Arte et Labore - Recovering the Rovers

[jla]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on this forum, but I've lurked around for quite a while, checking out the saves that are written here. I just want to say there are some great saves here and I'll start and post in them soon. I'm Cheeky Deeky from The Dugout, or JLAspey from Twitter if you know me better from there. I have written my own blog for years (thetacticalannals.com) but after a few years now of slowly falling out of love with Football Manager, growing to be bored of the match engine, and being unable to stick with a save for more than a couple of seasons, I wanted to really strip things back, leave the blog alone for the time being, and really just post about a save and enjoy talking about it with people (something that never really happens when you run a blog, as people just want to read). I don't want to do big long blog style updates, but use this thread more as a diary to note down my thoughts and major events in my new save in the Championship, with Blackburn Rovers. I'm still getting the hang of how to write posts on a blog again, so give me some time

One of my major criticisms of football in general - and also the FM match engine - is that it has become far too homogenous. Both in FM and in real life, it feels like everyone plays pretty much the same way. Nick and I were talking about this a few days ago, because everyone on FM seems to play that short passing aggressive counterpressing style now, much like everyone was playing possession football say five years ago. The match engine seems very clearly geared up for that kind of football, and (apart from in FM20 pre-patch) it has been very successful. My issue is that I always feel like I end up playing that way, and it quickly becomes a little bit dull for me. So one of my biggest aims with this save tactically is to be different, and move away from doing the 4-3-3 counterpressing system, or 4-4-2 counterpressing. On top of that, I obviously want to return Blackburn to the Premier League, establish them as a top division team, before beginning to challenge the big boys in England. I also want to largely focus on signing home nations talent, so from England, Scotland, Wales and both Irish countries. I'm not saying I won't sign foreign players, but I've been reading Michael Cox's The Mixer in the last week or so, and it reminded me of a time where there were a lot more British players in the Premier League.

Tactically, this 4-4-1-1 is what I'm using thus far. It's intended to be an updated version of a classic English system. The TI's are a tweaked (and massively simplified and more cautious) version of a 4-4-2 tactic I developed with a Madrid team compromising Haaland, Gabigol, Hazard, Neves etc. The use of the Target Man with the Number 10 is what really interests me about this tactic. I love the Target Man role but haven't used it for years. In this system, the TM serves as a static focal point around which the Number 10 and wide players can maneouvre. I have given the Number 10 (mostly Bradley Dack but sometimes Lewis Holtby) the freedom to roam as well, and create havoc around the Target Man. I really like this system so far. I'm not claiming it to be perfect as it stands, but it's a very good base to develop from. I could also see me switching the TM to a more mobile forward as we move up to the PL, but right now I really like the role, and Danny Graham has been fantastic there so far.

In terms of expectations, the club is predicted to finish 9th, but the board want us to finish in the Playoffs, so there's a little bit more pressure in season one, but I do think that this should be achievable for us. I was only given £1m with which to achieve that position, so signed only Nyles Kenlock from Ipswich to fill in a glaring lack of quality and depth at left back. I should mention as well that I've really streamlined how I play this save too (again, I think FM has become FAR too complicated in recent years), also in an attempt to play the game realistically, so I simply told my DoF that I wanted Kenlock, told him how high he could go, and he signed him for me. I neither have the time, nor interest anymore to sit and negotiate contracts and transfers for half an hour. I want to actually play the game. 

Pre-season went well, with wins against lower opposition, but it was a draw against Parma (Serie A opposition) that showed how well things were going. We dominated the game, and Parma only had one shot on target the entire game, and equalised from a penalty. We were fantastic, and it really showed me we could do well this year. We play nice football but it isn't massively focused on possession, or pressing, but it's just nice looking passing football. We work the ball gradually forward, using either the flanks with our wide players (who have a considerable amount of pace) or the Target Man to bounce off in the final third. It's really nice to watch.

The first game of the league season also went absolutely fantastically, in an easy 4-0 win over Ian Bowyer's recently promoted Charlton side. You can see from the goalscorers that it's our front 4 (the TM, AM, and wide players) that are our danger, and it was an effortless performance. I've played a few more games of the league season and things are still going well, but I'll keep that back for a later update. Most importantly, I think this save might actually be a keeper! Hope you guys enjoy the read and I look forward to chatting about the save with you all, and some good old TD nostalgia.

[Marshdweller]

I like the fact your tactic has very few TIs. That's always my aim too!

[jla]

It's relatively simplistic. You don't have to pack the whole thing with TI's. Just tweak enough to the point where it's what you want. In possession I just want them to pass short, aside from that they have the freedom to follow what their PI's and roles allow them to do.

[jla]

Sigh.

[dalenichol]

Welcome aboard Deeky, nice to see another old TD member join us. Always enjoyed the blog, so it's even better to have you posting here.

Interesting challenge with Blackburn, they're a team that is often forgotten about.I had no idea they had Holtby playing for them these days, that's pretty mad!

An unfortunate injury for Dack, I hope it doesn't hamper you too much. Do you have much in the way of squad depth or are you really going to be feeling this one?

[jla]

Cheers Dale, appreciate that. I didn't realise Holtby was there either, so was pleasantly surprised when I found him in the squad. I can't believe he's 28 (now 29 in game)! Yeah Blackburn are a team many don't go for, but they still pose a decent challenge with only £1m in the transfer kitty to compete in the Championship and a bottom half wage budget. They've got the 'return to glory years' element about them as well. There is however, a decent amount of depth in the squad as you can see below so the loss of Dack hasn't been catastrophic, with Holtby moving up to Number 10, and John Buckley moving up to the Box to Box role. Downing can also play Number 10 if I desperately need some rotation.

The squad is young, and has some potential if I can develop them correctly. Man United have already started sniffing around Brereton though. 9 league games in though, and things are going well. Pleasantly surprised at how much I'm enjoying this.

[Nick]

Good to see you posting Mr. Aspey. I'm expecting massive things from this Blackburn side given your FM experience! All jokes aside, the 'return to glory years' aspect you mention makes them a good choice, but it's rare to see the AI do anything with their undoubted potential. Out of interest, who's running the club there now? In real life, Blackburn seem to just plod along away from the headlines since the Steve Keen/Venky's fiasco of a few years ago.

[jla]

Cheers Nick. Nice to be back writing but enjoying it. Forgot how nice it is to actually chat to people about your save rather than yourself on a blog. As far as I know, Venky's still own Blackburn. How active they are in running the club though I'm not 100% sure.

Financially we're ok with £8m sitting in the bank after I gave Brereton a new contract so United do one. Whether Venky's sell (currently say they love the club), some attacking football and a young fresh squad should turn things round in game!

[jla]

End of September/Start of October Review

So, we're ten games into the season, so I thought this is a good pause point for a first overview of the results. As you can see, we've started the league campaign absolutely fantastically, currently placed in the automatic promotion spots. I'm not convinced that we'll stay there - with Leeds, Preston and Brentford in particular still for us to play, but nevertheless this is a very pleasing start. We've been absolutely fantastic going forward, with only Bielsa's Leeds scoring more than us at this point of the season. The strength of our setup really is the 'front 4' of the TM, AM, and both wingers, and it's the wings where we really are absolutely lethal with three ultra pacey wide men in Joe Rothwell, Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton (who I had to sign to a longer 4 year contract to put off Man United) who are rotating in the two spots and tearing the league to shreds at times. We're decent defensively of course, but the strength of this side is the attack, and I'm going to lean into that. With Venky's still remaining at the club, I also think it's realistic as a way to rebuild fan support.

A quick look shows how important Danny Graham has been for us upfront in the Target Man role. I was actually quite surprised at how good his stats were (for a Championship striker) when I took over, and his finishing has been really important for us so far, giving us the win in a couple of close games so far. The Target Man works so well because there's so much movement around him that it is the perfect static point within the system, and I really think I will keep it as part of our setup and see how high up I can take it. Again, I'm trying to do things differently to how I usually do, and using this role in this way is really fun. Lewis Holtby also deserves credit for how well he's played whilst Dack is injured, currently racking up the assists. I think he'll still move back once Dack returns, but he certainly has given me more options than I thought I had.

I also think Leeds are probably winning the league. In real life they're far and away the best side in the league, and this appears to be true in game too. We're still going to face a battle to be involved in the play offs (Fulham in 7th beat us comfortably 3-1 earlier in the season), but either way, this has been really fun so far, and it's nice to be actually enjoying an FM save like this for what feels like the first time on FM20.

[ttgb]

Welcome to the forum, nice to see another old face on the board.

[chaodck]

Loving this so far Jon. It's the total opposite on how I approach the game, and that makes it so much more appealing to me. I'm gonna learn a lot from reading this hahaa. I play high tempo short passing counter pressing football, with a ton of Team Instructions, my transfers come from all over the world and I micromanage the hell outta my save.

I think the approach of trying to make a more British side in England is amazing, I remember the good old 90's where EPL sides used to have a lot of homegrown talent and were maybe the last to surrender to football globalisation, I even remember when Wenger was being called names for his approach with Arsenal. I also love the Target Man role and find myself using it so little only because almost all newgens end up being either Advanced Forwards, Pressing Forwards or Poachers. I would love to see more versatility on that front, with more DLF's, TM's and eventually CF's as well.

I'll be following closely mate, good luck.

[jla]

After a disappointing 2-0 loss to Birmingham (goals through a corner and a 25 yard screamer) in one of those games where you don't particularly do much wrong, but convincingly lose the game, we fired back with an easy 2-0 win over Preston. At that point Preston had jumped us to be 2nd and were the best defensive side in the league. The win sends us back 2nd, two points clear of Fulham now, but Leeds are absolutely running away with it, sitting 6 points clear now. I'm starting to become quite interested in how our left side functions, with the WM-A told to sit narrower, get further forward, and cut inside with the ball. With the BBM making runs in support alongside, the AM-A making runs as well, and the WB-S overlapping, it's really the strength of our system.

I'm trying to think of who my Blackburn side remind me of. Whilst elements of the system are intended to be a throwback, there's plenty of football at the back that would make a modern fan go 'oooh'. We:

- Pass out from the back with short instricate passing (showing what you can do with the right instructions and roles, rather than overdoing TI's for force it).
- Have a holding central midfielder who is there just to tackle and pass short.
- Play technical passing football in midfield, usually then playing through balls out to the flanks to release the wide players.
- Have a floating 10 who can move around and reate.
- Play a static striker who is there to bring others into play around him.

At times, there's a lot of it that reminds me of the old Arsenal side just before Wenger went overboard with his love of small technical players, but they never really had a targetman like we do.

Jul 1, 2020 22:04:54 GMT chaodck said:

Loving this so far Jon. It's the total opposite on how I approach the game, and that makes it so much more appealing to me. I'm gonna learn a lot from reading this hahaa. I play high tempo short passing counter pressing football, with a ton of Team Instructions, my transfers come from all over the world and I micromanage the hell outta my save.

Cheers mate, appreciate that. That's how I've always played the game though (especially with the short passing counterpressing tactics), so I totally get it. I'm enjoying blending the old and the new with this style of play. I also find having less control over things makes the game more 'playable' too as I really feel SI have added too much to do in game now. I don't have to faff about with transfer dealings, but I can tell me DoF what to do and let him get on with it.

[jla]

An extremely promising result in the League Cup sends us through to the quarters. We rested several key players and Southampton sent out a strong side. Promises much if we can manage to gain promotion.

[jla]

A wonderful solo effort from Joe Rothwell (easily the player of our season on the left wing) gives us a 1-0 win at Elland Road. We're top!

[jla]

In other news, Bradley Dack has started demanding a new contract. He wants a few thousand more than the club can currently afford (along with a LOT of other add ons) to offer him and he has a year and a half left on his deal. Lewis Holtby has taken over as the first choice Number 10, with John Buckley taking over at BBM. Dack is rated at around £13m, so my instinct is to cash in on him, and use the money to build on the push for promotion/gain some wage budget room (we currently have none at all).

[dalenichol]

I like Dack, he's a good player and always seems to do well on FM, but with a value of £13m, I reckon you could push £20m+ from him if you sold domestically, so if you can cash in, I'd definitely do it.

[jla]

Yeah, tried to sell and dropped to £15m and still no takers. Not willing to drop lower than that for a player of Dack's quality.

[dalenichol]

Jul 5, 2020 13:19:09 GMT jla said:

Yeah, tried to sell and dropped to £15m and still no takers. Not willing to drop lower than that for a player of Dack's quality.

Yeah, that's the problem. I find selling players really quite difficult on this version of the game, nobody wants to bite on good players for some reason

[jla]

Agree, but I think that's something that has gotten gradually worse throughout the years on FM. I can see the financial problems coming in this save though. We're over wage budget and only have £8m in the bank.

EDIT: Well that helps. Would appear Venky's aren't so bad in game.

[Nick]

I've found the transfer market incredibly frustrating on this version, more so at Velez than in China due to the fact that Chinese players are ridiculously overpriced due to the league rules and number of rich owners.

Unless the player is transfer listed, which obviously drives down the price, I never find the AI comes in with an offer that would be mirrored if I was to go in for one of their players. The case of Dack being a prime example. With him worth £13m, there's no chance the AI would let him go for £15m or less.

It was the same with Velez. I had players worth around £3.5m in that save and the AI would offer me £5m. The other way round and I'm being quoted £20m+. They need to sort that out, especially for players that are over 21.

[jla]

End of December 2019 Review



Ok, so we've come to the end of 2019, and we're effectively halfway through the league season, so it's time to review. I've rattled through a few months fairly quickly, which is both good as I've made progress but I know from past experience as this can sometimes be where I lose interest, simply seeing the game as just a challenge to see how well I can do in that season alone. As a result I lose sign of the bigger picture and lose interest once the season is done. That's why I've made sure I stop here, so I can take stock of what's going on. At the end of the day, writing about the save and talking about it (the coolest part of being on this forum) with you guys is what I'm interested in.

So, as you can see in the stats review above, we remain in the automatic positions place, but that doesn't really tell the whole story. We carried on after the last update in scitilating form, with Joe Rothwell and Danny Graham leading the way for us, with Holtby playing very well, linking from number 10. After the win against Leeds, we were top, but at the beginning of December, we started to drop points and look less and less convincing, to the point where when we drew with Bristol City, we dropped out of the automatic promotion positions and back into the playoffs. Realistically, we should be comfortably in the top two, rather than being just in the top two with Fulham (the in form team of the league) well above us. This slide in form seemed to have several causes. Firstly, Danny Graham strained his groin and was out for four weeks. Secondly, the contract dispute with Bradley Mack clearly affected the squad's morale (in the end I was able to re-sign him, committing to £28k per week, which is more than anyone at the club - I need to balance the books soon. Thirdly, the 4-4-1-1 was clearly creating less chances for us, largely because our wingers Rothwell, Brereton and Armstrong simply weren't firing any more. We've just got back on track after scraping past Wigan with a 3-1 win against Huddersfield, which may be significant for our season as we came back from 1-0 down after a tactical switch. My reflex when things are getting shaky is always to go more defensive, so we dropped from a 4-4-1-1 to a 4-1-4-1 with Dack at AM dropping back to CM, and the full backs both being FB-S's. It's much more cautious, but it worked and our wingers finally started threatening again. At the start of the season, our strength was our attack (I said as much), but from then on it's undoubtedly been our defence, with us having the 2nd best record in the league at the back. I don't know if the 4-1-4-1 is a system I'll change to, but it is at least a Plan B.

In a weird way, I actually wouldn't mind if we didn't get promoted this season. I want to really focus on developing the team, the club and getting my own players in, and that process will have to wait if we go up. The wage budget needs reducing (more like Venky's need to increase it) and the squad needs streamlining. Obviously I'm going to do the best I can, and it will help us financially if we get promoted, but I don't want my interest in this save to wane. I somewhat feel like it would almost be too much too fast for a club like Blackburn that are still recovering from the financial mess they were (and somewhat are still) in. Venky's expect us to finish in the playoff places, and I don't doubt that we'll do that. Let's just see.

[jla]

Forgot to mention this too! We're in the semis of the League Cup. We're going to get absolutely destroyed. Wish me luck.

[chaodck]

Good first half Jon. I'm totally with you on the thoughts that sometimes I'd rather not get the immediate promotion (even though I would never play against the team) but I almost never end up getting what I want on that regard, except when I'm playing a lower lower league side and climb up from the 5th tier or so (I tend to stay 2-3 years on the middle tiers).
The tactical change looks interesting and it worked for your side which is always good. Good luck against Liverpool, hopefully you don't make much of a mess of yourselves.

[jla]

The least close 2-0 ever highly flatters us, but we at least kept it respectable. Had to rotate Charlie Mulgrew into the first team at the back and Firmino just tore him to shreds, confirming that Mulgrew will be leaving the club if I can get someone to take on his £14k per week salary.

[jla]

This is a pretty massive upcoming issue that's going to be vital for where we go for here. After re-signing Brereton and Dack to longer and more expensive contracts (Dack's I somewhat regret as I find him somewhat inconsistent but I had to sort out squad harmony) the wage budget is so small I only have £1.5k remaining to re-sign players. Danny Graham is still unsigned and has been vital this season, Smallwood has been effective but I have a long term replacement ready to take his spot in Davenport. Venky's are going to have to increase the wage budget moving forward as without a boost we'll lose key players, especially if we aren't promoted.

I'm still considering selling Dack. Holtby is my first choice at 10 because he's just more consistent than Dack (who is averaging 6.93 for the season, whereas Holtby is on 7.09) and the contract I gave him was a financial error, as he's just taking up way too much wage space. There's some difficult choices to be made for sure...

EDIT: The game may be answering my wishes. Please Venky's, do the decent thing.

[Nick]

It's a tough one but, for the money you're paying him, I'd be expecting Dack to be the standout player in the squad, leading the way in terms of average rating and assists, given the position he plays. With Holtby outperforming him, it sounds like the only downside to selling him is the fact that it will potentially upset the squad because you've sold a good player. With Morale Manager being the way it is that's a potential issue, but one that I've found is easily forgotten by players a) in time or b) if you bring in a good replacement. The money from the Dack sale would allow you to re-sign the current players who have contracts expiring and also allow you to strengthen the squad in other areas, including Dack's replacement.

Great stuff in the league as well. Leeds have had a slight implosion by the looks of it (at the time of writing), which was a surprise. It's very tight in those playoff spots under you, as you'd expect in The Championship. I'd mirror your sentiments that staying in the division for another season might be better for the club in the long term, but you can't deny that money from promotion could be a game changer.

[jla]

Jul 6, 2020 13:02:09 GMT Nick said:

It's a tough one but, for the money you're paying him, I'd be expecting Dack to be the standout player in the squad, leading the way in terms of average rating and assists, given the position he plays. With Holtby outperforming him, it sounds like the only downside to selling him is the fact that it will potentially upset the squad because you've sold a good player. With Morale Manager being the way it is that's a potential issue, but one that I've found is easily forgotten by players a) in time or b) if you bring in a good replacement. The money from the Dack sale would allow you to re-sign the current players who have contracts expiring and also allow you to strengthen the squad in other areas, including Dack's replacement.

Great stuff in the league as well. Leeds have had a slight implosion by the looks of it (at the time of writing), which was a surprise. It's very tight in those playoff spots under you, as you'd expect in The Championship. I'd mirror your sentiments that staying in the division for another season might be better for the club in the long term, but you can't deny that money from promotion could be a game changer.

That's exactly my thinking Nick. He should be my best player, and he just isn't. Our form is noticeably slowing though, we've slipped to 3rd on goal difference now. Leeds have appointed Holloway as Bielsa went to Villa in the Prem. We just aren't scoring enough.

[jla]

I cannot keep up this season, I have zero idea where we'll finish. A switch to 4-4-2 gives us a comfortable 3-1 win over top of the table Fulham, with Adam Armstrong (who has been on the bench most of the season) bagging a hat-trick as an AF-A.