Joe Boy - Comments

As a whole, we certainly became the nearly team in all but one competition. The league went to the last couple of games, but to be honest, Arsenal had it wrapped up with their 6 point lead with 5 games to go. Losing 8 games is just to big a hill to climb. No real surprises in the rest of the league, except maybe defending champions City finishing 6th.
FA Cup was sad, losing to Chelsea in extra time in the semi final, but without a doubt the quarter final Champions League loss was hard to take, losing 5-4 to Bayern Munich against a 94th minute James goal. The League Cup was nice to win, but was an easy run in so didn't feel deserved. Overall, a step back from last season.



GK Another solid but unspectacular year for Jack Butland, completely off the pace for the Golden Glove. Dean Henderson pulled in a couple of games as solid backup.
Def With the signing of Dier, he has formed a solid partnership with Phil Jones, nudging Smalling and Bertrand out of the picture. Tuanazebe has proven to have bags of potential, but I have an eye on Vasileiou on loan at Burton. One more season on loan and he'll be ready to provide back up to the team. On the right, Trippier couldn't dislodge Sam Byram with the later chipping in with 13 assists. On the left, Ryan Sessegnon and Luke Shaw have been duking it out for a starting berth, with Shaw just about edging it with 8 asset to Sessegnon's 5.
Mid Dier was originally signed to play in the middle, but slotted better at the back. This left me a little light in the middle of the park, with just Alli, Cook, Mctominay and Carroll vying for the 3 positions.
Fwd Jamie Vardy was an animal, and it's ridiculous that he wasn't in for any awards. 31 goals and 25 assists for a 32 yo new signing proved the £11.75m was a real snip. Marcus Rashford was injured a couple of times, which really ruined the rhythm. The other guys were hit and miss, which has made me decide to move at least one on.







A £160m budget to splurge, so I'm going to head back in for Mr Kane, completing my pillaging of the Spurs squad. If this pulls through, then I'll be moving two of the strikers on, probably Berahino and Austin. No foreign talent to sell this time around, so I'll need to make my own money from sales.

And the first (proper) trophy is in! A well earned and hard fought final against the Welsh boys at Swansea. Looking through the competition, it was an easy win and I did well not to come up against any of the other big hitters, with a clear run through to the silverware.

And he gets his man!

Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur for £92m

Players in Focus

Rotate, rotate, rotate. With so many touchy English players in the ranks, it's important to me to give everyone their time in the team. I have a few players that are pretty undroppable, Rashford, Alli and Butland, but the rest of the team will rotate week-in week-out.
Speaking of Butland, another solid 6 months between the sticks. I've thought about going in for Pickford and moving Jack on but I really don't think the upgrade is good enough. I'm hoping the youth team produce a potential World Class keeper to oust him in the future, but for now, the jersey is his. Dean Henderson has been given a few games to whet the appetite.
At full backs, Byram and Trippier are neck and neck for assists but neither are setting the world alight. On the Left, Sessegnon (still only 18) has begun to oust Luke Shaw as my first choice. Because of his ability to play on the wing, his crossing is invaluable.
At the base, Bertrand and Smalling are currently my top choices with either fitting in naturally to either side of the CB positions. Jones has been fine when called upon. Axel Tuanazebe lurches from having good games, to absolute stinkers. Let's chalk this down to youth and inexperience.
In the middle of the park, more solidity from the "old guard" Livermore, Shelvey and Carroll with the latter providing a lot of creativity in the middle. Lewis Cook still has some growing to do into the team. Dele Alli hasn't set the world on fire, despite playing more than everyone else, I'm sure he'll get there.
Up top, I've been trying to marginalise Charlie Austin, but every time I give him a game he keeps scoring! Exactly the same for Nathan Redmond. The real surprises from Berahino and Vardy who have chipped in with 22 goals and Vardy with 11 assists. He really proved to be a good bit of business. But once again, the real MVP goes to the boy Rashford, who at this moment is still only 21. Speaking of which...





I said this guy would win the Ballon d'Or, and he's not far off. Again, he's 21! Bizzarely, he didn't win the European Golden Boy (Mbappe).

How Are We Doing?

We're still in for the lot! Let's not forget, a media prediction of 5th and the board aiming for Europa qualification, sitting on top of the mountain in January is a great achievement for the team. The run in though Spring will be very exciting, with only 5 points separating 1st and 4th.
A win in the Community Shield (If mourinho calls it a trophy, than so am I!) and a semi-final against the noisy sods next door, it's been a good season.
Champions League?

Looking at that group, I thought I'd be lucky to squeak 2nd. But the other teams have been terrible. Also, how odd that Bayern only won one game but still qualified? Next up, a trip to Naples and an exciting potentially high scoring game with Napoli.



What's changed in a year? Well McTominay isn't quite good enough for the team so he's out (for now). i now have 11 players in the team, so could easily field a full first team of Man Utd players in white. Which then means we have quite a lot of players missing (Shelvey, Livermore, Carroll)

What's Next?
I have £111m sitting in the transfer kitty burning a hole in my pocket. As I've mentioned previously, some of the CM's just aren't good enough. If all goes well, I plan to try and move Shelvey and Livermore on, and replace them with one man...Dier

Thanks man. It was a little disappointing to finish runner up in so may competitions, but lets not forget the poor quality of the squad. To get that far was brilliant. To put it into perspective, the media only predict a 5th place finish and the board are happy with european qualification.
The biggest gut wrench was losing the world cup final..

We're there! finally confirmed the last two foreign players to leave (while we wait for the loan move of Sanchez to Chelsea to become permanent)

Joel Pereira to FC Lorient for £5m


Andreas Periera to Rubin Kazan for £5m



One last confirmed transfer this month. Unfortunately, there's no space for 2 up and coming English keepers to back up Butland.

Sam Johnstone to Bournemouth for £3.2m

Thanks buddy. Yeah, I love setting my own rules and sticking with them. I really enjoy the experiment on how it impacts upon the national team. Does having the same players playing week in week out transfer to the international scene, despite a lower ability?

Cheers mate. Yeah, last season was a bit soul destroying, but ultimately I was happy to make it as far as I did. With all my reinforcements, the media have me predicted as 5th, so I look forward to spoiling the party for them!
It'll get more exciting when the regens really start to take hold.

As I mentioned last season, we now have a solid base of English players to build upon, allowing us to cherry pick the best players available rathe than picking up from mid-table. First things to note is the plethora of unknown lower-league 16 year olds. Frankly, I lost a lot of foreign reserves so I needed to bulk the ranks. It's also worth noting the that the pillage fo Fulham continues into this season for some of their better rated youths, Whitehead and Waters-Whittingham were both well scouted by the team so were worth looking into.
As for the first team, the crown jewel of the transfer window was Dele Alli. Daniel Levy proved to be a nightmare to deal with after all, with it costing me £119m to get him out of North London, with plenty of winding up in the press and fluttering my eyelashes. He will now form the lynchpin of my team with Rashford. Replacing the retiring Carrick is Lewis Cook from Bournemouth, and this is where the English Premium is really taking hold. £60m is way too much for talent.
The next two I was mildly surprised with to get as cheap as I did, Kieran Trippier for £15.25 to rotate with Byram at RB and Jamie Vardy for only £11.75m. I appreciate he is 31, but a proven English goalscorer for this amount couldn't be ignored.
A notable failed bid for Harry Kane as he decided to sign a new contract instead...git.





Probably worth talking about the big money exports first, as it's taken another year to move most of these on and bolster my transfer pot. Lukaku, Lindleof, Herrera, Matic and Fozzie-Mensah all left for a combined over £110m. A notable (and annoying) leaver was Alexis Sanchez on loan. He just would not leave no matter who came in for him so a loan move was for the best.
First teasers to go, CBJ at defence. I don't usually like letting graduates go, but Axel Tunazebe is better in the middle of the back row and has a lot more potential, I just didn't need them both. £3m to Wolves was good money. Ben Osborn isn't good enough for me (jeff) at this level so I managed to claw back what I bought him for to Newcastle. Ashley Young was another that played up and wouldn't leave, so a loan was the best move for all. His contract is up at the end of the season anyway, so this is the end for us. But the top money came from Bayern Munich for Jesse Lingard, £55m! I honestly don't know what they see in him, but danke.
notable loans out and players to keep an eye on; Dimitris Vasileilou to League One Burton and Tyrell Warren to League One Southend. Both a good level of football so hopefully they can push on for the next level next season.

England Squad Decided...

GROUP STAGE

So the league went to the last day. I managed to lead for a bit during the winter, but to be honest, City has lead all year long. I managed to close it to a few points by turning them over a few games before seasons close but it wasn't to be. I'm very happy with second though.
I could have finished the the season empty handed! The FA Cup was taken to penalties after drawing 1-1 against Southampton in the final. The Champions League final on the other hand, was bloody heartbreaking.
I lost Rashford in the final run in of games and I just don't have the goals in the the other guys. During the match, I suffered 4 injuries so finished the game with 10 men and players playing all over the place, including a debut for a 17yo Vasilieou. Naturally, with all the injuries, we had 7 minutes injury time, as I was leading 3-2...Salah equalised in the 98th minute! Sobbing. We lost it in extra time. The team did great to get past Porto, Chelsea and PSG though.



GK Jack Butland has been solid all year, playing every single game of the season due to poor backup. Letting in 49 goals has seen him completely off the pace for the Golden Glove.
Def Jones, Smalling and Bertrand have rotated all season long, giving me a solid base in front of Butland, switching out with CBJ for for a good bit of academy experience. On the right, Byram has been OK. He may be the first choice RB, but Ashley Young has really pressured him with 8 assists over his 6. On the left, Ryan Sessegnon has proven to be a great acquisition to push Luke Shaw to the limit, already gaining an asset in 5 appearances to Shaw's 3 in 23.
Mid Playing 3 CM's will always lead to a lack of flair, but Tom Carroll has been in good form for most of the season, laying on 12 assists to go with his 2 goals. Somehow, Jake Livermore has managed 8 goals and 8 assists (?). Carrick went out for 4 months in late-spring, bringing his career to a sad close on an injury. Super disappointed with Jonjo Shelvy. He was a sod to negotiate with in the first place and does not deserve the salary he is being paid. Ben Osborn has also struggled at this level, so a loan may be on the cards. Scott McTominay has been fantastic all season when given the opportunity, and I'm really looking forward to see how he blooms, STAY AWAY SCOTLAND!
Fwd These guys have kept me in touching distance all season long, Marcus Rashford has been the absolute MVP despite missing a third of the season. Every time he was out, it was noticed. I fully expect a World Player of the Year in the near future. Redmond and Austin have quietly been getting on with the jobs, especially in Rashford's absences, but Austin can often go missing against the bigger clubs. Wellbeck and Berhaino have both turned into good squad players, with Wellbeck chipping in with some important goals throughout the year.










So the board have given me a £90m budget, and I still have about £200m worth of foreign talent currently rotting in my reserves. IF I can move them on, then we will be in a great position to upgrade now I have a solid base to build on. Top transfers? Delle Alli and Harry Kane please. I don't think Charlie Austin and Ben Osborne are good enough, so these will be definite upgrades. Another out will be Jesse Lingard who just doesn't fit into my system and is hankering for a new contract. With Brexit around the corner, I need to get these in quick before the premium takes hold.

Next Update...

So, this window has given me the opportunity to to finally bulk up the squad, and most importantly, my striking options.

Dimitris Vaseileiou was picked up by my scouts playing for Fulham u19's. He's a 16 year old CB who could do some real damage after a few loans. Watch this space!
Ryan Sessegnon was an obvious purchase and will no rotate with Luke Shaw, leaving Bertrand to rotate at CB.
Saido Berahino was on the transfer list for £6m, which seemed a good deal for a backup striker to Charlie Adam. Finally, Arsenal relented and let me bring Danny Wellbz home for £13m, daft when I offered them a lot more in the Summer.



For the outs, Rojo left for China (which I'm surprised he hasn't done IRL) and Romero off to Lazio. The biggest surprise was Tony Martial to Southampton. Not because of the outlay (I did give them £55m in the Summer) but that he was happy making the move to the South Coast.
A notable failed transfer was Rom Lukaku to Arsenal. Despite us contributing 45k wages, he still wasn't interested.

Next update, end of season and the WC!

If there's something I've had to do with this team is train them all to be versatile. Most players play a minimum of 2 positions, unless they're a specialist position (WB).
Jack Butland has been solid, if unspectacular. He's let in a couple of howlers which have really cost us. Ross Turnbull is thankfully well away from the starting line up and is yet to make an appearance.
Smalling and Jones have provided a solid base to the team, playing most of the games. Both were offered new contracts to keep Chelsea's hands off them. Ryan Bertrand has either played on the left flank or provided a rest at CB. Currently keeping Shaw out of the stating line up. Byram has been decent as my first choice RB, swapping now and again with the ever-versatile Ashley Young. Cammy Borth-Jackson has actually proved solid backup. I'll likely move him on in the future, but he's doing a good job for the moment.
In the middle of the park, playing 3 CM's, Scotty McTommy has been a standout, chipping in with 8 goals and 8 assists. He can also step up top if needed. Jonjo Shelvey hasn't set the world alight, with Tom Carroll and Ben Osborn keeping him out of the starting XI. A shame, considering he's a high earner. Carrick has played more than I would have liked, but he has been needed with the squad depth lacking.
Up top, Charlie Austin proved me wrong early in the season with 15 goals and 11 assists, but has tailed off towards Christmas, losing his spot to a resurgent Redmond. Jesse Lingard hasn't filled me with confidence and really cannot find a run of form. My star man is Marcus Rashford who will be at the club forever. Spent a couple of months injured, but still my top scorer. Also...

Looking at players out, there's interest in Lukaku, Lindelof and Rojo. Hopefully I can reinvest in a new out-and-out striker.



At one point, I was 4 points clear at the top of the league. I then hit a dry patch in London, losing to Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs. But the top 3 is now split by a hair, so an interesting run-in for the league.
Carabao Cup was a dud, losing 4-3 to City at the Etihad.
Champions League was hit and miss, a 3-0 loss to Besiktas put me on a downer until I spanked them 5-2 on the return visit. Finished top of the group, but wow it was tight.





Despite criticism of so many United players being in the team, I do let my assistant make the call ups. The only player I am guilty of is calling up McTominay to ensure his allegiance to England. Lingard is playing better for England then for United, probably because he's flanking Kane. Butland is also in fierce competition with Pickford, with both taking turns between the sticks.
We qualified for the World Cup with ease, so the next England update will be for the WC!

Depending on how the Winter Transfer Window goes, we'll see on the next update.

As you can see, there is just no money in the first Summer transfer market. Your usual big players of Real Madrid and PSG seem fairly skint at this point. I practically gave away some of the team, Pogba and De Gea for a combined £50m is a travesty.
For the ins, if there's something I've learned from this window is that the english players are full of utter dross. With the little I had available after sales, I've had to buy an entire new team. I couldn't afford to dine at Tottenham's table so had to look at mid-lower table. Who needs DDG when I can have Ross Turnbull... My attempts to sign Danny Wellbeck proved fruitless as Arsenal wanted a scandalous £65m for him. I fully expect the prices to sky rocket once Brexit starts.




If I could have moved this lot on, I would have been in a much healthier financial position to maybe buy a Delle Alli. Alas, I am now lumbered with the long contracts and huge wages of Alexis Sanchez, Lukaku and Matic. I very much doubt I will shift them in the Winter and their value will likely plummet in the Summer. Martial broke his ankle during pre-season, so there was no chance in moving him on either.






The team is a little thinner on the ground than I would like right now, but hopefully, this an give some of the poorer players a run in the side and hopefully some form. The squad should bulk out with the return of the loanees, I never thought I'd be so happy to have James Wilson come back into the fold! I'm not expecting fireworks from Charlie Austin, who was really only brought in to back up Rashford. But my aim is to turn both Lingard and Redmond into support strikers, flanking Rashford. My scouts tell me Ben Osborne was one to keep an eye on, so comes in as backup to Shelvey, Tom Carrol and Livermore, also supplemented by McTominay. On that note, I need to convince him to play for England before Scotland nab him, otherwise that's another sell.
At the back, we were thankfully pretty strong through the middle and on the left. So Sam Byram was brought in to add a bit of pep at RWB after the departure if Valencia. Turnbull ha literally been brought in on a 10 month deal while I wait for Johnstone and Henderson to return in goal. Jack Butland was a no-brainer and will likely stay in goal for the team for the bulk of his career.





Only 4 competitive games with the new team so far; the first of which being a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Super Cup, which I didn't think was too bad all things considered. A couple of wins against West Brom and Stoke sandwiched an abysmal loss to Southampton at home.
Looking forward, I'd like to still be in the top 4 at Christmas, but with form like this I'm not sure this'll happen.

Next update in February 2018!

Thanks chaps! I'll be resurrecting this now I've had my fill of challenges and other shenanigans.

So just a brief post about my own rules, I have to sell all foreign players and release all foreign staff, hiring only english. The only differential to this would be if a player is dual nationality and hasn't declared. If I can't move a player on (I suspect Pogba is going to be difficult) then they will rot in the reserves.

Next update will be at the end of the summer transfer window.

Morning All. I'm trying to either find a database where transfer bans are in place worldwide, or looking for a bit of help in editing the database to do this.
Long story short, I'm curious to see how each club does when they cannot use their transfer might and have to rely solely on their youth system. This should also have a knockoff affect on the international scene.
Thanks in a advance.

COMPETITIONS


TOP GOAL-SCORERS


FIXTURES / RESULTS


Scoring:
League:
Winners - 40pts

Greek Cup:
Semi Finals – 5pts

UEFA Europa League:
First Knockout Round Exit - -15 pts

Extra:
Rivalries – Beat Olympiacos or Panathinaikos - 15pts
Awards – Top Goal Scorer – 5 pts

TOTAL - 50PTS

My first time managing in this league. It's all greek to me...

Oh, and an honourable mention for this man

COMPETITIONS


FIXTURES





TOP GOAL SCORERS


Scoring:
League:
5th – 20 pts

South Minas-Rio:
Runners Up - 10pts

Copa Libertadores:
Runner Up – 25pts

Extra:
Rivalries – Beat Cruzeiro - 5pts
Awards – Top Goal Scorer – 5 pts


TOTAL
65pts

What do they call Brazil Nuts in Brazil?

So how did you manage to sign players who want between 5k-10k per week for only 700 per week? How did you even manage to have them negotiate? Below taken from my save of the players all you've signed and their approximate demands. At around the same time you've signed them I've tried to, with none of them interested:



Below screenshots from your save of the contracts they are on:








Clearly the 50% increase on salary may have played a part, but no way would these players sign for such paltry salaries or loyalty fees. Chamakh and Lucio would want a hell of a lot more, as would the agents.



And you still have over 12k left of your salary budget!

As I said, we are all running on the same save file and these players won't even talk to me. I'd be interested to hear how you've managed it and on anyone else that has tried to sign these players.

Had to get this done for Paddy's day.

Fixtures/results




League Table/Goal-scorers


Transfers


Awards






Points
League:
Winners - 50pts

FAI Irish Daily Mail Senior Cup:
Winners - 25pts

EA Sports Cup Cup:
Semi Finalist – 5pts

Leinster Senior Cup:
Semi Finalist – 5pts

Extra:

Rivalries – Beat Shamrock or Bohemians - 30pts
Awards – Player of the Year, Top Goal Scorer – 10pts

TOTAL
125pts

I’ve put his challenge on pause for a bit. It’s a little too easy/boring...

I’ll pick it back up before the end of the month

I'm waiting for the person who claims a top 5 place...

KEZ, how many did you play up top? I played Pazzini through the middle flanked by keane and Cerci. Also had Romulo in the centre of the park pulling the strings.