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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 11, 2008 15:30:24 GMT
The draws are eating my lead, but I don't think they can do it quickly enough to see me overtaken before the games run out, especially if we keep winning away from home.
Of course we have an away trip to second-placed Welling coming up, which could be a six-pointer. I might need the Nurse Garraway hug meself.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 11, 2008 18:10:21 GMT
What a bunch of miserable cocks. When the final whistle goes on March 22 2008 and the Sanctuary Divots walk off the field after their second consecutive 3-0 victory, the do so as the Champions of the Blue Square South, thanks to a 20 points lead with just six games to go. While the players are ecstatic and the fans "delirious" the board, they say "meh." In a "short statement" the Sanctuary board, lead by chairman John Gibson state that a club of their "stature was always going to be able to win the Blue Square South and they are satisfied with the acheivement." Oh aye, that stature being a club in debt, on the bottom rung of FM's football ladder. That club lifted up one rung by a team consisting of six starters I brought in from other clubs and one other who was on loan from us to another team, because the geniuses here before had written him off. Tune in next week when the Sanctuary board travel to Africa to tell the Egyptians that the pyramids are "all right, I suppose, if you like giant stone constructions, built by hand." Anyway, the league was turned into something of a formality when we won our six pointer against Welling 1-0 thanks to a goal from midfielder Rambir Marwa and then followed this with two wins as Rob Dale raped Lewes and Bishops Stortford for three and two goals in two 3-0 wins. Losing only three games all year is a fantastic tribute... to QPR's reserve team, as my goalie, right back and one centre half are all Hoops on loan (the sort of thing Moo's into). I'm confident that I can stand to lose Pat Kanyuka in the middle and replace him with any of four Divots who are almost as useful as Ben Martin - Kanyuka's partner. Goalkeeper Sean Thomas will be missed, but Nick Eyre is decent, if not exactly spectacular. Replacing right back Aaron Goode will be hardest and of primary concern, as his only cover is Hussan Sulaiman, who I'd rather player in the AMR role. I can now take six weeks off and fanny about with the team to see what I've got in the yoooofs. In midfield Terry Winter looks raw, but useful, while Keiron Day has played well enough to play in 14(4) games, before he even signs his first professional contract. Outside of the club, we managed to grab a handy looking forward in Charles Ademeno who was playing for Southend in League One, but was dropped through a mutual termination when he broke his foot with only six months to run on his contract. I tried to sign him immediately, but my board turned it down as he failed his physical, (shades of French for Va Va Voom... Boony). When he finally neared fitness again another four clubs went in for him, but I managed to snag him out from under their noses. AssMoo says Ademeno is almost as good as Rob Dale and he's never wrong about these sorts of things...
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Post by coffers on Apr 11, 2008 18:48:31 GMT
A big WOOOT! going up going up going up! :thumb:
Boards are always claiming moral victories like that, they know nothing, that's why they are on them.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 12, 2008 1:07:52 GMT
Congrats there Stu. And on the signing front. That was the hardest part for my team going from the south to the Conference. Your rep must be bigger than Fishers. Or it could have been your actual manager rep is higher than mine. What's your training facilites like? I ended up upgrading mine because of the money after every 2/3 days from arranging friendlies between my reserves and U20's team with the reserves of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. I didn't even have to give them any money. This doesn't make the money any more as it's received treatment in the latest patch.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 12, 2008 1:13:10 GMT
I haven't been doing that. My reserves have been playing the likes of Alloa reserves and Barnet u18s.
I'm 100k in the hole and have to hope that we get some money from somewhere, because I don't fancy losing six to ten points for going into receivership. It'll be a shame if I have to leave Sanctuary because we have no cash.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 12, 2008 1:35:59 GMT
I'm guessing your using the updated version? I'll also mention this, I have a 3000k stadium(it's the wrong one for my team as they are meant to move into a 10k one in a year or two) and in the Conference, without the friendly thing, I've made about 150k profit because I couldn't sign anyone of note, and because I guess I"m in the playoff spot. I keep getting stuffed by the AI otherwise I'd be first with this bunch of crap. QPR have some of the best youths in the Country too. I think your rep will be much better than mine once your up a division. I'm desperate to get out of the Conference so I can get the better players on loan. Once I have that, I'll be much better off.
I don't think you'll go into receivership either and it would piss me off if that happened. One thing you're not going to like, is the win bonus's hit to your money hole at the end of the season...
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 12, 2008 2:02:38 GMT
Yeahm I went with the max bonus thinking I'd never win the division, so I'm going to get slaughtered financially. It's going to be an interesting year next year for sure.
I've managed to cut the average wage down under £100 a week and I'm £80 under the total budget, but I'm still pissing money away like no one's business.
The board just want me to be stable in the conference inside of four years, so I might have to see how I'm looking next season and if I'm happily mid-table then some of the better players will have to go.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 12, 2008 2:07:45 GMT
I had 2 years to do that. I have two years to unsure the team survives in the Conference too. I think I"ve achieved that. If I don't go up this year, I'm screwed I think. I can't get me a parent club as the board don't think it's necessary the gimps :moop:
This version of the game does revolve around the finances a lot more than it used to. Moo's approach is definitely more likely to be needed to be taken at times. My approach was spend as much as you can, even if it means you need to go into debt, and can't buy players, so you get to the top leagues as quick as possible to get the big money which wipes away those money issues. I'm not sure you can take that approach in this version.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 12, 2008 2:19:41 GMT
I was the same - I'd mortage the club's finances on better players and rely on results to eventually balance the books and drag me back out of the red, rather than the tippy-toe system that seems to be needed now, of small step forward, save money, small step forward.
Next year I'll be able to offer the best bonuses for winning the conference, because there's no way in hell we'll manage that. Unless I take all of QPR's aplyers on loan.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 12, 2008 5:11:18 GMT
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens at the end of your season now.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 12, 2008 15:20:40 GMT
Because I might fail horribly?
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 12, 2008 15:30:48 GMT
End of the SeasonMaidenhead picked a very bad time to go on a bad run, slumping from 16th in February to be relegated on the final day of the season. If two of their draws were split into one loss and one win, they'd have stayed up on goal difference. I cruised on through the final games despite swapping out a lot of my loan players for people who actually work for Sanctuary in an effort to have a look at some players for next season and finished with triple-digit points, which was a real surprise. The removal of the QPR loanees from our defence seemed to only change the final scoreline, as we went from a slew of 3-0 wins with them playing, to a slew of 3-1 wins without them. Nicky Eyre actually looked pretty good in goal and new boy Ademeno up front seemed like he had an idea, although he's still very unpolished. Big Bob Dale finished with 44 goals in 47(2) appearances, which is a brilliant return on the eight grand I spent. Unfortunately, we then had to pay out £110,000 in bonuses for winning the division - a price I'm willing to pay, but the board might have other views. Spookily, SpInG get 75% of the LAC correct, as Man United lose to Barca in one LAC semi and Chelsea lose in the other to... Inter. Baraclona beat Inter 2-1 in the final, thanks to a 37th minute goal from Sam Eto'o. Liverpool take only one point from their last three games, (losing to both Newcastle and Middlesbrough), but it proves to be just enough to win the EPL on goal difference from United. The Devils gain revenge by beating Pool in the FA Cup final. Newcastle's closing day win at Anfield is enough to vault them into 7th and a European spot. West Ham, Portsmouth and Fulham are sent to the Championship, to be replaced by Sheffield United, Charlton and play-off winners Preston.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 12, 2008 23:45:53 GMT
SQUID LAST!Haven't done one of these for FM for a while... The Wrong Colour ShirtsThis part of the listing won't take long, because I've only got one. Nicky Eyre (22) Nicky only started once for us last season, keeping a clean sheet in the process, as he was pushed aside by loaner Sean Thomas. Ideally I'd like to get Thomas back from the blue Hoops but I haven't got the cash to buy him and I don't want to rely on loans forever. Eyre scrapes past Moo's keeper test by being 6'0" exactly and while his stats are quite poor, he can kick the ball a long way. Head BandagesMarcel McKie (23) Despite having a French name, he's from London. Our Captain for the whole of last season, McKie played 46(1) games although he won't have finished all of them, as he gets out of puff buttering toast. John Kyriacou (20) Despite having a Greek name, he's from Enfield. Picked up on a free at the end of the season - The AssMoo told me not to sign him because he's shite, as shown by the 7.29 he averaged over the seven games he played. An assist every other game from right back isn't to be sniffed at either. AssMoo. Ben Martin (25) Out on loan when I took over at Telford, or Beirut or Baghdad. Some shithole any way. Immediately recalled because even though he can't run, he can be 6'7", which is quite handy in the middle of the defence. Tom Roberts (19) Another freebie pick up who got to watch a lot of games last year because of the pre-season of Pat Kanyuka in from QPR. Averaged 6.89 in 9 games, so he'll need to step things up a bit to survive in the Conference proper. Gloves in WinterChris Seeby (23) The anchor to our midfield diamond, Seeby quietly 40 games last year at 7.07 drawing exactly zero attention in the process. Which means he didn't cock anything up. Which means I hope he does it again this year. Rambir Marwa (28) Despite having a Martian name and being Norwegian, Rambir was born in London. Go figure. Was up and down through 39 games last year to finish with a 7.05 for the season, but he did score seven goals, usually at important times. Keiron Day (17) Plugged into our midfield in an emergency last season, Keiron actually played well to finish with a 7.05 rating over 19 games and a permanent promotion from our youth team. All for only £15 a week. Coloured BootsHassan Sulaiman (22) Despite... Arab... London. Blah blah. Hassan was injured for a long stretch last year and when he came back he found I'd loaned not one but two QPR players who could fill his position. He was thrilled. Scored a very pleasing 7.23 from 23 games, but I got the impression he did that by never doing anything wrong, rather than occasionally doing something right. Junior Harvey (29) When I took over the first thing that AssMoo told me was that Harvey was the weakest link in our first eleven. Harvey then went out and won the Man of the Match in our first game and finished with five more "MoMs", eight goals and six assists, to accompany a 7.27 rating over 41 games. Rob Dale (26) The man, the leg-end. Brought in in the off-season for eight grand, his former club Blyth "THIS... IS..." Sparta must have been thrilled to watch him tank in 44 goals in 45(3) appearances including 37 in the league. The fans love Dale and so, by extension, they love me for buying him. The purchase is one of the few positive things my board can find to say about me, the fuckers.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 13, 2008 2:55:20 GMT
Because I might fail horribly? Only if you suddenly morph into Moo playing FM. Nah, it's more to do with if receivership actually occurs, and your offseason with transfers(particularly loans and being able to) etc. The triple figures with points was an unexpected occurances. You've a mean defense too.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 14, 2008 13:08:46 GMT
I hate my board. It’s not rare or even revelatory to announce that FM has successfully made you feel enmity toward some collection of names in a spreadsheet; in my long St Albans game I started off getting annoyed at Weymouth and their hobby of knocking me out of cup competitions and then switched between envy and schadenfreude toward Conference side Wycombe Wanderers, as they spent amounts of money that would frighten a championship team and then did exactly nothing with it. By the end I was annoyed by Liverpool – the last of the big teams to fall under my spell – and by one player at Arsenal; Lima, as the Brazilian refused to lay down and let me win like all of his team-mates. Way back when, somewhere on the Russian steppe, I was annoyed by Tom Tomsk who took 90 minutes to go from cute Womble to the symbol of all that is evil as they crushed my ascent, forcing me to stay in the Pervy division for another season. Tomsk were the progenitors of the arse rating system. There’s a reason we all bear zebras on Divot badge. Tomsk are that reason. Never before has the FM-famous full-throated FUCK OFF! Been aimed at my own board though. I was already annoyed when I won the Blue Square south and stood basking in praise from players, fans and journalists alike, only for the board to celebrate the achievement with an insipid pat on the back that was about as convincing as Jeremy Beadle’s handshake. I expected them to warm up a bit in the off-season when I announced to the world that Sanctuary wouldn’t be aiming simply to avoid relegation this season, but would instead shoot for mid-table and that I’d achieve that without a safety net as I asked for a transfer allowance of exactly zero pounds. I backed up this presumed financial boon for the club by actually making money in the off-season, through tv money, QPR’s parent club payment, season ticket sales and a tournament at the Gazebo including such luminaries as Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal reserves. I expected the board to be happy as the red figure on the bank statement dipped from -£260,000 to -£109,000. Who was I kidding. As the financial situation improved and I sat a full £2,000 a week under my allowed budget with a shiny new pairing in midfield, another talented youngster added up front and a quality new keeper rescued from Crystal Palace’s youth squad, the board simply narrowed their focus onto the only thing they had left and turned the whining to 11. Forward Charles Ademeno was the new target for Chairman John Gibson and his cronies, as they took every opportunity to tell me what a disastrous error I’d made in grabbing the young striker. Fair enough Ademeno had had a broken foot when I first approached him and failed a medical, but that broken foot was the reason he was available in the first place as his former club released him from the remaining six months of his contract as he was going to spend four of them gaining medical attention. As a result when he came back to fitness and into the Sanctuary side he looked a step slow, but I could already see that he was showing signs of being dangerous in our single forward system. Apparently I was the only one seeing that though. The fans were under-appreciative at first as he’d spent a long time going from taking Sanctuary’s money to dirtying Sanctuary’s shirts, but the board just wouldn’t leave it alone. If I played him they questioned my managerial ability. If I left him out they questioned the signing and suggested I offload him as soon as possible. Unsurprisingly the boy’s morale went in the toilet as a result and whenever I played him I had to pep him up with pre-game talks of faith in his ability, or telling him he was under no pressure to perform – hardly ideal for a forward. But I could see the talent in there. When Arsenal’s reserves (or more specifically, Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie) tore us a new arse, Ademeno battled hard, scoring our only goal as he ran 25 yards with the ball, turned a defender around so much they’ll have to unscrew his shorts and then lashed a shot from the edge of the box across Manuel Almunia and in off the far post. Quietly I told the board to kiss my hoop, stuck the 14 shirt on Ademeno and put him on the bench for our season opener away to Stafford Rangers. With only one pure forward role in the team, there was no surprise when last year’s player of the season and top goal scorer Robert Dale took the field, but when Dale put us ahead by two goals with half an hour to play there wasn’t much doubt about what I was going to do. I gave Rob the chance at a curtain call, bringing him off after 75 minutes to take the applause from the travelling fan and sent out Chuck in his place. 10 minutes later I was looking up to the chairman’s box trying to see through the smoked glass for the look on Chairman Gibson’s face as Ademeno side-footed home his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win. Three days later, at the Gazebo for the first time in the Blue Square Premier Dale got the nod again against a very defensive Exeter side. With the score stuck at 0-0 at the break I gave the boys encouragement and sent them out again, hoping for Dale or someone to grab a goal that would give me the chance to send out what had become my man – my project “piss off the board.” With 77 minutes on the clock and the scoreboard still untroubled by either team I sent on the crafty Lee Clarke to play the AMR role and then on the 80 minute mark I withdrew Rob Dale again and sent on Ademeno. Chuck took up his position at the tip of the arrowhead and his first touches were a neat one-two with Clarke that saw the veteran striker chopped from his feet for a free kick. The versatile Hassan Sulaiman ran up from right back to send in a long diagonal ball – the sort that would have been perfect for the 6’7” Dale – and watched as it cleared everyone to the back post where, despite being 10 inches shorter than Dale, Ademeno rose to head home the winner. While the 1100 Sanctuary fans cheered about their six points from two games, I turned to wave to the director’s box. Fuck you guys. Fuck you very much.
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Post by Boony on Apr 14, 2008 13:36:47 GMT
Awesome :thumb: Are the board any happier with your new super-sub?
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 14, 2008 13:58:29 GMT
I won't know until the end of the month. The fans have warmed up to him, which means that the board will too, as they're a bunch of spineless arse-badgers.
Of course, I've given them something else to moan about now, because I just made Moo Sanctuary's first full-time employee.
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Post by Boony on Apr 14, 2008 14:00:27 GMT
Ha! How's my fitness regime going?
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Post by Sonic on Apr 14, 2008 14:02:58 GMT
Nice start to the season. Having that parent club really helps by the looks of things.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 14, 2008 14:05:45 GMT
I promoted Coffers from youth coach to full coach and with Father Jack alongside you bellowing at the players the fitness is going ok.
Pops is the second full-time target, because he's the forwards coach and we're going to live and die this year on how many goals we can get out of a formation with one forward and two AMs.
Then it'll be Hornet so I can get my former Palace keeper back onto a fulltime deal. I'm amused by the thought of the keeper "communicating" with his back four in Hornet's horse-racing-CM style.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 14, 2008 14:07:11 GMT
Nice start to the season. Having that parent club really helps by the looks of things. Not so much this year. I have exactly zero QPR players on the team right now, although I'm trying to get Chirs Arthur back as he's a M/AM RLC, which means he can cover for a multitude of sins. Unlike the South/North, the Blue Square prem actually has limits on loans, so I'm not going to blow my wad just yet.
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Post by Boony on Apr 14, 2008 14:10:02 GMT
Will you be playing against Oxford this season?
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 14, 2008 14:15:10 GMT
Oxford went to the BSP playoffs last year - they beat Woking 1-0/2-0 in the semi-final to earn a day out at errr... Stoke... for the final against Cambridge, where 27,000 fans saw Yemi Odubade and Gary Twigg (2) score in a 3-0 win. Which is a very long winded way of saying "no."
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Post by Boony on Apr 14, 2008 14:21:05 GMT
Yemi Yemi Yemi! The kid is a legend down at the Kassam, y'know. Twigg went to Hamilton Academical in January, though, having struggled with injury in his time at Oxford.
Good luck in Division Four, boys!
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Post by Sonic on Apr 14, 2008 14:44:05 GMT
Unlike the South/North, the Blue Square prem actually has limits on loans, so I'm not going to blow my wad just yet. Something I'm acutely aware off, considering I got the huge some of 1 loanee, an amlr who is 33 and faded as the season went along. Useful still. I've just made the playoffs for this division, after finishing 3. My home form was the reason I didn't finish first, as I drew 8 games and lost 2. 3 more games to be promoted. I'm taking into these games a 4-2 win to the league champs from their place too, after coming back from a goal down. The funny thing is that for both halves I told the team the pressure was off and that there was nothing to lose. The second time I used it, we stuck 4 goals away :cab:
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