. We tended to dominate most games, especially the ones we ended up losing. Constant late errors cost us innumerable points this season, and that could make the big difference next season. I'm in the market for a starting center back to partner Howkins and I'm expanding my options beyond Americans this time, so this should help.
Standout Performers
Adam McDonnell
McDonnell was one of my most consistent performers this season, averaging a 7.06 from 35(6) appearances in all competitions. He scored 3 goals and managed to get 4 assists from the deep-lying playmaker role in defensive midfield. He'll likely remain my starting defensive midfielder next season barring any late transfers.
Joel Asoro
Asoro had a slow start to the season, but really picked up his form and helped us finish in the top half of the table with 8 goals and 6 assists in 24(12) league appearances. I've extended his loan to next season so he can continue to develop while likely playing a rotation role again next year.
Gideon Adu-Peprah
Club legend Adu-Peprah had his best season yet, finishing with a whopping 10 assists in 40(1) league appearances as my starting left back. He's made a total of 108 league appearances throughout our journey from the Vanarama National to League One, but I fear he may not be able to keep up when we get promoted to the Championship. However, he'll keep his spot next season as I look to strengthen other areas of the team.
Ted Moulden
Like Adu-Peprah, Moulden has been with us from the beginning and has amassed over 100 league appearances over the years. Though he struggled initially this season, he kept working hard to develop and has actually grown significantly. He made 39 appearances as my preferred right back, finishing with 5 assists and a 6.95 average rating. At just 20 years old, Moulden could potentially reach a Championship level, but his impressive performances have drawn interest from several Championship clubs ahead of the transfer window. Hopefully I can keep hold of him for the foreseeable future by offering him a fresh contract.
Arun Basuljevic
Basuljevic excelled in the box-to-box midfielder role this season, playing alongside Nydam in a strong midfield partnership supported by McDonnell behind them. He made 34(2) league appearances, scoring 8 goals and gaining 3 assists while maintaining a 7.03 average rating. He will definitely remain in the first team, and will likely remain a starter unless I find someone even better, but that's not one of my priorities.
Notable Departures
Kyle Connell
It's always sad to have to let go of a player who did so much for your team but just isn't good enough anymore. Connell played an important role in our back-to-back title-winning seasons in the National League and League Two, scoring 26 goals in 59 league appearances. He wasn't quite good enough to make the step up to League One, so I loaned him out to Morton in the Scottish Championship, where he scored 5 goals in 19 league appearances. These are hardly prolific numbers, but his attributes grew more than they had for some time while playing for me. Despite this, and his young age, my coaches don't believe Connell will develop past a League Two level so when his agent demanded more than double what I offered I just decided it was time to let him go. Good luck Kyle! I hope you prove me wrong!
Kane Hemmings
When I first signed Hemmings on a free, I thought he would be scoring for fun in League Two. He didn't quite live up to those expectations, but I certainly wouldn't say he flopped. He scored 11 goals and got 2 assists in 20(6) league appearances when we were promoted from League Two, and then played an important role in the first half of the season before I signed Carlton Morris. He managed to score 8 goals in 15(6) league appearances for us this season, most of which occurred before a goal draught. That good run of form helped us greatly while we struggled earlier on in the season, but I will let him go as I've already signed a much better striker.
Collin Martin
Fun fact: Collin Martin is the only openly gay soccer player in the MLS, and is only 1 of 2 openly gay professional soccer players in the world. Just found that out today, figured it was worth mentioning. Sadly, this doesn't really affect anything so I'll be releasing Martin at the end of the season as he's only operating at a Vanarama National League level and won't get much better. He played an important role in our promotion from League Two, but only made 9(13) league appearances this season and didn't do very well with that limited time.
Graham Smith
Like Martin, Smith played a big role last season but featured very little in League One and will be released as a result. I signed Smith for a relatively high £400,000 from LA Galaxy II after our promotion from the Vanarama National League, but he didn't develop as well as I expected and only made 36(8) appearances in the 2 seasons that he played for us. Luckily that fee has been long forgotten by my board and they have continued to pump money into the coffers.
Liam Wakefield
Originally intended to be my starting right back from the beginning of this save, Wakefield ended up being Ted Moulden's backup throughout the last 3 seasons despite being 7 years older. Wakefield made a total of 44(4) league appearances in those 3 years, but it's now time he moved on so I can bring in a better backup or even a competitor for Moulden to spur his development.
Reiss Awuah
Just like Wakefield, I signed Awuah to be a starter but he was quickly replaced by Adu-Peprah in the left back position. He managed to play a first team role in our debut season despite that, operating as a left center back with Adu-Peprah to his left, but has since struggled with his development and only made 6(2) league appearances this season. I'm currently looking for his replacement.
Kyle Scott
I signed Kyle Scott halfway through our first season, and he has since made a total of 53(17) league appearances. When I first signed him, my scouts told me he was operating at a League Two level with the potential to be a Championship midfielder in the future. He is now currently operating at a Vanarama National League level with the potential to be a League Two player in the future. Not sure how that works, as he's only 23 so he hasn't really declined in ability, but regardless he's not good enough to rely on in League One so I'll be bringing in some more solid backup options instead of Scott and Martin. I think this will make a key difference next season, as I hardly rotated my midfield due to the lack of depth in relative quality.
Brad Carr
Carr was one of the OG Nine Elms players, operating as my starting box-to-box midfielder role in our debut season at just 18 years old. He's now 21 and isn't showing much potential following a loan spell with Solihull Moors in the National League, so I'm afraid I'll have to let him go as well. This leaves me with just 3 center midfielders, one of which is far from first team quality. Carr is the last of a long list of former favorites leaving the club; it's been a sad summer. But if we want to keep growing and improving, occasional overhauls are necessary. At the end of the day, that's football!
Other News
Bowler's Back
He didn't really leave that's just the first title that popped in my head lol. Bowler's signed another loan extension, making next season his third with us. He's made a total of 53(10) appearances over the past 2 years, scoring 17 goals and garnering 16 assists while being player of the match 9 times. These are pretty impressive figures considering I haven't spent a cent on him!
MORE UPGRADES
For some reason, playing in the lower leagues for 3 years has significantly downgraded our training facilities from what they were originally set at (in the pre-game editor). Once I noticed this I quickly asked the board to improve the training facilities and they scheduled the renovation to finish in September. Hopefully this will give us a boost in terms of development next season when we make our promotion push.
Just LEAVE Already
I was going to mention Bradley Johnson in the "Notable Departures", but I felt like this deserved a separate section and I didn't want to group Johnson with those club legends. If any of you have been following this last season closely you might've noticed I was complaining a lot about this guy. Well he's finally retiring at the end of the month and I'm just countin' down the days. See ya never Brad!
#485561 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
This year we've signed 6 new youngsters to the Nine Elms academy, with 2 players standing out as potential future first team players.
Richie Hewitt
Hewitt has the highest current and potential ability of the 6 youth candidates we signed. He plays primarily as a poacher, but his second most competent role is the pressing forward position so I've set his individual training to that.
Jonathan Vásquez
Vásquez has a decent amount of potential too, but I fear he's unlikely to develop past a League One level. Considering the other youth candidates have even less potential, this year's intake wasn't great. Hopefully once we reach the Premier League we'll start gaining a higher level of youth quality so we can begin making some progress on the national level.
Nine Elms Class of '24 Progress
Zach Knowles
Knowles briefly broke into the first team this season, making 9 League One appearances in which he conceded 17 goals and kept 1 clean sheet. Despite these relatively poor numbers, I actually think Knowles performed pretty well as he maintained a 6.87 average rating from those appearances despite averaging almost 2 goals conceded per game. It's likely that this was during a period when my defense was struggling, and Knowles did the best he could. At just 15, Knowles's potential doesn't really have a ceiling according to my staff, so he could potentially go on to become a Championship or Premier League quality goalkeeper.
Matthew Garzi
Garzi has continued to develop well, recently being promoted from the U18s to the U23s at just 15 years old. It seems his potential may be limited to a League One level, however, and once we get promoted I'll have to decide whether it's worth keeping him on.
Nine Elms Class of '23 Progress
Juan Pablo Nava
Nava has managed to make 4 appearances as a substitute in all competitions for me this year, and has developed his physical attributes well. I don't know if he'll grow to become better than a League One level in the future, but at the moment he's still improving steadily.
Phil Flebbe
Flebbe is pretty much in the same boat as Nava, having made 4 appearances (3 as a substitute) in all competitions this year and possessing roughly the same current and potential ability.
#485297 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
In a devastating turn of events, Millen Baars, the joint-2nd highest appearances holder in Nine Elms history, has left the club. Baars appeared in 89 league matches over the last 2 and a half years, contributing greatly to our back-to-back title promotions as my preferred right winger. Only Gideon Adu-Peprah featured in more league matches than Baars at the time of his departure, and Ted Moulden was similarly on 89 league matches at the time. Swansea and several other clubs made some half-assed bids for him over the first 3 weeks of the transfer window, but just 4 days before the window closed Swansea and Preston came in an activated his £550,000 release clause. Hopefully we can show him what he's missing when we get promoted from the Championship in a few years and he's still stuck there with Swansea!
JUST LEAVE ALREADY
It was a long shot, but the toxic Bradley Johnson has refused a mutual termination of his contract. He's just going to keep milking us for all we've got I guess.
Signings
Carlton Morris
I signed Morris for a cut-price £75,000 just a year and a half after Millwall signed him for £525,000. Now this may seem like a bad sign, but I completely ignored it anyways lol. According to my coaches, he would be a "good player for most League One sides" and he could still improve by a slight amount in the future. That analysis is higher than the coaches' analysis for any of my other strikers, and in terms of attributes he has all the properties to make a perfect starting pressing forward in my squad. Hopefully my persistent striker troubles will finally come to an end!
Brad Rodríguez
Rodríguez joined for a whopping £650,000 about halfway through the January window to be my starting goalkeeper for the foreseeable future. At just 18, Rodríguez is operating at a League Two level, with the potential to be a Premier League goalkeeper in the future. Yep, that's right, our first American signing with Premier League potential. It's been a pretty productive transfer window.
Lee Garza
Garza is Millen Baars's replacement, and he's currently operating at a League Two level with the potential to be a Championship player in the future. So essentially he's about the same level/age/potential as Baars, but while I sold Baars for £550,000, Garza cost me just £240. That's £240.00, not £240,000. I'm not sure why his release clause was set so specifically low, but I'm happy it was because this could be the bargain of the century. Plus he's American.
Other Departures
Kyle Connell
Connell isn't leaving permanently, but since his development has stagnated with a lack of game time I've decided to loan him out to Morton in the second tier of Scotland. I'm not sure if this will help much as I don't know how competitive the Scottish Championship is, but hopefully regular game time will benefit him. So far he's made 10 league appearances for Morton since leaving in mid-November and he's scored 4 goals, but has only managed to keep a 6.38 average rating. He's only 19, so he still has plenty of time to continue his development.
James Belshaw
Belshaw has gone in the opposite direction as most of my signings, joining American club Reno 1868 on a free in the USL Western Conference. Belshaw was my starting goalkeeper in League Two, keeping an impressive 20 clean sheets in 44 appearances. He managed to make 9 appearances in League One this season, but I decided to let him go when Reno 1868 came in with their free offer as he simply isn't needed.
Other Transfer News
Tyrone Mings
Can someone please explain how Tyrone Mings has continued to command high transfer fees from Premier League clubs following his £20m transfer to Aston Villa in real life. In this save he made a total of 47(5) appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa before being sold to Watford for £13m just a year and a half later. He then made 35 appearances for Watford and then a year and a half later Newcastle United have bought him for £23m. I just don't get it. Both Villa and Watford were relegated with Mings playing pretty regularly for them in the Premier League. Now Newcastle have signed him to help them get promoted back into the Prem, but then what? They get relegated again and another year and a half later he goes to Palace for £46m? I just don't understand the appeal, lol anyways that's the end of that rant let me know what you think.
#485036 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Haha yeah man I think he definitely has the skills to play the role I wanted but for some reason his attitude just isn't right in this save, maybe he's better off in America!
#484910 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Results
Following a strong run of 3 wins in our first 3 matches in League One, we struggled to maintain any kind of decent form and picked up just 2 wins from 19 matches between August 26th and November 21st. It was an EXTREMELY frustrating period, giving up 5 penalties during that 3 month time while CONSTANTLY dropping points in the dying minutes of every...single...fucking...game. Sorry for the language, but you guys probably know exactly where I'm coming from. However, we have managed to win our last 3 matches in a row including back-to-back wins against 1st and 2nd place Millwall and Ipswich. We're coming for ya lads, watch out!
Table
Having burst into the League One scene with an impressive 3-0-0 record, we were at the top of the table from the start. Once our form started declining we gradually fell to mid-table, where we've bounced around since. Following our most recent 3 match win streak, we've now climbed back up to 8th, just 4 points off the playoff spots. Not bad for a team predicted to finish third from the bottom! While it appears we aren't that far away from the playoff spots, I don't believe promotion is a realistic target this season though I certainly wouldn't be averse to the idea. In the long run, though, it might work better if we spend another season in League One preparing for the next level, as the quality difference is significantly higher between the two divisions than the gulf between League One and League Two is. Either way at least we have Uncle Sam's checkbook to fall back on!
Standout Performers
Zack Knowles
About halfway through September my preferred goalkeeper, Alex Kapp, fractured his arm and was sidelined for about a month and a half. I allowed my backup keeper to step in, as he had a solid season in League Two last year as my first choice and I figured he could still do a job for us given the circumstances. As our poor form continued, I decided to switch up the rotation for a Checkatrade Trophy match as Knowles had a very high training rating. He impressed in his debut, making 6 saves and only conceding once against a far superior Arsenal U23 side. At just 15 years old, and despite my coaches' opinions that Knowles is only operating at a Vanarama North/South level, he has appeared in all of my last 6 matches including our recent wins. I had already arranged a future transfer for a better goalkeeper than my other 2 options, so come January Knowles may have to return to the youth setup unless we just keep winning with him in goal!
Gideon Adu-Peprah
And the legend of Gideon Adu-Peprah continues! He has yet again succeeded in taking the next step up with us, operating as my preferred left back for the third season in a row despite back-to-back promotions. Adu-Peprah has made a total of 87 league appearances for us since joining in 2018, and a total of 98 appearances in all competitions. As a result he's become somewhat of a club legend, listed under the club's "favored personnel" alongside only Josh Bowler and myself. So far this season Adu-Peprah has made 20 league appearances from a possible 23 and has contributed a very impressive 6 assists as a left wing back. I'm seriously wondering if Adu-Peprah has what it takes to go all the way up to the Prem with us at this point!
Kyle Howkins
Howkins has remained an absolute stalwart this season, making 21 league appearances from a possible 23 with an average rating of 7.26, the highest average rating in my entire squad. As a result, he's wanted by Portsmouth who are currently in the promotion battle in the Championship (well done Pompey, but go away). I've tried to offer him a new contract but with only just over 6 months left on his deal, we may end up losing him on a free which would be extremely disappointing. Howkins holds our defense together and still has the potential to be a good Championship player in the future, but he may not want to wait around another year in League One.
Arun Basuljevic
Basuljevic has turned out to be a fantastic signing. Having signed from Fresno in the USL West for £275,000, Basuljevic struggled to find his form early on but has become an essential part of my system, especially over the last few fixtures. He operates as my box-to-box midfielder, and he's got a great eye for goal. He's scored 4 goals in 14(2) league appearances as well as another goal in 2(1) Checkatrade Trophy appearances, maintaining an overall 7.11 average rating.
Kane Hemmings
My striker problems persisted from last season, as we struggled to find the net consistently between August and November before Hemmings stepped up his game more recently. He's scored 7 goals in 11(2) league appearances, though he only scored in 4 of those matches, so I will likely need to find a more consistent striker in January. Nevertheless, his contributions were extremely important in securing some much-needed wins in the past couple matches.
Josh Bowler
Like Adu-Peprah, Bowler is a fan favorite who stepped up from League Two to League One to be a key player this season. There was a bit of an adjustment period for him at the beginning of the season, but since then he's managed to maintain a 7.06 average rating as an inside forward by scoring 4 goals and getting 7 assists in 18(1) appearances. I'm thinking about signing him on a permanent deal, if possible.
Flops
Jack McInerney
Much to my disappointment, Jack McInerney has totally and completely flopped since joining 6 months ago. He was meant to be my star striker, and yet he only managed to score once in 8(4) appearances before throwing a hissy fit and demanding more first team football. With an average rating of just 6.58 and our declining form at the time, giving him even more game time was just not a viable option so I showed him the door. I didn't think it was possible, but McInerney actually flopped worse than Leon Worst (we'll come back to him later).
Bradley Johnson
Johnson has been a nightmare. He flopped even worse than McInerney. I signed Johnson to play as a first team/rotation defensive midfielder on the 9th of June. Exactly 3 weeks later I signed central midfielder Tristan Nydam to put in front of Johnson in the SAME lineup. Johnson absolutely lost it. I've never seen anything like it but within 3 weeks of signing for the club, Johnson had already given me an ultimatum to give him more game time. Pre-season literally hadn't even started and he was already complaining about game time. I then played him in the first few matches of the season, and despite winning 3 matches in a row, he had to be subbed off early in the second half each time due to his piss-poor performances. I then stopped playing him in favor of my other defensive midfielder, and then he lost it AGAIN and couldn't seem to figure out why he wasn't getting any playing time despite his poor form, very poor training rating, low morale, weak teammate dynamics, and his poor relationship with me. I then transfer listed him, to which he responded by announcing his retirement at the END of the season. So basically this guy is just showing up to training, being a bad influence, and picking up his paycheck until the end of the season. Not exactly what I had in mind when I signed this "professional."
Other News
Leon...Best?
Good God boys I think he's actually done it. Leon Worst has earned his name back.
At the ripe old age of 34, it seems Leon Best has found his goalscoring form again, netting 13 goals in 30 matches in the Irish Premier Division this season. That brings his total club tally to 16 goals in 51 matches. Not exactly prolific, but he's scoring again and he made it to 50 league appearances for Cork which triggered a £18,000 payment clause from the previous transfer. Thanks Leon! You can retire now!
#484824 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
That's good to hear! McInerney has struggled so far but he's just returned from injury so once he gets back to full fitness I think he'll be my starter. If he can score for fun in the MLS hopefully he can manage to in League One!
#484780 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
We're expected to struggle this season, with the press setting our title odds at 500-1 ahead of the 2020/21 League One season. Place your bets now! This leaves us third from the bottom in the Season Preview, but I'm actually quite happy with the balance of my squad and I believe we'll upset the odds again this season though maybe not to the same extent. Many of our first team players are still under 23 years old, so once they've adapted to the level of play they should develop accordingly.
Board Expectations
While the board expected a mid-table finish after our promotion to the League Two last season, they've lowered their expectations this year to avoiding relegation from League One. I'm aiming for a mid-table finish and would rather not be dragged into the relegation battle, but the players aren't as optimistic about our chances.
Transfers
I spent a total of £1,000,000 on 8 signings, about £400,000 less than I did last season. Due to our relatively young squad, there wasn't much need for a massive overhaul as I believe many of them are capable of stepping up to the next level this season. I still felt I needed to strengthen some key areas while also keeping an eye on the future by buying some young American prospects, so I ended up with 8 signings.
Sam Rogers
Rogers joined from Tacoma in the USL West for £250,000 to operate as my starting center back alongside Kyle Howkins. At just 21, Rogers has the potential to be a Championship player in the future and he adds to the growing number of Americans in the squad.
Jack McInerney
Somewhat of a journeyman, McInerney signed on a free from Indy Eleven after scoring a respectable 13 goals in 30 league appearances in the USL East. He's played for various American teams in the MLS and the USL, and I believe he will slot well into the pressing forward role in my starting 11 this season.
Bradley Johnson
Johnson comes with a wealth of past playing experience in the Premier League, Championship, and League One as a defensive midfielder. At 34, Johnson's physical attributes are declining but I think he will provide a reliable option for my deep-lying playmaker role.
Tristan Nydam
Nydam was perhaps my best signing of the window, joining for £325,000 from Ipswich. He will play as my preferred Carrilero in center mid, being my best midfielder by some distance. He has the potential to be a Championship player in the future and hopefully he can develop even beyond that.
Joel Asoro
Asoro was a last-second addition as I didn't intend to sign another winger during the window, but when Asoro was offered to me on loan I realized I could certainly use him so I brought him in from Swansea until the end of the season. With 17 pace and acceleration, Asoro will be a nightmare for League One defenses this season and could give Millen Baars, Josh Bowle, and Billy King some very real competition.
#484528 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
We've managed to clinch back-to-back titles in the Vanarama National League and Sky Bet League Two! Hopefully we can keep up this momentum and challenge for promotion in League One next season. I'm really proud of this achievement as I tried not to overhaul my squad too much when we got promoted despite my relatively high transfer budget. 6 of our starters during the 2018/19 season in the Vanarama National League held their spot in the starting 11 during our title-winning League Two season, and several of them will likely maintain their position next season in League One.
Table
We held our position at the top of the table from match 4 all the way through the end of the season, finishing with a dominant 94 points (exactly double what we had halfway through the season) and a 46 goal difference. The media predicted we would finish 18th in the Season Preview, but we overcame the odds and secured the title.
Results
We maintained our solid form throughout the second half of the season, ensuring we would finish as champions. After we secured promotion I started rotating significantly more which caused us to lose in the last few matches of the season.
Standout Performers
Josh Bowler
Josh Bowler finished with league-highest average rating at a 7.36 from 18(7) appearances in which he scored 9 goals and registered 6 assists. He was essential as a rotation option throughout the season, especially towards the end. His partnership with Billy King on the opposite wing contributed to many of our victories in the second half of the season.
Ted Moulden
Moulden has now developed into a League One-quality right back, having made 64 total league appearances for the club since signing in mid-2018. He was my preferred right back throughout the season and has signed a contract extension to remain my starting right back in League One next season.
Billy King
Billy King had a fantastic end to the season, finishing with 6 goals and 9 assists in 29(3) appearances. He had a somewhat shaky run of form during the middle of the season but he finished really strong and will maintain a first team role next season in League One.
Millen Baars
Baars has continued to impress, attracting interest from numerous Championship clubs which prompted me to offer him a new contract. Baars signed the contract extension which raised his release clause to £550,000 after finishing with 9 goals and 7 assists in 30(6) league appearances. He has the potential to be a Championship-quality winger in the future so I would prefer to keep him than have someone activate his release clause, as money isn't really an issue for us.
Notable Departures
Lewis Montrose
Montrose was my preferred defensive midfielder in our debut season in the Vanarama National League, and still managed to make 22(6) appearances in all competitions for us this season. However, I don't believe he has the quality to play effectively in League One so I've decided to release him.
Lee Nishanian
Nishanian joined on a free in January last season, and has made a total of 36 league appearances in the year and a half since. Despite his generally reliable performances, my coaching staff has decided that he's only operating on a Vanarama National level which will not be good enough in League One, so I've decided to release him as well.
Max Kretzschmar
Somewhat of an unsung hero in this story, Kretzschmar has amassed 38(25) appearances in all competitions since signing for the club 2 seasons ago. He scored 7 goals and got 5 assists in that time, operating as one of my most versatile players in DM, CM, and RW. I have decided to release him, however, to bring in a higher calibre of player for rotation.
Elliott Durrell
Elliott Durrell, or "DJ Durel" as I renamed him, was instrumental in our promotion from the Vanarama National League last season but struggled to make an impact in our first season in the Football League. Having only made 2(7) appearances in all competitions, he will be released at the end of June.
Other News
Millen Baars Transfer Saga
Baars's new contract hasn't fended off the interest from Preston, Sheffield Wednesday, and several other Championship clubs as well as French club Amiens SC.
Oddly enough, Thierry Henry is the Amiens SC manager and was spotted personally scouting Baars at the Doncaster Rovers stadium on a dreary League Two Saturday. Baars seems happy to stay but if one of those clubs comes in and meets his £550,000 release clause there may be no way to stop him from leaving.
Josh Bowler Loan Extension
Due to his impressive performances this year, I decided to extend Bowler's loan so he can compete with Millen Baars for the starting role on the right wing. This is a key signing as Bowler is one of the few players in the squad who already operates at a League One level.
#484511 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
In our second intake of Nine Elms youth players, we signed 8 of the youth candidates with 2 in particular standing out from the rest.
Zach Knowles
Knowles has the highest potential of all the youth candidates that were evaluated, and currently operates at a Vanarama North/South level. I've set him up to train as an attacking sweeper keeper rather his his natural defensive goalkeeper role, as it fits our gegenpress style of play.
Matthew Garzi
Matthew Garzi is our other noteworthy hot prospect, possessing nearly as much potential as Knowles according to my youth coaches. Garzi is a center midfielder, a position that both my U18s and U23s are lacking depth in so he will definitely have plenty of opportunities to develop in the Nine Elms academy.
Nine Elms Class of '23 Progress
Juan Pablo Nava
Nava was singled out as our brightest youth candidate after the first intake last season, and he's managed to break into the first team this season due to squad registration rules requiring me to include an academy-produced player in the match day squad. He's made 3(5) appearances in all competitions at just 14 years old, as well as continuing his development by appearing 18 times for the Nine Elms U23s. He's still operating at a Vanarama North/South level according to my coaches, but many of his attributes have increased and he could still improve a lot.
Phil Flebbe
Like Nava, Flebbe has been able to make some rare appearances for the first team as a result of the registration rules. He's made 4 substitute appearances in recent weeks, and he's actually looking more promising than Juan Pablo Nava is. Flebbe plays as a left back with the supporting wing back role, which is perfect for my style.
Tony Rodriguez
According to my youth team, Rodriguez "has come on leaps and bounds as a footballer over the last three months. This is quite a compliment considering none of the other prospects have this note on their coach report. Rodriguez may be close to breaking into the first team, as our striker issues have persisted from last season with Kane Hemmings disappointing nearly as much as Leon Best did.
#484496 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Yes I think so, Robles joined 3 days after Donovan when he turned 18. Hopefully I can find some more hidden gems!
#484250 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Results
The early fixtures were kind to us, as our first games in the Football League were against the clubs predicted to be in the relegation battle. We managed to scrape a few wins together against Morecambe, Leyton Orient, and Grimsby before really coming into our own and pushing for promotion.
Table
Despite being predicted to finish around the bottom of the table, we've managed to mount a title challenge halfway through the season. We've been top of the table since match 4, roughly 4 months ago, so if we can maintain our form we could be looking at back-to-back promotions. I predicted in the Season Preview post that I thought we'd do better than the press expected due to our infrastructure, staff, and the relatively young average age of our squad. I think making the right additions to the squad in January will be vital in gaining a second wind to see out the season as champions.
Standout Performers
Kyle Scott
Kyle Scott has been my best midfielder this season, making 20(4) appearances in all competitions as a box-to-box midfielder. He's managed to step up his game significantly since last season, scoring 6 goals and grabbing 4 assists in his role. He's still developing as well, with the potential to be a good League One central midfielder in the future. This means he'll likely remain a starter or at least a rotation option next season whether we get promoted or not.
Gideon Adu-Peprah
During pre-season my coaching staff had the opinion that Adu-Peprah was only playing at a Vanarama National League level, but as my preferred left back choice this season he has developed exceedingly well and has remained one of my most reliable defenders. With a 7.11 average rating from 17(3) appearances in all competitions, he has the third highest average rating in the entire squad. At 21 years old, he still has the potential to become a League One quality left back in the future, so he could stay on as my starting left back once we get promoted.
Millen Baars
Like Adu-Peprah, Baars was instrumental in our promotion from the Vanarama National League despite his young age, and has grown into a good League Two right winger. Operating as an attacking inside forward on the right wing, Baars has already contributed more goals than he did in all of last season despite playing in a more difficult division. He's scored 7 goals and provided 5 assists in 19(3) appearances for us during this campaign, which is an improvement on his 5 goals from 31(5) appearances last term. He could potentially become a Sky Bet Championship level player in the future, so I've extended his contract an extra year.
Josh Bowler
Bowler was signed on loan from Everton as a rotation option on the wing as I felt we needed more depth. He may actually be our best winger, however, as he's currently operating at a League One level. As a result, he's scored 4 goals and got 5 assists in just 8(5) appearances on both wings. Everton's also paying his wages, so this may be the best return on a transfer I've ever gotten.
Kyle Howkins
Howkins is my most reliable defender, having joined from Newport County for £275,000 over the summer. He's maintained a 7.10 average rating in 21 appearances this season, and currently operates at a League One level with the potential of being a Championship player in the future. He will certainly play an important role in the upcoming years.
Ted Moulden
Moulden is another one of our young players who stepped up to keep their role in the squad following our promotion from the National League. He's made 22 appearances as my preferred right back this term, maintaining a 7.07 average rating. As a result of his impressive performances, Luton Town are interested in signing Moulden ahead of the January transfer window. Hopefully I can retain him as he has the potential to be a League One right back in the future, so he could maintain his role as a starter when we get promoted.
Juan Pablo Nava
Due to club registration rules, 1 player in the match day 18 has to be homegrown by the club (trained by the club for 3 years before their 21st birthday) and somehow Nava qualifies for that despite only having come to the academy last season. As a result, he's managed to break into the first team at the ridiculously young age of 14, making 3(4) appearances in all competitions with an average rating of 6.68. He clearly isn't ready for a starting role, but I will continue to give him rare game time to encourage his development.
Transfers
Conor Donovan
I arranged for the free transfer of Conor Donovan over the summer to be my starting center back alongside Howkins, as he currently operates at a good League Two level with the potential to be a League One center back. He also aligns with my philosophy of focusing on American talent when possible, but due to the American Spring-Fall schedule, he couldn't sign until the January window. At this point in the season I've realized I don't really need Donovan, but his presence certainly won't hurt our title chances and he will definitely play a role if we get promoted to League One next year.
Danny Robles
I found 17-year-old Danny Robles playing for the Rochester Rhinos in the USL League One (the third tier of American soccer in a non-promotion system, I just thought I'd emphasize the obscurity of this team's level). I told my scouts to take a look at him and they determined that he was playing at a Vanarama National level with a huge amount of potential. £59,000 was enough to secure his services, and he will join on the same day as Donovan. He signed a Hot Prospect contract so he likely won't feature much until he develops more.
Other News
Sugar Daddy
Uncle Sam has pretty much wrote me a blank check at this point. It's nice never having to check the finances screen for once, and being able to focus on improving our American talent at every opportunity. If we get promoted to League One we'll have to step up our recruitment but we certainly won't have to worry about financial backing in the transfer market.
New Contract
Due to our overachievement in the league, the board have extended my contract early until 2021. I tried to negotiate it to 2022 but they wouldn't budge. I'll take it though!
#484047 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
The press set our odds at 150-1 to win the title this season, which puts us in the bottom half of the table with a predicted finish of 18th. We overachieved last season, who's to say we can't do it again? Keep in mind I have a relatively young squad with world class training and youth facilities as well as having the highest rated coaching staff in the league, so we have some major advantages at our disposal ahead of the League Two season.
Board Expectations
The board expects us to at least finish mid-table this season, and they also set relatively low expectations for the cup competitions. These are all attainable goals if everything goes to plan, and we could potentially even exceed these expectations if our players continue to develop well this season.
Transfers
I spent roughly half of my £2.4m budget on 8 first team players during the transfer window, in addition to selling want-away midfielder James Bailey for a surprisingly high £120,000. The 8 signings I made have bolstered my squad in almost all of the departments I needed, though I still have 2 others joining in January from the U.S.
Graham Smith
Smith was my first signing of the window, joining from LA Galaxy II for £400,000 in what is now our record highest purchase in the club's history. I signed him as Nishanian's primary competition for the right ball-playing center back role, and he also adds to the growing number of Americans currently playing for Nine Elms.
Kyle Howkins
Howkins was one of the key signings of the window, joining for £275,000 on the same day as Graham Smith, who plays the same position. Howkins is our best center back and possesses a strong left foot despite his right being his dominant foot, so he will slot comfortably into the left center back role.
Kane Hemmings
Hemmings might be my greatest signing of the window, with the former Notts County striker having plenty of previous experience in League Two and the second tier of Scotland. I think Hemmings will provide a perfect option as my star striker, with Connell and another striker as rotation options for depth. He's injured going into the beginning of the season, but soon he will get his chance to prove himself since being released by the now defunct Notts County.
Duke Lacroix
Lacroix was signed to play backup on the left wing for Billy King, and he adds to the list of American players currently at the club as well as badass names currently employed by the club. "Duke Lacroix" kinda sounds like an American action movie star from the 80s doesn't it? Anyways Lacroix will provide some much-needed depth on the left wing while also possessing the potential to improve slightly in the future.
James Abbott
I'm very excited about James Abbott. Somehow he's already a regen at 22 years old, but as a result he's got some very promising potential as well as being ready to play a role in the upcoming season. His finishing rating is an amazing 15 and his supporting stats are good for his age as well. Abbott was my last signing of the window, bringing the total tally of American players currently in the first team to 8 (not including U18s or U23s).
Other News
Work Permits
After making several new American additions to the playing squad, I've come to the conclusion that due to our status as a U.S.-based club, we don't have to abide by the same work permit rules as the other English clubs. This gives us a distinct advantage, as I haven't had to acquire work permits for my other foreign players either. I'm not sure how this affects registration rules, if at all, as I'm not familiar with the League Two registration rules in this game. There doesn't seem to be a Homegrown requirement, so this could mean that I could fill the entire squad with Americans. This could change as I get promoted through the divisions, though.
First Match Against One of the Big Boys
I arranged a pre-season friendly against my favorite club, Liverpool F.C. as we needed another match in between our training camp schedule and the beginning of the season. We got battered 5-2 by them, but I think the lads had a good time.
#483993 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Lol yeah I'm gonna keep documenting the end of his career to see if he can ever claim his real name again, but I doubt it. Maybe he should follow in Parker's footsteps and go to uni in America!XD
#483990 FM19 - TONGEY travels the world.
HeadCoachFM
#483988 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
We did it! In our debut season we've managed to gain automatic promotion into the Football League by winning the Vanarama National League title. We were leading the table for the majority of the season and I'm delighted to have secured the title rather than having to compete in the nerve-wracking playoffs.
Table
Towards the end of the season, a real title race began after a dip in form in our attack. Wrexham came very close to actually stealing the title away and it came down to the last day of fixtures for us to actually secure the title. Nevertheless, we did it, and we'll be spending the next season in the Sky Bet League Two.
Results
As you can see, we struggled for a period between January and February, going 5 whole matches without a win at one point. We managed to snatch a few draws during that time which helped keep us afloat in the title race. After that we finally started scoring again and we were able to put together a strong run of form at the end of the season to secure the title, winning 9 of our last 11 matches,
Standout Performers
Kyle Connell
Connell finally returned to his scoring ways in the tail end of the season, having not scored for 5 long months between early October and the beginning of March. Connell scored 7 goals in 7(1) appearances at the start of the season, and then scored 0 goals in 9(7) appearances before finishing the season with a solid run of 8 goals in 5(2) appearances. This brought his total tally up to 15 goals in 21(10) appearances, which is a pretty respectable number for a 17 year old. Those 8 goals at the end of the season were what really solidified our title run, ensuring we didn't drop any points while Wrexham made a final push for the title.
Billy King
Billy King is our most technically gifted player in attack, operating on a good League Two level. However, he didn't play particularly well for the majority of the season until the end, when his strong form helped us win the title. King scored 9 goals and registered 5 assists in 27(2) league appearances, and his attacking partnership with Baars on the other wing helped us massively on the home stretch.
Millen Baars
Our very own Dutch wonderkid contributed greatly to our debut season, putting up 5 goals and 10 assists in 29(5) league appearances. At just 18, I think he could continue to play a part in our journey up the divisions. I'm not sure if he'll be a starter next season in League Two, but he will definitely be in and around the squad in some capacity while he continues to develop. Baars is currently wanted by QPR, so hopefully I can hold onto him for next season.
Elliott Durrell
Durrell was originally my starting right inside forward, but once I signed Billy King I began using Durrell as more of a rotation option with Baars on the right side. For this reason Durrell didn't play nearly as much during the middle of the season as he did at the beginning, but towards the end he actually played a huge role in securing the title. Millen Baars was called up to the Dutch U19 National Team for 4 whole games at the end of the season, so I had to rely on Durrell to fill in the role. Luckily, Durrell actually did better than Baars had been doing, and he ended up scoring 4 goals and grabbing 2 assists in his last 8 matches. This brought his total contribution up to 10 goals and 4 assists in 25(10) league appearances throughout the season. It's likely that I will keep Durrell next season to provide depth on the right wing.
Ted Moulden
Ted Moulden, or Ted Alexander-Arnold as I like to call him, had a very impressive end to the season. While putting in some impressive defensive displays, Moulden actually managed to grab a couple goals at the end of the season which actually won both of the matches that he scored in. Moulden is my go-to for set pieces, having scored 4 goals and gotten 6 assists during the season, most of which were from corners and free kicks. At just 18, Moulden has the potential to be a League One right back one day, so I intend to keep him on as my starting right back for next season.
Lee Nishanian
Nishanian brought some much-needed stability to the backline about halfway through the season. In the first half of the season, I was rotating the center backs much more than I probably should've been, as they just weren't solid enough to warrant any kind of preference between them. Once Nishanian came in, however, he made the spot his own and formed a solid partnership with Awuah.
Gideon Adu-Peprah
I'm not sure that I've actually mentioned Adu-Peprah before in this thread, but he was one of my most reliable players throughout the season, making 35(1) appearances primarily as a left back but also as a LCB on occasion. Adu-Peprah managed to get 4 assists and a goal during his 35(1) appearances and I intend to keep him as my starting left back for next season. He's currently operating at a Sky Bet League Two level and he has the potential to be a League One left back in the future, so it's really a no-brainer to keep him on.
Notable Departures
Jon-Paul Pittman
Jon-Paul Pittman, the first American to ever play or score for Nine Elms United F.C., has announced his retirement from professional football. At 32 years old, Pittman is past his best but I was surprised that he retired as there was interest being shown in him from various USL teams such as Forward Madison FC. Pittman was more of a mascot to our team than an actual striker, as he only appeared in 3(9) matches in the first half of the season before I realized his contract clause would automatically extend his contract if I played him again. He managed to score 6 goals in that brief period, a very respectable tally given the limited game time he was given. However, it's now time for Pittman to move on and maybe he will return one day as a staff member!
Marvin Elliott
34 y/o Jamaican defensive midfielder Marvin Elliott has been released after appearing in 19(7) matches during the 2018/19 season as our backup DM. My primary defensive midfielder, Lewis Montrose, had several disciplinary issues including several multiple-game suspensions which required Elliott to come in and do the job. He did well, keeping an average rating of 6.9 which is about as high as you can expect for that position. I wish him all the best for the future and maybe a couple years down the role he could return in a coaching capacity!
Enoch Andoh
Andoh was my backup left inside forward, featuring in 10(14) matches in all competitions during the season. He managed to score twice and get 4 assists in that time, so his stint at the club has been somewhat forgettable. Nonetheless Andoh helped a lot with rotation during tricky spells when my younger first team players were capped at the youth level in the middle of my gameweeks. I've decided to release him as he's just not good enough to play in League Two.
Charlie Kelman
Kelman has returned to his parent club after a relatively unsuccessful spell with the club, scoring 2 goals and getting an assist in 7(4) appearances. I attempted to sign Kelman again at the end of the season as he's still just 17 years old and he's American, so I thought it would be interesting to see how far he could go with us as we rise up the divisions. Sadly, Kelman doesn't believe our squad is "strong enough to play at a level matching his ambitions," so he will remain at Southend in League One. See you in a couple years Kelman!
Mich'el Parker
In a strange turn of events, my backup center back Mich'el Parker has been signed by San Jose State University in the NCAA, the collegiate level of soccer in America. The NCAA isn't in the base game, but I downloaded a database that would expand the youth levels of U.S. soccer as well as the professional levels. Rather than transferring to another professional team, former Liverpool youth player Mich'el Parker has decided to give up on professional soccer and go to university in San Jose, California, apparently. I'll keep an eye on his progress in the NCAA.
Other News
Initial Budgets
The board has set my initial budgets for the 2019/20 season, giving me £2,200,000 to spend on new players and £98,000 per week in the wage budget. This should be more than enough to construct a solid team to compete in the lowest tier of the Football League, and I'll have a post dedicated to my transfer activity ahead of the new season.
Manager of the Year
As a result of our title-winning debut season, I was awarded Manager of the Year for my efforts, maintaining a 60% win rate throughout the 46-game season. I think I did a pretty good job putting together the team in a system that works, all things considered, but this definitely wasn't the most difficult promotion battle I've ever had before. Hopefully this is just the first of many!
Brexit
The United Kingdom has officially left the European Union ahead of the 2019/20 season, and I'm still waiting to see how this affects work permits and player registration. I've signed another American but he did not require a work permit before signing, though this happened a couple days before the official Brexit. Whenever I find out more, I'll make an update on this.
Leon is Still the Worst
It seems I was right to move Leon Worst on, as he hasn't improved after moving to Cork City in the Irish Premier Divison. He's only managed to score 3 goals and register 2 assists in 16 appearances as their star striker. Clearly, Worst is past his best and will likely never regain his real name before the end of this save.
#483924 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
March 1st marked a huge day in the history of Nine Elms, as the first generation of youth candidates in the club's history signed 2 year contracts. At just 14 years old, our youth candidates are 2 years younger than the average age of other English clubs' intake. I'm assuming this has something to do with us being an American club.
Juan Pablo Nava
Nava is our most promising prospect, operating at a Vanarama North/South level at just 14 years old. He's been earmarked by my youth coaches as our highest potential U18 as well as our best current U18, with enough ability to potentially make a few appearances before the end of the season. Nava is a natural right defensive full-back, so I have put him on a training regime to improve his game as a supporting wing-back.
Philipp "Phil" Flebbe
Phil Flebbe stood out to me in the candidates' list because of his name (seriously, try saying "Phil Flebbe 10 times fast) and it turns out he's actually one of our standout youth players. Flebbe is a natural left wing-back, which is ideal for my playing style. He's currently operating at a Vanarama North/South level and "could improve a lot" in the future according to my youth coaches.
Tony Rodriguez
Tony Rodriguez is our most promising youth striker at the moment, though he hasn't reached the level of quality that Flebbe and Nava are already showing. But at 14 years old, Rodriguez still has plenty of time to improve. He's a natural poacher, but I prefer playing with a pressing forward due to the demands of the modern game, so I've started retraining Rodriguez for that role.
Anthony Ruiz
Anthony Ruiz plays as a right back, and is actually a natural wing back unlike Juan Pablo Nava. He's not quite the same level as Nava in terms of skill, but he's still got decent potential and he operates with my preferred role.
Tim "Tomorrow" Morrow
And now for my favorite regen of the year, Tim Morrow. I'm not sure what to set his nickname as in the game, whether it should be "Tomorrow" or "Timorrow" or "Timmorrow," I don't know--but there's something there. Morrow operates primarily as a target man, but is relatively versatile as a striker despite his young age. He can comfortably play as a pressing forward, poacher, advanced forward, or even a right winger. This kind of versatility could come in handy in the future if Morrow develops enough to play a role.
Other News
Udoh Left
After selecting Udoh as Leon Worst's replacement in the first team (see last post) he suffered a damaged achilles tendon and has been sidelined for 6-8 months. I swear I can't go a full season without at least one of my players suffering from a season-ending injury.
As Udoh was only a loan player, he has now returned to his parent club following his serious injury. Udoh only made 4(2) appearances during his time with Nine Elms, scoring twice, but if it weren't for his injury I believe he would've had a strong finish to the season with the increased game time I started giving him. It's a shame, but with only 10 games left in the season I don't have any time to worry about Daniel Udoh anymore.
Leon Worst's Replacement's Replacement
I mentioned Charlie Kelman in my last post, presenting him as a potential replacement for Leon Worst to increase my depth in attack. I failed to actually sign Kelman, but I managed to get him on loan for the rest of the season. So far Kelman has made 3(2) appearances and scored once, in his debut. That's an average of 296 minutes per goal, so hopefully he can step up his game for the remainder of the season and create some much needed goals. Connell has still failed to score since October, and now that Udoh has been sent back to Shrewsbury it's likely that I won't have a reliable striker for the last 10 matches of the season.
Bank Roll
Thanks to my generous owners, the United States of America, my transfer budget has been increased to £2,200,000. This number is honestly a little ridiculous for this level, but if the U.S. created a soccer team for the sole purpose of raising the entire nation's quality in the game, they'd probably throw some money at it. Hopefully next season this will allow me to sign a more reliable, experienced striker.
#483893 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
In the latest installment of the Leon Best/Worst saga, he's leaving! After just 5 unsuccessful months at Nine Elms United F.C., I decided to transfer list the experienced Irishman who was originally meant to lead our attack in the first chapter of the club's history. Having failed to score again after I changed his name as a punishment, his name will now remain "Leon Worst" for the rest of this save.
In his short stint with Nine Elms, Leon Worst only managed to score 4 goals in 14(6) appearances in all competitions with an average rating of 6.69. For a star striker in a title winning side, these numbers are very disappointing. It seems Nine Elms will just be another brief stop in Leon Worst's vast journey through the various levels of professional football.
Worst has finally given up on English football, opting to move to Cork City in the Irish Premier Division (League of Ireland Premier Division) where he might finally start scoring again, though I doubt it. I was honestly very surprised that I was able to actually sell Leon Worst to anybody, given his relatively high salary demands and his poor form as well as the fact that he had been steadily declining in ability (particularly physically). However, Cork City came in with £76,000 for a player who only 6 years ago was bought by Blackburn Rovers for £3,000,000, and I accepted. So in the end I actually profited from the business, which I did not expect at all when I originally signed Leon.
Replacement
Kyle Connell
Kyle Connell has been Leon Worst's main rival for the starting striker spot, so he's a natural replacement choice now that Worst has left. Connell was impressive early in the season, scoring 7 goals in 7(1) games up until October, when he simply stopped scoring altogether. Connell has now played 14(5) games and still only has 7 goals despite several interactions and training changes to try and help him regain his form. It's been over 3 months since his last goal, so it would be unwise to rely on Connell as Worst's only replacement.
Daniel Udoh
I originally signed 22 y/o Nigerian striker Daniel Udoh on loan from Shrewsbury as a first team striker meant to compete with Kyle Connell for the main starting role. I then changed this dynamic by signing Leon Worst whom I believed to be a significantly better striker and therefore worth the depth congestion and all the hassle. Between Connell and Worst, as well as occasionally rotating in veteran American striker Jon-Paul Pittman, Udoh only managed to make a single first team appearance as a substitute in the first half of the season. Now that Worst has gone to Ireland, Udoh now has a chance to play his original role as my first choice striker. I have started him in both matches since Leon Worst was sold, and he scored in each match to bring his record to 2 goals in 2(1) games. If he can keep up at that rate I would back us to gain automatic promotion through winning the title.
Charlie Kelman
One of the brightest young American prospects I've seen so far, Charlie Kelman would be an ideal signing to bring depth into my attack. At the moment Connell and Udoh are really the only 2 strikers I can play, because Leon Worst is gone and Jon-Paul Pittman has a clause in his contract that would see him get another year extension if I play him in another match. As Pittman is already 32 years old, not quite good enough for the Vanarama National League, and he's declining in ability, it would be unwise to secure his contract for another year. Kelman would provide another youthful, high energy option while also being a natural at the pressing forward role which is ideal for my system. However, after lodging a £100,000 bid, Kelman rejected the chance to join the club as he recently signed a new contract for Southend. I'll check back in a few months and try to buy him again, though I need a more short-term solution for my lack of depth in attack.
#483814 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
We're only 6-ish months into this save and it's already getting weird. Barcelona legend Xavi has been sacked by Newcastle United. I must've missed the story that mentioned Newcastle hiring him because this was all news to me. It seems his first venture into management after his retirement from playing was unsuccessful, which isn't surprising to me all things considered. Xavi and Mike Ashley? I just can't even picture them in the same room.
#483811 Operation Nine Elms - Failed
HeadCoachFM
Kyle Scott
In what my be my best signing yet, former Chelsea youth midfielder Kyle Scott has just joined the club halfway through the season on a free, and he's American! While we already had significant depth in CM, when I found Scott I simply couldn't pass him up. He's currently operating at a League Two level and has the potential to be a Sky Bet Championship player in the future! I've decided to send him on a leadership course as I believe he could be the perfect man to lead us to the Championship while representing our nation as our captain.
Lee Nishanian
After finding Kyle Scott, I decided to search for other Americans with the right level of quality to recruit, and I found Lee Nishanian. Nishanian most recently played for the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer. He's currently operating at a good Vanarama National level and could provide some stability to a somewhat leaky defense. At 26 he's unlikely to improve much more, but he could play a key role in our promotion bid this season and potentially operate as a reliable backup option next season provided we get promoted.